The -ov, -ev and -in endings
Most Russian surnames are patronymic possessives: the endings -ov/-ev and -in mean “of” or “belonging to.” Ivanov is “(son) of Ivan,” Petrov “of Pyotr.” Many others are formed the same way from nature or trade words — Volkov (“of the wolf”), Kuznetsov (“of the blacksmith”), Sokolov (“of the falcon”).
Masculine and feminine forms
Russian surnames change with gender: a man is Ivanov, a woman Ivanova; Smirnov and Smirnova. The -a ending marks the feminine.