Armenian Surnames
Typical modern Armenian last names (family names) end with the originally patronymic suffix -յան (RAO) or -եան (TAO), transliterated as -ian, -yan, or sometimes -jan. Example: Petrosian, meaning "issued from Petros", akin to the English name Peterson. However, an "-ian" or "-yan" ending does not guarantee that a name is Armenian. It might instead be Irish, Persian, Chinese, English, Cornish, or Indian - to name but a few.
Some Armenian last names bear the suffix -նց (IPA ), transliterated as -nc, -nts or -ntz (as in Bakunts or Adontz), or in addition to -yan/-ian (as in Vardanyants), although that is not common.
Some Armenian surnames have a suffix -լի (IPA ) preceding the -յան/-եան suffix. This is a suffix of Turkish origin denoting a geographical location. For example, Sivaslian and Vanlian refer to the cities of Sivas and Van, respectively.
Other Armenian surnames have a suffix -ճի (IPA or ), transliterated as -ji/dji or -chi/tchi, preceding the -յան/-եան suffix. This is another suffix of Turkish origin denoting a profession. For example, Kebabjian and Kahvejian refer to kebab and coffee merchants, respectively.
While the -եան suffix already existed in the Classical Armenian period (for example: Արտաշեսեան/Artashesian, Մամիկոնեան/Mamikonian), other suffixes, now rarer, also existed. The suffix -ունի (as in Բագրատունի/Bagratuni, Արշակունի/Arshakuni, IPA ) had a similar meaning to -եան.
The suffix -ցի (IPA ) denoted a geographical provenance. For example, Moses of Chorene and Stephan of Siunik are rendered in Armenian as Movses Khorenatsi (Խորենացի) and Stephannos Siunetsi (Սիւնեցի), respectively.
The prefix Տեր (RAO) or Տէր (TAO), which comes from how one addresses a priest, is typically Armenian. It might be followed by a space or attached directly to the root. If someone possesses a surname containing "Der" or "Ter" it usually signifies that this person has a patrilineal ancestor who was a priest.
Read more about Armenian Surnames: Roots of Names, Common Armenian Surnames
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