Gaidar (surname)

Gaidar (Russian: Гайда́р) is a Russian surname. It was originally a pen name of Russian writer Arkady Gaidar (1904-1941) and was taken as their last name by his descendants. His son, Timur Gaidar, published two versions of the pseudonym's origin:^[1]

1. Arkady took the name Gaidar from a Khakas-language word meaning going first, the leader.
2. The name represents an abbreviation of French "Golikov Arkadi d'Arzamas", which means "Golikov, Arkadi from Arzamas".

The surname may also refer to:

• Timur Gaidar (1926–1999), Soviet admiral, Arkady's son
• Yegor Gaidar (1956–2009), former acting Prime Minister of Russia, Timur's son
• Maria Gaidar (born 1982), Russian activist, daughter of Yegor Gaidar

See also

• Heydar, an Iranian given name, sometimes transliterated as Gaidar
• Golikov, Arkady Gaidar's original surname