The three names
On official documents the order is surname, first name, patronymic. In speech and letters it is first name, patronymic, surname.
Making a patronymic
Take the father’s first name and add an ending. Sons get -ович or -евич, daughters -овна or -евна. Use the е-version when the name ends in й, ь or a soft sound; names ending in -а or -я form their own pattern.
| Father | Son | Daughter | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ива́н i-VAN | Ива́нович i-VA-na-vich | Ива́новна i-VA-nav-na | Hard consonant: -ович / -овна. |
| Пётр pyotr | Петро́вич pit-RO-vich | Петро́вна pit-ROV-na | ё becomes е in the patronymic. |
| Серге́й sir-GYEY | Серге́евич sir-GYE-yi-vich | Серге́евна sir-GYE-yiv-na | й: -евич / -евна. |
| И́горь EE-gar’ | И́горевич EE-ga-ri-vich | И́горевна EE-ga-riv-na | ь: -евич / -евна. |
| Никола́й ni-ka-LAY | Никола́евич ni-ka-LA-yi-vich | Никола́евна ni-ka-LA-yiv-na | й: -евич / -евна. |
| Лев lyef | Льво́вич L’VO-vich | Льво́вна L’VOV-na | The е drops out: Лев → Льв-. |
| Ники́та ni-KEE-ta | Ники́тич ni-KEE-tich | Ники́тична ni-KEE-tich-na | Names in -а: -ич / -ична. |
| Илья́ il’-YA | Ильи́ч il’-YEECH | Ильи́нична il’-YEE-nich-na | Irregular: learn as a set. |
In fast speech, patronymics shrink: Па́вловна sounds like “PAV-na”, Алекса́ндрович like “a-lik-SAN-ych”. Write the full form.
Surnames for men and women
Most Russian surnames behave like adjectives, so they have a masculine, a feminine and a plural form. A husband, wife and their children share one surname in three shapes. Some surnames never change.
Which form to use
Russians rarely say “Mr” or “Mrs”. Respect comes from first name + patronymic, used with вы (the polite “you”). Friendship comes with the short first name and ты (the familiar “you”).
Short and affectionate names
Every common first name has an everyday short form, used by friends and family, and softer forms for children and loved ones. The short form can look nothing like the full name: Алекса́ндр becomes Са́ша. The full scale, with the blunt -ка form, is on the diminutives page.
| Full name | Everyday | Tender |
|---|---|---|
| Алекса́ндр a-lik-SANDR | Са́ша SA-sha | Са́шенька SA-shen’-ka |
| Дми́трий DMEE-triy | Ди́ма DEE-ma | Ди́мочка DEE-mach-ka |
| Михаи́л mi-kha-EEL | Ми́ша MEE-sha | Ми́шенька MEE-shen’-ka |
| Ива́н i-VAN | Ва́ня VA-nya | Ва́нечка VA-nich-ka |
| Никола́й ni-ka-LAY | Ко́ля KO-lya | Ко́ленька KO-lin’-ka |
| Мари́я ma-REE-ya | Ма́ша MA-sha | Ма́шенька MA-shen’-ka |
| Екатери́на i-ka-ti-REE-na | Ка́тя KA-tya | Ка́тенька KA-tin’-ka |
| Еле́на i-LYE-na | Ле́на LYE-na | Ле́ночка LYE-nach-ka |
| Анастаси́я a-nas-ta-SEE-ya | На́стя NAS-tya | На́стенька NAS-tin’-ka |
| О́льга OL’-ga | О́ля O-lya | О́ленька O-lin’-ka |
Names in sentences
Names change their endings with case (the form a word takes for its job in the sentence), like any noun. -ов/-ин surnames follow a mix of noun and adjective endings; -ский surnames follow adjectives exactly. See the cases guide.