# Georgian: -shvili



## perpend

I researched this as best as I could.

Many surnames in Georgia end with "-(sh)vili.

I do know that the ending means "child".

My query: Does it mean "a child from a father named so" ... or ... "a child from a certain region"?

Thanks for thoughts.


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## AndrasBP

The word is actually "shvili", with the sound "sh" being an integral part of the word. 

There are several types of surnames ending in "shvili", originating from first names (Guramishvili, Revazishvili), names of ethnic groups (Cherkezishvili, Somkhishvili) or professions (Khutsishvili - a priest's child or descendant).


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## perpend

Okay---thanks Andras. It sounds very versatile then. "child" of something (whether person/group/profession). I get it now.


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## Alanky

perpend said:


> Many surnames in Georgia end with "-(sh)vili.
> 
> I do know that the ending means "child".
> 
> My query: Does it mean "a child from a father named so" ... or ... "a child from a certain region"?


Many Georgian surnames end with "shvili" and with "dze". These two facts are associated with the meaning of these words and possible etymology of Georgian surnames. "shvili" means a child, a son/ a daughter. "dze" means a son. Some of Georgian surnames were generated by adding "shvili" or "dze" to the names of "main persons of the lineage" (actually, more frequently Georgian surnames consist of a job plus "shvili" or "dze" than a real name plus "shvili" or another ending), so descendants of a man called "Ivane" would be called "Ivanishvili" (literally: son/daughter of Ivane); descendants of a man called "smith" (because of his job) would become "mchedlishvili" (literally "son/daugther of a smith") etc. The same is the case for "dze".


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## perpend

Excellent. That confirms what Andras wrote.

Would this "shvili" then be the same as for example "šević" (they do have a sort of similar sound) in the tennis player's name: Goran Ivanišević. (I think he's Croatian, which I know is not Georgian .)

So, Goran, son of Ivan?

Scandinavian languages (some?) do this to, from what I've heard.

Thanks!


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## Panceltic

It's the same as English Johnson for example (John's son).

About Ivanišević, there is no element meaning "son", but can be understood that way. The original name is Ivan (=John). The diminutive suffix is -ić, which was applied onto the possessive suffix -ev-, which in turn was applied to some diminutive form of Ivan (Ivaniš-).


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## Alanky

perpend said:


> Would this "shvili" then be the same as for example "šević" (they do have a sort of similar sound) in the tennis player's name: Goran Ivanišević. (I think he's Croatian, which I know is not Georgian .)
> 
> So, Goran, son of Ivan?
> 
> Scandinavian languages (some?) do this to, from what I've heard.


I don't know ...
Some Russian surnames came to my mind, e.g.: Кузнецов ("Smithson"?), Иванов, Кириллов, Васильев, Михайлов, - Maybe they can be interpreted as Ivan's, Kiril's, Vasil's etc. distant descendants? (if we think of "ов" as genitive plural personal marker...) But this is just speculation. I can't claim anything but just speculate.


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## Angelo di fuoco

In this case, -ов or -ев (basic male form, you have to add -а for the female and -е for the neuter form) is not a genitive plural personal marker, but a marker of possessive adjectives, which can be derived either from nouns or proper names. If you read classical novels like Tolstoy's "Resurrection", you'll see that this was the form used as patronym in legal language: Екатерина Михайлова Маслова, instead of the more common (and used nowadays in legal documents) Михайловна. However, you can find this possessive suffixe both in the patronyms as well as a constitutive part of many adjectives, e. g. for things made of or having the colour (or the properties) of something: салатовый, бордовый, бирюзовый, малахитовый, образцовый.
End of the OT.


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