Why Armenian surnames end in “ian”

The suffix “ian” (or “yan”) means “issued from”.

Petrosyan means “issued from Petros” (Peter), like Peterson in English. Darbinyan comes from “darbin”: the blacksmith.

The ending “ian” is added to a first name, a trade or sometimes a quality: that is why so many names look alike.

Did you know? “Ter” before a surname, as in Ter-Petrosyan, means “lord”: it points to an ancestor who was a married priest.

Words to listen to

Romanization	Armenian	Meaning
Petrosyan	Պետրոսյան	issued from Petros (Peter)
Darbinyan	Դարբինյան	issued from the blacksmith
Ter-Petrosyan	Տեր-Պետրոսյան	Petrosyan, descendant of a priest
darbin	դարբին	blacksmith

Tap a row’s button to hear the word. Romanization and audio come from the app (Eastern Armenian).