Ilych

Ilych is a transliteration variant of a Slavic patronymic derived from the given name Ilya, the Slavic form of Elijah. In East Slavic languages, the patronymic is used as a middle name indicating lineage, effectively meaning “son of Ilya.” The standard English rendering is Ilyich, while Ilych appears in some historical or nonstandard spellings and in variants from other languages.

Usage and examples: In Russian naming practice, the male patronymic accompanies the given name, as in Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, indicating that Lenin’s father was named Ilya. The novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy uses Ilyich as the character’s patronymic, meaning “son of Ilya.” In these contexts, Ilych/Ilyich is not a surname but a middle name reflecting ancestry.

Variants and transliteration: Different transliteration schemes from Cyrillic can produce spellings such as Ilyich, Ilich, Iljich, or similar forms. The exact rendering often depends on language, country, or historical period. In most Russian-language sources, the form Ilyich is standard for the patronymic, while Ilych may appear in English-language texts or less formal contexts.

See also: Ilya (given name), Elijah, patronymic, Lenin, Tolstoy.