Soviet names

[gordonmull]

I know some one on here will have the answer!

1WO (wife) bought me Red Star Under the Baltic for christmas. The book is written by Viktor Korzh, and he is referred to in the book by not just that name but also by Viktor Yemelianovich. What is going on here? The captain on Korzh's (Yemelianovichs??) first patrol also seemed to have two names. (i'm too lazy to flick back the pages to find them!).

Aside from my confusion over Ruskie names, its been a good read so far! Just the thing to while away long hours cruising the Atlantic.

[sergei]

It is obligatory for people in Russia to have three names: a given name (chosen by parents), a patronymic (based upon fathers name), and a family name (surname).

They are generally presented in that order: e.g.Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, where "Nikita" is a first name, "Sergeyevich" (his fathers name is "Sergey") is a patronymic, and "Khrushchev" is a family name.

Although everyone in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus is required to have three names, the full three-name form is virtually never used in direct communication and it is generally reserved for documents and public speeches. In the media, the three-name form could be used for highly respected persons (e.g. leaders of the Soviet Union and Russia).

Oh the internet is a wonderful source of knowledge isn't it!
I had often wondered about this myself, and your question prompted me to look it up.
Interesting stuff.

EDIT: I took this from a website which stated the three name thing is obligatory. I don't actually know if it is law, or just common convention. Hopefully one of our Russian members can clarify this.