The surname Vasilyeva is of Russian origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the Russian male given name Vasily, which itself is a diminutive form of the Greek name Basileios, meaning "kingly" or "royal."

Vasilyeva is the feminine form of the surname Vasilyev, which indicates that the bearer is the daughter or wife of someone named Vasily. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, where the Orthodox Christian tradition of naming children after saints was widely practiced.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Vasilyeva can be found in the Velvet Book, a 16th-century compilation of Russian genealogies and family histories. The book mentions a Vasilyeva family from the city of Novgorod, whose members held influential positions in the local government and clergy.

During the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century, a prominent figure named Vasily Vasilyevich Shuisky played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the Tsardom of Russia. He later became the Tsar of Russia himself, ruling from 1606 to 1610.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the surname was Anna Vasilyevna Bunina, a Russian writer and translator who was part of the literary circle around Nikolai Karamzin. She was born in 1774 and is best known for her translations of works by French authors like Jean Racine and Voltaire.

The 19th century saw the rise of Sofya Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya, a pioneering Russian mathematician and writer. Born in 1850, she was the first woman to become a full professor of mathematics in modern Europe and made significant contributions to the fields of partial differential equations and mechanics.

Another notable figure with the surname Vasilyeva was Maria Vasilyevna Yakunchikova, a Russian artist and patron of the arts who lived from 1870 to 1902. She was a prominent member of the Abramtsevo Colony, a vibrant artistic community near Moscow that embraced traditional Russian arts and crafts.

While the surname Vasilyeva has its origins in Russia and the Slavic regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its rich historical roots and association with influential figures in Russian history remain an integral part of its legacy.