Which Russian Baby Name?

Giving your newly born baby a Russian name is a good idea if you want a unique name for your son or daughter. The origins of Russian names could be traced to Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin. Russian baby names have a certain ring to them that signifies royalty and bravery. Many of them sound regal, mysterious, or warrior-like.

In choosing a good Russian name for your baby, be sure of the name’s meaning. See if it fits the physical and emotional attributes of your child. Even newborn babies exhibit certain traits such as patience, or the lack of it, quietness, and so on.

Russian baby names usually have unique spellings although generally, they are not hard to pronounce. Most Russian names are derived from Greek and are popular among people in Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kygyzstan. Russian names are originally written using Cyrillic alphabet, which has 33 letters.

Russian Baby Name Ideas

One of the most popular Russian baby names is “Alek” for male and “Aleksandra” for female. A derivation from Alexander, the names mean “helper or defender” of man. Although of Russian origin, “Alek” and “Aleksandra” also have American, Australian, Danish, and Greek forms.

“Czar” and “Czarina” are also included in the world’s well-loved Russian names. Derived from the Latin name “Caesar,” meaning “head of hair,” the Russian versions meaning a “leader” or an “emperor.” In German, it is “Kaiser.”

“Boris,” of Slavic origins, will make a good name choice for a boy. It means “small” and “battle glory” and was intended as a nickname for “Bogoris” or “Borislav.” The name is much more modern-sounding and easy to spell and pronounce. St. Boris is also a Moscow patron. “Dimitri” or “Dmitry” is another well-known Russian surname. A variant of “Demetrius,” it is of Greek origin and has since spurned Russian and French variants.

“Ivan” is a simple name but sounds truly Russian. Also of Slavic origin and related to “John” from the Hebrews, the name means “God is gracious.” “Misha” is a name that you could give to a male or female baby. It could also be spelled “Mischa.” The name means “Who resembles God” in Hebrew. It is a shortened version of “Michael” or “Mikhail” in Russia.

“Karina” is also an ideal name for a baby girl. Also related to “Karen,” it means “pure” and could be traced to American, Italian, Latin, Indonesian, and Scandinavian origins.

If your baby daughter was “born feet first,” you could name her “Agrafina,” a name of Greek origins. “Anastasia,” also of Greek roots, means “resurrection.” The name is popularized by the tragic story of the daughter of a Russian czar, who was murdered along with his family.

Take extra care in choosing the right Russian name. Narrow down your best choices then test how each one sounds together with the family surname and a second name you plan to give the child, if any. As mentioned earlier, make sure that the meaning of your child’s name is good and pleasant so you would not have any problems in the future.