Russian Origin Names

This is a list of names in which the origin is Russian. Russian is the East Slavic language spoken in Russia.
gender
usage
origin
Alla f Russian, Ukrainian
Meaning unknown, possibly of German origin.
Allochka f Russian
Russian diminutive of Alla.
Azaliya f Russian
Russian cognate of Azalea.
Darina 2 f Slovak, Czech, Bulgarian, Russian
Derived from the Slavic word darŭ meaning "gift". It is sometimes used as a diminutive of names beginning with Dar.
Elmira 3 f Russian (Rare)
Contraction of Russian электрификация мира (elektrifikatsiya mira) meaning "electrification of the world". This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.
Iya f Russian
Meaning unknown. This name was borne by Saint Ia of Persia, a 4th-century martyr who is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Lana f English, Russian, Croatian, Slovene, Georgian
Short form of Alana (English) or Svetlana (Russian). In the English-speaking world it was popularized by actress Lana Turner (1921-1995), who was born Julia Jean Turner.
Lev 1 m Russian
Means "lion" in Russian, functioning as a vernacular form of Leo. This was the real Russian name of both author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) and revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879-1940).
Lilia f Spanish, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian
Spanish and Italian form of Lily, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Лилия or Ukrainian Лілія (see Liliya).
Liliya f Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian cognate of Lily.
Lilya f Russian, Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Russian Лилия or Ukrainian Лілія (see Liliya).
Marlen 1 m Russian
Blend of Marx and Lenin. This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.
Melor m Russian (Rare)
Acronym of Russian Маркс Энгельс Ленин Октябрьская Революция (Marx, Engels, Lenin, October Revolution). This name commemorates the creation of the former Soviet state. It was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.
Naďa f Czech
Diminutive of Naděžda.
Nadège f French
French form of Nadezhda.
Nadejda f Russian, Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Надежда (see Nadezhda).
Naděžda f Czech
Czech form of Nadezhda.
Nadežda f Slovak, Serbian, Latvian
Slovak, Serbian and Latvian form of Nadezhda.
Nadezhda f Russian, Bulgarian
Means "hope" in Russian and Bulgarian.
Nádia f Portuguese
Portuguese form of Nadia 1.
Nàdia f Catalan
Catalan form of Nadia 1.
Nadia 1 f French, Italian, Spanish, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian
Variant of Nadya 1 used in Western Europe, as well as an alternate transcription of the Slavic name. It began to be used in France in the 19th century. The name received a boost in popularity from the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci (1961-).
Nadine f French, German, English, Dutch
French diminutive of Nadia 1.
Nadja f German, Slovene
German and Slovene form of Nadya 1.
Nadya 1 f Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian
Russian and Bulgarian diminutive of Nadezhda. It is also an alternate transcription of Ukrainian Надія (see Nadiya).
Noyabrina f Russian (Rare)
Derived from Russian ноябрь (noyabr) meaning "November". It was coined by communist parents in order to commemorate the October Revolution of 1917, which according to the Gregorian calendar (not in use in Russia at the time) actually took place in November 1917.
Oktyabrina f Russian (Rare)
Derived from Russian октябрь (oktyabr) meaning "October". This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names and commemorate the October Revolution of 1917.
Roza 1 f Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "rose" in Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian. It is a cognate of Rosa 1.
Samara f English (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.... [more]
Snezhana f Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Russian and Bulgarian form of Snježana, as well as an alternate transcription of Macedonian Снежана (see Snežana).
Sveta f Russian
Short form of Svetlana.
Svetka f Russian
Diminutive of Svetlana.
Světlana f Czech
Czech form of Svetlana.
Svetlana f Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Armenian, Georgian
Derived from Russian свет (svet) meaning "light, world". It was popularized by the poem Svetlana (1813) by the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. It is sometimes used as a translation of Photine.
Sviatlana f Belarusian
Belarusian form of Svetlana.
Svitlana f Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Svetlana.
Svjetlana f Croatian, Serbian
Croatian and Serbian form of Svetlana.
Tamila f Ukrainian, Russian
Meaning uncertain, possibly a variant of Tomila or Tamara.
Tomila f Russian (Rare)
Possibly from Slavic tomiti meaning "to torment". In some cases communist parents may have derived it from the phrase торжество Маркса и Ленина (torzhestvo Marksa i Lenina) meaning "victory of Marx and Lenin".
Ulya f Russian
Diminutive of Ulyana.
Vadimir m Russian (Rare)
Possibly a variant of Vadim, with the addition of the Slavic element mirŭ "peace, world".
Veer f Limburgish
Limburgish short form of Vera 1.
Veera f Finnish, Estonian
Finnish and Estonian form of Vera 1.
Veerke f Limburgish
Diminutive of Veer.
Vera 1 f Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, Georgian
Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Veriko f Georgian
Georgian diminutive of Vera 1.
Verochka f Russian
Russian diminutive of Vera 1.
Verusha f Russian
Russian diminutive of Vera 1.
Verusya f Russian
Russian diminutive of Vera 1.
Vilen m Russian
Abbreviation of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the name of the founder of the former Soviet state (see Vladimir and Lenin).
Vladilen m Russian
Contraction of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the name of the founder of the former Soviet state (see Vladimir and Lenin).
Vladlen m Russian
Contraction of Vladimir Lenin, the name of the founder of the former Soviet state (see Vladimir and Lenin).
Vladlena f Russian
Feminine form of Vladlen.
Wera f Polish
Polish form of Vera 1 or a short form of Weronika.