Have you ever stumbled upon a classic novel in a bookstore and wondered, “Is this the genius of Dostoevsky or the brilliance of Tolstoy?"
Have you ever set off on a trip through the serene Siberian prairies and mesmerizing larch forests?
Or perhaps you've encountered a famous Russian artist or been mesmerized by an astonishing concerto played by a top-notch maestro of the same origin!
Whatever the case, one thing's for sure: You've come as close to the great hub of Russia’s unreal beauty as anyone could wish.
But the marvels don’t end there. You've yet to discover that in the velvety black sky of Russia, sprinkled with stars, a plethora of cherished treasures await you!
A pleasing testimony to the country’s deep cultural heritage, Russian baby boy names are nothing short of universally iconic.
Names like Dmitri and Vladimir are filled to the brim with splendidly profound meanings, while Nikolai (Nicholas) and Mikhail (Michael) stand as textured reflections of Russian Orthodox religious traditions.
Richly endowed with a pleasing musicality, “Sergei,” “Igor,” and “Alexei” have retained their sparkling grace, shimmering like the first flush of youth. Does that ring a bell? Got ya!
And if you’re looking for an affectionate nickname, Russian parents and friends warmly use “ласковые имена,” which means “endearing names” in Russian, to express their intimacy and affection. Let Alexander be your little Sasha and Evgeny your adorable Zhenya!
In this article:
So, without further delay, here is a list of the top 169 Russian baby boy names and their meanings:
Russian names for boys:
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 "Gow 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 - "To rule all"
Vyacheslav - "More glory"
Yan - "God is gracious"
Yaromir - "Peaceful spring"
Yaroslav - "Fierce and glorious"
Yasha - Diminutive form of Yakov
Yefim - "Pious"
Yermolai - "God's day"
Yevgeny - "Noble"
Yulian - "Youthful, downy"
Yura - Diminutive form of Yuri
Yuri - "Farmer"
Zakhar - "God remembers"
Zhenya - The Russian Diminutive form of Yevgeny and Yevgeniya
Zinovy - "Life of Zeus"
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good Russian male names?
If you are looking for some winningly beautiful Russian male names you really needn’t look further; the names at hand will deliver:
Russian boy names:
Alexei (Алексей): A popular name which is a form of "Alexis," meaning "defender" or "helper."
Dmitri (Дмитрий): A classic Russian name, related to the Greek name Demetrius, meaning "follower of Demeter."
Ivan (Иван): The Russian form of "John," meaning "God is gracious."
Nikolai (Николай): Russian version of Nicholas, meaning "people's victory."
Sergei (Сергей): A prevalent name in Russia, derived from the Roman family name Sergius.
Vladimir (Владимир): A Slavic name meaning "famous power" or "ruler of the world."
Yuri (Юрий): The Russian form of "George," meaning "farmer" or "earthworker."
Andrei (Андрей): The Russian form of "Andrew," meaning "manly" or "brave."
Mikhail (Михаил): The Russian version of "Michael," meaning "who is like God?"
Konstantin (Константин): Derived from the Latin name "Constantinus," meaning "constant" or "steadfast."
Boris (Борис): The meaning is debated but is traditionally associated with fighting, as "bor" means "fight" in Slavic languages.
Pavel (Павел): The Russian form of "Paul," meaning "small" or "humble."
Fyodor (Фёдор): The Russian version of "Theodore," meaning "God's gift."
Anton (Антон): Has Latin origins and is popular in many countries, including Russia.
Oleg (Олег): Meaning "holy" or "blessed."
What is the most popular Russian boy's name?
According to Statista, the most popular Russian names for boys in Moscow - from January to November 2021 - were:
Popular Russian boy names:
Alexander (Александр): Derived from the Greek name "Alexandros," it means "defender of the people" or "defending men."
Mikhail (Михаил): Russian form of "Michael," meaning "who is like God?"
Maxim (Максим): Derived from the Latin "Maximus," it means "greatest."
Lev (Лев): Means "lion" in Russian.
Artyom (Артём): Its origins are debated. It's possibly related to the Greek "Artemios," associated with the Greek goddess Artemis.
Mark (Марк): Of Latin origin from "Marcus," possibly related to Mars, the Roman god of war, or simply meaning "male, man, brave."
Ivan (Иван): Russian form of "John," meaning "God is gracious."
Dmitry (Дмитрий): Russian form of "Demetrius," related to the goddess Demeter, and can mean "follower of Demeter" or simply "earth-lover."
Matvey (Матвей): Russian form of "Matthew," meaning "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of the Lord."
Daniil (Даниил): Russian version of "Daniel," meaning "God is my judge."
What is the Russian man's name for strong?
Oozing out an unvitiated virile strength in its heroic representations in Russian fairy tales and epic poems and bearing a resemblance to Hercules and the chivalrous gallantry of the old knightly days, the name "Bogatyr” (Богатырь) refers to a renowned warrior and Slavic hero - though it's more of a title than a common first name.
Though not directly carrying the meaning of “strong,” the name "Valery (Валерий)," which comes from the Latin "Valerius," means "to be strong".
What Russian boy name means victory?
The Russian boy's name that means "victory" is "Nikolai (Николай)." “Nikolai” is the Russian form of the Greek name "Nicholas," which is derived from the Greek "Nikolaos".
"Nikolaos" is a combination of "nike" (νίκη), meaning "victory," and "laos" (λαός), which means "people" in Greek.
Final thoughts
Russian names for boys really mean something more than “strength” or “victory.” Even if, when united in a man, these gifts can do wonders - they pretty much seem the recipe for success -, our world is destitute of kind and spiritual people. Don’t you think?
Steeped in religious depth and poetic magnitude, Russian baby names are awash with a plethora of different meanings, that will fascinate your imagination and uplift your spirit.
So come along and explore the Russian majesty of our lists of the top Russian baby names and their meanings and of the best Russian baby girl names and their meanings.
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