340 Russian baby names and their meanings
- Kostas Drakatos
- Sep 25, 2023
- 10 min read
Updated: Oct 6, 2023
Picture this: When gathering flowers from your garden wouldn’t you pluck the blaring rose that blooms with life over one that's lost its luster?
The same goes for baby names; choosing a name for your little one demands that same touch of magic and love!
You wouldn’t want to stay behind the times in our modern age; Sticking with the ordinary can feel like choosing that wilted rose.
But, you don’t have to be excessively picky; sometimes, you may find a budding angelica amidst the snow for your little baby!
Now, imagine this: your baby grows from a tiny critter with ruddy cheeks and goggled eyes to a beautiful child; they start to grasp the depth and beauty of their name and throw their arms all around you to thank you for your impeccable taste! Quite an image, isn’t it? That’s gratitude paired with a sprinkle of "Mom, you’re the best!"
Here’s the thing: When it comes to Russian baby boy names, they tick all the above boxes: They are one-in-a-million gems, rich and meaningful!
Trenched in history - just like the sturdy pomegranate that stands tall through seasons - are nothing short of unique and bountifully inspiring!
In this article:
That said, here are the top 341 Russian baby names and their meanings:
Russian girl names:
Ada - "Adornment" in Hebrew or "Nobility" in German.
Agafya - Agafya is the Russian variation of the Greek Agathos, which means Good.
Aglaya - The Russian variant of the Greek Aglaia, meaning Beauty.
Aksinya - The Russian variant of the Greek Xenia, meaning Hospitality.
Albina - White.
Aleksandra - The feminine variation of Alexandr, meaning Defender of mankind.
Alfia - Garden of Heaven.
Alinka - Noble or Light.
Alisa - Noble.
Alla - To ascend or To go up
Almira - Princess.
Alyona - Torch.
Amalia - Work.
Amaliya - Work.
Amina - Trustworthy.
Anastasia - Resurrection.
Anfisa - Flower.
Angelina - Angel.
Anika - Gracious.
Anita - Gracious.
Anna - Grace.
Antonina - Priceless.
Anzhelika - Angelic.
Ariadna - Holy.
Ariana - Very holy.
Asel - Honey.
Astra - Star.
Asya - Resurrection, short for Anastasia.
Avdotya - To seem well.
Bella - Beautiful.
Bogdana - Given by God.
Boleslava - Great glory.
Bronislava - Glorious protector.
Dana - God is my judge.
Danara - Wealthy.
Dariya - Wealthy.
Darya - Wealthy.
Dinara - Coin.
Domnika - Belonging to the Lord.
Dunya - Diminutive of Avdotya (a name of Russian origin), meaning World.
Dusya - To seem well (To be happy).
Ekaterina - Pure.
Elena - Shining light.
Elizaveta - My God is an oath.
Elmira - Noble.
Elza - Noble.
Emilia - Rival.
Emiliya - Rival.
Ester - Star.
Eva - Life.
Evgenia - Well-born.
Evpraksiya - Good conduct.
Faina - Shining.
Fedora - Divine gift.
Fekla - Glory of God.
Felitsiya - Lucky.
Galina - Calm.
Galya - Diminutive of Galina.
Gera - Soldier.
Greta - Pearl.
Illa - The best, of superior quality.
Ilona - Torch, Shining Light
Inessa - Innocent.
Inna - Strong water or Little Girl.
Ira - Peace.
Irina - Peace.
Irma - Whole.
Isabella - Pledged to God.
Isidora - The female form of Isidoros (Greek origin), meaning Gift of Isis.
Izolda - She who is gazed upon.
Kapitolina - Capitol.
Karina - Dear.
Karolina - Free woman.
Kira - Lord.
Klara - Clear, bright.
Kristina - Follower of Christ.
Ksenia - Hospitality.
Lada - Goddess of Beauty.
Lana - Light, Shining, or Blessed
Larisa - Seagull.
Lera - A Russian diminutive of Valeria, meaning Strength.
Lidiya - Woman from Lydia.
Liliya - Lily.
Lina - Tender.
Lola - Sorrows.
Lyalya - Diminutive of Lyudmila.
Lyuba - Love.
Lyubov - Love.
Lyudmila - People's favor.
Madina - City in Saudi Arabia.
Makarina - Blessed.
Mara - Bitter.
Margarita - Pearl.
Maria - Bitter or sea of sorrow.
Marina - From the sea.
Marta - Lady.
Maya - Magic or Illusion in Sanskrit and Courage or Bravery in the Maori language.
Mila - Gracious, dear.
Milada - Gracious or young.
Milena - Gracious.
Nadezhda - Hope.
Naira - Big eyes or Shining, Glittering.
Natalya - Born on Christmas Day.
Nelli - Shining light.
Nika - Victory.
Nina - Little girl or Favor, Grace. Nina was also the name of a Babylonian ocean Goddess.
Nonna - Ninth.
Oksana - Praise be to God.
Olena - Torch.
Olesya - Holy.
Olga - Holy.
Palina - Small, Little.
Pelagiya - Sea.
Polina - Little stone.
Rada - Joy.
Radmila - Happy grace.
Raisa - Easy-going.
Raya - Heaven.
Regina - Queen.
Renata - Reborn.
Rima - Poetry.
Rita - Pearl.
Roksana - Dawn.
Roza - Rose.
Rufina - Red-haired.
Sabina - Ancient Italian tribe.
Sasha - Defender of mankind, diminutive of Aleksandra.
Selena - Moon.
Simona - Listener.
Sofia - Wisdom.
Sofiya - Wisdom.
Sonya - Wisdom.
Stasya - Resurrection, diminutive of Anastasia.
Stella - Star.
Susanna - Lily.
Svetlana- Light.
Taisiya - Goddess.
Tamara - Palm tree.
Tamilla - Date palm.
Tanya - Diminutive of Tatiana.
Tatiana - Fairy queen.
Toma - Twin.
Uliana - Youthful.
Ulyana - Youthful.
Ustinya - Just.
Valentina - Strong, healthy.
Valeriya - Strength.
Varvara - Foreign woman.
Vasilisa - Queen.
Venera - Venus.
Vera - Faith.
Veronika - Bringing victory.
Vika - Victory, diminutive of Viktoriya.
Viktoriya - The feminine form of the name Victor, which means Victory.
Violetta - Violet.
Vladislava - Glory of rule.
Yadviga - Fight, battle.
Yana - God is gracious.
Yaroslava - Fierce and glorious.
Yelena - Torch.
Yeva - Life.
Yola - Violet flower.
Yulia - Youthful.
Zamira - Thought.
Zara - Radiance.
Zarina - Golden.
Zhenya - Noble.
Zina - Diminutive of Zinaida.
Zinaida - "Of Zeus."
Zlata - "Gold."
Zoya - "Life."
Want more? Check out our complete list of Russian baby girl names.
Russian boy names:
Afanasy - The Russian version of Athanasios (Greek origin), meaning Immortal.
Albert - Noble or bright.
Aleksandr (Sasha) - The Slavic variation of Alexander, meaning Defender of men.
Aleksei - A Russian variation of Alexei, meaning Defender.
Alexei - Defender.
Anatoly - Sunrise.
Andrei - Manly, brave.
Anton - Priceless, invaluable, praiseworthy.
Arkadi - From Arcadia.
Aron - Mountain.
Arseny - Virile.
Artem - Safe and sound.
Artur - Bear.
Avdotya - Good-seeming.
Bogdan - Gift from God.
Boleslav - Great glory.
Boris - Fight, short battle.
Bulat - Steel.
Damir - Give peace.
Daniil - God is my judge.
Danya - Diminutive form of Daniel, meaning God's gift or God is my Judge.
Dennis - Devoted to Bacchus.
Dima - Diminutive form of Dimitri.
Dmitri (Dima) - Follower of or belonging to Demeter (the Ancient Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility).
Dorofei - God's gift.
Eduard - Rich guard.
Efim - Pious.
Elisey - God is my salvation.
Emil - Rival.
Emmanuel - God is with us.
Erik - Eternal ruler.
Ermolai - Friendly people.
Evgeni - Well-born, noble.
Evgeny (Zhenya) - Well-born.
Faddey - Gift given by God.
Fedor - God's gift.
Fedya - Diminutive form of Fedor.
Filipp - Lover of horses.
Foma - Twin.
Fyodor (Fedya) - Gift of God.
Gavriil - God is my strength.
Gennadi - Noble, generous.
Georgi - Farmer.
German - Warrior.
Gleb - A name of Slavic origin, which means heir of God.
Gosha - Diminutive form of Georgi.
Grigori - Vigilant, watchful.
Grigory - Watchful, alert.
Grisha - Diminutive form of Grigori.
Ignat - Fiery.
Igor - Warrior.
Ilia - Variant of Ilya, My God is Yahweh.
Ilya - My God is Yahweh.
Innokentiy - Innocent.
Iosif - He will add.
Isaak - He will laugh.
Ismail - God will hear.
Ivan - God is gracious.
Kirill - Lordly, masterful.
Kliment - Merciful.
Kolya - Diminutive form of Nikolai.
Kondrat - Bold counsel.
Konstantin - Constant, steadfast.
Kostya - Diminutive form of Konstantin.
Kuzma - Order or decorum.
Larion - Cheerful, joyful.
Lavrenty - Laurel.
Leon - Lion.
Leonid - Son of a lion.
Leonti - Lion.
Lev - Lion.
Luka - From Lucania.
Makar - Blessed.
Maksim - Greatest.
Marat - Desire (Desired), Wish.
Mark - Warlike.
Marlen - Combination of Marx and Lenin.
Matfey - Variation of Matvei, Gift of Yahweh.
Matvei - Gift of Yahweh.
Maxim - The greatest.
Mefody - Method.
Mikhail (Misha) - Who is like God?
Mikhailo - Variation of Mikhail, Who is like God?
Milan - Gracious.
Miroslav - Peaceful glory.
Mitrofan - Looks at everyone.
Mitya - Diminutive form of Dmitri.
Mstislav - Vengeance and glory.
Nail - Achiever.
Nazar - Vow.
Nazari - From Nazareth.
Nestor - Return, homecoming.
Nifont - Fountain.
Nikita - Victor of the people.
Nikolai (Kolya) - People's victory.
Oleg - Holy, blessed.
Osip - God will add or God will increase.
Oskar - Deer lover.
Pasha - Diminutive form of Pavel.
Pavel (Pasha) - Small, humble.
Petya - Diminutive form of Pyotr.
Platon - Broad, wide.
Prokhor - Leader of the dance.
Prokop - Advance, progress.
Pyotr (Petya) - Rock, stone.
Radik - Happy.
Rafael - God has healed.
Rafail - God has healed.
Rinat - Joy.
Rodion - This name is of Ancient Greek origin, meaning Song of a Hero. It is most well-known from the famous Russian writer Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment, in which Rodion is the protagonist.
Rolan - Famous land.
Roman - From Rome.
Rostislav - Usurp glory.
Rurik - Famous ruler.
Ruslan - Lion.
Samir - Companion in evening talk.
Sasha - A Russian diminutive form of Aleksandr.
Savely - Sabaoth.
Savva - Old man.
Semyon - Heard.
Sergei - Servant.
Serguei - Servant, attendant.
Seryozha - Diminutive form of Sergey.
Slava - Glory.
Spartak - From the city of Sparta.
Stanislav - Become famous or Become glorious.
Stepan - Crown.
Taras - Rebel.
Terentiy - Soft, tender.
Tikhon - Lucky.
Timofei - Honoring God.
Timur - Iron.
Trofim - Nourishment.
Ulian - Youthful.
Vadik - Diminutive form of Vadim.
Vadim - Powerful Ruler.
Valentin - Healthy, strong.
Valeriy - Strong, valiant.
Valery - To be strong.
Vanya - Diminutive form of Ivan.
Varfolomei - Son of Talmai.
Vasili - Royal.
Vasily - Royal, kingly.
Vasska - Diminutive form of Vasili.
Venedikt - Blessed.
Veniamin - Son of the right hand.
Viktor - Conqueror.
Vitali - Of life.
Vitalik - Derived from Vitaly meaning Life.
Vitaly - The Russian form of the Latin name Vitalis, meaning Life.
Vladimir - Peaceful Ruler and Ruler of the World.
Vladlen - A combination of Vladimir and Lenin, meaning "Great ruler, peaceful ruler or Ruler of the World"
Vlas - "Rule"
Vova - Diminutive form of Vladimir.
Vsevolod - Own the world.
Yakov - Supplanter.
Yaroslav - Bright, shining glory.
Yasha - Diminutive form of Yakov.
Yegor - Farmer.
Yefim - "Pious"
Yermolai - "God's day"
Yevgeny - "Noble"
Yulian - Youthful.
Yura - Diminutive form of Yuri
Yuri - Farmer.
Yurik - Diminutive form of Yuri.
Zahar - Remembered by God.
Zhenya - The Russian Diminutive form of Yevgeny and Yevgeniya.
Zinoviy - Of Zeus.
Want more? Check out our complete list of Russian baby boy names.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a unique Russian name?
Here are some distinctive, uncommon Russian names that you may not have heard of:
Uncommon Russian Baby Names:
Russian boy names:
Maksim (Максим) – "Greatest."
Dmitriy (Дмитрий) – Derived from Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture.
Yevgeniy (Евгений) – Meaning "well-born" or "noble."
Vadim (Вадим) – The origins of this name are somewhat mysterious, but it's distinctively Russian.
Ilya (Илья) – Russian form of the name "Elijah," meaning "My God is Yahweh."
Pavel (Павел) – The Russian form of "Paul," meaning "small" or "humble."
Kirill (Кирилл) – Related to the Greek name "Cyril," meaning "lordly" or "masterful."
Nikolai (Николай) – The Russian form of "Nicholas," meaning "victory of the people."
Fyodor (Фёдор) – The Russian form of "Theodore," meaning "gift of God."
Yaroslav (Ярослав) – A combination of the Slavic elements meaning "fierce" and "glory."
Russian girl names:
Zlata (Злата): Derived from the Slavic element meaning "gold."
Milada (Милада): Derived from the Slavic element meaning "gracious" or "dear."
Radmila (Радмила): Meaning "happy grace" or "Joyful grace."
Svetozara (Светозара): Feminine version of Svetozar, meaning "light of the dawn" or "World light."
Yaroslava (Ярослава): The feminine form of Yarolsav, meaning "fierce and glorious."
Zarina (Зарина): Meaning "golden" or sometimes associated with "queen" due to its phonetic similarity to the word "tsarina."
Lubov (Любовь): Meaning "love."
Nadezhda (Надежда): Meaning "hope."
Vesna (Весна): Meaning "spring."
Dunya (Дуня): Diminutive of Avdotya, which is the Russian form of Eudokia, meaning "to appear well" or "good thought."
What is a pretty Russian name?
In all fairness, breaking beauty into its essence would be like sprinting across a swamp on tiptoe, never missing a step: it’s impossible. With so many beautiful choices, it’s no surprise that finding the perfect one can be daunting.
That said, here are some Russian names; their beauty stems from their melodic allure and wonderful meanings:
Beautiful Russian Girl Names:
Anastasia (Анастасия): Means "resurrection" and has associations with Russian royalty.
Ksenia (Ксения): Of Greek origin, meaning "hospitality."
Tatiana (Татьяна): A classic Russian name with Roman origins.
Elizaveta (Елизавета): The Russian version of Elizabeth.
Natalia (Наталья): Meaning "birth" and is often associated with Christmas.
Ekaterina (Екатерина): Russian form of Katherine, meaning "pure."
Olesya (Олеся): Often associated with forests due to its roots in the name "Alesia."
Irina (Ирина): Derived from the Greek word for peace, "Eirene."
Maria (Мария): Russian form of Mary, meaning "bitter," "beloved," or "wished-for child."
Daria (Дарья): Of Persian origin, meaning "possesses a lot" or "wealthy."
Larisa (Лариса): Possibly of ancient Greek origin, associated with the ancient city Larisa.
Svetlana (Светлана): Meaning "light" or "worldly."
What are Americanized Russian names?
Anglicized Russian names can come in the form of transliterations - Anglicized versions -, or even the use of common diminutives as full names.
Some of the following names are not originally Russian, but have Latin or Greek origins; due to their common use, they boast huge historical significance in Russian - whether Anglicized or not:
Alex or Alexis for Alexei (Алексей)
Nick or Nicky for Nikolai (Николай)
Natalie for Natalia (Наталья)
Tanya for Tatiana (Татьяна)
Sasha for Alexandra (Александра) or Alexander (Александр)
Misha for Mikhail (Михаил)
Kathy or Kate for Ekaterina (Екатерина)
Andy for Andrei (Андрей)
Vicky for Victoria (Виктория), which is an adaptation of the Latin name but has been used for the Russian variant Viktoria (Виктория)
Peter for Pyotr (Пётр)
Irene for Irina (Ирина)
George for Georgi (Георгий)
Serge for Sergei (Сергей)
What is a strong Russian name for a boy?
Coming from the great depths of Russian history and packed with powerful meanings, here are some thoughtful options for your little warrior:
Strong Russian male names:
Alexander (Александр): Meaning "defender of the people." Historically associated with powerful rulers like Alexander the Great.
Dmitry (Дмитрий): No clear etymology, but it's associated with Demetrius, a Christian martyr and saint.
Ivan (Иван): Russian form of John, meaning "God is gracious." Ivan the Terrible is a well-known historical figure.
Sergei (Сергей): Associated with historical and cultural figures, including Sergei Rachmaninoff and Sergei Korolev.
Vladimir (Владимир): Meaning "to rule with greatness" or "peaceful ruler." Vladimir the Great and Vladimir Lenin are notable namesakes.
Mikhail (Михаил): Russian form of Michael, meaning "who is like God?"
Nikolai (Николай): Russian form of Nicholas, meaning "victory of the people."
Leonid (Леонид): Derived from the Greek Leonidas, meaning "lion."
Andrei (Андрей): Russian form of Andrew, meaning "manly" or "brave."
Yuri (Юрий): Russian form of George, meaning "farmer" or "earthworker." Yuri Gagarin, the first human to journey into outer space, is a famous bearer of this name.
Fyodor (Фёдор): Russian form of Theodore, meaning "gift of God." Fyodor Dostoevsky is a famous literary figure with this name.
Boris (Борис): The meaning is debated, but it might mean "short" or "wolf," and also "to fight." Boris Yeltsin, the first President of the Russian Federation, is a well-known figure with this name.
Artyom (Артём): Possibly from the Greek name Artemios, related to the goddess Artemis.
Final thoughts
Rich in beautiful meanings and owing to their expressive sounds, Russian baby names are obviously unique.
If you want some extra layer of inspiring Russian allure dive into our compilation of the top Russian baby boy and their meanings and of the top Russian baby girl names and their meanings.
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