Whether you’re of Russian descent yourself or you simply admire the culture, there are many good reasons to want to give your daughter a Russian name.
Russia has a strong heritage and culture that has influenced the entire world — from literature to music to history — so opting for a Russian girl’s name will give your daughter a little piece of that history. Bonus points if you also get her to learn to spell her name in Cyrillic!
Possibly one of the first names that would spring to mind for most people is Anastasiya (or Anastasia if you’d prefer the anglicized version). It’s a beautiful name with many references in popular culture.
Another pretty name that’s already used fairly often across the world is Veronika (or, if you’d prefer, Veronica).
Looking for a name that’s completely unlike any Western names and hasn’t been anglicized? Try Klavdiya, the feminine form of Claudius. It’s used in Bulgaria and Ukraine as well as in Russian, and can be shortened as Klava.
Alternatively, there’s Zinaida, the name of a first-century state from the Eastern Orthodox Church. The name also exists in Ancient Greece.
If you’d prefer to keep things simple, why not opt for Anna? It harks back to Anna Karenina, the namesake of one of the best-known pieces of Russian literature.
Agafia
Meaning: Russian form of Agatha. Good
Origin: Russian
Agnessa
Meaning: Meek
Origin: Russian
Aleksandra
Meaning: Defender of man
Origin: Greek
Alena
Meaning: Russian form of Helen: light. Diminutive of Adelina: of the nobility. Noble
Origin: Russian
Alexis
Meaning: Defender or helper
Origin: Russian
Alina
Meaning: Beautiful
Origin: Russian
Anastasiya
Meaning: Resurrection
Origin: Greek
Anna
Meaning: He (God) has favored me
Origin: Hebrew
Antonina
Meaning: Feminine form of Anton: beyond praise
Origin: Russian
Calina
Meaning: Variant of Helen
Origin: Russian
Charlotta
Meaning: Free man
Origin: German
Czarina
Meaning: Feminine of czar. Russian equivalent to a female caesar or empress
Origin: Russian
Darina
Meaning: Feminine of Darius; a Persian royal name
Origin: Russian
Dasha
Meaning: God’s gift
Origin: Russian
Dominika
Meaning: Lord
Origin: French, Latin
Ekaterina
Meaning: Russian form of Katherine: pure
Origin: Russian
Elena
Meaning: Shining light. Variant of Helen
Origin: Russian
Elga
Meaning: Holy, sacred
Origin: Slavic
Eva
Meaning: Life, animal
Origin: Hebrew
Evelina
Meaning: Life
Origin: Russian
Evgenia
Meaning: Russian form of Eugenia: noble
Origin: Russian
Feodora
Meaning: Derived from the Greek Theodora, meaning God’s gift
Origin: Slavic
Galya
Meaning: God has redeemed
Origin: Slavic
Helga
Meaning: Prosperous, successful; holy
Origin: Scandinavian
Inessa
Meaning: Pure, holy
Origin: Greek
Irina
Meaning: Peace
Origin: Greek
Katherina
Meaning: Pure
Origin: Greek
Kira
Meaning: Russian form of Helen: light
Origin: Russian
Klavidya
Meaning: Unknown
Origin: Unknown
Kristina
Meaning: Christian
Origin: Scandinavian
Lara
Meaning: Protection. Cheerful. Adopted from Latin
Origin: Latin
Lidia
Meaning: From Lydia
Origin: Greek
Ludmila
Meaning: Love of the people
Origin: Russian
Margarete
Meaning: Pearl
Origin: Greek
Mila
Meaning: Miracles; favored
Origin: Spanish
Nadezhda
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Russian
Nastya
Meaning: Resurrection
Origin: Greek
Natalia
Meaning: Birthday
Origin: Latin
Nika
Meaning: People of victory
Origin: Greek
Nina
Meaning: Little girl; great-granddaughter
Origin: Hebrew
Oksana
Meaning: Praise God
Origin: Hebrew
Olena
Meaning: Sun ray
Origin: Greek
Olga
Meaning: Blessed, holy; successful
Origin: Scandinavian
Sabina
Meaning: Sabine
Origin: Latin
Sonja
Meaning: Variant of Sophia: wisdom
Origin: Russian
Svetlana
Meaning: Luminescent
Origin: Russian
Tatiana
Meaning: Feminine of Tatius, a Roman family clan name
Origin: Latin
Veronika
Meaning: Victory bringer
Origin: Greek
Ursula
Meaning: Little she-bear
Origin: Scandinavian
Zinaida
Meaning: Belonging to Zeus
Origin: Greek
