I introduced myself as serbian-born Romani who is Austrian citizen and grew up in Austria (notice grew up not born). Im since 1990 in Austria, was born in 1983 in Serbia. But my fully ancestry is 56.25% Romani, 37.5% Serb and 6.25% Russian. I want to focus on my Russian ancestry in this thread. I have a ancestor back in the early 20s the grandfather of my maternal grandmother. I was told he was a Cossack and that his name was Michael Kachanov.
A Russian said to me Kachanov is the characteristic surname of Don and Terek Cossacks.
Качанов — It is to my understanding that this surname belongs to the ancient type of Russian surnames, formed from personal nicknames which was common until around XVII century. Usually these names were descriptive of the person given the nickname. There were according to records countless names of this type and made it easy to distinguish the person in society.
«Качан» or «Кочан» — «вилок капусты из плотно прилегающих друг к другу листьев» so we can assume this was the nickname of man of large, loose physical traits and maybe short in height, round in figure basically.
Another possibility could be the riddle about the кочан капусты — «сорок одёжек, и все без застёжек» which may be possibly describing the man who likes to wrap himself in many layers of clothes throughout the year. This possibility would fit better with some south Russian uses of the word «кочан» початок кукурузы, не освобождённый от листьев, скрывающих его.
Another possibility that is less likely if he was Cossack would be in the old Vyatka dialect's uses of «Качан» or «Кочан» that in older times apparently was used more describing characteristics of «петух» which could then possibly be the nickname of men with those characteristics, outwardly confident type of guy, maybe a fighter.
These are some possibilities and maybe someone else has something to add.
Surname Kachanov characteristic of the Don and Terek Cossacks. my friend the Cossack said
A Russian said to me Kachanov is the characteristic surname of Don and Terek Cossacks.
Качанов — It is to my understanding that this surname belongs to the ancient type of Russian surnames, formed from personal nicknames which was common until around XVII century. Usually these names were descriptive of the person given the nickname. There were according to records countless names of this type and made it easy to distinguish the person in society.
«Качан» or «Кочан» — «вилок капусты из плотно прилегающих друг к другу листьев» so we can assume this was the nickname of man of large, loose physical traits and maybe short in height, round in figure basically.
Another possibility could be the riddle about the кочан капусты — «сорок одёжек, и все без застёжек» which may be possibly describing the man who likes to wrap himself in many layers of clothes throughout the year. This possibility would fit better with some south Russian uses of the word «кочан» початок кукурузы, не освобождённый от листьев, скрывающих его.
Another possibility that is less likely if he was Cossack would be in the old Vyatka dialect's uses of «Качан» or «Кочан» that in older times apparently was used more describing characteristics of «петух» which could then possibly be the nickname of men with those characteristics, outwardly confident type of guy, maybe a fighter.
These are some possibilities and maybe someone else has something to add.
Surname Kachanov characteristic of the Don and Terek Cossacks. my friend the Cossack said
