Russian Names: From Classic to Rare

How Russian Names Work: Three Parts, Diminutives and Name Days

A full Russian name has three parts: the given name, a patronymic built from the father's first name, and the family name. If a boy's father is Ivan, the boy is Dmitri Ivanovich and a girl is Anna Ivanovna. Family names also change with gender: a man is Petrov and a woman in the same family is Petrova. When you choose a Russian name for a child outside Russia you are really choosing the given name, and many families keep the patronymic as a middle name to honor the father.

Almost every Russian name has a family diminutive: Alexander is Sasha, Mikhail is Misha, Ekaterina is Katya, Natalia is Natasha and Anastasia is Nastya. The formal name goes on documents and the diminutive is used at home, so a child named Alexander may be called Sasha for life. Picking a name with a diminutive you also like gives you two usable names in one.

Traditionally, Russian Orthodox families chose a saint's name from the church calendar and celebrated the child's name day, the feast of that saint, alongside or instead of the birthday. Soviet-era naming added invented names such as Vladlen, built from Vladimir Lenin; those are rare today. Spelling varies in English because Cyrillic is transliterated, so you will see Dmitri and Dmitry, Yuri and Yury, Alexei and Alexey. Pick one spelling and use it everywhere.

How to Choose a Russian Baby Name

Start with the sound: Russian names with soft endings such as Sofia, Maria and Nikolai are easy for English speakers, while names with clusters such as Zhanna or Zinaida need explaining. Check the diminutive, check the transliteration you prefer, and say the full name with your surname out loud. The pronunciation guide on every name in the list above shows the stressed syllable, which matters because Russian stress changes the vowel sounds.