Russian Boy Names: 149 With Meanings

Russian boy names include classics such as Ivan, Aleksandr, Mikhail and Fyodor, Slavic names such as Yaroslav (“fierce and glorious”) and Bogdan (“given by God”), and everyday nicknames such as Misha, Dima and Sasha; this list gives 149 names with the Cyrillic spelling and meaning of each.

Russian boy names such as Artyom, Matvey, Timofey, Kirill and Makar sit beside older classics and names built from Slavic words. Many came from Greek, Latin or Hebrew, a few from Old Norse, and almost every full name has a short form used at home.

We checked every name against its own Behind the Name entry. You will find a quick list, classics, names that work in English, nicknames, Slavic names, saints’ names and unique picks, plus a short guide to patronymics and English spellings.

Key Takeaways

All 149 names were checked against their own Behind the Name entries, with the Russian Cyrillic each entry gives.
Many Russian boy names are forms of Greek or Hebrew names: Fyodor is Theodore, Ilya is Elijah and Matvey is Matthew.
Slavic names are built from parts such as slava (“glory”), so Yaroslav means “fierce and glorious”.
Short forms such as Misha (Mikhail), Dima (Dmitriy) and Kolya (Nikolai) are used every day.
A boy’s patronymic is built from his father’s first name and ends in -ovich or -evich.

Table of Contents

Russian Boy Names at a Glance

Quick Answer

Russian boy names worth a look include Artyom, Matvey, Timofey, Kirill, Makar, Maksim, Nikita and Ilya; classics such as Ivan, Aleksandr, Mikhail, Dmitriy and Fyodor; Slavic names such as Yaroslav (“fierce and glorious”) and Bogdan (“given by God”); and nicknames families use every day, such as Misha, Dima, Kolya and Vanya. Below are 149 names, each with its Russian Cyrillic spelling and meaning.

How we checked: every name on this page has its own Behind the Name entry that lists Russian among its usages and a masculine gender. We looked up each entry in October 2026. The Cyrillic in each table is the Russian spelling that entry gives, and the meaning is the entry’s own wording, shortened. Where an entry only says “Russian form of X”, we also looked up X and added what that entry says the name means.

If you only have a minute, start with these sixteen. They are short to medium length, they look tidy in English, and most of them have a well-known meaning or story behind them. We do not rank them, because we did not read an official Russian ranking.

Name	Cyrillic	Meaning
Artyom	Артём	Russian form of Artemios, a Greek name taken from the goddess Artemis (the meaning of Artemis itself is unknown)
Matvey	Матвей	Russian form of Matthew, which goes back to the Hebrew Mattithiah, “gift of Yahweh”
Timofey	Тимофей	Russian form of Timothy, from Greek Timotheos, “honoring God”
Kirill	Кирилл	Russian form of Cyril, from Greek kyrios, “lord”
Daniil	Даниил	Russian, Belarusian and Greek form of Daniel, from Hebrew, “God is my judge”
Makar	Макар	Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Makarios, from Greek makar, “blessed, happy”
Maksim	Максим	Russian, Belarusian and Macedonian form of Maximus, a Roman cognomen meaning “greatest”
Yegor	Егор	Russian form of George, from Greek georgos, “farmer, earthworker”
Nikita	Никита	Russian form of Niketas, from Greek niketes, “winner, victor”
Ilya	Илья	Russian and Belarusian form of Elijah, from Hebrew, “my God is Yahweh”
Arseniy	Арсений	Russian and Ukrainian form of Arsenios, which means “virile” in Greek
Zakhar	Захар	Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian form of Zacharias, the Greek and Latin form of Zechariah, “Yahweh remembers”
Semyon	Семён	Russian form of Simon, from Hebrew, “hearing, listening”
Stepan	Степан	Russian, Ukrainian and Armenian form of Stephanos (Stephen), Greek for “crown, wreath”
Gleb	Глеб	Russian form of the Old Norse Guðleifr, from guð, “god”, and leif, “inheritance, legacy”
Platon	Платон	Greek form of Plato, from Greek platys, “broad-shouldered”; used in Russian and Ukrainian

Sixteen Russian boy names to start with. Cyrillic and meanings as given on each name’s Behind the Name entry (read October 2026).

Notice how many of these are old Greek or Hebrew names in Russian dress: Matvey is Matthew, Semyon is Simon, Stepan is Stephen and Yegor is a Russian form of George. Gleb is different. Its entry traces it to an Old Norse name, and it is one of several Russian names that came from Scandinavia. For boy names from many languages side by side, see our baby boy names list.

Classic Russian Names for Boys and What They Mean

These are the names that fill Russian novels, music programs and family albums. Many of them are the Russian versions of names English speakers already know, which makes them easy to explain to grandparents on either side of the family.

Name	Cyrillic	Meaning
Aleksandr	Александр	Russian and Armenian form of Alexander, Greek for “defending men”
Aleksey	Алексей	Russian form of Alexius, from Alexis, “helper” or “defender”
Andrey	Андрей	Russian, Bulgarian and Belarusian form of Andrew, from Greek andreios, “manly, masculine”
Dmitriy	Дмитрий	Russian form of Demetrius, a Greek name derived from the goddess Demeter
Fyodor	Фёдор	Russian form of Theodore, Greek for “gift of god”
Grigoriy	Григорий	Russian form of Gregory, from Greek gregoros, “watchful, alert”
Igor	Игорь	Russian form of the Old Norse Yngvarr (Ingvar): the god Yngvi plus herr, “army, warrior”
Ivan	Иван	Newer form of the Old Church Slavic Ioannŭ, from Greek Ioannes (John), Hebrew for “Yahweh is gracious”
Konstantin	Константин	Form of Constantine, from Latin Constantinus, a derivative of Constans, “constant, steadfast”
Mikhail	Михаил	Russian and Belarusian form of Michael, Hebrew for “who is like God?”
Nikolay	Николай	Russian and Bulgarian form of Nicholas, Greek for “victory of the people”
Oleg	Олег	Russian form of the Old Norse Helgi, from heilagr, “holy, blessed”
Pavel	Павел	Russian (and Czech, Bulgarian and more) form of Paul, from the Roman name Paulus, “small”
Pyotr	Пётр	Russian form of Peter, from Greek petros, “stone”
Sergey	Сергей	Russian and Bulgarian form of Sergius, a Roman family name possibly meaning “servant” but most likely of unknown Etruscan origin
Vasiliy	Василий	Russian form of Basil, from Greek Basileios, “royal, kingly”
Yuriy	Юрий	Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of George, “farmer, earthworker”
Georgiy	Георгий	Russian form of George, from Greek georgos, “farmer, earthworker”
Boris	Борис	From a Bulgar Turkic name, perhaps meaning “short” or “wolf” or “snow leopard”
Leonid	Леонид	Russian and Ukrainian form of Leonidas, from Greek leon, “lion”
Anatoliy	Анатолий	Russian and Ukrainian form of Anatolius, from Greek anatole, “sunrise”
Gennadiy	Геннадий	Russian form of Gennadius, from Greek gennadas, “noble, generous”
Valeriy	Валерий	Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Valerius, from Latin valeo, “to be strong”
Viktor	Виктор	Form of Victor, a Roman cognomen meaning “victor, conqueror”
Yevgeniy	Евгений	Russian form of Eugene, from Greek eugenes, “well born”

Classic Russian boy names. Cyrillic and meanings as given on each name’s Behind the Name entry (read October 2026).

The entries also note famous bearers, which can help you picture a name on a grown man. Aleksandr Pushkin, the poet, carried the first name in the table. Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote Crime and Punishment. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a composer, and Dmitriy Mendeleyev was the chemist who devised the periodic table. Yuriy Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first man to travel to space.

Two of these names look similar but are separate entries. Yuriy and Georgiy are both Russian forms of George, so a family can honor a grandfather named George with either one. Yegor, in the table above, is a third. Igor and Oleg are the Old Norse pair: Behind the Name says the Varangians brought both names with them when they settled in Eastern Europe.

Boris is the one classic here whose origin is not Greek, Latin, Hebrew or Norse. Its entry traces it to a Bulgar Turkic name and gives three possible meanings, so we print all three rather than pick one.

Russian Boy Names That Work in English

If you want a name that reads the same on a Russian birthday card and an American class list, this group is the easiest. Each entry lists Russian among several usages, and most are spelled exactly as English speakers expect.

Name	Cyrillic	Meaning
Anton	Антон	Form of Antonius (Anthony), a Roman family name of unknown Etruscan origin
Artur	Артур	Form of Arthur, whose meaning is unknown; it could come from Celtic elements meaning “bear” and “man” or “king”
Adam	Адам	The Hebrew word for “man”, possibly from a root meaning “to be red” or from Akkadian adamu, “to make”
Adrian	Адриан	Form of Hadrianus, Latin for “from Hadria”
Albert	Альберт	From the Germanic Adalbert, “noble and bright”
David	Давид	From the Hebrew Dawid, from dod, “beloved” or “uncle”
Denis	Денис	From Denys or Denis, the medieval French forms of Dionysius, a name taken from the Greek god Dionysos
Eduard	Эдуард	Form of Edward, from Old English elements meaning “rich guard”
Emil	Эмиль	From the Roman family name Aemilius, from Latin aemulus, “rival”
Feliks	Феликс	Russian, Slovene and Polish form of Felix, a Roman cognomen meaning “lucky, successful”
Filipp	Филипп	Russian form of Philip, Greek for “friend of horses”
Lev	Лев	Means “lion” in Russian and Ukrainian, working as a vernacular form of Leo
Luka	Лука	Form of Lucas (Luke), probably from a Greek name meaning “from Lucania”, a region in southern Italy
Mark	Марк	Form of the Latin Marcus, probably derived from the name of the Roman god Mars
Martin	Мартин, Мартын	From the Roman Martinus, derived from the name of the Roman god Mars
Max	Макс	Short form of Maximilian or Maxim
Robert	Роберт	From the Germanic Hrodebert, “bright fame”
Roman	Роман	From the Latin name Romanus, “Roman”
Timur	Тимур	From the Turkic and Mongol name Temür, “iron”
Yakov	Яков	Russian and Bulgarian form of Jacob (or James); Jacob is explained as “holder of the heel” or “supplanter”, and other theories exist

Russian boy names that also work in English. Cyrillic and meanings as given on each name’s Behind the Name entry (read October 2026).

Lev deserves a note. Its entry says it means “lion” in Russian and Ukrainian and was the real Russian first name of the author known in English as Leo Tolstoy. If you like the lion idea, Leonid in the classic table shares it through the Greek leon.

Anton has a literary namesake too: the entry names the playwright Anton Chekhov. Max and Mark are as short as names get, which makes them good partners for a long Russian surname. Martin is one of the few entries that gives two Russian spellings, Мартин and Мартын.

We do not claim any of these is popular in Russia or the United States. The only current U.S. figures we use are the Social Security Administration’s top 10 boys’ names for babies born in 2025: Liam, Noah, Oliver, Theodore, Henry, James, Elijah, Mateo, William and Lucas. Two of those connect to this page. Theodore is the source of Fyodor, and Elijah is the source of Ilya, so a family drawn to either U.S. favorite has a Russian cousin ready.

Baby on the way? Get ahead on sleep.

Our free two-minute quiz builds a gentle, personalized sleep plan you can use from the first weeks at home.

Take the Free Sleep Quiz

Russian Diminutives and Nicknames for Boys

Ask a Russian speaker what a friend called Dmitriy goes by, and the answer is usually Dima. Middlebury College’s guide to Russian names says Russians use a shortened form of the first name, a diminutive, to connote a greater level of familiarity. So you may hear the short form far more often than the full name.

A lot of these short forms now have their own Behind the Name entries. Here is what each entry says the name is a diminutive of. Some are listed for both boys and girls, because the full names behind them have masculine and feminine versions.

Name	Cyrillic	Meaning
Sasha	Саша	Russian and Ukrainian diminutive of Aleksandr or Aleksandra (listed for boys and girls)
Misha	Миша	Russian diminutive of Mikhail
Dima	Дима	Diminutive of Dmitriy
Kolya	Коля	Diminutive of Nikolai
Vanya	Ваня	Diminutive of Ivan in Russian (masculine); in Bulgarian, of Ivana (feminine)
Alyosha	Алёша	Diminutive of Aleksey
Lyosha	Лёша	Diminutive of Aleksey
Grisha	Гриша	Diminutive of Grigoriy
Petya	Петя	Russian masculine diminutive of Pyotr (a Bulgarian feminine diminutive of Petar)
Pasha	Паша	Diminutive of Pavel or Pavlo for boys, or of Praskovya for girls
Kostya	Костя	Russian diminutive of Konstantin
Volodya	Володя	Diminutive of Vladimir
Vova	Вова	Diminutive of Vladimir
Yasha	Яша	Russian diminutive of Yakov
Zhenya	Женя	Russian diminutive of Yevgeniy or Yevgeniya (listed for boys and girls)
Tolya	Толя	Diminutive of Anatoliy
Vitya	Витя	Diminutive of Viktor
Styopa	Стёпа	Diminutive of Stepan
Fedya	Федя	Diminutive of Fyodor
Borya	Боря	Diminutive of Boris
Yura	Юра	Diminutive of Yuriy
Tyoma	Тёма	Diminutive of Artyom
Senya	Сеня	Russian diminutive of Arseniy and other names containing sen
Mitya	Митя	Diminutive of Dmitriy or Mitrofan
Roma	Рома	Diminutive of Roman
Stas	Стас	Russian and Ukrainian diminutive of Stanislav
Yarik	Ярик	Russian diminutive of Yaroslav
Gena	Гена	Diminutive of Gennadiy
Vasya	Вася	Diminutive of Vasiliy, Vasilisa, Vasyl and similar names
Rodya	Родя	Diminutive of Rodion

Russian diminutives and nicknames for boys. Cyrillic and meanings as given on each name’s Behind the Name entry (read October 2026).

Not always an obvious match: Misha does not look much like Mikhail, and Vova does not look much like Vladimir. If your family uses one of these, it helps to tell teachers and doctors both names early.
One full name, several nicknames: Aleksey gives both Alyosha and Lyosha; Vladimir gives both Volodya and Vova. Dmitriy can become Dima or Mitya.
Unisex short forms: Sasha and Zhenya are listed for boys and girls. Pasha, Petya, Vanya and Vasya are listed for both as well, though their entries explain that the feminine use comes from different full names or from Bulgarian.
A missing favorite: you will also hear a pet form of Sergey that we could not print here, because Behind the Name has no entry for it. We kept to names with their own entries.

A common way to use this list: put the full name on the birth certificate and let the diminutive do the daily work. Your son can then choose, as an adult, which one fits him. If you want a name that is already short on paper, our short boy names list has more.

Russian Male Names From Slavic Roots

Many names on this page came from Greek, Latin or Hebrew, but this group is built from old Slavic words. A few building blocks repeat, and once you know them you can read the names almost like sentences: slava (“glory”), volděti (“to rule”), mirŭ (“peace, world”) and jarŭ (“fierce, energetic”).

Name	Cyrillic	Meaning
Vladimir	Владимир	From the Old Slavic Voldiměrŭ: volděti, “to rule”, and měrŭ, “great, famous”; the second part has also been linked with mirŭ, “peace, world”
Vladislav	Владислав	From the Old Slavic Voldislavŭ: volděti, “to rule”, and slava, “glory”
Vsevolod	Всеволод	From the Slavic elements vĭśĭ, “all”, and volděti, “to rule”
Vyacheslav	Вячеслав	Russian and Ukrainian form of Veceslav (Václav): Slavic for “more, greater” plus slava, “glory”
Yaroslav	Ярослав	Means “fierce and glorious”, from jarŭ, “fierce, energetic”, and slava, “glory”
Svyatoslav	Святослав	From the Slavic elements svętŭ, “sacred, holy”, and slava, “glory”
Rostislav	Ростислав	From the Slavic elements orsti, “to grow”, and slava, “glory”
Mstislav	Мстислав	Means “vengeance and glory”, from mĭstĭ, “vengeance”, and slava, “glory” (labeled rare in Russian)
Miroslav	Мирослав	From the Slavic elements mirŭ, “peace, world”, and slava, “glory”
Stanislav	Станислав	From the Slavic stati, “stand, become”, and slava, “glory”
Bogdan	Богдан	Means “given by God”, from bogŭ, “god”, and danŭ, “given”
Borislav	Борислав	From the Slavic element borti, “battle”, and slava, “glory”
Radmir	Радмир	Russian form of Radomir: radŭ, “happy, willing”, and mirŭ, “peace, world”
Yaropolk	Ярополк	From jarŭ, “fierce, energetic”, and pŭlkŭ, “people, host” (labeled rare in Russian)
Slava	Слава	Short form of names containing slava, “glory”; typically masculine in Russia (listed for boys and girls)
Vlad	Влад	Old short form of Vladislav and other names beginning with volděti, “to rule, to control”

Russian boy names from Slavic roots. Cyrillic and meanings as given on each name’s Behind the Name entry (read October 2026).

Several of these entries tie the name to rulers of Kievan Rus. Yaroslav the Wise was an 11th-century grand prince of Kyiv who, per his entry, expanded Kievan Rus to its greatest extent. Vsevolod was the name of another 11th-century grand prince of Kyiv. Svyatoslav’s entry says a 10th-century ruler of that name, the son of Igor and Olga, was the first of those rulers to have a name of Slavic origin instead of an Old Norse one.

Vladimir’s entry is a good reminder to read meanings carefully. It explains the second part as “great, famous” and adds that it has also been associated with “peace, world”, so both readings appear in the table. If strength is the feeling you want, Bogdan, Yaroslav and Borislav pair well with our strong boy names.

Many of these names are shared across Slavic languages. Miroslav, Stanislav and Borislav are also Czech, Serbian, Croatian or Bulgarian names, so they can suit a family with roots in more than one of those countries.

Orthodox and Saint-Tradition Names

For many names on this page, the source entry names an early saint. The notes below say only what the entries say. They are not a church calendar, and we do not list name days.

Name	Cyrillic	Meaning
Serafim	Серафим	Form of Seraphinus, from the biblical seraphim, Hebrew in origin and meaning “fiery ones”
Tikhon	Тихон	Russian form of Tychon, from Greek tyche, “chance, luck, fortune” (labeled rare in Russian)
Savva	Савва	Russian form of Sabas, from Aramaic sava, “old man, grandfather”
Kuzma	Кузьма	Russian and Ukrainian form of Cosmas, from Greek kosmos, “order, world, universe”
Demyan	Демьян	Russian and Ukrainian form of Damian, from Greek damazo, “to tame”
Afanasiy	Афанасий	Russian form of Athanasius, Greek for “immortal”
Gerasim	Герасим	Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Gerasimos, from Greek geras, “honor, gift”
Foma	Фома	Russian form of Thomas, from the Aramaic Teoma, “twin”
Nil	Нил	Catalan, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Neilos, the Greek name of the Nile River (labeled rare in Russian)
Rodion	Родион	Russian form of Rhodion, a short form of Herodion, referring to Saint Herodion of Patras
Taras	Тарас	Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian form of the Greek Tarasios, which possibly means “from Taras”, a Greek-founded city now called Taranto
Nikodim	Никодим	Russian form of Nicodemus, Greek for “victory of the people”
Gavriil	Гавриил	Greek and Russian form of Gabriel, Hebrew for “God is my strong man”
Prokhor	Прохор	Russian form of Prochorus, Greek for “leader of the dance”
Ignat	Игнат	Russian and Bulgarian form of Ignatius, from the Roman family name Egnatius (meaning unknown), later spelled to resemble Latin ignis, “fire”

Russian boy names with saints in their history. Cyrillic and meanings as given on each name’s Behind the Name entry (read October 2026).

Kuzma and Demyan: the entries for Cosmas and Damian say the two saints were twin brothers, martyred in the 4th century, and that they are the patron saints of physicians.
Nil: its entry says the name was borne by a 15th-century Russian saint, Nil Sorsky.
Prokhor: Saint Prochorus, per his entry, was one of the original seven deacons of the church, as told in Acts in the New Testament.
Savva: the entry for Sabas lists saints including a 4th-century Gothic martyr and a 12th-century archbishop of Serbia who is that country’s patron saint.
Rodion: a famous fictional bearer, per its entry, is Rodion Raskolnikov of Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

Several of these have biblical roots shared with English names, such as Gavriil (Gabriel), Foma (Thomas) and Nikodim (Nicodemus). Our biblical boy names guide covers those roots in English.

Unique Russian Boy Names

These names are less familiar in English-speaking countries. That is our impression, not a statistic. Where an entry itself labels a name rare or archaic in Russian, we say so in the table; we did not read birth data that would let us call any other name rare.

Name	Cyrillic	Meaning
Vadim	Вадим	Meaning uncertain: used as a Russian form of the saint’s name Bademus, or possibly from Slavic vaditi, “to accuse, to argue”, or an Old Norse source
Akim	Аким	Russian form of Joachim, a contracted form of Jehoiachin or Jehoiakim
Arkadiy	Аркадий	Russian form of Arkadios, “of Arcadia”, a region of Greece
Askold	Аскольд	Probably from the Old Norse Hǫskuldr; other theories suggest a Slavic origin
Avgust	Август	Slovene and Russian form of Augustus, “exalted, venerable”
Yelisey	Елисей	Russian form of Elisha, Hebrew for “my God is salvation” (labeled rare in Russian)
Fedot	Федот	Russian form of Theodotus, Greek for “given to god”
Ippolit	Ипполит	Russian form of Hippolytos, Greek for “freer of horses” (labeled archaic in Russian)
Khariton	Харитон	Russian form of Chariton, from Greek charis, “grace, kindness”
Lavr	Лавр	Russian form of Laurus, from Latin laurus, “laurel” (labeled rare in Russian)
Osip	Осип	Russian form of Joseph, Hebrew for “he will add”
Rurik	Рюрик	Russian form of the Old Norse Hrǿríkr (labeled rare in Russian)
Saveliy	Савелий	Russian form of the Roman family name Sabellius, “a Sabine”
Trofim	Трофим	Russian form of Trophimus, Greek for “nourishing” (labeled rare in Russian)
Yefim	Ефим	Russian vernacular form of Euthymius, Greek for “in good spirits, generous”
Yemelyan	Емельян	Russian form of Aemilianus, from the Roman family name Aemilius (labeled rare in Russian)
Innokentiy	Иннокентий	Russian form of Innocentius, from Latin innocens, “innocent”
Kliment	Климент	Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Clemens (Clement), “merciful, gentle”
Naum	Наум	Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Nahum, Hebrew for “comfort”
Veniamin	Вениамин	Russian and Greek form of Benjamin, Hebrew for “son of the south” or “son of the right hand”
Ruslan	Руслан	Form of Yeruslan used by Aleksandr Pushkin in his poem Ruslan and Ludmila (1820); Yeruslan possibly comes from Turkic arslan, “lion”

Unique Russian boy names. Cyrillic and meanings as given on each name’s Behind the Name entry (read October 2026).

A few have stories worth knowing. Ruslan comes from a poem: Pushkin used it for the hero of Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), which the entry says was loosely based on Russian and Tatar folktales. Arkadiy is one of the main characters in Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons (1862). Askold, per its entry and the 12th-century Primary Chronicle it cites, was one of the early Varangian rulers of Kyiv, and Rurik’s entry names a 9th-century Varangian ruler of Novgorod.

Vadim is the honest case. Its entry says the meaning is uncertain and gives three possible sources, so we print it that way instead of choosing. For more names off the beaten path, see our unique boy names list.

How Russian Names Work for Boys: Patronymic and Surname

For a son with Russian family roots, the structure of the name matters as much as the first name. Our Russian girl names guide covers this in detail; here is the short version for boys.

Three names: Middlebury College’s Russian guide says Russians generally have three names: a given name, a patronymic and a family name.
Built from the father’s name: Cornell University’s Russian grammar pages say the middle name is called the patronymic because it is derived from the father’s first name. Their example: a man whose father is Пётр (Pyotr) has the patronymic Петрович (Petrovich).
Boys end in -ovich or -evich: Middlebury’s guide says a man’s patronymic ends in -ovich or -evich, while a woman’s ends in -ovna or -evna.
Not for little kids: Cornell’s page says a patronymic is normally not used when addressing small children and teenagers. It becomes part of polite address later, when first name plus patronymic is the respectful form.
Surnames differ by gender: a reference guide for registering students, published in 2016 by Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest for the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, notes that Russian men’s and women’s last names typically have different endings.
On U.S. forms: the same guide advises schools to place patronymics in the middle-name field unless the parents say otherwise.

In the United States, you can follow the tradition or adapt it. Some families give a Russian first name and an English middle name; others use the father’s name to build a patronymic-style middle name. Our middle names guide has ideas for both.

How to Choose a Russian Name for Your Son

Russian is written in Cyrillic, so every name needs a Latin spelling, and there is more than one way to do it. Behind the Name’s main entries for Сергей, Николай and Алексей end in y (Sergey, Nikolay, Aleksey) and list Sergei, Nikolai and Alexei as alternate transcriptions. The Library of Congress romanization table writes й as ĭ instead. None of these is wrong; each follows a different system.

Spellings	Cyrillic	Note from the entries
Aleksey / Alexei	Алексей	Alexei is listed as an alternate transcription of Aleksey
Yegor / Egor	Егор	Egor is listed as an alternate transcription of Yegor
Nikolay / Nikolai	Николай	Nikolai is listed as an alternate transcription of Nikolay
Sergey / Sergei	Сергей	Sergei is listed as an alternate transcription of Sergey
Yuriy / Yuri	Юрий	Yuri is listed as an alternate transcription of Yuriy
Yelisey / Elisey	Елисей	Elisey is listed as an alternate transcription of Yelisey

One Russian name, two English spellings. Each spelling has its own Behind the Name entry.

Pick one spelling and keep it: use the same Latin spelling on the birth certificate, passport, insurance card and school forms. U.S. paperwork does not always carry accents or special characters, and it will not carry Cyrillic, so the spelling you choose is the one your son will live with.
Watch the ё: Артём, Семён, Фёдор and Пётр all contain ё, which the Library of Congress table writes as ë. In each of these entries’ pronunciation guides, that syllable carries the stress: ar-TYOM, se-MYON, FYO-dor and the single syllable PYOTR.
Learn where the stress falls: Russian spelling does not mark stress. From the entries’ pronunciation guides: Nikita is stressed on the second syllable (ni-KEE-ta), Timofey on the last (ti-mo-FEY), Igor on the first (EE-gor) and Oleg on the second (a-LYEK, with the final sound close to a k).
Say the whole name out loud: try the first name with your surname, then the initials. Long names such as Svyatoslav or Innokentiy are lovely, but think about how a teacher will read them on the first day of school.
Ask family about nicknames: the diminutive is often the name a boy hears most at home. If you have Russian-speaking relatives, ask which pet form they would use before you decide.

Some parents choose a Russian name that needs no explaining in English: Anton, Mark, Roman, Lev, Adam or David. Others want the full Russian sound and are happy to spell it out. Both are good choices. If you are weighing names from other cultures too, our same-day Chinese boy names guide uses the same checked approach, and our boy names that start with A list suits Artyom, Arseniy, Aleksandr and Anton.

Related Betteroo Guides

The Bottom Line

Russian boy names give you a wide range: Greek and Hebrew classics such as Fyodor, Matvey and Ilya; Slavic names such as Yaroslav, Bogdan and Vladislav; English-friendly picks such as Anton, Lev and Roman; and a whole layer of warm nicknames like Misha and Kolya. Choose the full name you love, settle on one English spelling, and decide which short form your family will use.

Every meaning on this page is the one its Behind the Name entry gives. When an entry says the meaning is uncertain, as with Vadim, or unknown, as with Arthur behind Artur, we say so too. Once the name is settled, our newborn sleep schedule week by week can help with what comes next.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are common Russian boy names?

Well known Russian boy names include Aleksandr, Dmitriy, Ivan, Mikhail, Sergey, Andrey, Nikolay, Maksim, Artyom and Kirill. We do not rank them, because we did not read an official Russian ranking. Many are Russian forms of familiar names: Ivan is related to John, Mikhail to Michael and Andrey to Andrew.

What are some cool Russian boy names?

Cool is a matter of taste, but names with strong sounds and clear meanings are a good place to start: Lev (lion), Yaroslav (fierce and glorious), Timur (iron), Gleb, Artyom, Makar and Vsevolod. Ruslan has a literary story, since Aleksandr Pushkin used it for the hero of his 1820 poem Ruslan and Ludmila.

What are some unique Russian boy names?

Less familiar Russian boy names in English-speaking countries include Savva, Tikhon, Prokhor, Yelisey, Khariton, Ippolit, Askold and Radmir. That is an impression rather than a statistic. Behind the Name labels a few as rare or archaic in Russian, including Tikhon, Yelisey, Trofim and Ippolit, so they can stand out.

What are common Russian nicknames for boys?

Russian boys are often called by a diminutive at home. Mikhail becomes Misha, Dmitriy becomes Dima or Mitya, Nikolai becomes Kolya, Ivan becomes Vanya, Aleksey becomes Alyosha or Lyosha, and Vladimir becomes Volodya or Vova. Sasha can be short for Aleksandr or Aleksandra, so it is used for boys and girls.

How does a Russian patronymic work for a boy?

A Russian middle name is a patronymic built from the father’s first name. For a boy it usually ends in ovich or evich, so the son of Pyotr is Petrovich. Patronymics are normally not used when talking to small children. On U.S. school forms the patronymic usually goes in the middle-name field.

Which Russian boy names mean strong or brave?

Several do, according to their Behind the Name entries. Valeriy comes from the Latin for to be strong, Viktor means victor or conqueror, Nikita comes from the Greek for winner or victor, and Andrey comes from the Greek for manly. Lev and Leonid both come from words for lion.

Calmer days, better nights.

Betteroo builds a personalized sleep plan for your baby. Take the free two-minute quiz and have it ready before the newborn weeks.