Sarkisyan

Sarkisyan is an Armenian surname, an alternate transcription of Sargsyan, which means 'son of Sargis' in Armenian. The name Sargis itself is the Armenian form of Sergius, a Roman family name possibly meaning 'servant' in Latin, though it may have Etruscan origins. The suffix -yan indicates 'son of', a common Armenian patronymic ending.

History and Etymology

The root name, Sergius, was borne by several historical figures, including a 4th-century Saint Sergius, a Roman officer martyred in Syria with his companion Bacchus. Saint Sergius is the patron saint of Christian desert nomads. The name was also used by four popes and appears in the New Testament as the name of a Roman official. In Armenia, the Christianization of the kingdom led to the adoption of many Greek and Roman names, with Sargis becoming a popular given name. The patronymic Sargsyan (and its variants, including Sarkisyan, S arkisian, and Sarkissian) thus originally denoted descent from someone named Sargis.

Notable Bearers

The surname Sergisyan is common in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora. Notable individuals bearing the surname include:

• Armen Sargsyan (born 1953), Armenian physicist, politician, and former Prime Minister (1996–1997), who also served as President from 2018 to 2022.
• Fadey Sargsyan (1923–2010), an Armenian scientist and politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Armenian SSR.
• Ara Sargsyan (1902–1969), a prominent Soviet Armenian sculptor.
• Serzh Sargsyan (born 1954), the third President of Armenia (2008–2018) and former Prime Minister.

Distribution and Variants

The surname is widespread in Armenia and among the Armenian diaspora globally. Variants reflect Latinized and Western Armenian transliterations: Sargsyan is the Eastern Armenian spelling, or Sarkisian/S arkissian derive from Western Armenian ⟨Սարգիսեան⟩, pronounced [sɑɾkʰisˈjɑn]. The Russian equivalent is Sergeev/Sergeyev, a patronymic from Sergey (given name derived from Sergius). Other languages patronymics based on Sergius include the Russian feminized form Sergeeva, and the full patronymic Sergeyev, designating son of Sergey.