10 Jan 2023

20 Common Ukrainian Names and Their Origins

MARYNA LOOIJEN

Names can tell you a lot about the culture, history, and the world’s view of the nation. In this post, we will show you 20 popular Ukrainian names and their meanings.

The oldest names have Slavic origin, and very often, they have similar forms in Russian and Belarus languages. Pagans gave their kids names of the gods and goddesses or made names from words with a positive meaning. People believed in the magic power of the names.

Святосла́в (Sviatoslav)

Origin: Old East Slavic: Свѧтославь, Свѧтославль; свята слава – holy glory.

Famous person with this name: Grand Prince of Kyiv Sviatoslav. Approximate years of life:938 – 972. Painter A. Shtanko.

В’ячесла́в (Viacheslav)

Origin: Old East Slavic: вяче слава – more glory, the most glorified.

Famous person with this name: В’ячеслав Чорновіл (Viacheslav Chornovil). The Ukrainian politician, dissident in the Soviet Union. (Years of life: 1937-1999).

  Photo: zbruc.eu

Миросла́в (m)/ Миросла́ва (f) (Myroslav/Myroslava)

Origin: Old East Slavic: мир і слава – peace and glory.

Famous person with this name: Мирослава Барчук (Myroslava Barchuk) – contemporary Ukrainian journalist and television presenter at the national broadcast “Suspilne”.

  Photo: detector. media

Яросла́в (m)/Яросла́ва (f) (Yaroslav/Yaroslava)

Origin: Old East Slavic: ярий і слава – bright, ardent, and glory.

Famous person with this name: Ярослава Кравченко (Yaroslava Kravchenko) – contemporary journalist and television presenter at “Television Toronto”.

  Photo: unian.ua

Note: Short variant of the names like Ярослав(a), В’ячеслав, Святослав etc. is Слава for both feminine and masculine genders.

There are Scandinavian origin names; mostly, these were the names of the first rulers who established Rus.

І́гор (Ihor)

Origin: derived from the Old Norse name Ingvarr (god of fertility and solicitous, warlike).

Famous person with this name: Ігор Рюрикович Ihor the Old (died 945) was a Varangian ruler of Rus from 912 to 945.

Picture: mosaic in the Kyiv metro station “Golden Cate”.

О́льга (Olha) (f)/ Олег (Oleh) (m)

Short form of Ольга – Оля

Origin: both of the names came from Old Norse Helga, Hælga, Hælgha (masculine form – Helgi), helgi – dedicated, saint, holy.

Famous person with this name: Княгиня Ольга Olha of Kyiv (died – 969) was a regent of Rus for her son Sviatoslav from 945 until 960.

Picture: St. Olha by Mykhailo Nesterov

The majority of Ukrainian names originate from Biblical characters or saints. The names came from Hebrew, Greek or Latin. The most popular are:

Марі́я (Mariia)

Origin: Hebrew מרים Mariam – the mother of Jesus Christ. Марія to the Ukrainian language came from the Greek name Μαρία.

Famous person with this name: Марія Примаченко Mariia Prymachenko (1908–1997) was a Ukrainian village folk art painter, representative of naïve art.

  Photo: pmu.in.ua/museum_pedagogics

Eared beast grasped a Crustacean. 1983 Mariia Prymachenko

Forms of the name: Марічка, Маруся, Марійка, Маша.

Іва́н (Ivan)

Origin: Hebrew:יוֹחָנָן‎, Yôḥanan – God is gracious; to the Ukrainian language came from Greek Ἰωάννης, Iōannēs; lat. Ioannes, Iohannes.

Famous person with this name: Іван Франко Ivan Franko (1856 – 1916) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, journalist, interpreter, political activist, the author of the first detective novels, and modern poetry in the Ukrainian language.

Forms of the name: Іва, Івасик, Іванчик.

Тара́с (Taras)

Origin: Greek Ταράσιος – restless, rebel.

Famous person with this name: Тарас Шевченко Taras Shevchenko – (1814 – 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public, and political figure. His literary heritage is the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature and language. He is called the father of the Ukrainian nation.

Selfportrait 1840

Катери́на (Kateryna)

Origin: Old Greek: Αικατερίνη – perfect, innocent, pure.

Famous person with this name: Катерина Білокур Kateryna Bilokur (1900 – 1961) was a Ukrainian folk artist, representative of naïve art, folk decorative painting.