Category: Russian Terms

Index of Imperial Russian Weights & Measures

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 13, 2020

In order to find and use specific types of Russian records, researchers need to be able to identify and understand some key terms in the Russian language. The following index contains Imperial Russian weights and measures (transliterated from Russian) and their conversion into smaller Imperial Russian units, Imperial and metric (columns left to right). The terms included here are those that you are likely to find in Russian genealogical sources. If the term you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Russian-English dictionary. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Index — Weights – Liquid Measures – Dry Measures – Linear Measures – Monetary Terms – Other Terms

Weights

Rad	14 pud	505.58 lbs	229.33 kilograms
Berkovets	10 pud	361 lbs	163.74 kilograms
Korob	7 pud	252 lbs	114.30 kilograms
Pud	40 funt	36.11 lbs	16.38 kilograms
Funt	96 zolotnik	12.0 oz	409.5 grams
Lot	3 zolotnik	0.99 oz	12.74 grams
Zolotnik	1/96 funt	0.33 oz	4.26 grams
Dolia	1/96 zolotnik	0.0034 oz	0.044 grams

Liquid Measures

Bochka	40 vedro	121 gallons	492 liters
Chetvert	.25 bochka	32.5 gallons	123.01 liters
Vedro	–	3.25 gallons	12.3 liters
Butylka	1/20 vedro	0.16 gallons	0.61 liters

Dry Measures (Mostly Grains)

Chetvert	.25 rad	126.39 lbs	57.33 kilograms
Osmina	½ chetvert	63.19 lbs	28.67 kilograms
Chetverik	1/8 chetvert	15.8 lbs	7.16 kilograms

Linear Measures

Verst	500 sazhen	.663 miles	1.0668 km
Sazhen	3 arshin	7 feet	2.133 m
Arshin	16 vershok	28 inches	72.12 cm
Fut	12 diuim	1 foot	30.48 cm
Chetvert	.25 arshin	7 inches	18.03 cm
Vershok	–	1.75 inches	4.445 cm
Diuim	–	1 inch	2.54 cm
Desiatina	2400 square sazhen	2.7 acres	1.0925 ha
Chetvert	1/2 desiatina	1.35 acres	.273 ha

Monetary Terms

Chervonets	10 rubles;	(in ancient times 3 rubles)
Poltora	1 ½ ruble; 150 kopek
Ruble	100 kopek	(roughly corresponding to a dollar)
Poltina	50 kopek; ½ ruble
Chetvertak	25 kopek
Dvugrivenny	20 kopek; 2 grivennik
Pyatialtynny	15 kopek; 5 altyn
Grivna; Grivennik	10 kopek
Pyatak	5 kopek
Altyn	3 kopek; 6 den’ga
Dvushka	2 kopek; 4 den’ga
Kopek	2 den’ga	(roughly corresponding to a penny)
Den’ga	½ kopek

Notes

Specific weights and measures in Imperial Russia often changed values over time and sometimes held more than one value at the same time. In 1918, all weights and measurements in the Soviet Union were changed to the metric system.

Other Russian Terms

Bibliography

Dal, V.I. Tolkovyi Slovar Zhivogo Velikorusskago Iazyka. (Moscow, 1999).
Kroutikhin, Mikhail I. Correspondence to the author re: Russian genealogical terms. September, 2006.
Mueller, V.K. English-Russian Dictionary. 24th Ed. (Moscow, 1995).
Pushkarev, Sergei G. Dictionary of Russian Historical Terms from the Eleventh Century to 1917 (Yale, 1970).

Names Russian Terms

Tags etymology, measures, onomastics, Russia, Russian, weights

Index of Russian Date and Calendar Terms

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 13, 2020

In order to find and use specific types of Russian records, researchers need to be able to identify and understand some key terms in the Russian language. The following index contains terms relating to time, dates and calendars transliterated from Russian (left column) and their English translations (right column). The terms included here are those that you are likely to find in Russian genealogical sources. If the term you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Russian-English dictionary. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Index — Units of Time – Time of Day – Days – Months – Seasons – Old/New Calendar – Other Terms

Units of Time

Sekunda	second
Minuta	minute
Chas	hour
Den’	day
Nedelya	week
Mesyats	month
God	year
Leto	year
Desyatok	decade
Vek	century; generation
Stoletie	century

Time of Day

Den’	day; afternoon
Noch’	night
Polden’	noon; midday
Polnoch’	midnight
Utro	morning; forenoon
Vecher	evening

Days of the Week

Ponedel’nik	Monday
Vtornik	Tuesday
Sreda	Wednesday
Chetverg	Thursday
Pyatnitsa	Friday
Subbota	Saturday
Voskresen’e	Sunday

Months of the Year

Yanvar’	January
Fevral’	February
Mart	March
Aprel’	April
Mai	May
Iyun’	June
Iyul’	July
Avgust	August
Sentyabr’	September
Oktyabr’	October
Noyabr’	November
Dekabr’	December

Seasons

Vesna	spring
Leto	summer
Osen’	autumn
Zima	winter

Old/New Calendar

Imperial Russia operated on the ‘old-style’ Julian calendar (staryi stil’), which was in common use in Europe after it was authorized by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. However, after 1582, most Western European countries adopted the ‘new-style’ Gregorian calendar (novyi stil’) proclaimed by Pope Gregory XIII, which abolished the leap year for centenary years not exactly divisible by 400. By the 19th century, the old-style calendar was 12 days behind the new-style calendar (13 days behind in a leap-year). In February 1918, the Soviet Union adopted the new-style calendar; however, the Russian Orthodox Church still used the old-style calendar. In the calculation of any historical dates, therefore, one must take into account whether the old-style or new-style calendar was in use.

Other Russian Terms

Bibliography

Dal, V.I. Tolkovyi Slovar Zhivogo Velikorusskago Iazyka. (Moscow, 1999).
Kroutikhin, Mikhail I. Correspondence to the author re: Russian genealogical terms. September, 2006.
Mueller, V.K. English-Russian Dictionary. 24th Ed. (Moscow, 1995).
Pushkarev, Sergei G. Dictionary of Russian Historical Terms from the Eleventh Century to 1917 (Yale, 1970).

Names Russian Terms

Tags calendar, dates, etymology, onomastics, Russia, Russian

Index of Russian Genealogical Terms

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 13, 2020

In order to find and use specific types of Russian records, researchers need to be able to identify and understand some key terms in the Russian language. The following index contains general genealogical terms transliterated from Russian (left column) and their English translations (right column). The terms included here are those that you are likely to find in Russian genealogical sources. If the term you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Russian-English dictionary. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Index — A – B – Ch – D – E – F – G –I – K – L – M – N – O – P – R – S – T – U – V – Y – Z – Other Terms

Genealogical Terms

A
Adres	address
B
Bednyi	indigent; poor
Beremennaya	pregnant
Bezdetnyi	childless
Bezobraznyi	deformed
Biblioteka	library
Bibliya	Bible
Bog	God
Bolezn’	disease; sickness
Bol’noy	sick
Bol’shoy	large; great
Ch
Chast’	part; portion; share
Cherespolosnyi	property scattered among several plots of land
Cherta	line; boundary
Chislo	number; figure; quantity
Chto	what; that
D
Devich’ya Familia	maiden name
Dar	dower
Data	date
Data Rozhdeniya	date of birth
Data Smerti	date of death
Den’gi	money
Den’ Angela	name-day; festival of the anniversary of one’s saint
Den’ Rozhdeniya	birthday
Dlya	for
Dolya	part; portion; share
Dom	home; house
Domokhoziain	household head; landlord
Dovod	proof; argument; evidence
Drug	friend
Dusha	soul; person
E
Ee	her
Ego	him
Emigrant	emigrant
Etnicheskaya Prinadlezhnost’	ethnicity
Eto	it
F
Familia	surname
Fotografiya	photograph
G
Gazeta	newspaper
Gde	where
Genealogiya	genealogy
Genealogicheskoe Drevo	family tree
Geograficheskii Spravochnik	gazetteer
Geral’dika	heraldry
Gerb	coat-of-arms
Glukhoy	deaf
Gospodin	Mister; Mr.
Gospozha	Mrs.
Grazhdanin / Grazhdanka	citizen (m/f)
Grazhdanstvo	citizenship
Grob; Grobnitsa	tomb; grave; coffin
I
I	and; also
Ili	either; or
Imenie	property; holding; estate
Imeniny	name-day; one’s Saint’s day
Immigrant	immigrant
Imperskii	imperial
Imushchestvo	chattels
Imya	name
Inostranets / Inostranka	foreigner (m/f)
Ispytanie	trial; investigation; examination
Istoriya	history
Iz	from; out of
Izba	house; hut
Izgnannik / Izgnannitsa	exile (m/f)
K
Kak	how
Kalandr	calendar
Karta	map
Khleb	bred; crops; grain
Khromoy	crippled
Kladbishche	cemetery; graveyard
Kniga	book
Kogda	when
Korova	cow
Kto	who
Kyl’tura	culture
L
Laskatel’noe Imya	pet name
Let	years old
Lineinyi	lineal
Loshad’	horse
Lyudi	people
M
Malen’kii	small
Materinskii	maternal
Mertvorozhdennyi	stillborn
Mestnyi	local
Mesto Rozhdeniya	place of birth
Mesto Smerti	place of death
Mesto Zhitel’stva	residence
Mir	peasant council in Imperial Russia that held assemblies, voted on matters affecting the village and organized collective undertakings
Mladshii	youngest; younger; (name) the Younger
Mogila	grave; mound
Muzei	museum
Muzhik	little man; peasant; man of a lower class
My	we
N
Na	on; upon; to
Narod	nation
Naselenie	population
Naslednik	heir
Naslednitsa	heiress
Nasledovanie	inheritance
Natsional’nost’	nationality
Nazvanie	name; appellation
Nemets / Nemka	(archaic) foreigner (m/f)
Nemoy	mute
Nenazvannyi	unnamed; nameless
Ne Sostoyashchii V Brake	unmarried; single
Nesovershennoletnii	underage
Novobrachnyi	newly-wedded; newly-married
Novoobrashcheniyi	convert
Novorozhdennyi	newly-born; newborn
Novoselets / Novoselka	new settler (m/f)
O
O	about; concerning
Obrok	poll tax or fixed payment paid by peasants in Imperial Russia
Obshchestvo	society; community; association
Obshchina	peasant commune or community
Obyvatel’ / Obyvatitsa	inhabitant (m/f)
Odnofamilets / Odnofamilitsa	person with same surname (m/f)
Ona	she
Ona umerla	(she) died
On	he
Oni	they
On umer	(he) died
On zhe	called; also known as
Ostavlennyi	left; left-hand
Ostrog	prison; jail
Otchestvo	patronymic (middle name)
Otecheskii	paternal
Otechestvo	homeland; native land
Otsovskii	paternal
P
Paskha	Easter
Pereselenets / Pereselenka	emigrant
Pereselenie	emigration; removal to; transmigration
Pis’mo	letter; correspondence
Plemya	family; kin; relatives; tribe
Po Angliskii	in English
Pochemu	why
Pod	under; near; to
Podat’	tax
Podlis’	signature
Pogost	churchyard; cemetery
Pokoynyi	deceased
Pomest’e	real estate; landed property
Poselenets / Poselenka	settler; colonist; deportee (m/f)
Poselyanin / Poselyanka	villager; peasant (m/f)
Potomstvo	offspring; issue
Po Russkii	in Russian
Pozhitki	property; chattels; moveable property; belongings
Pravo	right; law; code of laws
Pravyi	right; right-hand
Predostavlenie	grant; bestowal; reservation
Preklonnykh Let	of great age
Prestunnik / Prestunnitsa	convict (m/f)
Priblizitel’no	circa; approximately
Prichina Smerti	cause of death
Pridanoe	dowry
Proiskhozhdenie	lineage
Proizvodnoe Imya	derivative (diminutive) name
Pros’ba	prayer
Prozvanie	nickname
Prozvishche	nickname
Psevdonim	alias
Put’	way; road; passage
R
Rabota	work; job
Rasa	race
Remeslo	handicraft; trade; profession
Religiya	religion
Rod	gender; clan
Rodina	homeland; Motherland
Rodoslovnaya	pedigree
Rodstvo	kinship
Rossia	Russia
Rozhdestvo Khristovo	Christmas
S
Segodnya	today
Semeistvo	family
Semeinoe Polozhenie	marital status
Sem’ya	family
Sever	north
Slaboumnyi	weak-minded; imbecile; crazy
Slepoy	blind
Smert’	death
Sobranie	assembly; meeting; gathering
Sobstvennost’	property; ownership
Soslovie	class; estate; rank
Sovet	advice; counsel; agreement; assembly
Ssylka	exile; deportation; banishment
Ssyl’nyi	exile; outlaw; convict
Starinnyi	ancient; old
Starobytnyi	ancient; old; old-fashioned
Starost’	old age
Starozhilets / Starozhilka	old inhabitant; long-term resident (m/f)
Starshii	oldest; older; (name) the Elder
Staryi	old; aged; elderly
Stradanie	suffering
Sud	trial court
Svakha	match-maker
Svatostvo	match-making; wooing
Sverstnik / Sverstnitsa	person of the same age or rank (m/f)
Svidetel’	witness
Svoistvo	relationship by marriage
T
Tezka	namesake
Tovar	goods; merchandise; wares
Tovarishch	comrade; companion; colleague
Traditsiya	tradition; custom
Trup	corpse
Tsar	sovereign; ruler of Imperial Russia
Tsarevich	son of the Tsar
Tsarevna	daughter of the Tsar
Tsaritsa	Tsar’s wife
Tsarstvo	Tsardom; realm
Tserkov’	church
U
Udocherenie	adoption (of a girl)
Udostoverenie	evidence; testimony
Ulitsa	street
Umen’shitel’noe Imya	diminutive name
Urodlivyi	deformed
Usynovlenie	adoption (of a boy)
V
V	into; towards; on; at
Vchera	yesterday
Veche	town meeting or assembly
Vechnaya Pamyat’	eternal memory
Vera	faith; creed; religion
Vostok	east
Vozrast	age
Vremya	time
Y
Yazyk	language
Yug	south
Z
Zanyatie	occupation
Zapad	west
Zavtra	tomorrow
Zemlevladenie	land ownership in Imperial Russia
Zhenatyi	married
Zhilets / Zhilitsa	(archaic) inhabitant (m/f)
Zhizn’	life

Other Russian Terms

Bibliography

Dal, V.I. Tolkovyi Slovar Zhivogo Velikorusskago Iazyka. (Moscow, 1999).
Kroutikhin, Mikhail I. Correspondence to the author re: Russian genealogical terms. September, 2006.
Mueller, V.K. English-Russian Dictionary. 24th Ed. (Moscow, 1995).
Pushkarev, Sergei G. Dictionary of Russian Historical Terms from the Eleventh Century to 1917 (Yale, 1970).

Names Russian Terms

Tags etymology, genealogical, onomastics, Russia, Russian

Index of Russian Nationality, Religion & Class Terms

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 13, 2020

In order to find and use specific types of Russian records, researchers need to be able to identify and understand some key terms in the Russian language. The following index contains terms relating to nationality, religion and class in Imperial Russia transliterated from Russian (left column) and their English translations (right column). The terms included here are those that you are likely to find in Russian genealogical sources. If the term you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Russian-English dictionary. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Index — Nationality – Religion – Class – Other Terms

Nationality

Anglichanin / Anglichanka	English (m/f)
Armyanin / Armyanka	Armenian (m/f)
Azerbaidzhanets / Azerbaidzhanka	Azerbaijani (m/f)
Bashkir / Bashkirka	Bashkir (m/f)
Belorus / Beloruska	Belorussian (m/f)
Bolgarin / Bolgarka	Bulgarian (m/f)
Chuvash / Chuvashka	Chuvash (m/f)
Estonets / Estonka	Estonian (m/f)
Gruzin / Gruzinka	Georgian (m/f)
Grek / Grechanka	Greek (m/f)
Kazak / Kazashka	Kazakh (m/f)
Khokhol / Khokholka	(vulgar) Ukrainian (m/f)
Kirgiz / Kirgizka	Kirghiz (m/f)
Latviets / Latviika	Latvian (m/f)
Litovets / Litovka	Lithuanian (m/f)
Maloross / Malorosska	(archaic) Little Russian; Ukrainian (m/f)
Moldavanin / Moldavanka	Moldavian (m/f)
Mongol / Mongolka	Mongol (m/f)
Mordvin / Mordvinka	Mordvin (m/f)
Nemets / Nemka	German (m/f)
Polyak / Pol’ka	Pole (m/f)
Rumyn / Rumynka	Romanian (m/f)
Russkii / Russkaya	Russian (m/f)
Shved / Shvedka	Swede (m/f)
Tatarin / Tatarka	Tatar (m/f)
Tsygan / Tsyganka	Gypsy (m/f)
Turkmen / Turkmenka	Turkmen (m/f)
Turok / Turchanka	Turk (m/f)
Ukrainets / Ukrainka	Ukrainian (m/f)
Uzbek / Uzbechka	Uzbek (m/f)
Vengerets / Vengerka	Hungarian (m/f)

Religion

Baptist / Baptistka	Baptist (m/f)
Besermenin / Besermenka	Moslem (m/f)
Buddist	Buddhist (m/f)
Dukhoborets / Dukhoborka	Doukhobor (m/f)
Edinoverets / Edinoverka	Religious dissenter (m/f)
Evrei / Evreika	Jew (m/f)
Inoverets / Inoverka	dissenter; non-Christian (m/f)
Iudei / Iudeika	Judaic (m/f)
Katolik / Katolichka	Catholic (m/f)
Khlyst	Khlyst; Flagellant (m/f)
Khristianin / Khristianka	Christian (m/f)
Lyuteranin / Lyuteranka	Lutheran (m/f)
Menonit / Menonitka	Mennonite (m/f)
Molokan / Molokanka	Molokan (m/f)
Musul’manin / Musul’manka	Moslem (m/f)
Pravoslavnii / Pravoslavnaya	Russian Orthodox (m/f)
Protestant / Protestantka	Protestant (m/f)
Raskol’nik / Raskol’nitsa	Schismatic / Old Believer (m/f)
Sektant / Sektantka	Sectarian (m/f)
Shtundist / Shtundistka	Stundist (m/f)
Staroobryadets / Staroobryadka	Old Ritualist / Old Believer (m/f)
Starover / Staroverka	Old Believer (m/f)
Subbotnik / Subbotnitsa	Sabbatarian (m/f)
Uniat / Uniatka	Uniate (m/f)
Zhid / Zhidovka	(vulgar) Jew (m/f)

Class

Dvoryanin / Dvoryanka	member of the nobility (dvoryanstvo) in Imperial Russia (m/f); persons of this class were entitled, through inheritance or earned through state service noble status, either inherited or earned through state service, entitled the holder to own land and serfs, enter civil service, freedom from military service and other privileges
Svyashchennik	member of the clergy (dukhovenstvo) in Imperial Russia
Kupets / Kupchikha	member of the merchant class (kupechestvo) in Imperial Russia (m/f); persons of this class were divided into three guilds by wealth and status
Meshchanin / Meshchanka	member of the citizen class (meshchane) in Imperial Russia (m/f); urban dweller of lower social status; petty bourgeois townsman
Krest’yanin / Krest’yanka	member of the peasant class (krest’yane) in Imperial Russia (m/f); persons of this class possessed their own household and held a small plot of land (owned by themselves or others) with appurtenances and owed an obligation to perform military service and pay taxes; persons of this class were divided into numerous sub-classes of free and bonded peasants
Odnodvorets / Odnodvorka	one-homesteader (m/f); persons of the one-homesteader (odnodvortsy) class descended from military servitors settled on the southern and eastern frontiers of the Empire and had the right to own their own lands and serfs and the obligation to perform military service and pay taxes; this class, which stood between the nobility and peasantry, eventually was transferred to the state peasant class
Kazak / Kazachka	Cossack (m/f); the Cossack class (kazaki) were an elite military force in Imperial Russia made up of free-spirited adventurers, employed by the Tsars as an auxiliary to its regular troops in the more remote southern areas of the Empire; a person of this category owed an obligation to perform military service but not to pay taxes
Inorodets / Inorodka	native tribesman (m/f); members of native tribes and ethnic groups (inorodtsy) in Siberia and the Far East held special legal status and privileges

Other Russian Terms

Bibliography

Dal, V.I. Tolkovyi Slovar Zhivogo Velikorusskago Iazyka. (Moscow, 1999).
Kroutikhin, Mikhail I. Correspondence to the author re: Russian genealogical terms. September, 2006.
Mueller, V.K. English-Russian Dictionary. 24th Ed. (Moscow, 1995).
Pushkarev, Sergei G. Dictionary of Russian Historical Terms from the Eleventh Century to 1917 (Yale, 1970).

Names Russian Terms

Tags class, ethnicity, etymology, nationality, onomastics, religion, Russia, Russian

Index of Russian Number Terms

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 13, 2020

In Russian genealogical sources, numbers and dates are occasionally spelt out. The following index contains transliterated spellings of cardinal (1, 2, 3) and ordinal (1st, 2nd, 3rd) numbers in Russian. If the term you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Russian-English dictionary. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Russian Numbers

Cardinal		Ordinal
1	Odin	1st	Pervyi
2	Dva	2nd	Vtoroy
3	Tri	3rd	Tret’
4	Chetyre	4th	Chetvertyi
5	Pyat’	5th	Pyatyi
6	Shest’	6th	Shestoy
7	Sem’	7th	Sed’moy
8	Vosem’	8th	Vos’moy
9	Devyat’	9th	Devyatyi
10	Desyat’	10th	Desyatyi
11	Odinnadtsat’	11th	Odinnadtsatyi
12	Dvenadtsat’	12th	Dvenadtsatyi
13	Trinadtsat’	13th	Trinadtsatyi
14	Chetyrnadtsat’	14th	Chetyrnadtsatyi
15	Pyatnadtsat’	15th	Pyatnadtsatyi
16	Shestnadtsat’	16th	Shestnadtsatyi
17	Semnadtsat’	17th	Semnadtsatyi
18	Vosemnadtsat’	18th	Vosemnadtsatyi
19	Devyatnadtsat’	19th	Devyatnadtsatyi
20	Dvadtsat’	20th	Dvadtsatyi
21	Dvadtsat’ Odin	21st	Dvadtsat’ Pervyi
22	Dvadtsat’ Dva	22nd	Dvadtsat’ Vtoroy
23	Dvadtsat’ Tri	23rd	Dvadtsat’ Tretiy
24	Dvadtsat’ Chetyre	24th	Dvadtsat’ Chetvertyi
25	Dvadtsat’ Pyat’	25th	Dvadtsat’ Pyatyi
26	Dvadtsat’ Shest’	26th	Dvadtsat’ Shestoy
27	Dvadtsat’ Sem’	27th	Dvadtsat’ Sed’moy
28	Dvadtsat’ Vosem’	28th	Dvadtsat’ Vos’moy
29	Dvadtsat’ Devyat’	29th	Dvadtsat’ Devyatyi
30	Tridtsat’	30th	Tridtsatyi
40	Sorok	40th	Sorokovoy
50	Pyat’desyat	50th	V-Pyatidesyatykh
60	Shest’desyat	60th	Shestidesyatyi
70	Sem’desyat	70th	Semidesyatyi
80	Vosem’desyat	80th	Vos’midesyatyi
90	Devyanosto	90th	Devyanostyi
100	Sto	100th	Sotyi
200	Dvesti	200th	Dvukhsotyi
300	Trista	300th	Trekhsotyi
400	Chetyresta	400th	Chetyrekhsotyi
500	Pyat’sot	500th	Pyatisotyi
600	Shest’sot	600th	Shestisotyi
700	Sem’sot	700th	Semisotyi
800	Vosem’sot	800th	Vosemisotyi
900	Devyat’sot	900th	Devyatisotyi
1000	Odna Tysyacha	1000th	Tysyachnyi

Notes

Note that dates are typically written in ordinal form. Following Russian grammatical rules, dates written in ordinal form typically end with the suffix –ogo, for example:

Pyatyi	the fifth
Pyatogo	on the fifth (of the month)

Other Russian Terms

Bibliography

Dal, V.I. Tolkovyi Slovar Zhivogo Velikorusskago Iazyka. (Moscow, 1999).
Kroutikhin, Mikhail I. Correspondence to the author re: Russian genealogical terms. September, 2006.
Mueller, V.K. English-Russian Dictionary. 24th Ed. (Moscow, 1995).
Pushkarev, Sergei G. Dictionary of Russian Historical Terms from the Eleventh Century to 1917 (Yale, 1970).

Names Russian Terms

Tags etymology, numbers, onomastics, Russia, Russian

Index of Russian Geographic Terms

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 13, 2020

In order to find and use specific types of Russian records, researchers need to be able to identify and understand some key terms in the Russian language. The following index contains terms relating to geographic features and places transliterated from Russian (left column) and their English translations (right column). The terms included here are those that you are likely to find in Russian genealogical sources. If the term you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Russian-English dictionary. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Index — Geographic Features – Places – Other Terms

Geographic Features

Balka	(archaic) valley
Bereg	river bank
Boloto	marsh; swamp
Brod	ford
Bukhta	cove
Bystrina	rapids
Chernozem	black earth
Dolina	valley; plain
Gora; Gorka	mountain; large hill
Gornaya Strana	highland
Gornaya Tsep’	mountain range
Guba	gulf; bay
Kanal	channel
Kholm	hill; hillock
Khrebet	mountain ridge
Kosa	spit; neck of land
Kurgan	mound; barrow
Laguna	lagoon
Lednik	glacier
Les	forest
Lesok	small wood; grove
Levada	(archaic) meadow; pasture
Liman	estuary; bay; gulf
Lug	meadow
Melkovod’e	shoal
More	sea
Mys	cape; headland; promontory
Nagornaya Ravnina	plateau
Nezmennost’	lowland
Nora	hole; burrow
Okean	ocean
Ostrov	island
Ozero	lake
Pastbishche	pasture; pasturage
Peshchera	cave
Poberezh’e	beach; coast
Pole	field
Poluostrov	peninsula
Pustynya	desert
Ravnina	plain
Reka	river
Rodnik	spring
Roshcha	grove; wood
Ruchei	creek
Sad	orchard; garden
Shpil’	mountain spire or peak
Skala	rock; cliff
Step’	steppe; prairie
Taiga	sub-arctic forest
Tundra	tundra; treeless sub-arctic plain
Ust’	estuary
Utes	cliff; crag
Valun	boulder
Vodoem	pond
Vodopad	waterfall
Vygon	common pasture
Yar	cliff; bluff; steep bank
Zaliv	bay; gulf
Zemlya	land

Places

Aul	rural village in the Caucasus
Avtonomnaya Respublika	autonomous republic; ethno-territorial division in the Soviet Union equivalent to the oblast
Dereven’ka	small hamlet
Derevnya	hamlet; small rural village without a church
Derzhava	state; empire; dominion
Dvor	homestead; yard; household
Ferma	farm; homestead
Gavan’	harbour; port
Gorod	city; town
Gorodok	small city or town
Granitsa	boundary; frontier
Gubernia	province; primary administrative division in Imperial Russia, divided into several uezds; replaced by the oblast in the Soviet Union
Imenie	estate or large manorial farmstead in Imperial Russia
Imperiya	empire
Khutor	farmstead; rural settlement of one or several families at some distance from a nearby village
Kishlak	Turkish or Tatar village
Kolkhoz	collective farm in the Soviet Union
Krai	region; administrative division in the more remote areas of the Soviet Union equivalent to the oblast
Krepost’	fortified settlement in Imperial Russia
Mestechko	small town in southern and western territory of Imperial Russia
Mesto	place
Oblast	territory; administrative division in the more remote areas of Imperial Russia equivalent to the gubernia but with less autonomy; in the Soviet Union, large administrative unit which replaced the gubernia
Okrug	district; in Imperial Russia, administrative subdivision of the Gubernia in the region of the Don Cossacks, equivalent to the uezd; in the Soviet Union, administrative subdivision of the oblast
Okraina	frontier territory; border
Pochinok	newly-founded village
Port	port; harbour
Posad	settlement; colony
Poselenie	suburban settlement in Imperial Russia
Poselok	suburban settlement or village attached to industrial enterprises; suburb
Prikhod	parish
Pustosh	(archaic) abandoned, uninhabited place
Rayon	district; administrative subdivision of the okrug in the Soviet Union; replaced the uezd
Respublika	union republic; primary administrative division in the Soviet Union, divided into oblasts, krai and avtonomnye respubliks; also known as Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR)
Selenie	settlement; village (either a derevnya or selo)
Selo	village, especially a large rural village with a church
Selsovet	rural district; smallest administrative division in the Soviet Union; replaced the volost; also village council
Sloboda	village freed from taxes and levies for various reasons; suburb
Stanitsa	Cossack rural village
Uchastok	sub-district; administrative subdivision of the uezd in Imperial Russia
Uezd	district; administrative subdivision of the gubernia in Imperial Russia; replaced by the rayon in the Soviet Union
Volost	rural sub-district; smallest administrative division in Imperial Russia
Yurt	settlement or camp of the native tribes of Eastern Russia
Zhilo	(archaic) inhabited place

Other Russian Terms

Bibliography

Dal, V.I. Tolkovyi Slovar Zhivogo Velikorusskago Iazyka. (Moscow, 1999).
Kroutikhin, Mikhail I. Correspondence to the author re: Russian genealogical terms. September, 2006.
Mueller, V.K. English-Russian Dictionary. 24th Ed. (Moscow, 1995).
Pushkarev, Sergei G. Dictionary of Russian Historical Terms from the Eleventh Century to 1917 (Yale, 1970).

Names Russian Terms

Tags etymology, geographic, onomastics, Russia, Russian

Index of Imperial Russian Occupational Terms

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 13, 2020

In order to find and use specific types of Russian records, researchers need to be able to identify and understand some key terms in the Russian language. The following index contains terms relating to occupations, trades and professions in Imperial Russia transliterated from Russian (left column) and their English translations (right column). The terms included here are those that you are likely to find in Russian genealogical sources. If the term you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Russian-English dictionary. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Index — A – B – Ch – D – E – F – G –I – K – L – M – N – O – P – R – S – T – U – V – Y – Z – Other Terms

A
Advokat	lawyer
Argat	(archaic) seasonal labourer
Arkhimandrit	Archimandrite; head of a prominent monastery
Ataman	Cossack military commander
B
Bannik	(archaic) bathhouse attendant
Barabanshchik	(archaic) drummer
Bobrovnik	(archaic) beaver hunter
Bochkar	cooper
Bondar	cooper
Botsman	boatswain
Brazhnik	(archaic) brewer; drunkard
Bronnik	(archaic) armourer
Burlak	barge-hauler
Ch
Chasovshchik	watchmaker
Chelets	(archaic) monk
Chenets	monk
Cherepan	(archaic) potter
Chernets	monk
Chernorabochii	labourer
D
D’yachikha	church-reader’s wife
D’yachok	reader (in church)
D’yak	scribe; clerk
D’yakon	deacon
Denshchik	(archaic) batman; officer’s servant
Doyarka	milkmaid
Drapirovshchik	draper
Dudar’	(archaic) piper
Dudochnik	(archaic) piper
Dudolad	(archaic) piper
E
Ekspert	assessor
Esaul	Cossack captain
F
Feldsher	hospital assistant
Fermer	farmer
G
Glashatai	bellman
Golovshchik	choir-master in a monastery
Gonchar	potter
Gonets	(archaic) messenger; courier
Gorshenya	(archaic) potter
Grebshchik	(archaic) raker
Gvozdar’	(archaic) nailer; smith working with nails
I
Igumen	abbot
Ikonnik	(archaic) icon-painter
Ikonopisets	icon-painter
Izvozchik	carrier; drayman
K
Kalashnik	baker
Kamenshchik	mason
Kanatchik	(archaic) rope-maker
Kapitan	captain
Kapral	corporal
Karetnik	cartwright
Kelar	cellarer
Khlebnik	baker
Khodatay	solicitor
Khozyain	proprietor; master
Klyuchar’	(archaic) sexton
Klyuchnik	housekeeper; key-keeper
Kochegar	(archaic) stoker
Kolesnik	wheelwright
Kologriv	(archaic) horse-groom
Komendant	commandant
Konoval	horse-doctor
Konovalikha	wife of a horse-doctor
Kontorshchik	(archaic) clerk
Korabel’nik	(archaic) ship-attendant; sailor
Korabel’shchik	(archaic) owner of a trading vessel
Korchmar’	inn-keeper
Kormilitsa	wet-nurse
Kosar’	mower; reaper
Kosarikha	wife of a mower
Kostar’	(archaic) dice-player
Kotel’nik	brazier
Koval	(archaic) blacksmith
Kovalikha	wife of a blacksmith
Kozhemyaka	(archaic) tanner
Kozhevnik	(archaic) tanner
Krasil’nik	dyer
Krasil’shchik	dyer
Kravets	(archaic) tailor
Kukhar’	(archaic) cook
Kukharka	cook (female)
Kukol’nik	(archaic) puppeteer
Kur’yer	courier
Kuznets	blacksmith
L
Lesnik	forester
Lesorub	tree-feller
Lodochnik	(archaic) boat-owner; oarsman
Lotochnik	hawker
Lovets	huntsman
Luchnik	bowyer; bowman
M
Major	major
Makler	broker; middleman
Maslennik	dealer in butter or oil
Masloboyka	(archaic) butter-maker
Matros	sailor
Mednik	(archaic) copper-smith
Medovar	(archaic) mead-brewer
Medsestra	nurse
Medvedchik	(archaic) bear-hunter
Medvednik	(archaic) bear-hunter
Medvezhatnik	bear-hunter; safe box breaker (thief)
Mel’nik	miller
Metel’nik	(archaic) sweeper
Miroshnik	miller
Mogil’shchik	gravedigger
Molochnik	milkman
Monach	monk
Mukosei	(archaic) flour-sifter
Musorshchik	dustman
Myasnik	butcher
N
Naboyshchik	(archaic) cloth-printer
Nevodchik	(archaic) fishing net-maker
Nishchii	beggar
Nyanya	nursemaid
O
Ofitser	officer
Okhotnik	hunter; fowler
Okhrannik	guard
Otkupshchik	(archaic) tax-farmer
Otstavnoi Soldat	discharged soldier
Ovchar	(archaic) sheep-breeder; shepherd
P
Pakhar’	plowman
Pasechnik	beekeeper
Pastukh	shepherd
Pekar’	baker
Perepletchik	book-binder
Perevodchik	translator
Perevozchik	carrier; ferryman
Pesennik	(archaic) singer
Pevets	singer
Pil’shchik	(archaic) sawyer
Pisar	scribe; clerk
Pischik	(archaic) scribe; clerk
Pisets	(archaic) scribe; clerk
Pivovar	brewer
Plavil’shchik	founder; smelter
Plotnik	carpenter
Pluzhnik	(archaic) plow-maker
Pobirokha	(archaic) beggar
Pochtal’on	postman
Pochtar	(archaic) postman; messenger
Podkovalnik	horse-shoer
Podomar	(archaic) sexton
Pomeshchik	(archaic) estate-owner
Ponomar	sexton
Pop	priest
Popadya	priest’s wife
Portnoy	tailor
Povar	cook
Povarikha	cook (female)
Prepodavatel’	teacher
Protod’yakon	archdeacon
Protopop	archpriest
Psalomshchik	Psalm-reader (in church)
Pushechnik	(archaic) gunner
Pushkar	gunner
R
Rabochii	worker
Raspop	(archaic) unfrocked priest
Ratay	(archaic) soldier
Ratnik	(archaic) soldier
Razd’yakon	(archaic) unfrocked deacon
Raznoschik	(archaic) peddler
Remeslennik	tinker
Reshetnik	(archaic) sieve-maker
Rezchik	carver; engraver
Rezets	cutter
Reznik	(archaic) butcher
Rostovshchik	userer
Rudomet	(archaic) blood-letter
Rudometchik	(archaic) blood-letter
Rudometka	(archaic) blood-letter (female)
Rukavichnik	(archaic) glover
Ryadovoi	private; common soldier
Rybachka	fishwife
Rybak; Rybaka	fisherman
Rybolov	angler
S
Sadovnik	gardener
Sannik	(archaic) sledge-maker
Sapozhnik	cobbler; shoemaker; hatter
Serebrennik	(archaic) silversmith
Serebryak	(archaic) silversmith
Serzhant	sergeant
Shakhter	miner
Shapoval	(archaic) hat-maker; fuller
Shchetinnik	(archaic) dealer in bristle
Sherstobit	(archaic) fuller
Sherstoboy	(archaic) fuller
Shpyn	(archaic) blind beggar
Shveitsar	doorman; usher
Shvets	(archaic) tailor; shoemaker
Shveya	seamstress
Sinil’nik	(archaic) dyer
Skornyak	furrier
Skorokhod	runner
Smolyak	(archaic) tar-sprayer
Sobakar’	(archaic) dog-breeder
Sobol’shchik	(archaic) sable-hunter
Sokol’nik	(archaic) falconer
Soldat	soldier
Soldat	soldier
Soldatka	soldier’s wife
Solevar	(archaic) salt-worker
Solodovnik	(archaic) malt-dealer
Soshnik	(archaic) plow-maker
Sotnik	Cossack captain
Starshina	village or district administrator in Imperial Russia
Stolyar	joiner
Storozh	(archaic) guard; watchman
Strelets	musketeer
Strugovshchik	(archaic) boatman; ship-owner; ship-worker
Sudeyka	(archaic) judge
Sudomontazhnik	shipwright
Sukach	(archaic) twister (weaver)
Svinar’	(archaic) swineherd
Svinopas	swineherd
Svinukh	(archaic) swineherd
Syrovar	(archaic) cheese-monger
T
Tabachnik	(archaic) tobacco-grower
Telezhnik	wagonwright
Titar	(archaic) church-warden
Tkach	weaver
Tokar’	turner
Tolmach	(archaic) translator
Torgash	shopkeeper
Torgovets	shopkeeper
Torgovka	(archaic) market-woman
Trepach’	(archaic) fuller; scutcher
Trubach	trumpeter
Tyuremshchik	jailor
U
Ulan	lancer
V
Vinokur	(archaic) distiller
Voditel’	teamster
Vozchik	cabman; carrier; drayman
Voznitsa	driver; coachman
Y
Yamshchik	coachman
Yaryga	(archaic) servant; attendant
Z
Zavodchik	mill-owner; factory-owner
Zerenshchik	(archaic) dice-player
Zhestyanshchik	tinsmith
Zhivopisets	painter
Znamenshchik	standard-bearer; painter
Zolnik	(archaic) ashman
Zolotar	goldsmith; gilder
Zvonar	bell-ringer

Other Russian Terms

Bibliography

Dal, V.I. Tolkovyi Slovar Zhivogo Velikorusskago Iazyka. (Moscow, 1999).
Kroutikhin, Mikhail I. Correspondence to the author re: Russian genealogical terms. September, 2006.
Mueller, V.K. English-Russian Dictionary. 24th Ed. (Moscow, 1995).
Pushkarev, Sergei G. Dictionary of Russian Historical Terms from the Eleventh Century to 1917 (Yale, 1970).

Names Russian Terms

Tags etymology, occupation, occupational, onomastics, Russia, Russian

Index of Russian Archival Terms

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 13, 2020

In order to find and use specific types of Russian records, researchers need to be able to identify and understand some key terms in the Russian language.The following index contains record and archival terms transliterated from Russian (left column) and their English translations (right column).The terms included here are those that you are likely to find in Russian genealogical sources. If the term you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Russian-English dictionary. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Index — Record Types – Archival Terms – Other Terms

Record Types

Akt	deed; document
Akt o smerti pereselentsa	death certificate of an immigrant
Akt ob Usynovlenii	adoption certificate
Brachnye Dokumenty	marriage documents
Chelobitnaya	petition; the document whose purpose was the obtaining of certain privileges or donations
Desyatina	district list of service people (noblemen, Cossacks, etc.) in Imperial Russia in the 16th and 17th centuries
Dogovor	agreement; contract
Domovaya Kniga	house register; administrative account of the population of Russian cities in the 19th and early 20th centuries
Gorodovaya Kniga	city register; administrative account of the population of Russian cities in the 18th and 19th centuries
Imennoi Podvornyi Spisok	list of household members; administrative account of the population
Ispovednaya Rospis’	account of the church population
Ispovednaya Vedomost’	account of the church population
Kameral’noe Opisanie	judicial description (family list); administrative account of the population
Kartochka Pereselentsa	immigrant card
Kladbishchenskaya Kniga	burial register
Kniga Registratsii RodivshikhsyaI Umershikh Gosudarstvennykh Krest’yan	state peasant birth and death register
Kniga Zapisi Umershikh	death register
Metricheskaya Kniga	metrical book; parish register; birth certificate; baptismal certificate
Metricheskaya Zapis’	metrical record; civil vital records
Metrika	metrical book; parish register; birth certificate; baptismal certificate
Mezhevaya Kniga	survey book; administrative account of property ownership, borders and sizes
Nekrolog	obituary
Obyvatel’skaya Kniga	register of inhabitants; administrative account of the population of Russian cities in the 19th and 19th centuries
Otkrytyi List	open list; police account of prisoners
Pasport	passport
Pasportnaya Kniga	passport book; police register of passports
Pasport Zagranichnyi	foreign passport
Perepis’ Naseleniia	census
Podatnye spisok	poll-tax list
Posemeinyi Spisok	family list; administrative account of the population
Predbrachnoe Svidetel’stvo	pre-marriage license
Razbor Rekrutskikh Poslug	military service review; military account of the population
Registratsionjnaya Kniga Dlya Zapisi Krest’yan Derevni	register book of village peasants taken in the 18th to early 20th centuries
Reviziia	revision; census in Imperial Russia in 1718-1857
Revizskaya skazka	revision list; census record
Rodoslovnye Knigi	genealogical books; provincial account of the gentry class in Imperial Russia
Rospis’ Rekrutov	recruit list; military account of the population
Spiski Pereselentsev	list of immigrants; administrative account of the population
Spiski Prezyvnikov	recruit list; military account of the population
Svedeniya o Rekrute	recruit data; military account of the population
Svidetel’stvo o Brake	marriage certificate
Svidetel’stvo o Rozhdenii	birth certificate
Svidetel’stvo o Smerti	death certificate
Svidetel’stvo o Udocherenii	adoption certificate
Svidetel’stvo o Vypolnenii	certificate of performance of compulsory military
Voinskoy Povinnosti	service
Semeinyi Spisok	family list; administrative account of the population
Uvol’nitel’nyi Bilet	discharge ticket; document of discharge from military service
Uvol’nitel’noe Svidetel’stvo	discharge certificate; document of discharge from military service
Ukaz	edict; ukase
Vid Na Zhitel’stvo	residence permit
Vladennaya Zapis’	title; deed
Vrachebnaya Kartochka	medical card
Zapos’ o Brake	record of marriage
Zapis’ o Kreshchenii	record of christening
Zapis’ o Pogrebennom	record of death
Zapis’ o Rozhdenii	record of birth
Zapis’ o Umershem	record of death
Zapis’ o Venchanii	record of church wedding
Zaveshchanie	will; testament
Zhalovannaya Gramota	bestowal letter fixing property rights of successors

Archival Terms

Anketa	questionnaire
Arkhiv	archive
Blank Zakaza	request form
Bobina	film reel
Byulleten’	bulletin
Delo	file; a basic classification unit within a fond
Deloproizvodstvennye Materialy	documents of management and record-keeping
Diagramma	diagram
Diplomaticheskaia Perepiska	diplomatic correspondence
Doklad	report
Dokladnaya Zapiska	memorandum
Dokument	document
Donesenie	dispatch
Federal’nyi Arkhiv	federal archive
Fond	document collection; record group; a basic organizational grouping of archival materials
Fotokopiya	photocopy
Gosudarstvennyi Arkhiv	state archive
Grafik	graph; diagram; schedule
Gramota	document; deed
Instruktsiia	instruction
Istochnik	source, archival source
Istochniki Lichnogo Proiskhozhdeniia	sources of personal origin; personal documents
Kartoteka	card catalog/index
Katalog	catalog; directory
Khronograf	chronological record
Kopiia	copy
Letopis’	chronicle; annals
Lichnyi Arkhiv	personal collection
List	folio; list; sheet (of paper)
Listok Ucheta	registration form
Literaturnyi Pamiatnik	literary work
Mandat	mandate, warrant
Manuskript	old (ancient) manuscript
Massovye Istochniki	mass, popular sources
Mikrofil’m	microfilm
Nakaz	order; instructions
Nazvanie	title
Nomer	number
Norma	norm; standard
Novyi Stil’	new style; a new system of chronology, based on the Gregorian calendar, introduced in Russia on February 14 (1), 1918
Oborot	verso; reverse side of a sheet.
Obzor	survey; summary; description
Ob’yavlenie	advertisement; notice
Opisanie	description; survey.
Opis	inventory; unpublished inventory of a fond; a list of dela; a basic finding aid
Otchet	record; account; report
Otpis’	letter; legal document
Papka	paper folder
Perechen’	list; inventory
Petitsiya	petition; written supplication
Pis’mennyi Istochnik	written source; a document; an archival source containing any types of written, typed or printed material
Pis’mo	letter
Plan raboty	plan of work
Podlinnik	original; authentic document
Polozhenie	regulation; statute
Posemeinyi spisok	family list
Postanovlenie	decree; decision; resolution
Predpisanie	direction; instruction
Prikaz	order
Proshenie	petition; written supplication
Putevoditel’	guide; a published archival finding aid covering major document collections of a particular archive
Raport	brief report
Rasporiazhenie	order; instruction
Rassekrecheno	declassified
Reestr	register; list; roll
Regional’nyi Arkhiv	regional archive
Rezoliutsiia	resolution; decision
Rukopis’	manuscript; handwritten document
Sekretno	classified
Skhema	diagram
Sluzhebnoe pis’mo	official letter
Sobranie	archival collection
Spisok	list; inventory; index
Spravka	information; notification; report
Spravochnik	guide; finding aid
Staryi Stil’	old style; an old-style system of chronology, based on the Julian calendar, existed in Russia from 1700 and replaced by novyi stil’ in accordance with the February 14, 1918 reform
Statistika	statistics
Sushchestvuyushchii	extant
Tarif	tariff; rate
Telegramma	telegram
Tema	topic
Ukazanie	directive; command
Unichtozheno	destroyed
Ustav	statute; regulation
Vetkhoe	fragile; in bad condition
Vnutrennyaya Opis’	internal inventory of all documents in the delo
Vodyanoy Znak	watermark
Vypiska	note; copy
Zaiavlenie	request, application
Zhurnal Ucheta	registration book; account ledger

Other Russian Terms

Bibliography

Dal, V.I. Tolkovyi Slovar Zhivogo Velikorusskago Iazyka. (Moscow, 1999).
Kroutikhin, Mikhail I. Correspondence to the author re: Russian genealogical terms. September, 2006.
Mueller, V.K. English-Russian Dictionary. 24th Ed. (Moscow, 1995).
Pushkarev, Sergei G. Dictionary of Russian Historical Terms from the Eleventh Century to 1917 (Yale, 1970).

Names Russian Terms

Tags archival, etymology, onomastics, Russia, Russian

Index of Russian Familial Terms

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 13, 2020

In order to find and use specific types of Russian records, researchers need to be able to identify and understand some key terms in the Russian language. The following index contains familial, kinship and gender terms transliterated from Russian (left column) and their English translations (right column). The terms included here are those that you are likely to find in Russian genealogical sources. If the term you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Russian-English dictionary. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Index — Kinship Terms – Family Events – Gender Terms – Other Terms

Kinship Terms

Babka; Babushka	grandmother
Bliznets	twin
Brat	brother
Bratan; Bratanik,	cousin (male)
Bratanikha	(archaic) wife of the cousin (male)
Bratanich; Bratych	(archaic) brother’s son; nephew
Bratets; Bratushka	little brother
Brat Po Materi	half-brother (same mother, different father)
Brat Po Otsu	half-brother (same father, different mother)
Ded; Dedushka	grandfather
Dever’	brother-in-law (husband’s brother)
Doch’	daughter
Dvoyurodnii Brat	first cousin (male)
Dvoyurodnii Ded	granduncle; great-uncle
Dvoyurodnii Dyadya	(archaic) first cousin (male) once removed; first cousin (male) of the mother or father
Dvoyurodnaya Babka	grandaunt; great-aunt
Dvoyurodnaya Sestra	first cousin (female)
Dvoyurodnaya Tetka	(archaic) first cousin (female) once removed; first cousin (female) of the mother or father
Dyadya; Dyadushka	uncle
Edinokrovnaya Sestra	half-sister (same father, different mother)
Edinokrovnii Brat	half-brother (same father, different mother)
Edinoutrobnii Brat	half-brother (same mother, different father)
Edinoutrobnaya Sestra	half-sister (same mother, different father)
Kholostyachka	bachelorette
Kholostyak	bachelor
Krestnaya Mat’	godmother
Krestnii Otets	godfather
Krestnik	godson
Krestnitsa	goddaughter
Kum	godfather
Kuma	godmother
Machekha	step-mother
Mat’; Matushka	mother
Muzh	husband
Nevesta	fiancée
Nevestka	daughter-in-law; sister-in-law (brother’s wife)
Nezakonnaya Doch’	illegitimate daughter
Nezakonnii Syn’	illegitimate son
Opekun	guardian (male)
Opekunsha	guardian (female)
Otchim	step-father
Otets	father
Padcheritsa	step-daughter
Pasynok	step-son
Plemyannik	nephew
Plemyannitsa	niece
Pobochnaya Doch’	illegitimate daughter
Pobochnyi Syn	illegitimate son
Potomok	descendant
Potomstvo	progeny
Prababka	great-grandmother
Praded	great-grandfather
Praroditel’	progenitor
Pravnuchka	great-granddaughter
Pravnuk	great-grandson
Predok	ancestor; forefather
Primak	son-in-law living with his wife’s family
Priyomnaya Mat’	foster-mother
Priyomnii Otets	foster-father
Priyomysh	adopted child; foster child
Roditel’	parent
Rodnoy Brat	sibling
Rodnya	kindred; kin
Rodstvennik	relative (male); kinsman
Rodstvennik So Storony Supruga	in-law; relative (male) of the spouse
Rodstvennitsa	relative (female); kinswoman
Rodstvennitsa So Storony Supruga	in-law; relative (female) of the spouse
Sestra	sister
Sestra Krestnaya	god-sister (daughter of godmother/godfather)
Sestra Po Materi	half-sister (same mother, different father)
Sestra Po Otsu	half-sister (same father, different mother)
Sestrenitsa	(archaic) daughter of a sister
Sestrenka	little sister
Sestrichna	(archaic) daughter of the sister
Shurin	brother-in-law (wife’s brother)
Sirota	orphan
Snokha	daughter-in-law
Srodnik	(archaic) relative (male); kinsman
Srodnitsa	(archaic) relative (female); kinswoman
Staraya Deva	spinster
Strui	(archaic) uncle; brother of the father
Supruga	wife; spouse
Suprug	husband; spouse
Svat	father of a son/daughter-in-law
Svat’ya	mother of a son/daughter-in-law
Svedenyi Brat	step-brother
Svekor	father-in-law (husband’s father)
Svekrov’	mother-in-law (husband’s mother)
Svodnaya Sestra	step-sister; half-sister
Svodnii Brat	step-brother; half-brother
Svoyachenitsa	sister-in-law (wife’s sister)
Svoyachina	sister-in-law (wife’s sister)
Svoyak	brother-in-law (wife’s sister’s husband)
Syn	son
Syn Ot Pervoi Zheny	son from first wife
Syn Ot Vtoroi Zheny	son from second wife
Synovets	(archaic) nephew; brother’s son
Synovitsa	(archaic) niece; brother’s daughter
Tetya; Tetka	aunt
Teshcha	mother-in-law (wife’s mother)
Test’	father-in-law (wife’s father)
Troyurodnii Brat	second cousin (male)
Troyurodnii Ded	first cousin (male) three times removed
Troyurodnaya Babka	first cousin (female) three times removed
Troyurodnaya Sestra	second cousin (female)
Ui	(archaic) uncle; mother’s brother
Uiets	(archaic) cousin; son of the uncle
Uika	(archaic) aunt; wife of uncle
Vdova; Vdovitsa	widow (female)
Vdovets	widow (male)
Vnuchatnaya Babka	(archaic) first cousin (female) three times removed
Vnuchataya Plemyannitsa	grand niece
Vnuchatnaya Sestra	(archaic) second cousin (female)
Vnuchatnii Brat	(archaic) second cousin (male)
Vnuchatnii Ded	(archaic) first cousin (male) three times removed
Vnuchatnii Plemyannik	grand nephew
Vnuchka; Vnuka	granddaughter
Vnuk; vnuchek	grandson
Vospriemnik	godfather
Vospriemnitsa	godmother
Vtoraya Zhena	second wife
Vui	(archaic) uncle; mother’s brother
Vuiets	(archaic) cousin; son of the uncle
Vuika	(archaic) aunt; wife of uncle
Yatrov’	(archaic) wife of the brother; wife of the brother-in-law
Zhena; Zhenka	wife
Zhena Syna	daughter-in-law
Zhenikh	bride-groom; fiancé
Zolovka	sister-in-law (husband’s sister)
Zyat’	son-in-law; brother-in-law (sister’s husband)

Family Events

Brak	marriage
Devichnik	feast celebrated by bride and girlfriends on eve of wedding; stagette party
Konfirmatsiya	confirmation
Kreshchenie	christening; baptism
Krestiny	christening; baptism
Mal’chishnik	feast celebrated by bridegroom and friends on eve of wedding; stag party
Panikhida	requiem; mass for the dead
Pogrebenie	burial; interment
Pokhorony	burial; funeral
Pominanie	prayer for the dead
Pominki	memorial service for someone who has recently died; wake
Pomolvka	betrothal; engagement
Posidelka	evening party attended by unmarried girls and young men; part of the courtship pattern
Razvod	separation; divorce
Rozhdenie	birth
Smert’	death
Svad’ba	wedding party
Ukhazhivanie	courtship; wooing
Vecherinka	evening party attended by unmarried girls and young men; part of the courtship pattern
Venchanie	nuptials; (church) wedding

Gender Terms

Baba; Babushka	old woman
Chado	(archaic) child
Chelovek	man; person
Deti; Detki	children
Devstvennitsa	virgin
Devochka	young girl
Devushka	maiden; grown up girl
Deva	virgin (female)
Mal’chik	boy
Mladenets	infant; child
Mladshii	minor
Muzhchina	man; male
Otrok	(archaic) boy; lad; teenager
Rebenok	baby; child
Starik; Starichok	old man; elder
Starukha; Starushka	old woman; elder
Vzroslyi	adult; grown-up
Zhenshina	woman; female

Other Russian Terms

Bibliography

Dal, V.I. Tolkovyi Slovar Zhivogo Velikorusskago Iazyka. (Moscow, 1999).
Kroutikhin, Mikhail I. Correspondence to the author re: Russian genealogical terms. September, 2006.
Mueller, V.K. English-Russian Dictionary. 24th Ed. (Moscow, 1995).
Pushkarev, Sergei G. Dictionary of Russian Historical Terms from the Eleventh Century to 1917 (Yale, 1970).

Names Russian Terms

Tags etymology, familial, family, onomastics, Russia, Russian

Russian Transliteration

Post author By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Post date November 12, 2020

Whenever Russian names or words appear in the English (Latin) alphabet and not the Russian (Cyrillic) script, some system of transliteration must be used. Of the various systems used throughout the world, the U.S. Library of Congress System is the most widely accepted system. It is reproduced below for your assistance.

Russian	English	Pronunciation Guide
A	A	a in car
Б	B	b in bit
B	V	v in vine
Г	G	g in go
Д	D	d in do
E	E	ye in yet
Ё	E	yo in yolk
Ж	Zh	s in pleasure
З	Z	z in zoo
И	I	ee in see
Й	I	y in boy
K	K	k in kitten
Л	L	l in lamp
M	M	m in map
Н	N	n in not
O	O	o in folk
П	P	p in pet
Р	R	r in roll
C	S	s in see
T	T	t in tip
Y	U	oo in boot
Ф	F	f in face
X	Kh	ch in Scotch word loch
Ц	Ts	ts in sits
Ч	Ch	ch in chip
Ш	Sh	sh in shut
Щ	Shch	shch in borshch
Ъ	‘	has no sound
Ы	Y	i in ill
Э	E	e in met
Ю	Iu	u in use
Я	Ia	ya in yard

Notes

In the South Russian dialect spoken by the Doukhobors, certain letters are capable of more than one pronunciation. For example, the Cyrillic letter Г can be voiced as either G or H and the Cyrillic letter B can be voiced as either V or W.

Names Russian Terms

Tags alphabet, Cyrillic, English, Latin, Russia, Russian, transliteration