100 Russian Baby Names: Meanings & Origins

Russian might be one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn, but you don’t need to know how to speak the language to recognize the depth and meaning behind their names. Russian names are steeped in culture and history.

A traditional Russian name is typically made up of a first name, a middle name or patronymic name, and a family name. A given name is one given at birth or in the event of a name change. A patronymic name is usually a name that comes from the father or a paternal relative. Most Russians have all three names. When speaking to a person who is older than you or in a position of authority, you might be required to use their first and patronymic names.

Russian names come from many sources. They include ancient Slavic names, Christian names, and names popularized in soviet and post soviet Russia. Some of the most popular Russian names you might recognize include Vladimir, Olga, and Sasha. Before you settle on a Russian name for your child, learn about the meaning behind the name and which famous person your child might be sharing names with.

Top Russian Names

These are some of our favorite names to choose from.

Aleksandr
Alexsei
Anastasiya
Dinara
Dmitri
Dominik
Eva
Fyodor
Igor
Innessa
Irina
Ivan
Katya
Karina
Klara
Larisa
Leonid
Natalya
Marat
Sasha

Popular Russian Baby Names For Girls

These are some of the most popular Russian baby names for girls, their origins, what they mean, and a couple of fun facts about them.

Agrafena

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: Feet first
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Fenya, Agrippina, Agrafina, Agripina
Famous Namesakes: Agrippina Vaganova, Russian ballerina
Peak Popularity: Agrafena is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Fun Fact: Agrafena is the Russian variation of the Greek name, Agrippina which was the name of the mother of the famous King Nero.

Alina

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Bright, beautiful
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Alena, Adelina, Albina, Alya
Famous Namesakes: Alina Jidkova, tennis player
Peak Popularity: In 2019 Alina peaked in popularity as the 156th most popular name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Alina is a variation of the classic name Helen. In Arabic it means noble.

Alyona

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Bright and shining light
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lena, Elena, Yelena
Famous Namesakes: Alyona Alyona, rapper; Alyona Minkovski, T.V. Correspondent
Peak Popularity: Alyona is a classic and unique Russian name. Although Alyona has not been in the list of top 1,000 girls names, Elena was the 55th most popular girl's name of 2020.

Fun Fact: Alyona is a modern Russian variant of the Greek name Helen.

Anastasiya

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Resurrection
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Anastasia, Nastasia, Nastasya, Nastya, Stasya
Famous Namesakes: Anastasia Bitsenko, Russian revolutionary
Peak Popularity: Its more popular spelling variation, Anastasia, was the most popular name for girls in Russia in 2008. In 2020, it was the 158th most popular name for girls in the United States.

Fun Fact: Anastasia Romanovna was the name of the wife of the Russian czar Ivan the Terrible.

Anoushka

Origin: Russian, Hebrew
Meaning: Grace, favor
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Anuschka, Annushka, Anushka
Famous Namesakes: Anouska Hempel, film and T.V. actress
Peak Popularity: In 2009, 58 girls were given the name Anoushka in the United States.

Fun Fact: Anoushka is a Russian variation of the more popular name Anna.

Anya

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Grace
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Anja, Ania
Famous Namesakes: Anya Monzikova, model and actress; Anya Chalotra, actress
Peak Popularity: Anya reached peak popularity in 2009 as the 362nd most popular girl's name in the United States. In 2020 it was ranked 656.

Fun Fact: Anya is derived from the name Anna. It also means power in Kurdish and is the Hungarian word for mother.

Dinara

Origin: Arabic, Latin
Meaning: Wealth
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Dinarah
Famous Namesakes: Dinara Safina, a Russian tennis player
Peak Popularity: Dinara is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Fun Fact: Dinara is derived from the word denarius, which means gold coin or treasure.

Dominika

Origin: Czech, Latin, Polish
Meaning: From the Lord
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Dominica, Domenica
Famous Namesakes: Dominika Cibulková, former professional tennis player
Peak Popularity: Dominika is most popularly used in Czech, Poland, and Russia. It has not been in the list of top 1,000 girls names in the U.S.

Fun Fact: Dominika is the female equivalent of the popular name, Dominque which also means "From the Lord."

Doroteya

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: Gift of God
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Doroteia, Doroteja, Dorothea
Famous Namesakes: Doroteya Toleva, actress
Peak Popularity: Doroteya is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Fun Fact: Dorothy used to be a less common variant of Dorothea. Between 1904 and 1940 it became one of the most popular girl's names in the United States.

Eva

Origin: Hebrew, Greek
Meaning: Life
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ava, Eve, Yeva
Famous Namesakes: Eva Herzigova, model; Eva Mendes, actress; Eva Longoria, actress
Peak Popularity: Eva is a popular name for girls. It peaked in 1900 when it was the 33rd most popular name for girls in the United States.

Fun Fact: The name Eva is used in many languages as a variation to the name Eve.

Faina

Origin: Russian, Latin
Meaning: Shinning, crown
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Phaena, Faena
Famous Namesakes: Faina Melnyk, Olympic discus champion
Peak Popularity: Faina is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Feodora

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Divine gift
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Feo, Fyodora, Fedora
Famous Namesakes: Princess Feodora of Leiningen
Peak Popularity: Feodora is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Fun Fact: Feodora is derived from the Greek name Theodora which means God’s gift.

Galina

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Calm, tranquil
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Gala, Galya, Galochka
Famous Namesakes: Galina Starovoytova, Russian politician; Galina Voskoboeva, a Russian tennis player
Peak Popularity: The name Galina is not popular in the United States.

Inga

Origin: Scandinavian, Russian
Meaning: Guarded by Ing (Norse god of peace and prosperity).
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Inge, Ingrid, Inger
Famous Namesakes: Inga Babakova, athlete
Peak Popularity: The peak of its popularity was in 1901 when 29 people in the United States were named Inga.

Fun Fact: The name Inga has appeared on the top 1000 list in the U.S. only 13 times between 1900 and 1914.

Innessa

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: Chaste, purity
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Inesa, Ines, Inaas, Inessa, Agnessa, Agniya
Famous Namesakes: Innessa, Russian singer and songwriter
Peak Popularity: Innessa is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Fun Fact: Inessa is also used in Spain and Germany. It is believed to be derived from a combination of the names Agnes and Ines.

Inna

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Rough stream, coming from strong waters
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ina, Inne
Famous Namesakes: Inna, singer; Inna Churikova, Russian actress
Peak Popularity: Inna is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Fun Fact: Inna is the nickname of Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, a Romanian singer and songwriter.

Irina

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: Peace, peaceful
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Irisha, Ira, Arisha, Atina, Irena, Irene, Irin
Famous Namesakes: Irina Shayk, model
Peak Popularity: Irina is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Katya

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Pure, perfect
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Katiya, Katia, Ekaterina, Katyusha
Famous Namesakes: Katya Jones, dancer; Katya Zamolodchikova, drag queen
Peak Popularity: Katiya is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Fun fact: Denzel Washington’s daughter is named Katia.

Karina

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Pure, chaste
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Carina, Karin
Famous Namesakes: Karin Knapp, retired tennis player; Karin Dreijer Andersson, singer, and songwriter
Peak Popularity: In 1996, 2867 babies were given the name Karina. This is the peak of its popularity in the United States.

Fun Fact: Karina was the 611th most popular baby girl's name in the U.S. in 2020.

Kira

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Leader of the people
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kiran, Kaira, Keera, Kiera, Kyra
Famous Namesakes: Princess Kira of Prussia, Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia

Fun Fact: Kira is the feminine version of the masculine name Kir, in Russia. It could also mean "mistress" and "ruler."

Klara

Origin: Russian, German, Hungarian
Meaning: Clear, bright
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Clara, Clare
Famous Namesakes: Klara Soderberg, singer
Peak Popularity: Klara is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Ksana

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Praise be to God
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ksanochka, Ksann Ksanna, Ksena
Famous Namesakes: Ksana Sergienko, singer
Peak Popularity: Ksana is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Lada

Origin: Russian, Slavic
Meaning: Goddess of beauty
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Vladislava, Vladimira
Famous Namesakes: Lada Kozlíková, road and track cyclist
Peak Popularity: Lada is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Larisa

Origin: Russian, Greek, Latin
Meaning: Fortress, citadel, cheerful
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Larissa, Lara, Larysa
Famous Namesakes: Larissa Loukianenko, former Belarusian gymnast
Peak Popularity: The alternative spelling of the name, Larissa, was given to 715 babies in the United States in 1994. This is the most the name has ever been used in the United States.

Fun Fact: The name Larisa is either derived from a nymph in Greek mythology or from the name of an ancient Greek city called Larisa, which meant citadel.

Lubov

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Love, beloved
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lyubov, Liubov, Lyubochka
Famous Namesakes: Lubov Orlova, Russian actress
Peak Popularity: The name Lubov isn’t popular in the United States.

Luda

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Love of the people
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lyudmila, Ludmila
Famous Namesakes: Lyudmila Chernykh, astronomer
Peak Popularity: The name Luda isn’t popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: The name Lyudmila was first used in Russia in the Age of Romanticism.

Manya

Origin: Hindu, Russian
Meaning: Bitter
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Maria, Maanya, Manja
Famous Namesakes: Manya Shochat, politician
Peak Popularity: Manya is a unique name and can’t be found in the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Margarita

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Pearl
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Greta, Margaret, Rita
Famous Namesakes: Margarita Levieva, actress; Margarita Gasparyan, a Russian tennis player
Peak Popularity: Margarita was most popular in the United States in 1950. It fell off the top 1000 list in 2006.

Fun Fact: Margarita is also the Spanish word for the daisy.

Marina

Origin: Russian, Latin
Meaning: Of the sea
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Maren, Maryna, Marine, Mari, Mina
Famous Namesakes: Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet, and writer; Princess Marina of Greece
Peak Popularity: Marina reached height popularity in the United States in the mid-1990s.

Fun Fact: Marina is the name of a character in Shakespeare’s play “Pericles, Prince of Tyre.”

Maya

Origin: Spanish, Hindu, Russian
Meaning: Dream
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Maia, Maiyah, Mya, Miah
Famous Namesakes: Maya Angelou, poet; Maya Rudolph actress
Peak Popularity: Maya was most popular in the United States in the 2000s. In 2006, 5,047 babies were named Maya at peak popularity. It’s currently the 61st most popular name for girls.

Fun Fact: Maya is also the name of an indigenous group of people from Mexico and Central America.

Mila

Origin: Russian, Slavic
Meaning: Loved by the people, gracious, dear one
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ludmila, Mela, Milena, Milica
Famous Namesakes: Mila Kunis, actress
Peak Popularity: Mila has surged in popularity in the United States since 2011. In 2018, 8154 babies were given the name Mila at peak popularity.

Fun Fact: Mila is the 20th most popular girl’s name in the United States today.

Mischa

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Who is like God?
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Misha
Famous Namesakes: Mischa Barton, actress

Nadenka

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Hope
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Nadezhda, Nada, Nadja, Nadya, Nadina
Famous Namesakes: Nadya Suleman, American media personality
Peak Popularity: Nadenka isn’t very popular in the United States and has made it into the top 1000 names list.

Fun Fact: Nadenka is the Russian variation of the popular name Nadia.

Natalya

Origin: Russian
Meaning: the birthday of Christ
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Natalia, Nataliya, Natalie
Famous Namesakes: Natalia Vodianova, Russian model; Natalia Tena, actress
Peak Popularity: Natalya reached height popularity in the United States in 2009, 380 babies were named Natalya.

Fun Fact: The variations Natalie and Nathalie is now more commonly used than Natalya.

Nikita

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Winner, victor
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Nikki, Nikitha, Nakita, Nickita
Famous Namesakes: Nikita Thukral, actress; Nikita Dragun, American internet personality
Peak Popularity: Nikita is one of the most popular names in Russia. It’s also fairly common in the United States. In 1986, 1034 babies were named Nikita.

Fun Fact: Nikita is the Russian variation of the name Nicole. Elton John has a song named Nikita, and it’s also the name of a popular T.V. series

Oksana

Origin: Russian, Ukrainian
Meaning: Praise to God
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Oxana, Ksenia, Kseniya
Famous Namesakes: Oksana Akinshina, actress; Oxana Fedorova, Russian television presenter
Peak Popularity: The name Oksana has never been ranked in the top 1000 names in the United States.

Fun Fact: Oksana Baiul, a Ukrainian figure skating champion, made the name popular in the United States.

Polina

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: Small, humble
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Paulina, Apollinariya, Palina
Famous Namesakes: Polina Gagarina, singer and songwriter
Peak Popularity: The name Polina has never been ranked in the top 1000 names in the United States.

Fun Fact: Polina is a feminine variation of the masculine name Paul.

Raisa

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: Easygoing, rose
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Raissa, Risa
Famous Namesakes: Raisa Blokh, Russian poet; Raisa Gorbacheva, former first lady of the Soviet Union
Peak Popularity: Raisa is a unique name that isn't found on the top 1000 list of girl’s names in the United States.

Sonya

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Wisdom
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Soniyah, Sonjah, Sonyah
Famous Namesakes: Sonya Jeyaseelan, a Canadian tennis player
Peak Popularity: At the peak of its popularity in 1967, 2980 babies were named Sonya in the United States.

Fun Fact: Sonya is a diminutive form of the name Sophia. It’s also the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel “War and Peace.”

Sasha

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Leader of men, defender of mankind
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sacha, Sascha, Sashenka
Famous Namesakes: Sasha Alexander, actress; Sasha Pieterse, singer, and songwriter
Peak Popularity: The use of the name Sasha in the United States, peaked for the first time in 1988 when 1886 babies were named Sasha. It peaked again in 2009, ranking 261.

Fun Fact: Sasha started as a nickname for the name Alexandra, but is now recognized as a name of its own.

Sonechka

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Wise
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sofia, Sophie
Peak Popularity: Sonechka isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Svetlana

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Star, shining star
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lana, Sveta, Svitlana
Famous Namesakes: Svetlana Kuznetsova, tennis player; Svetlana Khodchenkova, actress
Peak Popularity: Svetlana isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Svetlana Stalin, the dictator's daughter, helped popularize the name.

Taisiya

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Clever, witty
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Taisia
Famous Namesakes: Taisia Povaliy, Ukrainian singer and actress
Peak Popularity: Taisia isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Thaïs of Alexandria is thought to have inspired the birth of the name.

Ulyana

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Youthful
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Uliana, Yuliana, Yulianna,
Famous Namesakes: Uliana of Tver, daughter of Prince Alexander of Tver; Uliana Donskova, Russian gymnast
Peak Popularity: Ulyana isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Vanka

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Grace, favored by God
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ivanka, Vanya
Famous Namesakes: Ivanka Trump, American businesswoman
Peak Popularity: Vanka isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Yekaterina

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Pure, innocent
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ekaterina, Katenka, Katya, Katerina, Katyusha
Famous Namesakes: Yekaterina Lobaznyuk, former Olympic gymnast
Peak Popularity: The name Yekaterina isn’t popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Yekaterina is the Russian version of the popular name Katherine. Ekaterina is also the name of a Russian television show.

Yelizaveta

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Consecrated to God, pledged to God
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Elizaveta
Famous Namesakes: Yelizaveta Kozhevnikova, Olympic skier; Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya, Russian mezzo-soprano
Peak Popularity: The name Yelizaveta isn’t popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Yelizaveta is the Russian version of the popular name Elizabeth.

Yana

Origin: Russian, Hebrew
Meaning: God is gracious, a gift from God
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Jana
Famous Namesakes: Yana Kudryavtseva, former Russian gymnast
Peak Popularity: The name Yana isn’t popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Yana is also the name of a river in Russia.

Yulia

Origin: Russian, Latin
Meaning: Youthful, young
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Yuliya, Julia, Juliya
Famous Namesakes: Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukrainian politician; Yulia Efimova, Russian swimmer
Peak Popularity: Yulia is not a popular name in the United States.

Popular Russian Baby Names for Boys

Here are a few of the most popular Russian baby names for boys, their origins, what they mean, and a couple of fun facts about them.

Adrik

Origin: Russian, Latin
Meaning: Dark
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Adrion, Adrien
Peak Popularity: Adrik isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Aleksandr

Origin: Russian, Ukrainian
Meaning: Man’s defender, defending men
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Oleksander, Oleksandr, Aleks, Alex
Famous Namesakes: Aleksandr Pushkin, Russian poet; Aleksandr Karelin, Olympic athlete; Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, novelist
Peak Popularity: In the United States, the name Aleksandr has never ranked in the top 1000.

Fun Fact: Aleksandr is the Russian equivalent for the English name Alexander.

Alexei

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Defender
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Alexey, Aleksey, Alexej, Aleksei
Famous Namesakes: Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia; Alexei Emelin, professional ice hockey player
Peak Popularity: Alexei isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Fun Fact: The name Alexei has been popularized as Alexis in the United States.

Alyosha

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Defender of man
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Aleksey, Aleksis
Famous Namesakes: Alyosha Popovich, a folk hero in Russian folklore; Alyosha Andonov, Bulgarian football coach
Peak Popularity: The name Alyosha isn’t popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Alyosha the pot is the name of a short story written by Leo Tolstoy.

Anatoly

Origin: Russian
Meaning: From the east rising sun, sunrise
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Anatoli, Anatole
Famous Namesakes: Anatoli Aslamov, Russian football coach; Anatoly Karpov, Russian chess grandmaster
Peak Popularity: The name Anatoly isn’t popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Anatoli Knyazev is a fictional character appearing in DC comics.

Arseny

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Strong, virile
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Arseniy, Arsenii
Famous Namesakes: Arseny Avraamov, Russian composer; Arseny Tarkovsky, Soviet poet and translator
Peak Popularity: Arseny isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Boris

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Fight, fighter
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Borys, Barys
Famous Namesakes: Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Boris Kodjoe, actor
Peak Popularity: The popularity of the name has peaked and dipped several times since the 19th century. It reached the peak of its popularity in the United States in 1962.

Fun Fact: The name was popularized in Russia due to Saint Boris, who was a martyred Russian prince.

Daniil

Origin: Russian, Hebrew
Meaning: God is my judge
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Danila
Famous Namesakes: Daniil Kvyat, Russian racing driver; Daniil Medvedev, a Russian tennis player
Peak Popularity: Daniil is not a common name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Daniil is the Russian version of the name Daniel.

Dmitri

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: Earth lover
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Dmitry, Dimitri, Dmitry, Dmitrii, Dmitriy
Famous Namesakes: Dmitri Aliev, Russian figure skater; Dmitri Bulykin, Russian football player
Peak Popularity: In the United States, the use of the name Dmitri started to gain popularity in 1992, peaking in 2015, and dipping in 2017.

Fun Fact: Misha Collins, the American actor, was born Dmitri Tippens Krushnic.

Dominik

Origin: Bulgarian, Russian, Latin
Meaning: Belonging to God
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Dominic
Famous Namesakes: Dominic Jacobetti, politician
Peak Popularity: The name peaked in popularity in 2012.

Fun Fact: The name Dominik is given to English and Welsh boys three times more than American boys.

Eriks

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Eternal ruler
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Erik, Eric
Famous Namesakes: Erik Per Sullivan, actor; Erik Knudsen, actor
Peak Popularity: The name Eriks isn’t popular in the United States.

Fedyenka

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Gift from God
Peak Popularity: The name Fedyenka isn’t popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Fedyenka is the Russian form of the name Theodore.

Fyodor

Origin: Russian
Meaning: God’s gift
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Fedor, Feodor
Famous Namesakes: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian author; Fedor Bondarchuk, Russian film director
Peak Popularity: Fyodor is not common in the United States.

Fun Fact: Fedora is the feminine form of Fyodor.

Gavriil

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Worships God, God is my strength
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Gavril
Famous Namesakes: Gavril Ilizarov, Russian physician
Peak Popularity: Gavriil isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Gennady

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Generous, noble
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Gennadiy, Gennadi
Famous Namesakes: Gennadi Karponosov, Russian Olympic ice dancer and coach; Gennady Padalka, Russian cosmonaut
Peak Popularity: Gennady has never ranked in the top 1000 in the United States.

Fun Fact: The female variation of the name is Gennadiya.

Grigory

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Watchful
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Grigori, Grigorii
Famous Namesakes: Grigoriy Rasputin, Russian mystic; Grigory Laguta, motorcycle speedway rider
Peak Popularity: Grigory isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Grigori Rasputin is a fictional supervillain in the comic book Hellboy.

Igor

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Warrior
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ihor
Famous Namesakes: Igor Stravinsk, a Russian composer; Igor Sikorsky, the Russian-American designer of the first successful helicopter
Peak Popularity: Igor is not popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Igor is the Russian form of Yngvarr. It was brought by the Varangians to Russia in the 10th century and given to two grand princes of Kiev.

Iosif

Origin: Russian, Hebrew
Meaning: Jehovah increases, God shall add
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Osip
Famous Namesakes: Iosif Rotariu, Romanian footballer
Peak Popularity: The name Iosif isn’t popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Iosif is the Russian form of the name Joseph, which means God shall add another son.

Ivan

Origin: Russian
Meaning: God is gracious
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ioann, Ioan,
Famous Namesakes: Ivan the terrible, first Tsar of Russia; Ivan Rakitić, football player
Peak Popularity: The use of the name Ivan was most popular in the United States in 2012 with 3,231 babies were given the name in that year, and it has remained popular since then.

Fun Fact: Six Russian rulers have borne the name Ivan in history.

Kiril

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Lord, master, ruler
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kirill, Kiryl,
Famous Namesakes: Kirill Pokrovsky, Russian composer
Peak Popularity: Kiril is not popular in the United States.

Leonid

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Lion-like
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Leonidas
Famous Namesakes: Leonid Andreyev, Russian playwright; Leonid Brezhnev, former leader of the USSR
Peak Popularity: Leonid has never made the top 1000 list in the United States.

Fun Fact: In astronomy, Leonid is a shower of meteors that occurs around November 14th and appears to radiate from a point in the constellation Leo.

Lev

Origin: Russian, Hebrew
Meaning: Heart, lion
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lyev, Lyov
Famous Namesakes: Lev Grossman, Russian author; Lev Landau, Soviet physicist and Nobel laureate; Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist
Peak Popularity: Lev is not popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Lev was the real Russian name of author Leo Tolstoy.

Luka

Origin: Russian, Latin
Meaning: Light, bringer of light
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Luca, Lucas, Luke
Famous Namesakes: Luka Modrić, football player; Luka Milivojević, football player
Peak Popularity: Luka started to gain popularity in 2004, and continues to rise. In 2020, 2,319 babies were given the name.

Lyonechka

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Lion, brave
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Leon, Leonidas, Lyon
Peak Popularity: Lyonechka is not ranked within the top 1000 names.

Fun Fact: Lyonechka is a form of the English name Leonard.

Maksimilian

Origin: Russian, Polish
Meaning: Greatest
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Maksimillian, Maksymilian
Famous Namesakes: Maximillian Schmeling, German boxer;
Peak Popularity: The name Maksimilian isn’t popular in the United States.

Marat

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Desired
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Marrat, Maraht
Famous Namesakes: Marat Safin, Russian tennis player; Marat Tazhin, Kazakh politician
Peak Popularity: Marat isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Matvey

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Gift of God, God’s gift
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Matvei, Matfey
Famous Namesakes: Matvei Blanter, Russian composer; Matvey Gusev, Russian astronomer
Peak Popularity: Matvey isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Matvey is a Russian form of Matthew.

Mikhail

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Who is like God?
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Michail, Mihail
Famous Namesakes: Mikhail Lermontov, poet; Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet leader
Peak Popularity: Mikhail only ranked in the top 1000 the United States twice in 1988 and 1990.

Fun Fact: Mikhail is the Russian form of Michael.

Nikolai

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: Victorious
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Nikolay, Nikola
Famous Namesakes: Prince Nikolai of Denmark; Nikolai Valuev, Russian boxer
Peak Popularity: Nikolai started to gain popularity in 2007, and ranked 547 in the U.S. in 2020.

Fun Fact: Nikolai is also the name of a city in Alaska.

Oleg

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Holy, sacred
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Helge, Oleh, Olezka
Famous Namesakes: Oleg Aleynik, Russian footballer,
Peak Popularity: Oleg is a very popular name in Russia, but it’s not on the list of the top 1000 most popular baby names in the United States.

Fun Fact: The female equivalent of Oleg is Olga.

Ony

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Eagle
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Oriel
Peak Popularity: Ony isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Pavel

Origin: Russian, Latin
Meaning: Small
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Pavle, Paviel, Paval
Famous Namesakes: Pavel I of Russia, Emperor of Russia; Pavel Pavel, a Czech engineer
Peak Popularity: The name Pavel is not popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Pavel is the Russian variation of the name Paul.

Pyotr

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Rock, stone
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Peter
Famous Namesakes: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer; Pyotr Kapitsa, scientist
Peak Popularity: Pyotr isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Rodion

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: Song of the hero
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Herodion, Rodya
Famous Namesakes: Rodion Luka, Ukrainian yachtsman; Rodion Malinovsky, Soviet military commander
Peak Popularity: The name Rodion is well used in Russia, but isn’t popular in the United States.

Rurik

Origin: Russian, Nordic, German
Meaning: Famous ruler
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ryurik, Rorik,
Famous Namesakes: Rurik Gislason, football player;
Peak Popularity: The name Rurik isn’t popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Rurik is also the name of a European dynasty, and one of Europe's oldest royal houses.

Semyon

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Listening, God is heard
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Simon, Semen
Famous Namesakes: Semyon Antonov, athlete
Peak Popularity: Semyon is a popular name in Russia, but not very commonly used in the United States. It’s variation Simon was the 251st most popular name in 2020.

Slavik

Origin: Russian, Slavic
Meaning: Glory
Alternative Spellings & Variations: None
Famous Namesakes: Slavik Alkhasov, footballer
Peak Popularity: Slavik is not popular in the United States.

Stanislav

Origin: Russian, Slavic
Meaning: The one who achieves glory, glorious government
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Slava, Stas
Famous Namesakes: Stanislav Aseyev, Ukrainian writer; Stanislav Govorukhin, Russian film director
Peak Popularity: Stanislav is not popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: The feminine form of the name is Stanislava.

Vadim

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Powerful ruler
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Vadimir, Vadym
Famous Namesakes: Vadim Bakatin, former Soviet politician; Vadim Evseev, Russian football coach
Peak Popularity: The name Vadim is not common in the United States.

Valentin

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Healthy, strong
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Valentinus, Vali, Valent, Val
Famous Namesakes: Val Kilmer, American actor; Valentin Serov, Russian painter
Peak Popularity: In 2007 the name Valentin was given to 404 boys. This is the highest ever record of the name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Valentin is also a common surname in Spanish and German speaking-countries.

Vasily

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Royal, regal
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Vasili, Vasily, Vassily
Famous Namesakes: Vasily Smyslov, chess grandmaster; Vasily Alekseyev, Soviet weightlifter
Peak Popularity: Vasily isn’t a very common name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Vasili is the name of a character in the popular Twilight books.

Veniamin

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Son of the south
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Venyamin
Famous Namesakes: Veniamin (Kazansky), Archbishop of Petrograd; Veniamin Smekhov, Russian actor
Peak Popularity: Veniamin is not ranked in the top 1000 in the United States.

Fun Fact: Veniamin is the Russian version of the name Benjamin.

Viktor

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Man of victory, conqueror
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Vik, Victor, Vitya
Famous Namesakes: Viktor Yanukovych, fourth President of Ukraine; Viktor Fischer, football player
Peak Popularity: The name Viktor has never ranked in the top 1000 in the United States, but its alternative spelling, Victor, ranked 200 in 2020.

Vladimir

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Renowned prince
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Vlad, Vladilen,
Famous Namesakes: Vladimir Putin, Russian president; Vladimir the Great, Grand Prince of Kiev
Peak Popularity: Vladimir is not popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: The earliest record of the name was Vladimir-Rasate who ruled Bulgaria from 831 to 836.

Vsevolod

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Ruler of all
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Vsevolodovich, Vseva, Sevan
Famous Namesakes: Vsevolod Meyerhold, Russian theatre director;
Peak Popularity: Vsevolod isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Vyacheslav

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Has glory, fame
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Viatcheslav, Viacheslav, Slava
Famous Namesakes: Vyacheslav Rybakov, Russian science fiction author; Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Russian actor; Vyacheslav Kozlov, former professional ice hockey player
Peak Popularity: Vyacheslav isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Yegor

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Warrior, farmer
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Egor, Jegor, Egori
Famous Namesakes: Yegor Baburin, Russian football player; Yegor Gaidar, Russian politician; Yegor Nikolayev, Russian athlete
Peak Popularity: Yegor isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Yevgeny

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Noble
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Yevgenii, Yevgen, Evgeny, Evgeni
Famous Namesakes: Yevgeni Grishkovetz, Russian writer; Yevgeny Leonov, Russian actor
Peak Popularity: The name Yevgeny is not popular in the United States.

Fun Fact: Yevgeny is the Russian form of Eugene.

Yury

Origin: Russian, Greek
Meaning: The light of God
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Yuri, Yegor, Yuriy, Yury
Famous Namesakes: Yuri Oganessian, Russian scientist
Peak Popularity: Yury isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Zakhar

Origin: Russian
Meaning: God has remembered
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zak
Famous Namesakes: Zakhar Prilepin, Russian writer; Zakhar Arzamastsev, Russian ice hockey player
Peak Popularity: Zakhar isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Fun fact: Zakhar is the Russian form of the name Zechariah.

2 Sources

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

FamilySearch. Russia personal names. Updates March 15, 2021.
Social Security Administration. Top 10 baby names of 2020.

By Toketemu Ohwovoriole
Toketemu has been multimedia storyteller for the last four years. Her expertise focuses primarily on mental wellness and women’s health topics.

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