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Boris

Heart
Slavic
"to fight"

Boris Origin and Meaning

The name Boris is a boy's name of Slavic origin meaning "to fight".

Boris is one of the old Russian names being revived by chic Europeans; it hasn't quite made a comeback yet in the U.S., but it does have potential.

For a long time the name has been associated with Boris Karloff, famed for playing Frankenstein's monster; he was William Henry Pratt before taking on the more captivating stage name of Boris — and the Karloff fear factor may have kept some parents away.

A Russian saint's name, Boris has other more benign and inspiring namesakes like German-born tennis champ Boris Becker and writer Boris Pasternak, author of Dr. Zhivago, as well as the early Tsar Boris Gudonov, son-in-law of Ivan the Terrible, the subject of the Moussorgsky opera.

Boris Trigorin is a main character in the Chekhov play The Seagull.

# 893 in the US

Boris Rank in US Top 1000

# 2235 on Nameberry

Boris Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Boris Popularity

20 Names Similar to Boris

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Famous People Named Boris

  • Boris Fyodorovich GodunovTsar of Russia
  • Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt)English actor
  • Boris SaidAmerican NASCAR driver
  • Boris Nikolayevich YeltsinRussian President
  • Boris Franz BeckerGerman tennis player
  • Boris VianFrench novelist, jazz musician and polymath
  • Boris AronsonAmerican theatrical scenic designer
  • (Alexander) Boris de Pfeffel JohnsonBritish Prime Minister
  • Boris Mikhaylovich MoiseevRussian singer and dancer
  • Boris KodjoeAmerican actor
  • Boris Leonidovich PasternakRussian novelist
  • Boris Vasilievich SpasskyRussian chess grandmaster and World Champion
  • Boris Babacar DiawFrench basketball player

Boris in Pop Culture

  • Boris the Wolffictional character that appears in the horror game "Bendy and the Ink Machine"
  • Boris Walleyskamain character on TV's "Alien Dawn"
  • Boris Badenova main adversary on "The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show"
  • Borisa snow goose in the animated movie Balto
  • Boris Pavliovskycharacter in Donna Tartt's "The Goldfinch"
  • Borislater Sparrowpelt, character in Erin Hunter's "Warriors" book series
  • BorisGreat Dane dog in the 2018 Disney Channel Original Movie/musical "Freaky Friday"