Ilyich

Ilyich is a Russian patronymic meaning "son of Ilya," formed from the given name Ilya, the Russian form of Elijah. In traditional Russian naming, a person has a given name, a patronymic, and a surname; the patronymic signals the father’s name. The masculine form is Ilyich and the feminine form is Ilyichovna. Transliteration varies, with Ilitch, Iljich, or Ilich appearing in different texts.

Notable bearers include Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, born Vladimir Ulyanov, who used Ilyich as his patronymic; and the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose patronymic indicates that his father was named Ilya. The patronymic system is widely used across Russian-speaking cultures and often appears in formal or respectful addresses.

In English-language references, Ilyich is typically preserved as part of the full formal name rather than treated as a surname. In everyday Russian usage, the patronymic functions as a middle name and is used in formal address (for example, Mr. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin) but not as a family surname. The concept illustrates how Slavic naming traditions encode lineage and social formality within a person’s name.