In fact, the usage of family names appeared when Russian scribers gave documents to Bulgars.
Later, being adapted to Soviet tradition, Volga Bulgars started to use a patronymic as the third element, especially in informal communication.
For usage in other cases see: Names in Russian Empire, Soviet Union and CIS countries.
Example is a gravestone of noble woman Altın Börtek (Golden Seed) that was found in Qaban settlement and dates back to the 12th century.
In the 1920s, during the repression of religion in the Soviet Union, Tatars returned to Bulgar names (some of them were just invented, such as Aygöl).
Male names often ended with -ulla (Allah), -din (religion), -abd (slave of the God), -can /spells: -jun/ (soul): Xäliulla, Islametdin, Sabircan.
Also popular were different variants of the name Mohammad: Dinmöxämmäd, Möxämmätsafa, Möxämmätcan.
Other names mostly had complex suffixes -bibi, -bikä, -banu (lady, princess), -nisa (woman), -camal /spell jah-MUL/ (beauty): Bibiğäyşä, Ğäyşäbikä, Xabibcamal, Şamsinisa.
Urban legend says that European names were loaded from a group of Genoese merchants, which merged with Tatars in the Middle Ages.
After the October Revolution many Russian revolutionary names appeared with the renovation of traditions.