V.A. Nikonov was the first to draw attention to the rigid geographical binding of the origin of Russian surnames. He divided the European part of Russia by the most common surnames (surnames - "champions" in the words of V.A. Nikonov), highlighting: 1) Ivanovia, which he associated with the former Novgorod and Pskov lands; 2) Smirnovia, located in the Upper Volga region, on the territory of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality; 3) Popovia, Russian North; 4) Kuznetsovia, the territory of the later (XVI-XVII centuries) Russian settlement south and east of Ivanovia and Smirnovia.