Six Petersburgers and Petersburgers who changed the name or surname

Every year in Russia, thousands of people change names - according to the statistics of the Ministry of Justice, their number is constantly growing. In 2018, 85 thousand people changed the name, surname or patronymic. This is 13 % more than in 2011. For such a step, Russians are resolved for various reasons: many-due to the rejection of their own name or desire to change their lives.

“Paper” talked with six Petersburgers and Petersburgers, who deliberately changed the name or surname, and found out why they did it, what problems this helped to solve and how others reacted to such an act.

Mikhail Vrionakis

Previous name - elefterios

- I was born in Moscow - my father worked there at one of the enterprises. He is a Greek, so the name and surname at my birth were Greek - Elefterios Vrionakis. In the 1990s, the enterprise ruined, and we moved to St. Petersburg, since the maternal relatives live here.

The first thoughts to change the name appeared at school: it was difficult to pronounce, write and perceive it. People almost always put stress and write incorrectly. It was stopped by the fact that my father would not understand such a step.

Illustrations: Anna Kulakova / "Paper"

When he died, I decided to replace the name. I was then 22 years old. Before that I thought for a long time, discussed it with my girlfriend. Relatives and friends reacted approximately the same - they said what my gorgeous rare name was, but I think that this zest is not worth it.

Friends call me the same name, or rather its abbreviated option, and at work - new. Sometimes confusion occurs if new friends come to my old company, or at my second work there is an old acquaintance. But it turns out very convenient: if they call and call the old name, then this is one of the friends, if the new one is from work.

Mars Kovalevsky

The previous name does not name

- I am a musician - I play the guitar and sing in the group "without a name without a room." I was born in Samara, then moved to Sochi, and then to Petersburg, because there are much more opportunities for implementation.

Once, back in Samara, I woke up with the thought: "Why do I have such a name?" Then I was 21 years old. I was lying and thinking about it, then left the room to the kitchen, and suddenly my mother asked me: "Maybe you can change your name?" This coincidence was familiar to me.

Mom, doubting a little in my choice, offered to write different names on seven sheets: six random and one that I liked - Mars. She put them on the table with the inscriptions down and said to choose any sheet. Without thinking for a second, I took a piece with full confidence - and there was the name Mars. At that moment there was a feeling that everything was happening by itself. I took a new birth certificate 2-3 days after that, and I had a new passport two weeks later.

Everyone reacted to replace the name in different ways. Relatives were not shocked, even supported me. Friends, on the contrary, were very surprised. Of course, not everyone was used to it at once: many called me an old name, then they apologized and called Mars. To remember my new name, [others] took about a year. I’m not saying an old name with a new acquaintance, but I don’t hide it either.

From the point of view of most people, [the decision to change the name] seems inadequate and strange. Many times I had problems due to the fact that people did not believe that this was my real name. Some were distrustful, thought that I was a swindler or a drug addict. There were difficulties in order to rent an apartment or get a simple job like distributing leaflets. Some call me Max, usually people after 40 [years]. I can tell them five times that my name is Mars, but they will still say Max. They simply do not believe that there is such a name and choose what is clearer for them.

Despite all the difficulties, I feel that the change of name was the right decision. After that, my life began to change very quickly and dramatically. I wrote a lot of songs, fateful meetings took place, I moved to another city.

The transformation took two years - according to the documents, I quickly became Mars, but in reality it took much more time to learn how to live again. After the change of name, the whole story of my personality collapsed. It was necessary to build something new. I discarded extra people from my life, changed my number, retired from social networks, completely disappeared for everyone except the closest. That is, before becoming Mars, I had to first become anyone.

Anton Eliseev

Previous surname - Kurochkin

- I was born in Novosibirsk, I lived most of my life in Omsk, where my parents were distributed after studying, and now I live and work in St. Petersburg. I am an industrial climber by profession, so I traveled to half-Russia for my life-from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg and from Sochi to the Ob lip.

The thought of a change of surname came to my mind at the beginning of a relationship with the future wife. When it began to approach the wedding, I thought seriously. I wanted to leave a past of myself in the past. He did not decide on this for long, hesitated much already in the registry office when applying for a change of surname. I was 35 years old.

Others calmly reacted to the change of surname. Friends, of course, were a little sank, and they were also surprised in the personnel department at work. In my life, nothing has changed much. This is probably due to the fact that the name with which I associate myself remains the same.

Apopoloria Rogov

Previous name and surname - Polina Kopacheva

-I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, learned to the artist of decorative and applied art, but did not go further along this path. I did not like my name in kindergarten, and the surname seemed ugly, especially since it was always read wrong. It was difficult to decide to replace - the difficulties with documents were scared, besides, it was necessary to choose a name with which it would be comfortable for me. I was afraid to make a mistake.

The first time I got to the registry office at 18, but then I could not change the name. This happened six years later. In my life, little has changed, I do not think that this is some kind of magic wand that changes fate. Perhaps the perception of oneself has changed a bit, but it is difficult to say unequivocally.

I calmly tell people my old name, if necessary, especially since most of friends know him. My new name is an improved version of the old, not its opposite. I buzzed all my ears [about the desire to change the name], so they probably were glad that this finally ended. But in general, everything was treated positively or neutral.

Argo Orlov

Previous name - Maria

- I was born in Leningrad, managed to remember the queues at dusk under the lanterns, the kindergarten and the church, where to go, because they feed there. For a report at school, I read the Encyclopedia “Petersburg. Petrograd. Leningrad ”and I think that she gave me the idea that the name is a reflection of internal processes. The family was played by the family background - how the story was retold about how, after my birth, my mother argued with my grandmother about the name, and my father silently took the documents and called me completely different.

When I studied at school, my peer tried to change my last name when receiving the first passport. She faced the conviction of the teachers, but the approval of the students. For myself, I realized that at the age of 14, change my name weakly - besides in winter, [my birthday is February 1], I was sick a lot.

At the age of 20, I thought everything out and spent a line between school years, when I shuddered from a sharp shout by last name and then I was sick of the board, and the vague time of growing up in my family, when there is no rights to my opinion, time and choice. I took all the good to a new life - with a new name and surname. She took her mother’s last name, she did not change her after marriage - I have a warmer relationship with her than with her father. I chose a new name by sound, communicating on the forum where I had my first friends. When I received a passport with a new name, I thought: “Ahh! Yes!" Instantly life did not improve, but the clearance was outlined in depression.

Mom calls me a new name whenever he monitors the speech, my sister is old, but the catch is not felt in this. All other relatives are categorically against the new name and when they turn to me, as if they open the door to the past, where I was intimidated and convenient for everyone. With new people, I became more fun and comfortable to communicate. My first close relations began to take shape after a change in the name.

I changed the name and felt that I could manage my life. This is cool, this is my decision, and if something is not to my liking, then I do not have to endure, but I can very much set sail in my beautiful ship and be happy.

Emma Serov

Previous name and surname - Ekaterina Isaenko

- I was born in Kislovodsk, later moved to Nalchik. After graduation, she entered Petersburg and has been living here since then.

It turned out that now I have completely different surnames of the name and patronymic than at birth. When I was eight years old, my grandmother was dying, and I promised her to take her name. Since it is impossible to do this without the consent of both parents, but I had a tense relationship with my father, my grandfather decided to take everything into his own hands and spent a lot of time going to courts and registry offices. At the age of 12, the name was changed, at the age of 14 or 15 - the last name. A little later, the middle name was replaced.

It was funny to watch how people gradually get used to calling me a new name. But I myself had been driving at 15 years, not understanding who I really I am. Sometimes it seemed that I was two and I did not live my life. As if someone lives for me, and I am sitting behind the glass in a cage and watching, being unable to change anything. But over time, these thoughts have gone, and now I like how my name sounds.

When I changed the name, my friends, of course, were surprised, but quickly got used to it. True, my coach said that Katya could not stop calling me. From my current circle of communication, few people knew me before the change of name, and I introduce myself to the new acquaintances as it is. The family is still called in the old way, I respond and do not pay attention to it.