Georgian surname endings. Meaning and origin of Georgian surnames

You can find out Georgian surnames from other peoples of the world quite simply. They are distinguished not only by their beautiful sound, but by the presence of their own specific structural system and special endings-suffixes. They are formed by attaching one of them to the root. Different roots and endings are common in each area, which makes it possible to determine historical origin person.

Story

The Georgian state has existed for several thousand years, but in ancient times it was divided into two regions: Colchis and Iberia

• Georgian male surnames with “-dze” are most numerous in western Georgia, and “-shvili” are common only among representatives of eastern Georgia. Representatives of noble families had the endings “-ani”.
• The endings of Georgian surnames “-ua” and “-ia” determine Mingrelian origin.

“Like its counterpart from Georgia, Armenia has princely families with “-uni” and it also denotes the noble origin of its bearer"

Statistics of Georgian surnames from 1997, their meaning and interpretation

If we consider all Georgian regions together, the most popular here will be the same famous “-shvili” and “-dze”. The latter is most common in the western regions. It is found in the regions of Imereti, Guria and Adjara. Surnames starting with “-dze” have ancient roots, while “-shvili” is much newer and dates back to the times of united Georgia. The ending “-shvili” is common in the regions of Kakheti and Kartli.

1. The suffixes “-eti”, “-ati”, “-iti” and “-eti” are the third most common after “-shvili” and “-dze”. Example: Rustaveli, Tseretili..
2. Suffixes “-ani” for the descendants of kings and nobles of the Migreli tribes. Example: Dadiani.
3. Surnames with “-uli”, “-uri”, “iya”, “-ava”, “-aya” are less common, but among Georgian celebrities they are quite common: Okudzhava, Danelia.
4. A very rare ending “-nti”, which has Chan/Svan roots. Example: Glonti.
5. The prefix "m-" with a root denoting profession was popular in the eastern regions, closely associated with Persia. Mdivani means “scribe”, Mebuke means “bugler”. Many of them have been translated from the Persian alphabet into Georgian. People with such surnames can be found in the eastern regions.

“The most unique of all is Amilakhvari. This surname has its roots in Persia. Its main feature is that it does not have a suffix or ending. Found mainly among eastern highlanders"

List of the most common surname endings in Georgia as of 1997

1. Dze – 1.65 million. Adjara, Imereti. Means "son". The ending is found in men in western Georgia.
2. Shvili – 1.3 million. West of the country. Means “child”, “child”, “descendant”. Many female surnames are formed with this suffix.
3. Uri – 760 thousand Tsageri district, Mestia, Chkhetiani
4. Uli – 237 thousand. Eastern Georgia
5. Iani – 129 thousand. Western Georgia
6. Shi - 7263, Adjara, Guria
7. Skiri – 2375 Areas in the east
8. Chkori – 1831 Regions in the east
9. Kva – 1023 Regions in the east

Structure

Family names of Georgians are given and built on the basis of established rules.

• If a child is baptized, he is given a name, which can later be turned into a surname by adding a suffix ending to it. Example: Nikoladze. This is a fairly common practice. In the same way, they can be formed from Muslim (mostly Persian) names, words and titles. The Georgian surname Japaridze is derived from the Persian name for the profession “dzapar” (postman).
• Often there are surnames that indicate the origin of its bearer from a certain Georgian area. Example: Tsereteli from the village and fortress of the same name Tseret. They often have princely origin, although not all of its bearers are descendants of princes.
• There can only be one ending.

“There are many Georgian surnames with Russian elements in them. Some of them acquired Russian endings “-ev” and “-ov”, like Panulidzev, Sulakadzev, etc. It is also possible to Russify them by removing the Georgian suffix and replacing it with Russian ones. Example: Avalishvili - Avalov, Batashvili - Baratov. Some of them have undergone changes due to translation into the Russian alphabet and vice versa."

List of declension rules

Today, there are no particularly strict rules on this matter, but it is recommended to pay attention to the list of main cases when they cannot be persuaded.

• In case the male and female form are the same.
• Ending with unstressed vowels
• Suffixes “-iya”, “-ia” and “-aya”

Example: Gurtskaya, Garcia, Heredia. They never bow down.

“Many linguists, believing that it is possible to inflect surnames from Georgians, do not recommend doing this in order to avoid subsequent mistakes”

The topic of Georgian surnames is certainly interesting and requires an in-depth study of the history of this ancient region. They are not only beautiful, but also carry important Georgian culture role and significance. It is not difficult to identify them. Most often, they are built from the names of their speakers, by adding special suffixes; on behalf of the region or locality in which he was born or simply inherited from his parents. Since Georgia in ancient times was divided into eastern and western parts, the surnames of the inhabitants of these regions differ from each other. Thus, in the west of the country, surnames with the ending “-shvili” and roots derived from Christian names are common, while in the east, Persian influence is felt. Also in connection with the presence of Georgia in the Russian Empire And Soviet Union, some residents of Georgia have certain surnames with Russified endings, such as “-ov” and “-ev” in addition to the existing suffixes or even completely replacing them. There are more Georgian surnames on Dze than anyone else.

Georgian surnames, as a rule, differ depending on one or another part of the country.

Some surnames are formed from baptismal names, that is, given at birth: Nikoladze, Tamaridze, Georgadze, Davitashvili, Matiashvili, Ninoshvili, etc. There are surnames formed from Muslim names of various origins: Japaridze (“jafar”, unless this surname is derived from the Persian dzapar - “postman”), Narimanidze, etc. Most surnames (especially with “-dze”) are derived from other less clear roots: Vachnadze, Kavtaradze, Chkheidze, Enukidze, Ordzhonikidze, Chavchavadze, Svanidze (from “Svan”), Lominadze (lomi- “lion”), Gaprindashvili, Khananashvili, Kalandarishvili (from Persian kalantar - “first person in the city”), Dzhugashvili (“dzug” - “flock” ", "flock" / Osset.) In addition to these two main types (patronymic in origin), there are other, less common, but also very fully represented types of surnames, indicating the place or family from which their bearer comes. One of these types are surnames ending in “-eli” (rarely “-ali”): Rustaveli, Tsereteli, etc. A number of localities end in “-eti”. “-ati”, “-iti”: Dzimiti, Oseti, Khvarbeti, Chinati, etc.

In western and central Georgia, many surnames end with the suffix “–dze” (Georgian ძე), literally meaning “son” (obsolete). This ending is the most common, found almost everywhere, less often in the east. Basically, such surnames are common in Imereti, in the regions of Ordzhonikidze, Terzhola surnames on -dze cover more than 70% of all residents, as well as in Guria, Adjara, and are also found in Kartli and Racha-Lechkhumi. Examples: Gongadze (Imereti), Dumbadze (Guria), Silagadze (Lechkhumi), Archuadze (Racha). Due to the wide distribution of this ending, it is difficult to determine the origin; in this case, you need to pay attention to the root of the surname.

Surnames in eastern Georgia (as well as among Georgian Jews) more often end in “–shvili” (Georgian შვილი), which means “child, child” (in fact, both of these endings (-ძე and -შვილი) are synonymous). In Kakheti, most surnames have the ending -შვილი. There are also many such surnames in Kartli. Less common in western Georgia.

Surnames from the eastern mountainous provinces often in Georgia can end with the suffix “–uri” (Georgian ური), or “–uli” (Georgian ული), if the root contains the letter “r” (Example: Gigauri, Tsiklauri, Guruli, Chkareuli ). This ending is found mainly among eastern highlanders, such as Khevsurs, Pshavs, Tushis, Mtiuls, Khevinians, and so on.

Surnames

According to a 2012 report by the Civil Registry Agency of Georgia, the most common Georgian surnames registered in the country are:

Midelashvili Khvtiso Avtondilovich

Names

Among the Georgian names there are many beautiful well-known names and those that testify to the connections of Georgians with neighboring peoples on various stages stories.

Female names

9 most common names in Georgia (as of 2012, according to the database).

Georgian surnames are easily distinguishable from others Caucasian surnames- they have a special structure and original endings. Traditionally, a Georgian surname is divided into two components - the root and the ending. If you are at least a little familiar with the history of Georgia and its culture, you can easily determine from which part of this country the surname and clan itself come from. Georgian surnames have about 13 endings that are easy to remember.

Georgian surnames - general overview of Georgian family names, description and meaning

The most common ending particles of Georgian generic names are –dze and –shvili. The particle - shvili is typical for the eastern part of the mountainous country, such as Kartli and Kakheti regions. The ending -dze is found throughout the country, but most often in the Adjarian region. Both completion particles have a similar meaning - “born” or “son”. According to scientific data, the oldest ending is –dze, and the ending –shvili is more modern. The same data suggests that surnames with similar ending particles today are borne by more than three million representatives of Georgian nationality.

A certain proportion of national family nicknames comes from the names of Christian saints, which were given during the baptismal rite. Examples of such surnames are the national surnames Davitashvili, Isakoshvili, Nikoladze, Andronikashvili, Pavliashvili.

There are surnames based on Persian and Arabic words. The clearest example such a Georgian surname would be the surname Japaridze. But with this surname, everything is not so clear: some researchers say that the basis of the family nickname Japaridze is the male Muslim name Jafar. Others argue that in this case the generic name comes from the Persian designation for the profession “japar” - postman.

But let’s return to the study of particle completions of Georgian family names. To no less an extent than the endings indicated above, surnames ending in –ati, -eti, -iti, -eli are common in Georgia. As an example of such surnames, we present the names of famous families - Gurieli, Mkhargdzeli, as well as common and well-known family names- Chinati, Khvarbeti.

A separate group of Georgian surnames are family names ending in –ani. Such clan names are considered aristocratic, as they originate from the royal and princely families of Megrelia. Here are examples - Dadiani, Chikovani, Akhvedeliani. The endings -uli – ava-, -aya, -uri are less common. You can hear these endings in surnames such as Danelia, Okudzhava and Beria.

Ossetian surnames turned into Georgian ones

Due to historical and sad circumstances, in the 90s of the last century, Ossetians living on the territory of the Georgian state were forced to change their national surnames to surnames with a Georgian structure. The confusion in this process was brought not so much by the Ossetians themselves and the authorities, but by officials who, sometimes not knowing how to correctly read and write the Ossetian surname, followed the simple path - they wrote down the ancestral Ossetian name in the Georgian manner. This is how the Mardzhanovs, Tsitsianovs, and Tseretelevs appeared in Georgia.

What do the endings -dze, -shvili, and others mean in Georgian surnames?

1. Shvili - son
2. Among all the others, Georgian surnames are recognized quite easily. They have a characteristic structure and are easy to identify at the end. Georgian surnames are made up of two parts: the ending and the root. If you look into this a little, then in more than half of the cases you can tell which region of Georgia a given genus comes from. There are a total of 13 types of endings for Georgian surnames.

   GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF GEORGIAN SURNAMES AND POSSIBLE OPTIONS:
   The most common endings are -shvili and -dze. -dze can be found almost throughout the entire territory of Georgia, especially in Adjara, Guria and Imereti, less often in the eastern part. But -shvili, on the contrary, is found mainly in the eastern part of Georgia: in Kakheti and Kartli. This can be translated into Russian as son or born, respectively. Currently, it is generally accepted that -dze is the ending for the oldest genealogies, and -shvili for more modern ones. According to unofficial statistics, there are about three million people with such surnames.

   Some Georgian surnames originate from the names that a newborn receives at baptism. For example: Matiashvili, Davitashvili, Nikoladze, Georgadze, Tamaridze and many others. Another part of the surnames comes from Muslim or Persian words. A controversial point arises when studying the roots of the Japaridze surname. Perhaps it comes from Muslim name Jafar, and possibly from the Persian name for the profession of postman (dzapar). In addition to these two main types of Georgian surnames, a special group is represented by surnames ending in -eli, -iti, -eti, -ati. For example, we can cite the well-known people of this world: Tsereteli, Rustaveli, and simply common Georgian surnames: Dzimiti, Khvarbeti, Chinati.

   The next group of Georgian surnames are represented by surnames ending in -ani: Chikovani, Akhvelediani, Dadiani. These genealogies originate from the rulers of Megrelia. Less common, but still existing surnames of this group have the endings -uri, -uli, -ava, -ua, -aya and -iya. There are even more representatives of this group of star names: Danelia, Beria, Okudzhava.

   OSSETIAN AND ABKHAZIAN GROUPS AND RUSSIAN-SPEAKING ENVIRONMENT:
   In the 90s of the last century, some Ossetians who were on the territory of Georgia were forced to change their surnames in the Georgian manner. In remote villages and settlements, not particularly literate officials did not know how to correctly write down Ossetian surnames, so they wrote them in the Georgian way. And there were also those among the Ossetians who wanted to get lost among the local population, and changed their surnames to more harmonious ones for Georgians. This is how new Georgian surnames appeared, with some accent: Mardzhanov, Tseretelev, Tsitsianov, Tsitsianov. Enormous changes were taking place. For example, the Driaevs were registered as Meladzes. In Georgian mela means fox, in Russian it would be the surname Lisitsin.

   The population of Abkhazia, and only about 15% of them are blood Abkhazians, have surnames ending in -ba: Eshba, Lakoba, Agzhba. These surnames belong to the North Caucasian Mingrelian group.

   When entering the Russian-speaking environment, Georgian surnames, as a rule, are not subject to distortion, even despite the complex combination of sounds and significant length. But in some cases there is still an influence of the Russian language: Sumbatov came from Sumbatashvili, Bagration from Bagrationi, Orbeli from Orbeliani, Baratov from Baratashvili, Tsitsianov from Tsitsishvili, Tseretelev from the well-known Tsereteli.

3. lingvoforum.net/index.php?topic=811.0

It is quite easy to recognize Georgian surnames among others. They are distinguished by their characteristic structuring and, of course, famous endings. Surnames are formed by merging two parts: the root and the ending (suffix). For example, a person well versed in this topic will be able to easily determine in which area certain Georgian surnames are common.

Origin

The history of the country goes back several thousand years. In ancient times, it did not have a name, and Georgia was divided into 2 regions: Colchis (western) and Iberia (eastern). The latter interacted more with its neighbors - Iran and Syria - and had virtually no contact with Greece. If in the 5th century Georgia adopted Christianity, then by the 13th century they were talking about it as a powerful country with reliable ties with the European continent and the East.

The history of the country is steeped in the struggle for sovereignty, but, despite the difficulties, the people were able to create their own culture and customs.

It is generally accepted that real Georgian surnames should end in “-dze”, and they come from the parent case. But a person with a surname ending in “-shvili” (translated from Georgian as “son”) was added to the list of those who do not have Kartvelian roots.

If the interlocutor’s family name ended in “-ani,” people knew that in front of them was a representative of a noble family. By the way, Armenians have surnames with a similar suffix, only it sounds like “-uni”.

Georgian surnames (for men) ending in “-ua” and “-ia” have Mingrelian roots. There are many such suffixes, but they are rarely used now.

List by region

Whatever one may say, the most common surnames in Georgia are those ending in “-shvili” and “-dze”. Moreover, the last suffix is ​​the most common. Often people with a surname ending in “-dze” can be found in Imereti, Guria and Adjara. But in the eastern region there are practically no such people.

On this moment surnames starting with “-dze” are attributed to old genealogies, respectively, “-shvili” - to modern or young ones. The latter (the suffix is ​​also translated as “born”) are widespread in Kakheti and Kartli (eastern regions of the country).

The meaning of some surnames

A special group of generic names are those that have the following endings:

• -eti;
• -ati;
• -iti;
• -ate.

For example, Rustaveli, Tsereteli. Also on the list of the most common surnames in Georgia are Khvarbeti, Chinati and Dzimiti.

Another group consists of surnames ending in “-ani”: Dadiani, Chikovani, Akhvelidiani. It is believed that their roots belong to famous Migrelian rulers.

Surnames ending in:

• -uli;
• -uri;
• -ava;

By the way, among them there are many famous stars: Okudzhava, Danelia, etc.

The suffix “-nti” with Chan or Svan origin is considered a rare example. For example, Glonti. These also include surnames containing the participial prefix “me-” and the name of the profession.

Translated from Persian, nodivan means “advice,” and Mdivani means “scribe,” Mebuke means “bugler,” and Menabde means “burka-making.” The surname Amilakhvari is of greatest interest. Having Persian origin, it is a non-suffixed formation.

Construction

Georgian surnames are built according to certain rules. During the baptism of a newborn child, he is usually given a name. Most surnames begin with it, and the necessary suffix is ​​subsequently added to it. For example, Nikoladze, Tamaridze, Matiashvili or Davitashvili. A considerable number of such examples can be given.

But there are also surnames formed from Muslim (usually Persian) words. For example, let's study the roots of the surname Japaridze. It comes from the common Muslim name Jafar. Translated from Persian dzapar means “postman”.

Quite often, Georgian surnames are tied to a specific area. Indeed, often their first bearers became at the origins of the princely family. Tsereteli is one of them. This surname comes from the name of the village and fortress of the same name, Tsereti, located in the northern region of Zemo.

Russification of some Georgian surnames

Despite the length and unusual combination of letters and sounds, Georgian surnames that penetrated into Russian linguistics (in particular, onomastics) were not distorted. But, as practice shows, sometimes, albeit very rarely, there are cases when Russification occurred: Muskhelishvili turned into Muskheli.

Some surnames now have suffixes that are uncharacteristic for Georgia: -ev, -ov and -v. For example, Panulidzev or Sulakadzev.

Also, when Russifying some surnames into “shvili”, shortening very often occurs. Thus, Avalishvili turns into Avalov, Baratov - Baratashvili, Sumbatashvili - Sumbatov, etc. We can name many other options that we are accustomed to taking for Russians.

Declension of Georgian surnames

Inclination or indeclinability depends on the form in which it is borrowed. For example, a surname ending in -iya is inflected, but a surname ending in -ia is not.

But today there are no strict frameworks regarding this relationship. Although there are 3 rules according to which declension is impossible:

1. The male form is similar to the female one.
2. The surname ends in unstressed vowels (-а, -я).
3. Has the suffixes -ia, -ia.

Only in these three cases is neither male nor female surname are not subject to inclination. Examples: Garcia, Heredia.

It should also be noted that it is undesirable to decline surnames ending in -ya. Let’s say there is a person named Georgy Gurtskaya who received a document that says: “issued to citizen Georgy Gurtsky.” Thus, it turns out that the person’s last name is Gurtskaya, which is not entirely typical for Georgia, and the name loses its flavor.

Thus, linguists do not advise inflecting Georgian surnames and recommend writing the endings correctly. There are often cases when, when filling out documents, the letters at the end changed. For example, instead of Gulia they wrote Gulia, and this surname no longer has anything to do with Georgia.

Popularity of surnames in numbers

Below is a table showing the most common endings of Georgian surnames. Let's look at them in more detail and find out in which regions they are most often found.

Endings -shvili and -dze in surnames (Georgian)

At the moment, linguists identify 13 main suffixes. In many areas, surnames with -dze, which translated means “son,” have become very common. For example, Kebadze, Gogitidze, Shevardnadze. According to statistics, in 1997, 1,649,222 residents of Georgia had a surname with this ending.

The second most common suffix is ​​-shvili (Kululashvili, Peikrishvili, Elerdashvili), which translates as “child”, “child” or “descendant”. As of 1997, there were approximately 1,303,723 surnames with this ending. They became more widespread in the regions of Kartli and Kakheti.