Title: "Melnick Emerges as Ukraine’s Most Common Surname, with Melniks Predominating in Major Cities"
Ukraine’s genealogy society, Ridni, has announced that the surname Melnick (transliterated as Melnuk or Melnyk) is the most common in Ukraine, carried by a staggering 107,878 individuals. Recent surveys suggest that the most prevalent names among Melnicks are Alexander and Tatiana.
Distribution across Cities
A detailed breakdown reveals that the majority of Melnicks reside in major urban areas, with over 6,500 inhabitants in Kyiv alone. Notable concentrations can also be found in:
- Vinnytsia: 2,385
- Lviv: 2,265
- Kharkiv: 1,423
Top Three Surnames in Ukraine
Melnick is closely followed by Shevchenko (carried by 106,340 Ukrainians), with the largest numbers in Kyiv (7,940), Kharkiv (4,971), and Dnipro (3,993). The third most common surname is Kovalenko, with 88,632 bearers.
Ridni’s "Рідні" Project
Ridni’s Рідні project, a genealogical mapping initiative, provides more insights into the distribution of these and other Ukrainian surnames.
In a related development, Mislovo, the Ukrainian Language Institute, recently crowned "busyfikacija" (busification) as the Ukrainian "Word of the Year 2024". This neologism refers to the rapid, forced mobilization process. Other contenders, such as "SOCH", "Kursk operation", and "MSIK", also reflected Ukraine’s ongoing struggle against the Russian invasion.
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