Slavic Boy Names

Vasil

Slavic short form of Basil, Greek

"royal"

Basil and all his brothers and sisters have a meaning related to royalty, sometimes cited as king, queen, royal, regal.

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.

Nikola

Serbian from the Greek Nikolaos

"Victory of the people"

Nikola is generally masculine in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Macedonia, while in Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia and the Czech Republic it is usually feminine. As a…

Oleg

Russian

"holy"

This common Russian name has a somewhat effete pencil-thin-moustached image here.

Teodor

Slavic variation of Theodore, English from Greek

"gift of God"

You’re most likely to find this Theodore cognate in Eastern Europe, where it ranks among the top names for boys in the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, and Romania. The nickname Teo is a real winner.

Leonid

Russian, variation of Leonidas "lion"

"lion"

This form got noticed as the first name of long-reigning Russian president Brezhnev; other bearers include playwright and short-story writer Andreyev, Leonid the Magnificent,a Russian performance…

Yasha

Russian

"supplanter"

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

Vasily

Russian form of Basil, Greek

"royal"

Vasily is one of many forms of the Greek Basil, all rare in the US.

Kolya

Russian, diminutive of Nikolai

Could be seen as an affectionate Old World take on Kole.

Lazar

Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian variation of Lazarus, Latin from Greek

"God is my helper"

With Lazarus heating up, this slimmer Eastern European form will likely see an uptick in use.

Anatoli

Georgian; Russian; Ukrainian, from Greek

"from the east, rising sun"

A sweet and gentle-sounding name with a sunny meaning, typically nicknamed Tolya in Russia. Depending on the country of origin, it can also be written as Anatoli or Anatoliy.

Yury

Yury is a masculine name primarily used in Russian, Belarusian, and other Slavic cultures as a variant of Yuri, which itself derives from the name George. The original Greek name Georgios means…

Avraam

Avraam is a variant of the Hebrew name Abraham, which means 'father of multitudes.' This form of the name is particularly common in Greek, Russian, and other Eastern European cultures. Avraam carries…

Aleksey

Russian

"defender"

Alternative transliteration of Alexei

Rurik

Russian variation of Roderick, German

"famous ruler"

Russian form of Roderick given to a small number of American boys each year.

Fyodor

Russian variation of Theodore

"God's gift"

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.

Nikita

Russian cognate of Greek Aniketos

"unconquered"

A popular choice in Russia, Nikita is a sharp, zippy choice that became heavily associated with the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in the 50s and 60s. Derived from the Greek name Niketas meaning…

Egor

Variation of Igor, Old Norse via Russian

"warrior"

Egor is a Slavic masculine name, primarily used in Russia and Eastern Europe. It is a variant of the name Igor, which derives from the Old Norse name Ingvarr, composed of 'Ing' (a Germanic god) and…

Vyacheslav

Vyacheslav is a masculine Slavic name of Russian origin, derived from the Old Slavic elements "vyache" meaning "more" and "slav" meaning "glory" or "fame." Thus, the name translates to "more glory"…

Ilia

Georgian, Russian, Bulgarian, and Belarusian variation of Elijah

"Yahweh is God"

This international variation of the popular Elijah might also be written as Iliya, Ilya, Ilja, and Ilija. It is currently a unisex option in the US.