by Administrator » Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:11 pm
Armenian surnames are usually based on one of the following categories
1) Noble descent- Like Haykazuni, Rshtuni, Lusinian. Those are the direct descendants of the nobility who still carry their ancestral family name
2) Geographic Regions – Like Marashlian, Aintablian, and Sassounian. Name after the towns or villages in historical Armenia that they came from.
3) Ancestral first names - like Hovannisian, krikorian, and in your grandfather case, Hagopian.
4) Physical characteristic – Like Topalian (Topal = Crippled), Keroghlian (son of the blind) Brunsuzian (without a nose), Cholakhian (deformed hand). Those names are derived from actual physical characteristics of the person and usually have a Turkish or Arabic origin. Although not appealing as a nobility names but very common category.
5) Profession - Like Boyadjian (Painter), Kalajian (Copper Smith), Hadadian (Black Smith), Sayadjian (Shoe Maker). Again those names have Arabic or Turkish origin.
To answer your question, yes “ian†or “yan†at the end of an Armenian name means “son of†however not all Armenian names end with “ian†some of them end with “Oglu†a Turkish word also meaning “son of†and “uni†as in noble descent.
Hagop is translated to Jacob or James.
I hope this help.