Patronymics in Russian

Russian names are structured as [surname] [first name] [patronymic name].

[фамилия] [имя] [отчество]

E.g.: Быков Игорь Михайлович (male)

Павлова Наталья Борисовна (female).

A very popular abbreviation that you might see in official forms is ФИО which means:
Фамилия, Имя, Отчество (literally full Russian name).

The first or given name is usually selected by the parents when a baby is born. As a rule,
Russians are given only one first name.

Patronymic (о́тчество) is a modified father’s name.

Patronymic is a derivative of your father’s name (“pater” in Latin = “father;” “о́тчество” –

patronymic, is based on the word “оте́ц”- father). If a man’s name is Ива́н, and he has a
daughter called На́дя (Наде́жда in full), she will be addressed as Наде́жда Ива́новна when
she is addressed by people who are not her close friends or family; his son Пе́тя (Пётр in full)
will be called Пётр Ива́нович when he is an adult.

A man’s patronymic is formed by adding a suffix – ович (- евич) to his father’s full first
name. А woman’s patronymic is formed with the suffix – овна (- евна) which is added to her
father’s full first name.

The rule is simple: add – ович (m) or – овна (f) when the father’s first full name does not end
in “Й:” Ви́ктор Ива́нович; Еле́на Ива́новна.

If it does, drop “Й” and add – евич (m) or – eвна (f): Ви́ктор Алексе́евич, Еле́на
Алексе́евна.

This means "son of …" and "daughter of …".

Father's name Patronymic suffix Patronymic

Николай -евич Николаевич
Борис -ович Борисович
Алексей -евна Алексеевна
Роман -овна Романовна

Do Russian matronymics exist? - Nope.

People can be addressed using their first name (informally) or first name and patronymic
name (formal).

When you are a child, you are addressed by your first name – usually by your nickname or
its derivative form (called a ‘diminutive’). Your close friends and relatives will call you by your
diminutive throughout your life. However, other people will start adding your patronymic to
your first full name when you become an adult.

The patronymic name is normally never used alone, it is used ONLY together with (right
after) the first name.

Titles such as "Mr.", "Mrs." and "Ms." are not used. Students always address their professors
with the first name and patronymic; colleagues at an office do the same. Patronymics also
appear on official documents, like passports, just like your middle name does.

The surname is never used to address an individual face-to-face. It is generally only used in
formal circumstances (such as in written administrative documents) or when you’re speaking
about the person with other people.

Even more formal and very polite address would be a combination of "вы" and first name +
patronymic.

Remember: Never use a first name-patronymic address with "ты"

And don’t combine a patronymic with a short version of a first name: It’s "Мария
Ивановна", not "Mаша Ивановна"

Nowadays, patronymics seem to be in decline: It’s hard to remember them, they are
sometimes too cumbersome to pronounce, so using a full first name with “вы” will also be
fine, especially if a person is not much older than you.
 EXERCISES

A) Read the patronymics below and circle one of the figures as appropriate.
Note: try to sound out the patronymics as you are reading them.

1) Владимирович

2) Владимировна

3) Андреевна

4) Андреевич

5) Петрович

6) Алексеевна

7) Александровна

8) Ивановна

9) Игоревич

10) Юрьевич

11) Михайловна

Б) Pick one or more patronymics that can be combined with each first name.
In some cases, there will be no correct options.

1) Марина а) Алексеевна б) Алексеевич в) Сергеевна

2) Виктор а) Викторович б) Петрович в) Петровна
3) Денис а) Михайловна б) Денисовна в) Альбертовна
4) Андрей а) Денисович б) Викторович в) Андреевич
5) Надежда а) Павловна б) Юрьевна в) Иванович
6) Ирина а) Игоревич б) Васильевич в) Борисовна
7) Кирилл а) Фёдорович б) Никитична в) Николаевич
В) Form patronymics (both male and female) from the following first names:

Адам
Александр
Алексей
Андрей
Арсений
Артемий
Артур
Богдан
Василий
Виктор
Владимир
Владислав
Глеб
Григорий
Давид
Даниил
Денис
Евгений
Егор
Игорь
Илья
Кирилл
Константин
Лев
Леонид
Максим
Марк
Матвей
Мирон
Никита
Николай
Олег
Павел
Платон
Пётр
Роман
Руслан
Савелий
Сергей
Семён
Степан
Тимофей
Тимур
Фёдор
Юрий
Ярослав