On Russia and resignation
On Russia and resignation

Summary/Abstract: Liberal-leaning Russians like to remind us that the most common last surname in their country is Smirnov. It is also the name of a well-known vodka brand, Smirnov, etymologically rooted in smirenie, often translated as submission or resignation. Reasons behind the surname’s popularity vary. Some versions claim that peasants, relieved at the birth of a quiet son, would christen him “Smirna.” Others argue that the most pacified subjects of the Russian empire were more likely to procreate, so Smirnovs multiplied faster than Ivanovs or even Petrovs. The Russian linguist Vladimir Nikonov believed that the surname originated among the “subdued” Merya people, who inhabited what is now the Kirov region.

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