In Kyrgyzstan, where many still use Russian-style last names, parliament has adopted a bill that promotes traditional Kyrgyz surnames. The move comes amid a renewed de-Russification drive in ...

The return to Russified last names reverses a previous trend of dropping Russian suffixes in favor of Kyrgyz ones after the country became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Nationalist passion is also evident in the names of local businesses and institutions. A café once called Gulnoza, which is an Uzbek girl’s name, is now Yntykmak, or unity in Kyrgyz; Mukharram, also ...