Other events in Baltic States

The most popular family names in Estonia are Ivanov and Tamm as there are nearly 6,000 people bearing the family name Ivanov and over 5,000 that of Tamm, LETA/National Broadcasting reports.

Estonian minister of regional affairs Siim-Valmar Kiisler amended the list of family names that are borne by more than 500 individuals and that cannot be assumed by those who wish to change their names without their having a considerable reason. If they wish to change their name for one of those in the list, they can do so only with the regional affairs minister’s agreement.

The list is updated every five years.

Kiisler explained that the list makes it possible to limit the increase in the number of people with very popular family names.

The Estonian population register includes 222 family names that are borne by at least 500 individuals – the most popular ones among them is shared by more than five thousand persons. The five most popular family names are Ivanov(a), Tamm, Saar, Mägi and Sepp.