Azerbaijan: Baku Debates Ditching Russian-Origin Last Names

A draft law on dropping Russian endings from Azeri last names is fueling debate in Azerbaijan about how best to define the country's national identity.

As elsewhere in the South Caucasus, Russia's cultural influence has been receding rapidly since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In Azerbaijan, that change coincides with the country's emergence as a regional energy power.

Many believe that ethnic Azeri last names better suit Azerbaijan's status as an independent state with an identity of its own, rather than names with Russian-origin endings.

Such a changeover, however, would be no small task. A six-month research study done by a special commission under the National Academy of Sciences shows that nearly 80 percent of Azerbaijan's population of 8.3 million has last names with the Russian endings of "-ov/ova" or "-ev/eva." Among that number is Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, whose administration is now reviewing the name-change legislation.

Under the proposal, submitted by parliament's Culture Committee chairman, Nizami Jafarov, a member of the governing Yeni Azerbaijan Party, the name change will be obligatory for all newborns; others will only be recommended to drop the Russian last name endings of "-ov/ova" and "-ev/eva." Participants would then choose one of four Azeri endings for their new last names: "-ly", "-oglu", "-gil" or "-soy."

Debate still persists about names ending with "-zade," an ending derived from Persian; Jafarov, though, believes the ending could make the cut "because people perceive it as a national [ethnic Azeri] one."

The name-change requirement would not apply to Azerbaijani citizens of non-Azeri ethnic origin, he said. While conceding that some Azerbaijanis will not be eager to change their names, he put the number at no more than 10 percent of population, the APA news agency reported.

One leader of Azerbaijan's movement for independence from the Soviet Union characterizes the proposal as a chance to wipe out an "historical injustice."

"We did not accept the '-ov' and '-ev' endings voluntarily," said poet Sabir Rustamhanly, a member of parliament. "Without asking anybody's wish, these endings were added to everybody's last name. ? The change in the endings of our last names was part of the [Russian] policy to influence our national consciousness and to distort our history."

Tsarist Russia gained control over modern-day Azerbaijan in 1828, as part of a treaty with Persia that ceded Persian-held territories in the Caucasus to Russia. Azerbaijan declared its independence in 1918 with the creation of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, but again fell under Russian suzerainty in 1920 following the invasion of the Red Army.

Two years after Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991,

parliament issued a decree on the voluntary change of last names, but few changes were made. Russian language influence has since declined sharply, as Azerbaijan has opened up more widely to the outside world.

Promoting Azeri last names over names with Russian endings will do little to complete the independence process, believes one journalist. Elchin Shikhlinsky, editor-in-chief of Baku's Russian-language daily Zerkalo (Mirror), argues that forcing people to change their last names would potentially constitute a human rights violation.

"The commission can only work out proposals and recommend that people change [their names], but it can't force them," said Shikhlinsky, who does not plan to drop his last name's Russian ending. Newborns given a last name with an Azeri ending should "be able to make a decision independently" about their names when they receive their identification cards, he added.

The prospect of a name change confuses 35-year-old mother Rena Abilova, now in her sixth month of pregnancy. "So, my baby will have a last name different from ours," she sighed. "My husband and I tried to replace our last name's ending with the suggested ones, but none of them sound right. I . . . do not know what we will do."

The Academy of Sciences commission has proposed the creation of a state-run database to keep track of Azeri first and last names.

Greater enthusiasm for taking a new, Azeri-only last name can be found among Azerbaijanis who are too young to remember the Soviet Union and want a more Turkic-sounding last name, commented Vafa Jafarova, the former head of the youth movement Dalga. The support, though, is "not massive," she added.

Political analyst Zardusht Alizade calls the name-change proposal "cheap populism."

"These people are playing the worthless role of pseudo-patriots who allegedly are looking for their own national roots and want to restore the integrity of their national pride," Alizade contended. "[But] by changing [our] last names, nothing positive and progressive will happen in society. To be free from outside influence, we should change our mindset and implement independent [government] policies."

Zerkalo Editor-in-Chief Shikhlinsky seconds that opinion, calling for the government and society to "grow out of their short pants."

Other Azerbaijanis say they will make the name change only when senior government officials take the first step. So far, no such decision has been announced.