Skvortsov Family History

The surname Skvortsov formed from the personal nickname Skvorets by means of the suffix -ov, which indicates that a person belongs to the father's family or an ancestor who bore such a non-canonical name. The nickname, in turn, is associated with a starling (skvorets), the well-known songbird in Russia. Interestingly, the word skvorets, common to all Slavic languages, is a result of imitation of sounds made by this bird. They resemble the sound combination skvor.

The surname is spread in European Russia (in particular, in the Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow regions), in the South (Rostov and Volgograd regions), as well as in the Altai. Skvortsovy also live in other CIS states (Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc. ), as well as in Estonia, the USA, etc.

In written sources the surname first appears in the late 15th century. It should be noted that the first surname representatives belonged to a variety of social strata. Thus, historians have found an archival record on a zemstvo man Kuzemka (that is, Kuzma) Skvortsov dating back to 1482. In the source dated 1618, an entry was found about Fedosk Skvortsov, a posadsky man from Belozersk. References dated the same 17th century mention a Yakut boyar scion Kornil Skvortsov and a Moscow dyak (clerk) Sidor Skvortsov.