obrazov

Obrazov is a masculine Slavic surname derived from the noun obraz, meaning image, form, or appearance in Russian. The suffix -ov is a common patronymic or possessive ending in many Slavic languages, giving rise to a meaning such as “belonging to Obraz” or “son of Obraz.” The feminine form of the name is Obrazova.

The surname is found in countries that use Cyrillic scripts and Slavic naming conventions, especially Russia and Ukraine, and is also present in other parts of Eastern Europe through migration and historical contact. In English-language transliteration, variants include Obrazov, Obrazoff, and Obrazow, depending on the transliteration system used.

Ethnonymic and occupational etymologies are common for surnames formed from obraz, but the precise origin of any given Obrazov may be uncertain without biographical context. It may derive from a nickname related to appearance or form, or from a place name that has now fallen out of usage.

Because Obrazov is a relatively ordinary surname in its linguistic region, there is no single widely known individual associated with it in English-language reference works, though many people bearing the name have contemporary or local notability in Slavic-language communities.