OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Russian Name Generator
Russian Patronymics, Gendered Surnames and Diminutive Given Names
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How the Russian Name Generator works
This Russian name generator makes Russian names in the three forms a Russian actually uses: the full name with patronymic for documents and formal address, Anastasia Sergeyevna Ivanova; the short first-name-and-surname form, Dmitri Petrov; and the diminutive that friends and family use, Nastya, Dima, Sasha. Surnames take the correct feminine ending for women. Choose female, male or either and generate up to a hundred.
How the Russian name generator works
A Russian has three names: a given name, a patronymic formed from the father's given name, and a surname. The patronymic is not optional and not a middle name. It is how Russians address each other with respect, so a teacher, a boss or an older neighbour is called by first name and patronymic, Sergei Alexandrovich, Olga Petrovna, never by surname. The patronymic is built by adding -ovich or -evich to the father's name for a son and -ovna or -evna for a daughter: the children of Sergei are Sergeyevich and Sergeyevna, the children of Ivan are Ivanovich and Ivanovna. The Full option produces these, and because the patronymic lists are drawn from the same stock of fathers' names as the first names, the results are realistic.
Surnames change with the sex of the bearer. Ivanov's wife and daughter are Ivanova, Kuznetsov's are Kuznetsova, and the adjectival surnames in -sky become -skaya, so Dostoevsky's daughter is Dostoevskaya. The generator keeps two surname lists and picks the one matching the gender, which is the detail most often wrong in fiction. The commonest Russian surnames are patronymic in origin, Ivanov, Petrov, Vasiliev, son of Ivan, Pyotr, Vasily, with Smirnov, the quiet one, Kuznetsov, the smith, and animal surnames, Sokolov the falcon, Volkov the wolf, Lebedev the swan, Orlov the eagle, close behind.
Diminutives are the third register, and they are not simple nicknames. Every Russian given name has a standard short form, Alexander and Alexandra are both Sasha, Dmitri is Dima, Maria is Masha, Ekaterina is Katya, Anastasia is Nastya, and these are what family, friends and anyone speaking to a child use. Beyond them are affectionate forms, Sashenka, Dimochka, and rough ones, Sashka, Dimka, which the Diminutive option leaves to the writer. Any mixes all three forms.
The spellings here are the common English transliterations, Alexei rather than Aleksey, Yuri rather than Yury; choose one system and keep to it. For the neighbouring systems, the Ukrainian and Polish pages; for older Russian and Slavic forms, the Medieval and Viking pages.
FAQ
What is a patronymic and is it required?
A name formed from the father's given name, -ovich or -evich for a son, -ovna or -evna for a daughter. Every Russian has one on their passport. It is used with the first name as the polite form of address, so a character's patronymic is worth deciding even if it rarely appears.
Why do women's surnames end in -a?
Because Russian surnames are adjectives or possessives and agree with the sex of the bearer. Ivanov, Ivanova; Petrovsky, Petrovskaya. A woman called Ivanov in a story is a mistake; the exceptions are surnames of foreign or Ukrainian origin, which do not change.
What are the diminutives?
The standard short forms of Russian given names, used by everyone who knows the person: Sasha for Alexander or Alexandra, Dima for Dmitri, Masha for Maria, Katya for Ekaterina, Nastya for Anastasia. They are not childish and adults use them among friends and family throughout life.
How do I address a Russian character?
Formally by first name and patronymic, Olga Petrovna. Among friends by diminutive, Olya. By surname alone only in the army, in school registers, or in the police. Mr and Mrs with a surname is a foreign habit.
Can I use these names for fiction or test data?
Yes. They are combinations of ordinary names and cannot be owned. Ivanov and Smirnov are carried by millions, so a common combination will coincide with real people; a name that will be attached to something public deserves a quick search.
See also: all Culture & Language tools, People, Fantasy & RPG, Sci-fi, Online & Social, Business & Brand, Places & Things.
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