A Note on Russian Names

Navigating the nuances of Patronymics, Diminutives and Masculine / Feminine Endings

A note on Russian names

Patronymics

Russian ‘middle names’, or patronymics, are derived from the first name of one’s father. For example. Raskolnikov’s father’s name would have been Roman, and so Raskolnikov’s patronymic is Roman-ovich. For feminine patronymics, the ending is different, so Dunya’s—Raskolnikov’s sister’s—patronymic is Roman-ovna.

The masculine / feminine differences carry through to surnames, for example Raskolnikov’s mother and sister’s surname has the letter -a appended, making it Raskolnikova. Not all Russian surnames decline in this way, for example surnames ending in the Ukrainian suffix -enko remain as they are in both masculine and feminine variants.

In forms of address, the first name and patronymic is used in formal and even semi-formal speech, a bit like when we would use Mr or Mrs Surname in English, although that practice seems to be dying out in favour of first names.

Patronymics are sometimes shortened in speech, for example Zakharych instead of Zakharovich in the case of Marmeladov (son of Zakhar).

It’s a bit of a minefield for non-Russian readers. Thankfully this novel has far fewer characters than War and Peace to keep track of!

Diminutives

Diminutives or endearments are used as we would use nicknames in English and are used by close friends and family. Thus, Rodion becomes Rodya or Rodka. Avdotya becomes Dunya or Dunechka, just as we would use Andy for Andrew or Davie for David.

I’ve listed the diminutives below along with the full names, where given.

Etymology of names

Dostoyevsky has chosen names that have meaning associated with them for Russian readers in much the same way as Dickens did for his characters.

• Raskolnikov is derived from the verb raskolot’: to cleave, split, chop, break, and the noun raskol, meaning split or schism, particularly with reference to the Schism in Russian Orthodoxy in the seventeenth century.

• Lebezyatnikov is derived from the verb lebezit’, to fawn.

• Luzhin is derived from the Russian word luzha, meaning puddle.

• Razumikhin is derived from the noun razum, meaning reason, intellect.

• Zametov, police officer and friend of Razumikin’s, is derived from the verb zametit’, to notice, observe.