A Georgian name consists of a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

and a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

used by ethnic

Georgians The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and indigenous Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia and the South Caucasus. Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, ...

Given names

According to the Public Service Hall the most common Georgian names are:Georgian names
Public Service Hall Males: Giorgi, Davit, Zurab, Levan, Aleksandre,

Irakli Irakli, Irakly ( ka, ირაკლი), or Erekle ( ka, ერეკლე) is a Georgian version of the Greek name Heracles, and is a popular masculine name in Georgia. Notable people with these names include: Erekle *Erekle I, Prince of Mukh ...

Mikheil Mikheil ( ka, მიხეილ) is a masculine Georgian given name. It may refer to: * Mikheil of Georgia, Georgian royal prince, son of King George XII * Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgian politician, former President of Georgia * Mikheil Janelidze, G ...

Tamaz Tamaz ( ka, თამაზ) may refer to: *Tamaz Chiladze (born 1931), Georgian writer, dramatist and poet * Tamaz Gelashvili (born 1978), Georgian chess grandmaster * Tamaz Kostava (born 1956), retired Georgian Soviet football player * Tamaz Meli ...

Nikoloz Nikoloz ( Georgian: ნიკოლოზ) is a Georgian masculine given name. Diminutives of Nokoloz include Nika and Niko. It is a cognate of the name Nicholas. Notable people with the name include: * Nikoloz "Tato" Baratashvili (1817–1845), ...

and Avtandil. Females: Nino, Tamar, Mariam, Maia, Nana, Ketevan, Natela, Manana, Natia and Ana.

Surnames

CoA of the Most Serene Prince Dadian of Mingrelia

Georgian surnames are derived either from

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

s or, less frequently, from

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

s, with addition of various suffixes. Georgian suffixes vary by region. The most common Georgian suffixes are: * -shvili (-შვილი): meaning "

child A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person young ...

": from western and eastern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. E.g. Baratashvili, Andronikashvili,

Guramishvili Guramishvili ( ka, გურამიშვილი; russian: Гурамишвили; Гурамов) is a Georgian noble family derived from the House of Zevdginidze and known since the 16th century in the eastern provinces of the country. The ...

, etc. * -dze (-ძე): meaning "

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some curren ...

": from western and eastern

. E.g.

Abashidze The Abashidze ( ka, აბაშიძე) is a Georgian family and a former princely house. Appearing in the 15th century, they achieved prominence in the Kingdom of Imereti in western Georgia in the late 17th century and branched out in the ea ...

, Arveladze, Kaladze, etc. * -eli (-ელი): meaning " from (place)": from eastern and western

. E.g. Jaqeli, Tsereteli, Amashukeli, etc. * -uri and -uli (-ური) and (-ული): from mountainous eastern

. E.g. Donauri, Burduli, etc. * -ani (-ანი): Svan surname from mountainous western

. E.g.

Dadeshkeliani The Dadeshkeliani or Dadishkeliani ( ka, დადეშქელიანი, დადიშქელიანი) was an aristocratic family from the mountainous western Georgian province of Svaneti. They ruled the Principality of Svaneti from ...

Dadiani The House of Dadiani ( ka, დადიანი ), later known as the House of Dadiani- Chikovani, was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Mingrelia. The House of Dadiani Th ...

Kipiani Kipiani ( ka, ყიფიანი) is a Georgian noble family, formerly a princely one ('' tavadi'' or house dates as back as the 7th century). "Kipi"( Georgian: ყიფი) means proud. Notable ones : * David Kipiani (1951–2001), Soviet an ...

, etc. * -ia, -ua, -ava and -skiri (-ია), (-უა), (-ავა) and (-სკირი):

Mingrelian Mingrelian may refer to: *the Mingrelians *the Mingrelian language Mingrelian or Megrelian (, ) is a Kartvelian language spoken in Western Georgia (regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia), primarily by the Mingrelians. The language was also called kol ...

surname from western

. E.g. Abakelia, Chichua, Gvazava, Kvekveskiri, etc. * -shi (-ში): Laz surname from western

. E.g. Tugushi, Khalvashi, Jashi, etc. * -khi (-ხი): from southern

. E.g. Meskhi, Lashkhi, etc. * -kva (-ყვა): from western

. E.g. Ingorokva, Rokva, etc. * -ioni (-იონი): from eastern and western

. E.g. Bagrationi, Kimerioni, etc. * -ti (-ტი): from western

. E.g. Glonti, Jgenti, Jibuti etc. The first recorded Georgian surnames date to the 7th–8th century. They were mostly toponymic in nature (such as

Surameli The Surameli ( ka, სურამელი; pl. სურამელები, ''suramelebi'') were a noble family in the medieval Kingdom of Georgia, with notable members from the 12th century to the 14th. At the height of their influence and pr ...

Machabeli Machabeli ( sing. ka, მაჩაბელი; pl. მაჩაბლები, ''Machablebi'') was a Georgian princely house (''tavadi'') which held a large fiefdom (''satavado'') in the province of Inner Kartli (central Georgia) called Sa ...

etc.), patronymic, or derived from the profession, social status, position, or title, which was hereditary in the family (such as

Amilakhvari The Amilkhvari ( ka, ამილახვარი) was a noble house of Georgia which rose to prominence in the fifteenth century and held a large fiefdom in central Georgia until the Imperial Russian annexation of the country in 1801. They were ...

Amirejibi Amirejibi ( ka, ამირეჯიბი) is a Georgian family, formerly a prominent noble house, which branched off the House of Palavandishvili and rose in prominence in the late 14th century. The family name comes from a Georgian courtier t ...

, Eristavi etc.). Beginning from the 13th century, the surnames became more frequently based upon patronymics, a tradition which became almost universal in the 17th–18th century. Some of the Georgian surnames indicate ethnicity or regional origin of the family, and are also generated as patronymics. Examples are Kartvelishvili ("child of Kartveli", i.e., Georgian), Megrelishvili ("child of Megreli", i.e., Mingrelian),

Cherkezishvili Cherkezishvili ( ka, ჩერქეზიშვილი) is a Georgian noble family, descended from the Circassian chieftains of Great Kabarda, whence the surname, literally meaning "children/descendants of a Circassian" in Georgian. They settle ...

("child of Cherkezi", i.e., Circassian),

Abkhazi Abkhazi ( ka, აფხაზი; also known as Abkhazishvili) was a princely family in Georgia, a branch of the Shervashidze family from Abkhazia. According to the genealogical treatise by Prince Ioann of Georgia (1768-1830), the ancestors of t ...

shvili ("child of Abkhazi", i.e.,

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which ...

n), Somkhishvili ("child of Somekhi", i.e., Armenian), Berdzenishvili ("child of Berdzeni", i.e.,

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

), Prangishvili ("child of Prangi", i.e.,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

). There are some very rare Georgian surnames like Jolbordi, Galogre, Lapachi, Molodini, Shermadini, Sivsive, Gverdtsiteli, Kiuti, Mujiri, Megvinetukhutsesi etc. According to the Public Service Hall the most common Georgian surnames are: Beridze, Kapanadze, Gelashvili, Maisuradze, Giorgadze, Lomidze, Tsiklauri, Bolkvadze, Kvaratskhelia and Nozadze.

References

{{Georgia (country) topics Names by culture