Eastern European Names
Across 72 pages
of 72
Alyena
Variation of Yelena or Helen
One of the many international variations of the classic Helen.
Elya
Slavic form of Helen
A Slavic variation of Helen that might make an unusual update of that classic name.
Zhanna
Russian variation of Jane
Makes Jane anything but plain.
Christo
Slavic, diminutive of Christopher
"one who carries Christ"
The name of the artist who created Central Park's brilliant orange Gates can be a modern version of Christie.
Snejana
Bulgarian
"snowy"
This name of a supermodel from Ukraine is not one of those Eastern European choices that translate easily or attractively.
Yevgeniya
Russian form of Eugenia
"well born"
In an English-speaking country, stick with Eugenia.
Natashya
Variation of Natasha
"born on Christmas Day"
Tori Amos added a little extra something to the already pretty elaborate Natasha for her daughter's name.
Arda
Turkish, Hebrew, or English
"scepter, bronze, or forest"
Arda is a simple gender-neutral name with several possible origins and meanings. As a Turkish name, it's usually used for males and means scepter. There is also a river in Turkey called the Arda. The…
Zarouhi
Armenian variation of Sarah
"princess"
An entrancing, beguiling name that goes far to freshen up Sarah.
Michal
Czech, Slavic, and Polish variation of Michael
"who is like God?"
Michal may be one of several Eastern European forms of Michael, though there is a biblical Michal who is female, the daughter of Saul and wife of David.
Arpad
Hungarian
"seed"
Arpad is a hero name in Hungary, belonging to the Second Grand Prince of the Maygars, who established a dynasty that ruled for four centuries. Not heard often here, but is associated with the…
Duna
Hungarian river name or Icelandic
"eiderdown"
Duna refers the Hungarian word for the Danube River or to the Icelandic term for the down of a duck. Duna also bears a resemblance to both Dune and Djuna. In this era of word names and invented…
Ekat
Slavic diminutive of Ekaterina
"pure, unsullied"
This short form is used by supermodel Ekat Kiseleva.
Gogol
Russian surname
The unlikely name of the hero of Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake , named for an author his father revered.
Nicolai
Scandinavian and Slavic form of Nicholas
"people of victory"
Related to the Russian name Nikolai, this is a fresh and worldly form of a popular favorite.
Kinga
Hungarian, Polish
"brave"
Though the name Kinga has penetrated the international consciousness via the Slovakian model Kinga Rajzak, it's a rare choice for American baby girls: Only six were named Kinga last year. Is that…
Eleonara
Italian, German, Dutch, and Polish version of Eleanor
"bright, shining one"
The usual form of Eleonara is Eleanora, with each syllable pronounced, but transposing, adding, or subtracting a vowel or syllable here or there works fine and adds to the international, feminine…
Caliban
Romanian
"black"
In Shakespeare's The Tempest , Caliban is the name of the deformed son of a witch: not the greatest literary reference for a child. But Caliban does have an appealing international-yet-accessible…
Kafka
Czech
"jackdaw"
Murakami's Kafka on the Shore features a character named after the famous Czech author of The Metamorphoses .
Rodion
Russian from Greek
"song of the hero"
Well used in Russia, this is a distinctive and undiscovered choice here. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky.