Considering the question of the history of the origin of the surname Andreev, it should be noted that it is one of the most common in our country. In the list of all-Russian generic names, it occupies the thirtieth place among the hundred most common ones. This is most likely due to the fact that it comes from a well-known Christian name. More details about the meaning, origin of the name Andreev and its spelling will be described in the article.
On behalf of the apostle
This, according to linguists, is the origin of the name Andreev. The name Andrew in translation from the ancient Greek language means "brave", "courageous". It was in the holy calendar and was one of the popular ones given at baptism.
It was worn by one of the twelve apostles, better known as the First-Called One. He was the first to follow the Master, and after that he brought Peter, hisbrother who became the first pope.
According to legend, he read sermons to the Scythians, that is, to the peoples living in the Balkans, as well as to the tribes living on the shores of the Black Sea. Thanks to his labors and prayers, Christian churches were formed, conversions to the Christian faith were going on.
Studying the origin of the surname Andreev, let's consider some details from the life of the saint, whose name underlies it.
Crucifixion
The Apostle Andrew was sentenced to death on a cross that had a shape similar to the letter "X". It was from him that the name of the St. Andrew's Cross came from. Despite the impending torment, the apostle did not flinch. On the contrary, he went up to the place of execution on his own, joyfully praying to the Lord.
For two days, Andrew, being on the cross, taught the townspeople who crowded around him. People listened to him and sympathized with him with all their hearts. They began to resent, demanding to remove the saint from the crucifixion. Then the ruler of the city of Patras, fearing a popular revolt, gave the order to stop the execution.
But the saint began to object and turned with a prayer to the Lord, asking him to honor Andrei with death on the cross. Despite the attempts of the soldiers to remove the apostle, their own hands did not obey them. The crucified martyr gave praise to God, calling to receive his spirit. And then the cross was lit up with a bright Divine light, like the apostle crucified on it.
During the time of Constantine the Great, the relics of the apostle were solemnly transferred to Constantinople and placed in the temple dedicated to the holy apostles. Nearby are the relics of the Evangelist Luke and Presbyter Timothy, who was a disciple of the Apostle Paul.
Today Apostle Andrew is revered as the founder and heavenly patron of the Church of Constantinople. He is also considered the patron saint of Russia and is especially honored in the Orthodox Church.
Considering the origin of the surname Andreev, it must be said about its well-born representatives.
Noble families
According to linguists, the founder of the Andreev family is a representative of the upper class. This assumption is based on the fact that surnames derived from the name in full form, as a rule, belonged to the social elite, the nobility or a family that had great authority in a certain area. Out of respect, their neighbors called their members by their full names, while people belonging to other strata of society were called by derivative, diminutive, everyday names.
Among the noble families bearing the surname Andreevs, there are also old ones. Some originate from Eustathius, or Ostani. He was a Russian nobleman, diplomat and governor and lived during the reign of Vasily III and at the beginning of the reign of Ivan the Terrible. In the 16-18th centuries. many representatives of this surname served as stolniks, governors, ambassadors and clerks.
In conclusion of the study of the origin of the name Andreev, we will mention some famous personalities with such a generic name.
Famous namesakes
Among them are:
The writer of the Silver Age, the founder of Russian impressionism Leonid Nikolaevich Andreev. His worksdistinguished by realism, unexpected plot twists, sharp contrasts. He was prone to acting, practical jokes, his passion was painting, color photography, the gramophone. The writer gave himself to each new lesson with passion
Famous artist - Andreev Nikolai Andreevich, who was born in Moscow in the second half of the 19th century. He taught at the Stroganov School, tried to introduce his own drawing system. The very first portrait - "Girl in a Shirt", painted in accordance with his system, brought recognition and fame to the painter
As for the correct spelling of the considered surname, the letter "a" is written in the first syllable, since it is based on the name Andrey. And in the last syllable, "e" is written, which is part of the "ev" suffix. Thus, you need to write "Andreev", not "Ondreev", not "OndreEv" and not "AndreEv".
