Why Are Russian Names So Difficult?

Transliteration. Another reason for why Russian names look so intimidating in English letters is that there is no one-to-one correspondence between the Cyrillic and the Latin alphabets.

Why do Russians use 3 names?

Every Russian has three names: First name, patronymic (middle name, derived from one's father's first name) and surname. First (Christian) names are usually traditional. They come from the Bible, or can be of Greek (most names, in fact), Latin or old Slavic origin.

Why do Russians have 2 last names?

The first double surnames in Russia and Eastern Europe were known and used in medieval times. Having a double surname was a privilege and an indication of a higher social class. The practice of adding a second surname arose because of the need to distinguish between members of the same family.