Top 150 Ukrainian Surnames or Last Names With Meanings

Top 150 Ukrainian Last Names or Surnames

Last names indicate the family’s history and connect people to their heritage. The Ukrainian diaspora is spread worldwide, and family names form a strong connection thread, especially with the growing population. If you would like to give your little one a Ukrainian surname to celebrate your heritage, here is a list of Ukrainian family names and their meanings and origin to help you get started.

150 Popular Ukrainian Surnames or Family Names With Meanings

Upper-class people and the wealthy traditionally used surnames in Ukraine. They only became familiar with the common masses when it was made necessary for taxation under the Austrian empire.

Listed below are common Ukrainian last names that are being used around the world. There are also some rare Ukrainian surnames on the list. Most Ukrainian surnames are patronymic, in that there are derived from a father or an ancestor’s name. The others are names that indicate the occupation of the person or their ancestors, while some others point out specific features or characteristics.

1. Adamovich

An ancestral surname that is derived from the name ‘Adam’.

2. Aksamit

The meaning of this surname is ‘velvet’, and it is of Polish origin.

3. Alekseev

This is a patronymic surname and means ‘the son of Aleksey’. It is derived from the same name.

4. Anastas

This surname means ‘resurrection’ and has a Greek origin.

5. Andrich

A patronymic surname, Andrich, is derived from the name ‘Andrij’, the Ukrainian form of ‘Andreas’.

6. Antonova

This masculine surname is derived from the male name ‘Anton’. It is of Russian origin.

7. Archaki

Meaning ‘lord or the ruler’, this surname originates in the Greek word ‘Archos’.

8. Azarov

Azarov or Azarova is a Russian surname derived from the word Azary.

9. Azarova

Azarova is a commonly used family name in Russia.

10. Bondar

Bondar is a popular surname of East Slavic origin, meaning ‘barrel maker’.

11. Boris/Barys/Borys

Boris is a boy’s name of Slavic origin meaning ‘wolf’.

12. Borisova

Borisova is a Bulgarian and Russian name that means ‘son of Boris’.

13. Borisow

Borisow is a Ukrainian surname that means ‘child of Boris’.

14. Braverman

Braverman is a Jewish name having Polish roots. It means ‘a courageous man’.

15. Babich

This matronymic surname means ‘grandmother’ or ‘old woman’. It has Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian origins.

16. Bagan

This name has several meanings, such as ‘marsh’ or ‘to destroy’. The origin of the name is uncertain.

17. Balaban

The name means ‘chatterer’ in Ukrainian and ‘hawk’ in Russian. Therefore, the name could be an occupational name for a falconer.

18. Barno

The name means ‘Son of Nabia’ and has an Italian origin.

19. Barsky

This is a rare Ukrainian surname. The surname is derived from the name of a bar in Ukraine.

20. Bartosh

This is a pet form of the name ‘Bartolomij’, the Ukrainian version of ‘Bartholomew’.

21. Bayuk

The surname means ‘to entertain’ or ‘amuse’ and is derived from the word ‘bayaty’, which means the same.

22. Belaya

Belaya means ‘white’, and the surname is of Russian origin.

23. Bereza

Bereza means ‘birch tree’ and is of Ukrainian origin.

24. Bilyk

The word means ‘white’ in Ukrainian, and the surname is of Ukrainian origin.

25. Boiko

This is an ethnic name for the residents of the Western Ukraine region and is derived from ‘boyko’.

26. Bondarenko

An occupational name for a cooper (a person trained to make wooden barrels, casks, etc.) The name is suffixed with ‘enko’, a patronymic suffix.

27. Bortnick

Meaning beekeeper this Ukrainian surname is ancient and popular.

28. Borys

This surname means ‘fight’ and has a Russian origin. However, it is also believed to have originated from the Bulgar language.

29. Buchko

Derived from the Ukrainian word ‘bucha’, which means ‘noise’ or ‘outcry’, the surname means ‘a noisy person’.

30. Bula

The name is derived from the Ukrainian word for potato, ‘bulya’.

31. Burick

The surname means ‘dark brown’ or ‘gray’ and is a derivative of the Ukrainian word ‘bur’.

32. Chornyi

Chornyi, a girl’s name, is more frequently found in Ukraine and means ‘black’.

33. Czermah

Czermah means ‘joyous melody’ and has Hebrew origins.

34. Cherkasskiy

The name is derived from the Ukrainian word ‘cherkas’, which refers to the ethnic group ‘Circassians’.

35. Chernenko

This surname is derived from the Ukrainian word ‘chorny’ and the Russian word ‘cherniy’, both of which means ‘black’.

36. Cap

The name means ‘billy goat’ in Ukrainian. It may also be an occupational surname for goat herds.

37. Chaplin

The surname is derived from the word ‘chaplya’ in Ukrainian, which means ‘a stork’ or ‘heron’. It refers to a man with long, thin legs and one who frightens easily.

38. Chaika

Meaning seagull, this surname comes from the Slavic term for the bird.

39. Chura

This is the Ukrainian word for ‘cossak servant’. ‘Chura’ or ‘Dzhura’ is an occupational name.

40. Chumak

This word is derived from the traditional Ukrainian wagon-based trading occupation, which included the delivery of salt, fish, etc.

41. Choma

The surname is derived from the male name ‘Choma’, a Slavic version of ‘Thomas’.

42. Chornovil

This surname comes from the Ukrainian word for ‘black ox’.

43. Dacko

Dacko is the pet form of the Ukrainian name ‘Danylo’.

44. Datsyuk

Datsyuk is the Ukrainian term for a service provider.

45. Davidovich

This is a patronymic surname derived from the name ‘David’.

46. Demchak

This surname is a pet form of the Ukrainian name ‘Demjan’.

47. Diduch

This Ukrainian surname means ‘the spirit of the ancestors’.

48. Domitrovich

This is a patronymic surname derived from the Ukrainian name ‘Domitry’. However, it is mainly of Greek origin and comes from ‘Demetrios’.

49. Dobroshtan

The surname comes from the Ukrainian word for ‘good pants’.

50. Dobryivechir

This Ukrainian surname comes from the Ukrainian word for ‘good evening’.

51. Dovzhenko

The meaning of this Ukrainian surname is derived from the Ukrainian word for ‘long’.

52. Evanko

Derived from the personal Ukrainian name ‘Ivan’, it originates in the Hebrew name ‘Yehochanan’, which means ‘graced by Yahweh’ or ‘God is gracious’.

53. Fedora

This surname is derived from the female Ukrainian name ‘Fedora’, the Ukrainian version of ‘Theodora’.

54. Franko

Primarily of Latin origin, this name comes from the personal name ‘Franko’ or ‘Franciscus’ in Latin.

55. Galey

This nickname for ‘hurry’ or ‘hasten’ originates from the Proto-Slavic term for ‘to shout’.

56. Gogol

Gogol means ‘a Common Goldeneye’, which is a type of duck in Ukrainian.

57. Golodryga

Golodryga is a  surname from the word golod, meaning ‘hunger’ in Russian.

58. Gleba

Derived from the eastern Slavic personal name, it refers to the son of Prince Vladimir of Kiev, named ‘Gleb’. Gleba also means ‘soil’ in Ukrainian and Polish.

59. Honchar

This is the Ukrainian name for ‘potter’ or ‘ceramist’ and is occupation-based.

60. Hopko

A term of endearment, this Ukrainian nickname means ‘child’.

61. Horbanenko

This surname means ‘hunchback’. It is similar to the Russian surname ‘Gorbachev’.

62. Hresko

This is derived from the Ukrainian version of the Latin name ‘Gregorius’, ‘Hrehor’.

63. Hudzik

Meaning ‘button’ or ‘a small man’, this surname could be an occupational name for button makers.

64. Ivanko

Ivanko, a popular Slavic name and a diminutive of the name Ivan, is a Slavic variant of the name ‘John’.

65. Iwanicki

This is a name for a person from ‘Iwaniec’, ‘Iwanki’, ‘and Iwanovice’.

66. Jangula

This surname is derived from the Ukrainian nickname for angel, ‘Yangyola’.

67. Kachur

This is derived from the Ukrainian nickname ‘kachur’, meaning ‘drake’. It also refers to ‘a fowler’.

68. Kalashnik

The meaning of this surname is ‘Kalaches maker’, a traditional form of bread.

69. Kalzuny

The surname means ‘muddy’ and indicates a person who lives in a muddy spot.

70. Kandyba

This Ukrainian surname means ‘horse’.

71. Kapinos

This directly translates to the phrase ‘run, nose’ in Ukrainian.

72. Karmazin

The surname means ‘dark red cloth’ and is possibly derived from the Arabic word for ‘crimson’.

73. Kazan

Meaning ‘kettle’, ‘furnace’, or ‘boiler’, this surname is derived from the Turkish word ‘kazan’.

74. Kishka

Kishka means ‘cat’ in the Ukrainian language.

75. Kitko

This surname is derived from the Ukrainian word ‘kit’, meaning ‘tomcat’.

76. Kolesnik

This surname comes from the Ukrainian word for ‘wheelwright’.

77. Koroliuk

The word means ‘king’ and is derived from the Ukrainian word for king, ‘korol’.

78. Kosmen

This is an occupational name for glassmakers and is of Jewish origin.

79. Koval

This is an occupational name for a blacksmith.

80. Kozak

This popular Ukrainian surname means ‘free man’ and is derived from the Turkish word ‘kazak’.

81. Kozar

The meaning of this Ukrainian surname is ‘goat herd’.

82. Krasinski

A name for people from Ukraine and Belarus, such as Krasnaya, Krasna, or Krasnoe.

83. Krivoshapka

This surname comes from the Ukrainian word for crooked headwear.

84. Kryvonis

Kryvonis means ‘curved nose’ in Ukrainian.

85. Kushnir

This is an occupation-based Ukrainian surname and refers to a furrier.

86. Lipka

Named after someone who lived next to a lime tree. This surname comes from the word ‘lipa’, meaning ‘lime tree’.

87. Lisko

This comes from the nickname ‘lysyj’, which means ‘a bald man’ or from ‘lis’, meaning ‘a fox’ or ‘cunning person’.

88. Litvinchuk

Of Russian origin, this surname comes from the word ‘litvin’, used to refer to people of Belarusian or Lithuanian descent.

89. Lomachenko

This surname comes from ‘lom’, which means ‘scrap’ in Ukrainian.

90. Lubarsky

Refers to people from the Lyubar region in Volhynia, Ukraine or Lubarka in Lithuania.

91. Lyashenko

This surname is derived from the Ukrainian word ‘lyakh’, meaning ‘pole’. This is actually used as a disrespectful word.

92. Malinski

Refers to a person from Malin, a place in Ukraine.

93. Markovich

A patronymic name for the male name ‘Mark’ or ‘Marko’.

94. Molchan

A soft-spoken person. The surname is derived from the Russian word for ‘silent’.

95. Mucha

Used as a nickname for important people, this surname means ‘fly’.

96. Malasenco

Malasenco is a derivative of the male name Malachi, which means ‘messenger of God’.

97. Nemirov

Nemirov is a patronymic form of the surname Nemir, meaning ‘restless’ in Russian.

98. Netudyhata

This Ukrainian is a common Russian family surname and means ‘wrong way house’.

99. Nimchuk

 Nimchuk is an ethnic German surname that means ‘wall’.

100. Navarykasha

This surname refers to the phrase ‘boil the porridge’.

101. Novosel

Newcomer to a place. This is a Ukrainian nickname.

102. Olensky

This surname indicates people from the region of Olewsk in Ukraine.

103. Oliynyk

This occupational surname refers to vegetable oil manufacturers.

104. Obbizhysvit

This Ukrainian surname is derived from an East Slavic word and means ‘run around the world’.

105. Otchenash

This is a historically significant Ukrainian surname. It means ‘our father’.

106. Panchenko

Panchenko means ‘fisher’. It is a popular Ukrainian and East Slavic name.

107. Perebiynis

Perebiynis is a  Ukrainian family name that means ‘break the nose’.

108. Pereverny

This name is a historical family surname having Russian roots. It means ‘turn over the cliff’.

109. Pidiprygora

Pidiprygora is a popular Ukrainian surname that means ‘bolster the mountain’.

110. Podlipa

Podlipa is a sweet and unique Ukrainian surname. It means ‘under a lime tree’.

111. Polishchuk

Polishchuk is a toponymic surname associated with Polissya. It means people who live along the Ukraine-Belarus border.

112. Polyakov

Polyakov is rooted in the ethnic name ‘Polak’, which means pole.

113. Poroshenko

Poroshenko is derived from the native Ukrainian word ‘porokh’, which means gunpowder or dust.

114. Portnoy

Portnoy is rooted in the Russian word ‘portnoj’, a common occupational name of the tailoring community.

115. Pachenko

This is a Ukrainian surname for a ‘fisher’.

116. Panko

Derived from the word ‘pan’, meaning ‘lord’ or ‘landlord’. It is also a pet name for people with names starting with ‘pa’.

117. Pribula

It comes from the word ‘prybylyj’ and is a nickname for a newcomer.

118. Rachman

Of Hebrew origin, this name means ‘merciful’.

119. Reznikov

A profession-based name for ritual slaughterers.

120. Ruschak

This is an ethnic name for a Ruthenian person.

121. Rybalka

Rybalka is a diminutive of the Russian word ‘ryba,’ meaning fish. This is a popular surname of the Ukrainian fishermen community.

122. Salogub

Salogub is another popular Ukrainian family surname that means ‘salo lips’.

123. Sklorenko

Sklorenko is a community name common in Ukraine. It is rooted in the tribal history of Ukraine. It means ‘glassmaker’s son’.

124. Smarch

Smarch is the anglicized form of various Russian and Ukrainian surnames, such as Smarchevsky, Smarchevskaya or Smarchkov.

125. Soroka

Soroka is a derivative of the nickname ‘soroka’ which means magpie.

126. Stepanovich

Stepanovich is rooted in the ancestral Ukrainian family name ‘Stepan’.

127. Stolyarchuk

This surname means the ‘son of a carpenter’.

128. Shevchenko

The name originates from the Ukrainian word for ‘cobbler’ or ‘shoemaker’.

129. Truchan

This surname comes from the Ukrainian name for turkey.

130. Tarasenkoq

 Tarasenkoq is derived from the ancestral Ukrainian name ‘Taras’.

131. Tataryn

Tartar is an ethnic Ukrainian surname which means ‘from Tartar’.

132. Tsybulenko

Tsybulenko is a derivative of the Ukrainian word ‘tsybulya’. It means onion.

133. Urban

Urban is derived from the popular Latin word ‘Urbanus’, meaning city dweller.

134. Urbana

Urbana is derived from the word Urban. It is the female form of the same Ukrainian name.

135. Vengerov

Vengerov is a derivative of the word vorobey which means ‘Hungarian’.

136. Vernydub

Vernydub is a significant Ukrainian surname that means ‘twist the oak’.

137. Volesky

Volesky is a popular surname in Ukraine and Belarusian origin. It means ‘a group of hunters.

138. Voloshyn

Voloshyn is an interesting ethnic surname from Volokh, an ancient tribe from Moldova and Romania.

139. Vorobey

Vorobey is a sweet Ukrainian name derived from the word Slavic, ‘ vorobey’, which means sparrow.

140. Voshkolup

Voshkolup, yet another popular Ukrainian surname, means ‘Louse scratcher’.

141. Vovk

Vovk is rooted in the Ukrainian word ‘vovk’, which means wolf.

142. Vyrvykhvist

Vyrvykhvist means ‘rip a tail’ and is a common Ukrainian surname.

143. Valentyn

This word is of Latin origin and means ‘strong and healthy’.

144. Warhola

This rare Ukrainian surname means ‘quarrel’.

145. Yampilskiy

Yampilskiy is taken from the Romanian word ‘Yampil,’ who were people from medieval Ukrainian settlements.

146. Zalusky

Zalusky is derived from the Gaelic word ‘zalew’, which means a flooded area or bay. This name was common amongst the communities living near water bodies.

147. Zarzecki

The name means ‘on the other side of the river”. It is a good name for baby.

148. Zbirak

 Zbirak comes from the Polish word ‘zbierac’, meaning ‘to collect or gather’.

149. Zolochivskiy

 Zolochivskiy is derived from the famous Ukrainian city ‘Zolochiv”. Therefore, it means ‘belonging to Zolochiv’.

150. Zelinski

A person from Zelenki in Ukraine. The surname has its origin in the Slavic word for green.

Most Ukrainian surnames have the suffix -ko. This indicates that the names reference the ancestors, such as father or grandfather and are patronymic. This carries the ancestral name forward and directly connects to the family’s history. Suffixes such as -chuk, -vich, -yuk, -yak, -enko, -yshyn are also considered surnames.

Like most other surnames, Ukrainian surnames show a rich history and indicate the person’s ancestry, allowing every individual to connect well with their legacy.

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Aarohi Achwal holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a master’s degree in English Literature. While working as an intern for an English daily, she realised that she likes writing above anything else. The idea of being heard without having to speak appeals to her. She likes to write research-based articles that are informative and relevant. She has written articles on pregnancy, parenting, and relationships. And she would like to continue creating content on health and lifestyle.