Russian name

Russian surnames

In countries such as Russia, Czechoslovakia, or Iceland, (along with several other Slavic countries) your gender is what may decide your last name. If a child is born male, and his fathers last name is Zaitsev, the child's last name would be Zaitsev as well. Though, if a child is born female, and her mothers surname is Vasilieva, the daughters last name would also be Vasilieva. Most Slavic female names end in an -eva, -ava, or -ova. Though, some surnames, such as Zhuk or Gaidamachuk would stay the same for both male and female bearers. Almost all Russian surnames have a male and female version, such as Egerov(a), Zaitsev(a), Oblensky(Oblenskaya), and Ivanov(a) as just a few notable examples. The five most common surnames in Russia as of 2026 are Ivanov(a), Petrov(a), Popov(a), Kuznetstov(a), and Smirnov(a).