The Surnames of Old Believers in the Suwałki Region (According to Marriage and Death Records from 1924 to 1935)

Abstract

The Schism of the Russian Orthodox Church was triggered by the church reforms in the second half of the 17th century. People protesting against the reforms were called Old Believers, Old Ritualists, schismatics or heretics. The church and state authorities persecuted these schismatics, leading to their migration to the outskirts of the country and beyond the borders of Russia. The first Old Believers arrived at the end of the 17th century in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was marked by relative religious tolerance. This article focuses on historical anthroponyms of the population of Old Believers in Suwałki, and analyzes data extracted from excerpts of parish registers of marriages and deaths (from 1924 to 1935). Based on the material, 83 surnames have been distinguished. The analysis of the collected material shows the anthroponymy of Old Believers in the Suwałki region contains Russian and Slavic features (71 anthroponyms of Russian origin; 12 foreign and hybrid surnames).