Kamenev

Kamenev is a Russian surname. It is derived from the adjective kamennyy, meaning stone or stony, and has been used across Russian-speaking populations. In English transliteration it appears as Kamenev, Kamenev, or Kamenyev, among other variants.

Notable people with the surname include Lev Kamenev (born Lev Davidovich Rosenfeld; 1883–1936), a prominent Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet politician. Kamenev played a significant role in the early Soviet government and the Communist Party during the 1910s through the 1930s. He was closely involved in the leadership of the party and state affairs in the revolutionary period, and his career ended with his execution in 1936 during the Great Purge.

Beyond Lev Kamenev, the surname appears among other individuals in various fields such as politics, science, and the arts within Russia, Ukraine, and the broader post-Soviet world. As with many Russian surnames, Kamenev has spread to diaspora communities around the world through migration and historical movements.

The name Kamenev reflects a common pattern of Russian surnames formed from descriptive nicknames or place-based identifiers and remains in use today as part of the cultural and historical fabric of Slavic naming traditions.