I am curious about the origin of Anatoly Borisovich's family name. Is it derived from Чуб? Or, perhaps, do Чубайс and Чуб have a common origin? Is anything at all known about it?
1 Answer
Googling finds many web pages that claim that Chubais is a Latgalian surname, meaning a "small malicious house spirit". (Latgalians were a very small ethnic group that have mostly assimilated with Latvians.) For example https://persona.rin.ru/view/f/0/11502/chubajs-anatolij-borisovich
Фамилия Чубайс - латышского происхождения.
The surname Chubais is of Latvian origin.
https://kompromatru.livejournal.com/1518260.html
Чубайсы - выходцы из Прибалтики, и первоначально фамилия произносилась как Чубайтес. В Россию были приглашены Петром 1 , да так потом здесь и остались.
Весьма интересна этимология фамилии Чубайс.
Оказывается, у великороссов и латгальцев чубайс (чубысь, чубась, бесенок рыжий) - маленький зловредный домовой дух
Chubais are from the Baltics, and the surname was originally pronounced Chubaites. They were invited to Russia by Peter 1, and then they stayed here.
The etymology of the surname Chubais is very interesting.
It turns out that among the Great Russians and Latgalians, chubais (chubys, chubas, red-haired imp) is a small malicious house spirit
Also https://russian7.ru/post/chubays-chto-na-samom-dele-oznachaet-yeta-f/ (in Russian) and many others.
However, some other web pages, for example, https://pikabu.ru/story/feyk_pyitayushchiysya_vyiglyadet_dokumentalno_podtverzhdennyim_7351753 (in Russian) ; http://www.bolshoyvopros.ru/questions/3259379-chto-znachit-slovo-chubajs-v-slavjanskoj-mifologii-i-u-latgalcev.html say that this etymology is fake, because some of these pages cite a dictionary that doesn't exist; and attribute it to a joke by the late comedian Zadornov.
I came across an interview with Igor Borisovich - Anatoly Borisovich's older brother. He said the following about their surname:
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2289207
— Игорь Борисович, ваша фамилия какая-то нерусская, откуда ее корни?
— Да, фамилия часто вызывает вопрос: белорусская она, еврейская или прибалтийская? Ее корни из Прибалтики, она искажена, в оригинале она звучала по-другому. Как — никто не знает. Есть разные варианты — и Чобатас, и Чубет. Но зато точно знаю, что все Чубайсы, все без исключения носители этой фамилии, — родственники. Мой троюродный брат специально исследовал этот вопрос. Однажды на конференции в Петрозаводске ко мне подошла женщина и представилась: г-жа Чубайс. Мы стали выяснять, и оказалось, что мы с ней дальние родственники. Это довольно редкая фамилия, она досталась мне от отца.
Igor Borisovich, your surname is some kind of non-Russian, where does its roots come from?
Yes, the surname often raises the question: is it Belarusian, Jewish or Baltic? Its roots are from the Baltics, it is distorted, in the original it sounded different. How, no one knows. There are different options - both Chobatas and Chubet. But on the other hand, I know for sure that all Chubais, all bearers of this surname without exception, are relatives. My second cousin specifically investigated this issue. Once, at a conference in Petrozavodsk, a woman came up to me and introduced herself: Mrs. Chubais. We began to find out, and it turned out that we were distant relatives. This is a rather rare surname, I inherited it from my father.
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1Fascinating. Chubais is a bit like Pyotr Aven, then. Thank you for your answer. May 16, 2022 at 23:27