The -ian ending
Armenian surnames are among the easiest in the world to recognise: almost all end in -ian or -yan, meaning “son of,” “descendant of” or “belonging to.” The base is usually a given name — Hovhannisyan (“son of Hovhannes/John”), Grigoryan (“son of Grigor/Gregory”) — but can also be a trade or a nickname.
Faith and history in the names
Many bases are Christian names reflecting Armenia’s ancient church — Karapetyan (“the forerunner,” John the Baptist), Khachatryan (“given by the cross”), Harutyunyan (“resurrection”). Spelling varies between Eastern (-yan) and Western (-ian) Armenian and their transliterations.