Eastern European Names

Alisa is variation of Alice with a touch of international flair. Used in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia and Poland, it is also familiar in English speaking countries too. As a Hebrew name, Alisa has a bright, cheerful meaning, that adds another layer to the name. 

Alisa

Ervin is an old-school great-grandpa name, like Irving and Ernest, that may just be ready for revival. It's also a well-known name in Hungary and elsewhere in central and eastern Europe. As a surname, it's associated with jazz sax player Booker Ervin.

Ervin

Camellia is a rare flower name with distinct roots related to the Camille/Camila group and has varied associations to the moon, water, wealth, and perfection. It could be thought of as a floral replacement for Amelia. 
 The attractive flowering tree was named by Linnaeus for the Moravian Jesuit botanist Georg Joseph Kamel and has been used, if sparingly, as a first name since the 1930s.
 In the language of flowers, the camellia denotes admiration and perfection, and it's the state flower of Alabama. The Dumas novel The Lady of the Camellias is the basis of the opera La Traviata and the Garbo film Camille.

Camellia

This streamlined form of a pretty and feminine classic may not be as popular as it once was, but it's never out of style. A royal name best used now in its full glory rather than as nicknames Kris or Kristy. 

Kristina

Jovan, the name of the supreme Roman deity, seems more extraterrestrial now -- and it's also firmly attached to a perfume label.  Some parents may see it as a variation of Giovanni, the Italian for John.  It is in fact the Slavic variation of John and may be an original way to honor an ancestral John.

Jovan

Aram is a popular Armenian name with a pleasing sound that became known in this country through the works of William Saroyan, namely the 1940 book of short stories, My Name in Aram, centering on Aram Garoghlanian, a boy of Armenian descent growing up in Fresno, California. Saroyan also named his son Aram. 
 Aram also appears in the bible as a son of Shem and grandson of Noah; it is also a biblical place name. 
 
While it is best known as an Armenian and Biblical name, meaning "child of the sun" or "highly elevated", Aram is in fact a more multicultural choice than that. It also has its roots in Kurdish and Persian where it means "calm, peaceful, repose", and in Thai, where it relates to the words for temple and monastery, glittering and illuminating.
 A well known bearer is Aram Khachaturian, the Armenian composer, while Aram is also the third day of the month in the Armenian calendar.

Aram

The Russian version of Katherine is usually Ekaterina, but this form is used throughout Eastern Europe and may be more friendly to the American ear.

Katarina

German, Slavic and Scandinavian form of Clara, which is a Top 100 girl name in multiple European countries, including Austria, Croatia, Iceland and Poland. While Clara is fashionable in the US, the Klara spelling retains an Old World air.

Klara

One of many international versions of this classic. 

Yelena

Common Russian name familiarized here via cosmonaut Yury Gagarin and a character in Dr. Zhivago, but we don't see it ever gaining permanent resident status.

Yuri

Vladimir is a cultured and deep-rooted Slavic name associated in this country with cultural figures including piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz and the author of Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov.

 The name Vladimir is rich in history, notably borne by Vladimir the Great, the 10th-11th century ruler of Kievan Rus' who brought Christianity to his nation and is now venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Among the name's other famous – or infamous – bearers are several Russian political figures past and present, including Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin and current Russian president Putin. 

 Volodymyr is the Ukrainian form of the name, recently made internationally famous by Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy following the Russian invasion of his country. Other variations of this name in other European countries include Valdemar and Waldemar. All derive from Slavic roots vladěti, meaning "to rule," plus meru "great" or miru, "peace" or "world." Common Slavic diminutive forms include Volodya, Vova, Vladan and Vlatko.

 Long a common name throughout the Slavic world, Vladimir is featured in novels by Turgenev and Pushkin. Vladimir also has vampirish connections: Dracula is based on Vlad III, three-time ruler of Wallachia in the 15th century, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler. A more modern literary character is Vladimir, one of the two main figures in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot.

Vladimir

Derived from a place name and a musical word, Karmen is the Slovenian, Croatian, and Estonian form of Carmen, though it might just be used as a contemporary, English spelling a la Kadence and Karter.

Karmen

Jasper and its many international variations, from Kasper to Casper to Gaspard, is finding new popularity.

Kasper

One of the most familiar Russian names in the West, thanks to ballet great Mikhail Baryshnikov and state head Mikhail Gorbachev.

Mikhail

Makes a serious name frilly and feminine, which, depending on your viewpoint, might be a good or a bad thing.  In this case, we vote good.

Eleonora

German, Scandinavian and Polish spelling of Konrad, borne by several German and Polish rulers throughout history, as well as the German chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

Konrad

Casimir, a traditional name of Polish kings, could do quite well these days as we see the rise of Caspian, Cassius, Castiel, et. al. Like Leopold and Laszlo, Casimir is strong and worth considering if you've got an adventurous streak — and bet your son will too. An alternative commonly cited meaning that modern parents might prefer is "proclaimer of peace". The traditional Polish version of the name is Kazimierz.

Casimir

One of the warm and earthy Russian nickname names now coming into style. Denzel Washington is the father of a Katia. 

Katia

An energetic — dare we say dashing — Russian diminutive of Darya that hasn't caught on in the same way as Sasha has in the English speaking world. 
 
Singer Dasha (born Anna Dasha Novotny) , actress, podcaster, and filmmaker Dasha Nekrasova, and model and influencer Dasha Taran are all notable bearers.

Dasha

As Theodore gets more popular for boys (it's now in the Top 10, and may even reach Number 1), Theodora is becoming more widely-used for girls, which means various spellings and short forms will spring up. 

About 360 baby girls were named Theodora last year, versus about 75 given the Theadora spelling -- and nearly 1000 called Thea. If you're looking for a formal name that gets you to short form Thea, this spelling might make sense. Nickname Teddi or Teddie is also trending.

Theadora

Eastern European names span the vast cultures of Eastern Europe, from Latvian and Lithuanian to Romanian and Russian. Among the most popular baby names across Eastern Europe right now are Sofia, Anna, and Emilia for girls, Daniel, Ivan, and Marko for boys.

Eastern European girl names you may want to consider include Vera, Zora, and Anya. Among the best Eastern European boy names are Casimir, Lev, and Laszlo.

Many Eastern European names derive from the same sources as those more familiar in English, including mythology and the Bible. These include names such as Gavril and Yakov, along with Zinaida and Dmitri.

If you have Eastern European heritage or are curious about this part of the world, explore our full collection of names here,

 ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

Eastern European baby names for girls and boys, including Anastasia and Dimitri, with meanings, origin, and popularity. (Page 6)