Dynamics of Siberian Tatars fund of surnames: four ethnographic groups in three generations

Abstract

The fund of surnames of Iskero-Tobolsk, Istiak-Tokuzsk, Sargatsko-Utuz Tobolo-Irtysh Tatars and Siberian Bukharans for the 1950s, 1980s and 2010s was studied (18630 people, over 1150 surname variants). The surveyed groups territories of settlement are located in contact zones - the groups are geographically connected to each other and are characterized by “reciprocal” migrations, which can cause the “erasure” of the clear boundaries in population gene pools. Surnames, as an analogue of genetic markers, are used to study the transformation of the population-genetic structure of Siberian-Tatar population in time and geographical space. The acquired results testify to the distinctive identity of surname composition of the ethnographic groups studied and confirm the effectiveness of Tatar surnames as a tool in assessing the transformation of their populations structure: not only to record events, but also to understand their causes. The data analysis of surname funds based on genetic distances is consistent with the geography of their ethnic habitats within the contact zones and characterize the prospects of using surnames to solve problems of population genetics.