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ArchivesWhy does a surname need to specify that it's unisex?
I see lots of surnames being labeled as "Masculine & Unisex" (for example Sokol), and i don't understand it. Why does there need to be specification on what gender it is, it's a SURNAME.
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Replies
Because lots of cultures or languages have masculine and feminine forms as it were
MacLeòid is the masculine and NicLeòid is the feminine form. So MacKenzie (MacCoinneach) means son of (Kenneth). If you were calling a girl this it should be NicKenzie (or NicCoinneach) tho to be fair in most of Scotland Gaelic is not spoken so it is moot.
Magnusdottir is the correct form for a daughter of Magnus rather than Magnusson. Just as Addison, Davidson mean son of (Adam, David). Iceland still preserves matronymics and patronymics. So do other languages, not least Russian.
Usually names like Soutar, Hunter, Carter and other trade related names are the masculine form. Technically speaking there would have been feminine versions for trades open to women as well.
MacLeòid is the masculine and NicLeòid is the feminine form. So MacKenzie (MacCoinneach) means son of (Kenneth). If you were calling a girl this it should be NicKenzie (or NicCoinneach) tho to be fair in most of Scotland Gaelic is not spoken so it is moot.
Magnusdottir is the correct form for a daughter of Magnus rather than Magnusson. Just as Addison, Davidson mean son of (Adam, David). Iceland still preserves matronymics and patronymics. So do other languages, not least Russian.
Usually names like Soutar, Hunter, Carter and other trade related names are the masculine form. Technically speaking there would have been feminine versions for trades open to women as well.
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Many Slavic surnames are gendered. And some other cultures.
e.g.
(m —> f)
Ivanov —> Ivanova
Aliyev —> Aliyeva
Prigozhin —> Prigozhina
Zelniček —> Zelničková
Láska —> Lásková
Kucharski —> Kucharska
Chyornyy —> Chyornaya
Khvylyovyy —> Khvylyova
Bahaziy —> Bahazya
Bahýľ —> Bahýľová
Pamidoraŭ —> Pamidorava
Bērziņš —> Bērziņa
Vlachos —> Vlachou
Pappas —> Pappa
Raptis —> Rapti
Stefanov —> Stefanova
Kvedaravičius —> Kvedaravičiūtė (Kvedaravičius's daughter)
Kvedaravičius —> Kvedaravičienė (Kvedaravičius's wife)
For Sokol since you mentioned: As a Jewish surname (which will mostly be found in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland) it is not gendered. If "Vladimir Sokol" from Russia has daughter, her last name is Sokol. But Sokol is male in Slovakia and Czechia. If "Jaromír Sokol" from Slovakia has daughter, her surname is Sokolová.
e.g.
(m —> f)
Ivanov —> Ivanova
Aliyev —> Aliyeva
Prigozhin —> Prigozhina
Zelniček —> Zelničková
Láska —> Lásková
Kucharski —> Kucharska
Chyornyy —> Chyornaya
Khvylyovyy —> Khvylyova
Bahaziy —> Bahazya
Bahýľ —> Bahýľová
Pamidoraŭ —> Pamidorava
Bērziņš —> Bērziņa
Vlachos —> Vlachou
Pappas —> Pappa
Raptis —> Rapti
Stefanov —> Stefanova
Kvedaravičius —> Kvedaravičiūtė (Kvedaravičius's daughter)
Kvedaravičius —> Kvedaravičienė (Kvedaravičius's wife)
For Sokol since you mentioned: As a Jewish surname (which will mostly be found in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland) it is not gendered. If "Vladimir Sokol" from Russia has daughter, her last name is Sokol. But Sokol is male in Slovakia and Czechia. If "Jaromír Sokol" from Slovakia has daughter, her surname is Sokolová.
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Many women of Slavic descent living in the West (particularly the United States) use the masculine surname for the sake of convenience or because their families have assimilated. It's especially common with women whose families have lived in the West for generations. I have a Polish last name ending in -ski, and all the women in my family use the -ski ending, even though in Polish this usage is incorrect.
To give an example, Maria Kowalska would be proper Polish. Maria Kowalski would most likely be born in the United States or some other Western country.
To give an example, Maria Kowalska would be proper Polish. Maria Kowalski would most likely be born in the United States or some other Western country.
This message was edited 6/2/2025, 6:21 PM
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That might be true for people who moved to Western countries a long time ago. But modern immigrants care a lot less about assimilation than people did a hundred years ago, and they tend to use names that feel natural to them. I actually know far more people who recently came from Eastern Europe and continue to follow the naming traditions of their countries of origin—like patronymics and gendered last names—than those who adopt Western conventions.
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Yes, correct. But I do not see how this is relevant to original point.
Since it was mentioned,
It does not change in all countries. Country with similar enough tradition will follow it. For example, if Polish 'Jan Kowalski' and 'Maria Kowalska' move to Ukraine and have daughter, her surname is Kovalska / Kowalska, but if Lithuanian 'Aleksandras Kvedaravičius' and wife 'Vaiva Kvedaravičienė' move to Ukraine and have daughter, her surname is Kvedaravichyus / Kvedaravičius, not Kvedaravichyute / Kvedaravičiute.
Since it was mentioned,
It does not change in all countries. Country with similar enough tradition will follow it. For example, if Polish 'Jan Kowalski' and 'Maria Kowalska' move to Ukraine and have daughter, her surname is Kovalska / Kowalska, but if Lithuanian 'Aleksandras Kvedaravičius' and wife 'Vaiva Kvedaravičienė' move to Ukraine and have daughter, her surname is Kvedaravichyus / Kvedaravičius, not Kvedaravichyute / Kvedaravičiute.
1
Thank you!
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