How to write your name in English. Russian names in English: spelling and pronunciation rules

A couple of years ago, some procedures related to the use of passports changed in the Russian Federation. The process of obtaining the document remained the same. But the rules of transliteration have undergone a small but important transformation. This was motivated by the desire of the Russian authorities to switch to the international system of transcription of names and surnames. The changes made it possible to eliminate the confusion associated with the use of previous standards.

The transliteration of names and surnames means the romanization of the Russian text. Simply put, the Cyrillic spelling of letters and their combinations is replaced by Latin. The transliteration rules have changed several times. And now they are brought to international standards.

Before applying for a new passport, you can check the spelling of your name and surname in Latin. This is easy to do on our website. Online transliteration is available absolutely free of charge.

You need to enter the first and last name in Russian. The data is entered in the appropriate form. They will be automatically translated into Latin in accordance with the new transliteration rules.

Key changes

The new transliteration rules affected:

• Most popular Russian names.
• Many common surnames in our country.

For example, EGOR in the new spelling format turned into EGOR (instead of YEGOR). And the surname TsAPLIN used to be written in Latin as TCAPLIN. The latest standardized variant is TSAPLIN. Thus, the main changes affected the following Cyrillic letters:

• The letter "E" is transliterated as "E". Previously, it was represented by the combination "YE".
• "Y" received a new designation "I", while previously it was written with the letter "Y".
• The vowel "Yu" when translated is transformed into "I" with the addition of "U". That is, the correct spelling is "IU". Previously, "Yu" turned into the Latin letters "YU".
• "C" is now denoted by the combination "TS". Previously, the “role” of this letter was the symbols “TC”.
• "Kommersant", which disappeared under the previous system of romanization of the Cyrillic alphabet, received its designation. Now the "hard sign" is written as "IE".

For example, according to the new standards, YULIA became IULIIA DMITRY - DMITRII, and VALERY - VALERII.

Difference in documents

Do not worry if the spelling of the name and surname in the new passport is different from the old one. This also applies to cases where a ticket for a foreign trip was purchased on a document with the same transcription. The Russians will not have problems with traveling on a passport with a new transliteration. However, especially suspicious citizens have the right to ask to keep the previous version of the letter designation of the name and surname.

How to leave the old spelling

If a citizen does not agree to change the spelling of his name and surname in the new passport, it is allowed to leave the previous version. To do this, a corresponding request is attached to the papers for replacing the identity card. In it, the applicant asks to keep the name and surname as they are indicated in the previous sample. In this case, one should refer to the 28th paragraph of Order No. 211, signed by the FMS in 2014.

The application is written in free form. But the citizen must be sure to indicate the reason that prompts him to leave the previous data. As justification, it is recommended to use documents issued on the basis of a passport. For example:

• open visa.
• Residence permit of another state.
• Marriage certificate obtained outside the Russian Federation.
• Education documents

Documents must be valid. The applicant submits their copies.

If an error has crept in

It is also possible that the data about the citizen was entered incorrectly in the new passport - they wrote down the wrong letter in the name or surname. This should be immediately reported to the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where the applicant received the document. You should first make sure that this is really a mistake, and not a new transcription standard.

If the error occurred through the fault of officials, the citizen will be issued a corrected passport within a couple of hours. The applicant will only have to provide another passport photo. There is no need to re-pay the state fee and write an application.

However, the efficiency of correcting such shortcomings applies only to old-style documents. The necessary amendments to the new generation of identity cards make a little longer. Therefore, it is advisable to carefully check the relevance of the transliteration rules at the time of ordering a new passport for foreign tours.

According to the Russian authorities, the changes in the transliteration rules for the international passport will benefit the owners of this document. It is under the new rules that the names and surnames of Russians are now entered into the passport and documents issued on its basis. The latter, in particular, include tour bookings, visas, foreign residence permits, foreign bank accounts, various certificates, etc.

When you introduce yourself to English language or writing a letter, it is very important to know how the various names will be in English. Let's take a look at how feminine and male names in full and abbreviated form - when writing a letter to a friend or in everyday conversation, you are likely to use the abbreviated version of your name, and full form in a more formal setting.

Name transliteration

When there is no analogue to the Russian name in English, then one has to resort to transliteration - the transfer of the Russian word in the Latin alphabet. Don't be surprised if you see the same word translated into English with some differences. The difference in word rendering will depend on the transliteration system used. In this article, we will focus on international standard Doc 9303, recommended by ICAO (the first version of the name in the second column and in brackets for abbreviations), as well as indicate the spellings of names (for example, according to the British Standard system), which have already become familiar and widely used.

In various systems, you will find the following differences in transliteration:

• The letter "ya" is often rendered either by the combination ja or ia. If you are used to writing "I" in your name in English as ja, then you can continue to do so - this is not considered a mistake, you will simply be guided by a different system for translating Russian letters in Latin.
• In some systems, the transmission of the letters "and" and "th" is different (i - y, i - j, I - jj, respectively), and may be the same i -i.
• The letter "yu" can be transmitted as ju, yu, iu.
• The letters "u" have both shorter and longer transmission options - sc, shh, shch.

Please note that some names, being, for example, part of geographical names, have historical spellings (or just familiar spellings). In such cases, we will indicate the possible options for how this or that name is written - you can choose any option you like.

Women's names in English

The table shows the most popular female names that can be found.

After reviewing the female names in English, let's learn how the male ones are spelled.

Names for Women - female names

Male names in English

Names for Men - male names

Surnames

Men's and female surnames in English are also transmitted through transliteration. Let's look at the most likely options for the transmission of the Russian alphabet and combinations of letters in Latin.

Female surnames in English have endings that are completely translated into English, while in English there are no such endings, for example, Michael Johnson - Hanna Johnson (Michael Johnson - Anna Johnson), Catherine Williams - Nicholas Williams (Katherine Williams - Nicholas Williams).

Examples of writing a full name

Let's look at examples of various combinations of surname, name and patronymic. Thus, we will consolidate the learned information and practice writing full names in Latin.

Please note: having chosen one system (for example, you decided to render the letters "u" and "ya" according to the system in which they correspond to ju and ja), stick to it throughout the text. If in correspondence you started writing your name in one way, continue to sign or sender's name in the same way.

In the following translation examples, different systems will be used, but please note that within the same name we do not go beyond one system.

• Kozlova Elena Vladimirovna - Kozlova Elena Vladimirovna.
• Petrova Aleksandra Pavlovna - Petrova Aleksandra Pavlovna.
• Ivanova Tatyana Nikolaevna - Ivanova Tat`yana Nikolaevna.
• Sinitsyn Anton Pavlovich - Sinitsyn Anton Pavlovich.
• Karelin Vladimir Sergeevich - Karelin Vladimir Sergeevich.
• Kuzmenko Yulia Filippovna - Kuzmenko Yuliya Filippovna.
• Fedoruk Roman Konstantinovich - Fedoruk Roman Konstantinovich.
• Pavlenko Maria Vladimirovna - Pavlenko Mariia Vladimirovna.

• Katrushina Lyudmila Mikhailovna - Katrushina Lyudmila Mikhaylovna.
• Lesovaya Olesya Evgenievna - Lesovaya Olesya Evgen`evna.
• Koroleva Alexandra Leonidovna - Korolyova Aleksandra Leonidovna.
• Tatarchuk Igor Grigorevich - Tatarchuk Igor Grigorevich.
• Somova Irina Yaroslavovna - Somova Irina Iaroslavovna.
• Krupnov Igor Valerievich - Krupnov Igor` Valer`evich.
• Anisova Marina Valentinovna - Anisova Marina Valentinovna.
• Nefyodov Denis Arkad'evich
• Lisitsina Daria Yurievna - Lisitsina Daria Iurevna.

Name matching

It so happens that Russian name has no analogue in English and the only way to transfer a name from one language to another is transliteration. However, some names in English, both male and female, have analogues in Russian.

• The name Catherine may correspond to the English Catherine (Catherine). Catherine the Great - that's what they called great empress Catherine, daughter of Tsar Peter I. And the diminutive Katya is more likely to become Kate (Kate).
• The Russian name Maria exists in many languages, the English version of Mary (Mary) will become a more sonorous analogue than the transliteration of the name.
• Andrew may well turn into the English Andrew (Andrew).
• Alena and Elena in English can be called Helen (Helen) - this option will be more convenient and understandable to an English-speaking person.
• Eugene in English, most likely, will be called Eugene (Eugene).
• Anton may well become Anthony (Anthony).
• Many people love Valentine's Day and have probably seen how this name is written in English - Valentine (Valentine) (Saint Valentine's Day).
• Daniel is very similar to the English Daniel (Daniel).
• In the name Denis, only "n" will double - Dennis (Denis).
• John is considered an analogue of the name Ivan.
• The name Constantine is also in English, and instead of transliteration, you can use the already existing Constantine.
• Maxim will not change at all and will become Maxim, and in a diminutive version, simply Max.
• Michael will become Michael or Latin Michael.
• The name Nikolai is very similar to Nicholas (Nicholas) and will be Nick in a diminutive version.
• The simple Russian name Peter also found a colleague - Peter (Peter).
• The name Alexander and Alexandra is also popular in other languages ​​- Alexander and Alexandra in diminutive form may be Alex.
• Russian Anna in foreign language can turn into Hannah (Hannah).
• Veronica has a full match - Veronica.
• Victoria, which means "victory", has become popular name in many languages ​​- Victoria.
• Jeanne can become Joan (Joan).
• Irina is similar to the English name Irene (Irene).
• The name Lydia has a full analogue in English - Lidia.
• Christina corresponds to Christina and in the diminutive version will be Chris or Christy.
• Margarita will take on a slightly different sound - Margaret (Margaret).
• Natalia also has her own version of Natalie (Natalie).
• Elizabeth corresponds to Elizabeth (Elizabeth)
• Julia may well turn into Julia (Julia).

Remember: first name or given name is the name of the person; do not confuse middle name with patronymic, this is the middle name in English names, for example, James Charles Brown, the middle name is often abbreviated - James C. Brown; patronymic in English will be patronymic; when you meet the word surname, then know that this is a surname. So, if you fill out some document in English, then instead of our Russian “surname, first name, patronymic” there will be the surname, first name and patronymic.

Patronymic - patronymic

Thus, knowing how your name is spelled in English, you can correctly sign a personal letter or fill out a resume, as well as fill out Required documents. Each name is unique, however, there are no strict rules for translating names. If you have a passport, then you can focus on the option indicated in your passport. You can choose any transliteration system, the main thing is that the recognizability of the translated name is preserved. However, do not be too lazy to find out if your name has an analogue in English.

Whether to choose the transliteration option or stop at English version his own name is a question that everyone decides for himself. Many names in English, both male and female, came from other older languages ​​and entered different languages, changing their form or remaining similar. However, remember that residents of English-speaking countries will be clearer name which they are already familiar with. Therefore, if you want your name to be remembered faster, then it is better to choose an option that will be closer and more understandable to an English-speaking person. However, if for a friend you already know as Yuliya, then there is no urgent need to change the spelling to Iuliia or Julia.

The writing of the Russian language is based on the Cyrillic script. However, most of the world's languages ​​use the Latin alphabet for this. Later in the article we will tell you how to write in Latin letters correctly. This is a very important skill that can come in handy in any situation. As an example, you need to be able to write your name correctly in Latin when traveling abroad.

History of the Latin alphabet

Historically, the Latin alphabet is divided into archaic and classical. The first one is very similar to Greek from which it probably originated.

The composition of the original alphabet included 27 letters, some of which were practically not used. The composition of the same classical alphabet included 23 letters. Latin was the official language in Ancient Rome, and due to Roman expansion, this alphabet became widespread. In progress historical development a few more letters were added to the Latin alphabet, and in currently The "basic Latin alphabet" has 26 letters and is identical to modern English.

However, almost every language that uses the Latin alphabet today has its own additional Latin characters, such as the letter "thorn" (Þ), which is used in Icelandic. And there are many examples of such expansion of the Latin alphabet.

And how to write uppercase Latin letters that are included in the "basic Latin alphabet"? There are several rules. And according to them, some capital letters are small copies of capital letters, while some of the letters are slightly different.

Russian Latin

The very first cases of using the Latin alphabet for writing East Slavic languages ​​date back to the period of the 16th-17th centuries, when the Latin alphabet appeared in the documents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth.

Later on the territory Russian state the question of changing the Cyrillic alphabet to the Latin alphabet was repeatedly raised. At first, this idea came to Peter I, who, against the background of the economic transformations of the European bias, also conceived the language reform. However, Peter never fulfilled his desire.

Calls for a change in the alphabet intensified even more in the 19th century. Representatives of the “Westernizers” movement especially advocated for this. And again, there was no change in the alphabet. After all, the opponents of the Latin alphabet had many supporters. Including Minister Uvarov, the author of the theory of official nationality. The introduction of the Latin alphabet, according to opponents of the transition, would mean the loss of cultural uniqueness.

After October revolution the Bolsheviks planned to translate all nationalities into the Latin alphabet. Several options for the Russian language have been proposed. However, the period of "Latinization" quickly ended, and the leadership of the USSR began, on the contrary, to translate all languages ​​into Cyrillic. After that, the issue of changing the alphabet in the USSR was closed.

After the fall of the communist regime, the issue of parallel circulation of the Cyrillic alphabet with the Latin one, as in Uzbekistan, was also repeatedly raised, but the public blocked such proposals. Despite all the ambiguity of this issue, the introduction of the Latin alphabet could be useful for the Russian language. This would make it open to further cultural expansion. But the introduction of the Latin alphabet in Russian has a small minus - it will be difficult for the older generation to understand how to write in Latin letters.

Transliteration from Cyrillic to Latin

There are no uniform rules for transliteration from Cyrillic to Latin. However, at present in Russian Federation a certain standard is used, which is followed by employees of the Federal Migration Service.

It is periodically criticized, but accepted as official. In it, letters are replaced by phrases that are not in the Latin alphabet: E, Sh, Shch, Yu, Zh, C, Ch, Ya. The rest of the letters are actually identical to their Latin counterparts.

How to write a last name and first name

Usually this procedure must be completed when obtaining a foreign passport or visas. All documents that require transliteration are filled out according to the ISO 9 rule, which is followed by the Federal Migration Service. According to this rule, surnames are translated into Latin. We offer you a transliteration scale.

Thanks to this table, any word written in Cyrillic can be written in Latin. For example, Ivanovich in Latin will be Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich.

Conclusion

Disputes about which alphabet the Russian language needs do not subside for a long time. Each of the opinions has its own advantages and disadvantages. Discussions have been going on in our country for centuries, and there is no end in sight yet. However, being able to write in Latin letters is quite an important skill. It can be useful when obtaining a foreign passport, visa, paperwork in other states.

In this article, we showed how to write your first and last name in Latin letters correctly. But that's not all. Using the table given here, you can write any Cyrillic word in Latin. We hope that after reading this article you have understood how to write in Latin letters.

There is nothing more natural than to start learning English by writing own name letters of the Latin alphabet.

Writing Russian names in English often causes difficulties - largely because there are no uniform rules in this regard. However, the set general principles can still be determined.

• About the special rules of transliteration used in this moment when applying for passports, read further in our article.

General rules for transliteration of names

The first thing to remember is names and surnames are not translated, especially when we are talking documents and business correspondence. You should not pick up English-language counterparts and call Elena - Helen, and Michael - Michael. Instead, the name should be transliterated, that is, written in Latin. In this case, the following system of correspondence can be used:

Special rules for transliteration of names

In addition to the more obvious rules of transliteration, there are cases where it is not entirely clear how one or another name should be written. Let's look at these options.

Letter b And Kommersant are not transmitted in transliteration. Using an apostrophe (") in their place is also not recommended:

• Daria
• Igor
• Olga

Letters S And Y transmitted by letter Y:

• Bystrov
• Sadyrova
• Mayorov

If the last name ends with "-th", in transliteration remains "-y":

• White

Since the letter H in English sometimes it is not readable, for the transmission of Russian sound "X" combination is used KH:

• Akhmatova
• Rachmaninov - Rakhmaninov

Russian combination KS it's better to spell it out KS, but not X:

• Ksenia - Ksenia
• Aleksandr

If letter E denotes one sound (as in the name Vera), it is transmitted Latin letterE Vera. If it denotes two sounds (after soft sign), it is transmitted by the combination YE— Astafyev.

But: If E stands at the beginning of the name, both options are possible: the name Elena can be written as Elena or Yelena.

Letter Yo usually written in the same way as E, but if you want to emphasize the pronunciation of the name, then you should use the letter combination YO— Fyodor, Piotr.

Letter W can be written in the form SCH, but in German this combination will be read as "sh". In order to avoid confusion, it is recommended to use an unpronounceable, at first glance, combination of letters SHCH.

Ending "-and I" can be transliterated as -IA or -IYA. However, to avoid unnecessary bulkiness, Y usually do not write:

• Maria
• Valeria - Valerie

Important note: transliteration when issuing passports

The rules for transliteration when applying for foreign passports often change. At the moment, as of 2015, the following transliteration rules apply (we present the differences from the main table):

• Previously, when issuing foreign passports, the rules of GOST R 52535.1-2006, introduced in 2010, were used.

If you want to keep the original spelling of your name and surname when you receive a new passport, you can write a corresponding application to the issuing authority, duly substantiating your desire. The basis for such a statement is the presence of documents with a different spelling of your first and last name: passports, diplomas, residence permits, visas, as well as other registration and banking documents, including bank cards.