Russian Names

A less-known member of the Sasha-Misha family, deriving from Yakov, the Russian form of Jacob.

This variation of Theodore is familiar here mostly via the great Russian novelist Dostoyevsky. It was also the name of three early tsars of Russia.

Ukrainian figure-skating champion Oksana Baiul made it known here.

Zvezda, which means star in several Slavic languages, is a traditional established name in Eastern Europe and Russia. While names with celestial meanings have an intrinsic appeal, that initial Zv may be difficult for English speakers to wrap their tongues around.

Known in America via the wife of Soviet head Mikhail Gorbachev; a possibility for parents of Eastern-European descent wanting to move beyond Natasha and Nadia or for parents from the Middle East looking for a name that works in both cultures.

Old saints' and popes' name that went to France in the 1920s with the Russian Ballets Russes; in its Russian form, Sergei, it retains an artistic, almost effete air.

One of many international versions of this classic.

Inessa is a truly multi-cultural name, heard in Spain, Germany and Russia, and is related to the names Agnes and Ines/Inez.

With the rise of both Russian names and those that start with the letter V, this sharp Eastern European choice may become more familiar in the English-speaking world.

This was a 100 percent boys' name till the willowy Mischa Barton of TV's "The OC" made it unisex, a la Sascha.

The beguiling Darya is the name of a character in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. As a Russian name, it's a spelling variation of Daria, while in Iran, it's a girl's name that means "the sea".

In Europe, this name is mostly male, but here it's more fashionable for girls. It's a diminutive of Alexander.

Commonly used in Russia, has an Old World Slavic feel. The original Galen can be used for girls as well as boys.

Long integrated into the U. S. name pool but still retaining some Slavic flavor, Tanya feels a bit tired; it's ready for replacement by cooler Russian choices like Sasha, Mischa, or parent name Tatiana.

Now that Zoe is getting wildly popular in the U.S. and the U.K. -- one poll puts it at number one in Wales -- parents may start hunting down fresh twists like this.

The most famous Vlad was nicknamed "the Impaler." Enough said.

This short form of Ivan just could join the other Russian nickname names coming into fashion, and it does have the Chekhov connection.