How to persuade surnames

Surnames of Russian and foreign origin have a huge number of different forms, which often causes difficulties in using such surnames. The declination of surnames is indicated in special dictionaries of surnames, but there are also a number of rules that you can follow if in doubt about this matter.

Instruction manual

one

All Russian surnames, incorporating the suffixes -ov- (-ev-), -in-, -sk- (Belov, Ignatiev, Baturin, Glinskaya), are inclined. In the plural, the forms of female and male surnames coincide (Belov, Glinsky). Surnames ending in ––, ––, –– (Lanovoi, Wild, Zapashny) are declined in the same way as adjectives.

2

The remaining male surnames ending in consonants or the letters "b", "y" (except for the surnames in the s, s) have in the instrumental case the end of the s (s): Gaidar, Babel. Female names in this case are not inclined: with Anna Kern, for Marina Golub. In the plural, surnames of this type also tend to be masculine nouns: they visited the Herzen.

3

Russian surnames ending in -i, -i (Bely, Dolgikh) are not inclined.

4

If the surname ends in a vowel, such a surname is not inclined to either masculine or feminine (visited by Anna Romanenko, a gift for Sergey Gorenko, a novel by Albert Camus).

5

When declensing surnames ending in -a, it matters which letter (vowel or consonant) stands before this -a, and also whether the final -a is stressed. If the last vow has a vowel in the last name, such a last name is not inclined (Morois).

6

Surnames ending in unstressed after the consonants are declined according to the first declension: Kafka (Kafka’s novel), Okudzhava (Okudzhava’s song).

7

If the final s (s) is stressed, such surnames may or may not be inclined, depending on the origin. Surnames of French origin are not inclined (Dumas, Petipa, Zola). Surnames of a different origin (Slavic, from eastern languages) are inclined according to the first declension, i.e., the shock ending is distinguished in them: Kvasha - Kvashi, Kvasha, Kvasha, Kvasha (Golovnya, Shengelaya, Beria, and others).

eight

If the surname is composite, and the first part of the surname is not used by itself as a surname (Demut-Malinovsky), then only the second part of the surname (sculpture by Demut-Malinovsky) is inclined. If the first part of a surname is a surname in itself, in this case both parts are inclined (verses by Lebedev-Kumach).

Useful advice

There are a number of surnames whose declension causes difficulties and is not regulated by general rules. To resolve such difficulties, a dictionary of surnames is needed that provides regulatory recommendations for each specific word.

• Declination of surnames. Reference and information portal GRAMOTA.RU
• declension of masculine surnames
• Declination of proper names