Why do Russian women's First names end with an "A"?

Answer 1

The explanation would be that it serves to express feminine: but they end not only in "A"! You will often meet first names in "Я" which is also a vowel. It is pronounced "Ya": Сильвия (Silvya), Юлия (Yulya).

Male first names always end with a consonant: "N": Иван (Ivan), "L": Кирилл (Kiril), "R": Пётр (Pyotr) etc... or with a non-consonant nor vowel "Й": Евгений, Геннадий (Evgeny, Genady)

Answer 2

Most of Russian female's names end on "-a" but you also will meet names like: Lyubov, Ninel, etc. Most of these names are official names.
We don't use our official names in real like that much, may be only at work. In the office people call each other by first AND middle name. For example, if my officail name is Anna, nobody at home, at school or any of my friends will call me this name, it will be Anya, Anyuta, Nyura or Nyusya. :)
Same way with Lubov, nickname will be Lyuba or Lyubasha.

So in the office my coworkers will call me by my officail first and middle name, to show a respect. It will be Anna Nikolayevna.

Typical Russian last name will end on "-ov" -male or "-ova" -female.
Not all of them will end at these letter though. For example, Melnikov - male, Melnikova - femaile, Ivanov - male, Ivanova - female. Also you will meet Russian people with last names that ends on "-ko". For example, Kovalenko, Yakushenko. These type of names don't change by gender and they come from Ukrainian language.

Now if you will look at the middle name. Your middle name in Russia is your fathers fist name modified depends on your gender. For example, if your fathers name is Nikolay than your middle name will be Nikolayevich - male or Nikolayevna - female.
So "-vich" - male, "-vna" - female.

I hope this will help. I'm a native speaker.

Answer 3

maximum jap europen very last names there are reminiscent of an "adjective" or a "possessive adjective"- i.e. they describe someone by technique of answering a question "which?" or "whose". words Thats why diverse endings. yet this doesnt practice to all words. "Kirilenko"- some thing ending with "enko" in many cases has its roots in Ukrainian. i'm no longer effective what all varieties those variety of merely correct call had initially... yet any very last call ending with "o" doesnt change with gender. truly any very last call that isn't any longer reminiscent of an adjective in russian received't change with gender. Like in case you're taking a overseas very last call, operating example, "Smith" - that heavily isn't replaced with gender in Russian. in case you want to make a russian version, you should make it "Smifov" and "Smifova" in case you want it to be reminiscent of community very last names. This has been executed for most very last names, which includes "Safin"- no longer effective what the unique note become- notwithstanding that is of direction no longer rooted in Russian.

Answer 4

It indicates gender. Many other languages do this as well, such as most Latin-derived languages (though there are exceptions). Interestingly, all Latvian boys have names ending in s (so, Bils Clintons or Michaels Jordans) but girls usually have names ending in a or sometimes e. Generally, languages that have gendered nouns, will have gender markers for their names. It is quite common in English too, (Paul/Paula, John/Joanna, Michael/Michaela, George/Georgia, Victor/Victoria, etc).
And of course, Sasha can just as easily be a boy in Russia as a girl, as it is a nickname for Alexander or Alexandra, both popular names. In addition, many boys nicknames (diminutives) end in a, such as Dima or Mitya (both diminutives of Dmitri), Vanya, Vanka, Vanechka, etc for Ivan, Misha for Michael, etc. In fact, generally speaking both little girls and boys will informally be called names ending in -ka. It is just their official names that will be different.

Answer 5

A in Russian and other languages shows the female gender

Answer 6

Not all of them do. That's like asking why American women's names end in "Y"?