About the book: 2008 / The book in a popular form tells about the history of the emergence and various sources of formation of about 1000 Russian surnames. The question “What does your last name mean?” deals with a special science - anthroponymy. By studying surnames, she helps to discover facts that are valuable not only for linguistics, but also for history, geography, and ethnography. The publication is addressed primarily to schoolchildren, but may be of interest to anyone interested in the history of Russian culture.