Rasputin

Rasputin is a Russian surname derived from the word распутье (rasputye) meaning 'crossroads'. It refers to a person who lived at or near a crossroads, or perhaps metaphorically to someone unsettled or wandering. The name entered global consciousness through its most famous bearer, the Russian mystic Grigoriy Rasputin (1869–1916), whose life and death became legend.

Notable Bearers

The most renowned bearer is Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, a Siberian peasant who became a faith healer and confidant to Tsar Nicholas II's family. Born in Pokrovskoye, he underwent a religious conversion around 1897 and began a life as a strannik (wanderer). His ability to alleviate the symptoms of hemophilia in the Tsarevich Alexei earned him unwavering trust from Empress Alexandra. This gave him considerable influence in the final years of the Russian Empire, angering many nobles who saw him as a corrupting force. His murder in 1916 by a group of monarchists has been romanticized in numerous accounts. The modern heavy-metal singer Grigoriy Leps (born Lepshenko) uses a stage name that includes Rasputin.

Distribution

As a Russian surname, the vast majority of bearers live in Russia and former Soviet states. Outside these regions, the name is extremely rare, often belonging to descendants of Russian emigrants. Due to the infamy of the mystic, the surname is sometimes used as a given name or alias.

• Meaning: Crossroads
• Origin: Russian
• Type: Surname
• Usage regions: Russia
• Related: Rasputina (feminine form)