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There are very popular among them: which Ukrainian surnames are derived from pagan deities

Yulia PoteriankoNews
Slavs' pre-Christian beliefs left their mark on Ukrainian surnames. Source: Created with the help of AI

Some Ukrainian surnames have such an ancient origin that their history can be traced back to before the baptism of Rus. In particular, this applies to surnames that derive from the names of pagan deities and spirits.

Ethnologist Halyna Lozko shared such family surnames. It was published on Oru.

Thus, the surname Didukh is very common. This is what the Slavs probably called the spirit of an ancestor who was the patron saint of the family. Nowadays, this is the name of a ritual sheaf, which is one of the main Christmas decorations.

According to the Ridni portal, Didukh surname is the 817th most common in Ukraine and has 4588 bearers. It is more common in the western regions, although it is found throughout Ukraine.

The surname Volos may be connected with pre-Christian deities too. According to the ethnologist, it can be derived from the name of the Slavic god of prosperity Veles. However, archival research shows that it appeared around the 15th century and was originally a first name, not a surname. In particular, this is pointed out by Pavlo Chuchka in his work Slavic Personal Names of Ukrainians. According to the latest collected official data, 2057 people in Ukraine bear the Volos surname.

The surname Perun is also popular in Ukraine. In the Slavic pantheon, Perun was the supreme deity, the god of the sky and the lord of thunder. Most often this surname can be found in Lviv region. In total, there are 1178 known bearers of the name.

In addition, Halyna Lozko mentioned several other surnames that may have pagan origins. She included the following: Veles, Leliak, Dazhbohovych, Rusal, Vorozhko, Kerechun, Chortulynets, and Vischun.

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