Why do Russian people have multiple names?

Every Russian has three names: First name, patronymic (middle name, derived from one's father's first name) and surname. First (Christian) names are usually traditional. They come from the Bible, or can be of Greek (most names, in fact), Latin or old Slavic origin.
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Why do Russians use multiple names?

The first double surnames in Russia and Eastern Europe were known and used in medieval times. Having a double surname was a privilege and an indication of a higher social class. The practice of adding a second surname arose because of the need to distinguish between members of the same family.
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Do Russians have multiple names?

Russians use three names: first name, or имя; middle or patronymic name, or отчество, which is their father's first name plus a suffix meaning "son of" (ович) or "daughter of" (овна); and the last name or family name, or фамилия. Women's last names add an а to the masculine form of the name.
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Why do Russian names have so many nicknames?

Russian nicknames, or diminutives, are simply short forms of the given name. As opposed to full names used in formal situations, short forms of a name are used in communication between well-acquainted people, usually relatives, friends, and colleagues.
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Why do Russians use 3 names?

Russian patronymics

Patronymics are used in combination with first full names and imply respect and distance between grown up people. So, for example, it's traditional to address your boss, a doctor, a teacher, a senior colleague, parents-in-law using their name plus patronymic.
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All about Russian Names | Russian Culture



Why is there no word for friend in Russian?

Due to Russia's complex history, no word has appeared since the end of the Soviet Union that has managed to fully replace товарищ. The word is still active in the Russian Army as part of some rank names. In everyday life, товарищ can sometimes be used by older generations.
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Do Russian wives take their husband's last name?

Women customarily take their husband's surname at marriage, although not always. The middle name is patronymic, created by using the child's father's name with the suffix “vich” or “ovich” for boys, and “avna” or “ovna” for girls. This means 'son of' and 'daughter of'.
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What is the Russian naming tradition?

The Slavic Naming System

On any piece of Russian documentation, you're likely to see the acronym ФИО (FIO) written out in Cyrillic. These mean surname, first name, and patronymic. However when giving someone's full name, it's usually stated as given name + patronymic + surname.
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How do Russians choose middle names?

Russians do not choose their own middle name, it is created by taking their father's name and adding the ending -ovich/-evich for boys, or -ovna/-evna for girls, the particular ending determined by the last letter of the father's name.
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What is the most common Russian last name?

Ivanov is the most common surname in Russia. Kuznetsov, Smirnov, Popov, and Petrov contribute to the top five most popular surnames. Thirty-one percent of the names listed are of non-Russian origin: Arabian, Turkic, Ukrainian, Armenian, Jewish, Chinese and Korean surnames are among them.
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What is the most used name in Russia?

From January to November 2021, the most common male first name given to a baby in Russia's capital Moscow was Alexander, at approximately 2.3 thousand name registrations, followed by Mikhail with nearly 2.2 thousand registrations.
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How do names decline in Russian?

Most Russian given names for males end in a consonant. They are declined as first declension masculine nouns. Foreign male names which end in a consonant must be declined in the same way: Он Иван сын Ивана.
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Why do the Russians use full names on the Americans?

Why do the Russian characters always refer to each other by first and "last" name? The Russian characters on the show (mainly the characters in the Rezidentura) are actually not referring to each other by first and last name, rather, they are referring to each other by a first name and patronymic.
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Why do female Russian names end in a?

Why do Russians add an A to their last name? The middle name is patronymic, created by using the child's father's name with the suffix “vich” or “ovich” for boys, and “avna” or “ovna” for girls. This means 'son of' and 'daughter of'. An 'a' is added to the end of almost all female surnames.
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What is a typical Russian man's name?

Russian names for boys range from the familiar (Nikolai, Ivan, Vladimir), to the under-the-radar (Matvei, Leonid, Rodion), to the utterly unknown (Timofel, Innokenti, Yelisei). Along with Nikolai and Ivan, other Russian boys' names that have featured in the US Top 1000 in recent years include Valentin and Dimitri.
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What are some Russian American names?

Russian names in the US Top 1000 for girls include Alina, Kira, Mila, Nadia, and Nina. For boys, Russian names in the US Top 1000 include Ivan, Nikolai and Valentin. In Russia, popular names include Polina, Varvara and Ksenia for girls, and Mikhail, Lev and Artem for boys.
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What are female middle names in Russia?

Popular and Common Russian Names for Your Baby Girl
  • Anastasia - resurrection.
  • Angelina - heavenly creature.
  • Annika - grace.
  • Anya - grace.
  • Irina - peace.
  • Karine - beloved.
  • Katina - pure.
  • Khristina - a follower of Christ.
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What is a popular female Russian name?

From January to November 2021, the most common female first name given to baby girls in Russia's capital Moscow was Sofiya, with over 2.1 thousand registrations. It was followed by Mariya and Anna. Other popular first names given to female newborns in the city included Alisa, Eva, and Viktoriya.
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How many wives can a Russian man have?

Polygamous marriages are not recognized in the Russian Federation. The Family Code of Russia states that a marriage can only be contracted between a man and a woman, neither of whom is married to someone else. Furthermore, Russia does not recognize polygamous marriages that had been contracted in other countries.
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What happens when you marry a Russian citizen?

After marriage, a foreign citizen submits documents for obtaining Temporary residence permit (RVP) This is a first stage of obtaining Russian Citizenship is called RVP by marriage. Then, having received the RVP and having lived there for 6 months, the foreign citizen can apply for a residence permit in Russia.
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How do Russian names change after marriage?

When women marry, they customarily retain their given name and patronymic but adopt the surname of their spouse (although not always). For example, when Inga married Dmitriy Vladimirovich Ustinov, her name changed to Inga Igorevna Ustinova.
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What is the 7 letter rule in Russian?

The 7-letter spelling ruleEdit

There is a spelling rule called the '7-letter spelling rule', so called because it comes into effect after seven letters: к, г, х, ш, щ, ж, and ч. When you remove the default ending from a word, you are left with the stem.
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What does ooo mean in Russia?

What is an OOO in Russia? A limited liability company in Russia is actually defined as an OOO. It is the type of Russian company which is best suited for businesses with foreign capital. Foreign investors can choose to set up a limited liability company in Russia regardless of their activity.
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What does Opa in Russian mean in English?

In Romanian (hopa) and Russian culture (опа) it is used during the short phase of concentration on an action (similar to "come on" in English), the expectation of successful process during the action and the subsequent completion of it, for example, when throwing a basketball into the basket, getting off the bike or ...
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Do Russians address each other by first and last name?

No, people do not address each other with their first and last names in Russia. However, in your examples you mentioned patronymics. They are different from last names. In formal situations or while talking to elders (who aren't relatives) people use the following form: first name followed by patronymic.
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