Top Russian Baby Names of 2021: Forget What Grandma Told You

Want to know the hottest Russian names for your newborn? Here’s a comprehensive list of the top names in Russia for 2021.

There are so many factors to consider when it comes to choosing a baby’s name! Will the name be easy to spell and pronounce? Does it have a good meaning? Will it be popular or unique?

If you’re looking for something a little more traditional, why not consider these names from Russian? Russia is known for its deep cultural roots – and cold winters! – and its baby names are no exception having a lot of history and cultural ties that make them unique and classical.

Russia’s more modern names have a rich and ancient heritage and are taken from many sources. For example, they are associated with old Christian names, Slavic names, and names hugely popular in the Soviet Union.

So choosing a name from distinct culture and language ensures that your child has an exciting and sophisticated name.

They are significant and strong, with deep roots in history, so we have gathered the most famous of the lot for your baby that you’ll find unique and interesting.

How Do Russian Names Work?

Typically, Russian names have the first, middle, and last names. The first name has some historical value or meaning; the middle name is generally an honorific or family name, and the last name is the surname.

In Russia, people call each other casually by their first name and formally by their family name or honor name. A person is never called by their surname during conversations.

As in most other countries, Russian people’s names have meanings that often reflect their personalities or characteristics. Russian parents do not just pick any name they want for their child without considering its meaning or significance.

Top Russian Baby Names From 2021

You could look to the Russian family history for inspiration while searching for a good name, or maybe you want your child’s name to be unique and unheard of.

If you’re looking for something a little more traditional and exclusive, then these Russian baby names are just the right pick for you.

Top Russian Boy Names of 2021

• Aleksandr – “defender of men”
• Boris – “fight, fighter”
• Alexei – “defender”
• Daniil – “God is my judge”
• Leonid – “lion-like”
• Nikita – “winner”
• Anatoly – “sunrise”
• Dmitri – “earth lover”
• Igor – “warrior”
• Ivan – “God is gracious”

Top Russian Girl Names of 2021

• Sofia – “wisdom”
• Anastasia – “resurrection”
• Anna – “grace, favor”
• Ksenia – “hospitality, friendship”
• Victoria – “victory”
• Varvara – “strange, foreign”
• Taisiya – “beautiful, divine”
• Vasilisa – “queen, empress”
• Valeriya – “To be healthy and strong”
• Milana – “favored”

Top Russian Gender-Neutral Names of 2021

• Alexis – “to defend, ward off, helper”
• Fedyenka – “gift from God”
• Gennady – “noble”
• Lev or Lyev – “lion-heart”
• Micha – “who is like God?”
• Pashia – “small, being humble”
• Sascha or Sasha – “defender of men”
• Shura – “defender of men”
• Sonechka – “wise”
• Vanka – “grace”

Most Popular Russian Baby Names: Origins and Meanings

People choose Russian names for their babies to honor their Russian origin and roots. Such names are elegant and distinctive and have beautiful meanings and history.

Most names are conventional, but some of them are classy and sophisticated. Many famous Russian names have a deep connection with religion and history and somehow have a biblical or a mythological link.

For instance, Christain names are used a lot in their diminutive form in Russia, like Pavel, and some of the Russian names have a variation of Greek mythological names like Feodora.

Almost all the Russian names can be turned into nicknames or diminutive names like Mikhail is shortened to Misha, and Dmitri is shrunk into Mitra or Dimi. Isn’t it cute?

Popular Russian Boy Names

1. Adrik – it is a Russian and Latin name that means “dark.” The variations of the spellings of this name are Adrion and Adrien.
2. Alyosha – a Russian name that means “defender of man.” It is also the name of a short story by Leo Tolstoy.
3. Anatoly – a name from Russian that means “sunrise or from the east rising sun.” the spelling variation of this name is Anatoli and Anatole.
4. Dominik – a Latin, Russian, and Bulgarian name that means “belonging to God.” It is a pretty famous Welsh, English, and American boy name.
5. Eriks – it is a rare and elegant name of Russian origin that means “eternal ruler”
6. Fyodor – a name of Russian origin that means “God’s gift.” Fyodor is the male variation of the female name Fedora.
7. Grigory – is a name from Russian that means “watchful.” It is the name of the great villain of the comic book Hellboy.
8. Iosif – a Russian and Hebrew name that means “God shall add, Jehovah increases.” It is the Russian form of the Biblical name Joseph.
9. Leonid – a Russian-originated name that means “lion-like.” It is a classical name for a boy, and in astronomy, Leonid means “shower of a meteor.” So if you are an astronomical fan, this name is perfect for your kid.
10. Lev – it is a Hebrew and Russian-originated name that means “lion, heart.” Lev is the original name of the famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoy.
11. Maksimilian – a solid Russian and Polish name that means “greatest”
12. Matvey – is a Russian form of Biblical English name Mathew. Matvey means “gift of God” or “God’s gift”
13. Oleg – is a name from Russian that means “sacred, holy.” The female equivalent of Oleg is Olga.
14. Pavel – it is a Russian and Latin name that means “small.” Pavel is a Russian Variation of the English biblical name Paul.
15. Rodion – a Russian and Greek name that means “song of the hero.” It is a robust and elegant name for a baby boy.

Popular Russian Girl Names

1. Agrafena – from Russian and Greek origin that means “feet first.” This unique name comes in the top 1000 famous names in the USA.
2. Alina – a Name of Russian origin that means “bright and beautiful.” It is a variation of a classical Greek name Helen that means “noble”
3. Anoushka – a Russian and Hebrew name that means “grace and favor.” It is the variation of the name Anna.
4. Anya – it is a name of Russian origin that means “grace.” It is one of the unique and popular names in the USA.
5. Dinara – an Arabic and Latin name that means “wealth.” It is derived from denarius, which means treasure or gold coin.
6. Dominika – a Latin, Polish, and Czech name that means “from the Lord.” It is a variation of the famous name Dominque.
7. Doroteya – a Russian and Greek name that means “gift of God.” It is a beautiful name for a girl.
8. Eva – it is a Greek and Hebrew name that means “life.” It is a variation of the name Eve.
9. Faina – a Russian and Latin and that means “crown and shinning.” The alternative spelling of this name is Faena or Pheana.
10. Feodora – it is a name of Russian origin that means “divine gift.” It is a variation of Theodora, a Greek mythology name.
11. Galina – a name of Russian origin that means “calm and tranquil.” It can be shortened to Gala and Galya.
12. Katya – is a name from Russian that means “pure and perfect.” It is a unique and cute name for a girl.
13. Larissa – a Russian, Greek, and Latin name that means “fortress, cheerful and citadel.” Larissa was the name of a nymph in Greek mythology.
14. Natalya – a name of Russian origin that means “the birthday of Christ.” It is one of the most famous names in the USA.
15. Polina – a Russian and Greek name that means “small and humble.” It is a feminine version of the name Paul.

Popular Russian Gender-Neutral Names

1. Efim – it is a name of Russian origin that means “well-famed”
2. Keesa – a name from Russian that means “kitten”
3. Micha – a name of Russian origin that means “Who is like Lord?”
4. Pascha – is a name from Russian that means “small”
5. Sasha – it is a Russian name, and it is a diminutive name of Alexander that means “to defend”
6. Scriabin – a name of Russian origin that means “writer or scribe”
7. Vasha – it is a name from Russian and a diminutive of Vladimir that means “to agree or to control”
8. Valya – a name of Russian origin and a diminutive form of Valentin or Valentina that means “vigorous and strong”
9. Vitalya – is a name from Russian that means “full of life.” It is a diminutive name of Vitalia and Vitaly.
10. Zasha – is a name from Russian that means “defender of the people”
11. Zhenya – a name of Russian origin that means “well-born”
12. Zilya – a name from Russian that means “kingly”

More Russian Names for Boys

• Andrei – implies “bravery”
• Artem – meaning “unharmed, perfect health”
• Artyom – meaning “dedicated to Artemis”
• Anton – signifies “priceless”
• Arkady – means “from Arcadia”
• Artur – meaning “bear-like”
• Afanasy – implies “immortality”
• Bogdan – meaning “gift from God”
• Budimir – meaning “to make peace”
• Damien – meaning “to tame”
• David – implies “beloved”
• Egor – signifies “farm laborer”
• Eduard – meaning “prosperous guardian”
• Evgeny – meaning “noble”
• Garry – meaning “ruler”
• Gavriil – meaning “God is my strength”
• Gleb – signifies “heir of God”
• George – meaning “farm laborer”
• Ignat – implies “fire”
• Illarion – meaning “cheerful”
• Immanuil – meaning “God is with us”
• Konstantin – signifies “stable”
• Kirill – it means “lord” in Greek.
• Maxim – means “greatest”
• Nikolai – implies “victorious”
• Nestor – meaning “leader”
• Radomir – meaning “peace and fame”
• Robert – signifies “bright”
• Stepan – meaning “crown” or “wreath”
• Samuil – meaning “God has heard”
• Semyon – meaning “God has heard”
• Sergei – implies “servant”
• Stanislaw – meaning “someone who achieves glory or fame“
• Timur – it means “iron”
• Trofim – signifies “nourishment”
• Vadim – meaning “blame”
• Valentin – meaning “healthy, strong”
• Mark – signifies “God of war”
• Miroslav – implies “gracious glory”
• Vladimir – meaning “ruler of the world”
• Timofey or Timothy – meaning “honoring God”
• Yuri – means “the light of God”

• Agnessa – meaning “holy”
• Angelina – meaning “messenger”
• Anika – signifies “sweet-faced”
• Anfisa – meaning “flowering”
• Agniya – implies “pure”
• Avdotya – meaning “good”
• Biserka – represents “pearl”
• Diana – meaning “divine”
• Dusica – meaning “happy”
• Elena – meaning “torch”
• Emma – implies “whole”
• Evelina – signifies “strength of life”
• Evgeniya – meaning “noble”
• Ekaterina – meaning “pure”
• Ilya – meaning “the Lord is my God”
• Ivanka – meaning “God is gracious”
• Katyusha – signifies “virtuous”
• Khristina – meaning “follower of Christ
• Kira or Kiera – meaning “leader of the people”
• Klara – implies “bright”
• Ksana, Ksena, or Ksanna – meaning “praise God”
• Margarita – meaning “daisy”
• Marina – meaning “from the sea”
• Mina – signifies “girl”
• Maya or Mya – meaning “dream”
• Mila – meaning “loved by the people”
• Milena – implies “gracious”
• Milica – meaning “sweet”
• Nada – signifies “hope”
• Nadege – meaning “hope”
• Nadenka – implies “hopeful”
• Nadina – meaning “shower of blessings”
• Samara – meaning “protected by God”
• Sasheen – meaning “defender”
• Sashenka – meaning “defender of men”
• Tanita – signifies that “God is gracious”
• Tanzania – implies “eternal life”
• Tashina – meaning “clever”
• Tashina – meaning “clever”
• Taska – meaning “quick-witted”
• Tiana – meaning “princess”
• Varvara – means “stranger”
• Yekaterina – means “pure”
• Yuliana or Yulianna – implies “youthful”
• Yuridiana – signifies “light of God”
• Ulyana – it means “youthful”
• Zhanna – it means “just”
• Zinaida – it means “life of Zeus”
• Zlata – it means “gold”
• Zoya – signifies “life”

Conclusion

Russia is a vast country with a rich history that reflects bravery and courage. Although the Russian language is one of the most challenging ones to learn, the Russian names are still climbing the popularity charts.

The reason behind their popularity is their uniqueness and link to Slavic, biblical and Greek mythology.

Some of these names might seem overly conventional, but their modern variations make them graceful and sophisticated — making them just the right fit for your baby boy or girl.