199 Russian baby boy name ideas – with origins and meanings 2024

We've included Russian boy names that are traditional, popular, cool, unusual, strong, common – and even a selection of gender-neutral Russian names, to give you some options with a unisex theme. With our brilliant Russian baby boy suggestions, we're sure you'll find just the right one for your little mal'chik.

Here's our list of the best Russian baby boy names to inspire you...

Most popular Russian boy names

There are no Russian baby boy names in the top 100 names published by the Office for National Statistics (for names registered in England and Wales), by the National Records of Scotland or by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. But there are some Russian names lurking just outside the top 100, making them the most popular Russian boy names in the UK – and we've listed them below:

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1. Igor

Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: warrior

2. Nikita

Origin: Greek-Slavic
Meaning: unconquered

3. Mikhail

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: godlike, who is like God
Also: Misha

4. Aleksandr

Origin: Greek
Meaning: defender of men, warrior
Also: Alexander, Alex, Alexei, Aleka

5. Alexei

Origin: Greek
Meaning: protect, defend
Also: Aleka, Alexsey, Aloysha, Alexey

6. Leonid

Origin: Greek
Meaning: son of the lion, lion-like
Also: Leo, Leontiy

7. Daniil

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is my judge
Also: Danyl, Danya

8. Boris

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: battle glory; prosperous life

9. Dmitri

Origin: Greek
Meaning: earth lover; follower of Demeter
Also: Dimitry, Dimitry

Common Russian boy names

Here, we've picked some of the most common names picked by Russian parents for their baby boys. None of them are in the current official Russian top 10 boy names list (you can see those in The 10 most popular boy names in Russia, below) but they are Russian boy names that are consistently favoured all over the country and either hover just outside the top 10 list or have been in the top 10 list in the recent past.

10. Andrey

Origin: Greek
Meaning: manly, strong, courageous, warrior
Also: Andrei

11. Avraam

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: father of multitudes; Russian form of Abraham

12. Bogdan

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: God-given, gift of God

13. Fyodor

Origin: Greek
Meaning: God's gift; Russian form of Theodore

14. Grigory

Origin: Greek
Meaning: watchful, alert, curious, swift
Also: Grisha

15. Ilia

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: my God is the lord

16. Luka

Origin: Greek
Meaning: bright, shining, bringer of light

17. Milan

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: kind, dear, gentle

18. Miron

Origin: Greek
Meaning: perfume, perfumed with myrrh

19. Nikolai

Origin: Greek/Slavic
Meaning: victory of the people
Also: Nicolay, Kolya, Niko

20. Oleg

Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: holy, blessed

21. Onisim

Origin: Greek
Meaning: one who brings luck, prosperity

22. Pyotr

Origin: Greek
Meaning: stone, rock; Russian form of Peter

23. Rurik

Origin: Germanic
Meaning: famous ruler; Russian form of Roderick

24. Sergei

Origin: Latin
Meaning: servant, slave
Also: Sergey

25. Viktor

Origin: Latin
Meaning: conqueror
Also: Vitya

26. Vladimir

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: great ruler, ruler of the world
Also: Vlad, Vadim

27. Vladislav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: glorious ruler
Also: Vlad

28. Yevgeni

Origin: Greek
Meaning: wellborn, noble; Russian form of Eugene
Also: Evgeni

29. Yuily

Origin: Latin
Meaning: youthful; sacred to Jupiter

30. Veniamin

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: son of the right hand; favoured; Russian form of Benjamin

Unusual Russian boy names

When it comes to naming your baby, you don’t have to follow the crowd, either in Moscow or in the UK. These singular Russian baby boy names are on the unconventional side so are ideal if you are looking for something rare, distinctive or unique. The names don't all have pure Russian origins but they are all names in current use in Russia.

31. Abrasha

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: father of many

32. Albert

Origin: Germanic
Meaning: noble-bright

33. Ardalion

Origin: Greek
Meaning: irrigate, to water

34. Aristarkh

Origin: Greek
Meaning: the perfect source, the right origin

35. Arkadi

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Arcadia

36. Benedikt

Origin: Latin
Meaning: blessed

37. Dariy

Origin: Persian
Meaning: possessing goodness; variant of Darius

38. Dorofey

Origin: Greek
Meaning: gift of God

39. Emmanuil

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is with us

40. Faddey

Origin: Syriac-Aramaic
Meaning: heart, friend

41. Feofan

Origin: Greek
Meaning: epiphany, manifestation of a deity

42. Feofil

Origin: Greek
Meaning: friend of God

43. Ferapont

Origin: Greek
Meaning: servant

44. Foma

Origin: Aramaic
Meaning: twin, double, Gemini

45. Gerasim

Origin: Greek
Meaning: worthy of a prize

46. Hedeon

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: who cuts, destroyer

47. Ieronim

Origin: Greek
Meaning: sacred name

48. Ilariy

Origin: Latin
Meaning: cheerful, merry

49. Ipatiy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: highest, eminent

50. Ippolit

Origin: Greek
Meaning: unleashing of horses

51. Iriney

Origin: Greek
Meaning: peace, tranquillity, harmony

52. Innokentiy

Origin: Latin
Meaning: an honest man, a gentleman
Also: Kesha, Nika

53. Kirill

Origin: Greek
Meaning: lordly; Russian form of Cyril

54. Khristofer

Origin: Greek
Meaning: bearing Christ

55. Makari

Origin: Greek
Meaning: blessed

56. Matvey

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: gift of the lord; Russian form of Matthew

57. Mitrofan

Origin: Greek
Meaning: the one who reveals himself to the mother

58. Mishura

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: who is like God, godlike

59. Melor

Origin: Russian
Meaning: acronym of Marx, Engels, Lenin and October Revolution, created to commemorate the former Soviet state

60. Nestor

Origin: Greek
Meaning: homecoming, to return safely

61. Nikandr

Origin: Greek
Meaning: victory of man
Also: Nik, Nikki

62. Polykarp

Origin: Greek
Meaning: illustrious fruit, the one who gathers fruit
Also: Karp

63. Radimir

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: willing to make peace

64. Robert

Origin: Germanic
Meaning: bright fame, shining glory

65. Rustik

Origin: Latin
Meaning: of the country, rural

66. Timofey

Origin: Greek
Meaning: in God's honour, honouring God
Also: Timka

67. Trofim

Origin: Greel
Meaning: nourishment, to support

68. Urvan

Origin: Latin
Meaning: citizen, city-dweller

69. Varfolomey

Origin: Aramaic
Meaning: son of Talmai, son of furrows

70. Vissarion

Origin: Greek
Meaning: wooded valley

71. Yefrem

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: fruitful

72. Yelisey

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is my saviour

73. Yury

Origin: Greek
Meaning: land-worker, farmer
Also: Iouri, Yuriy

74. Zakhar

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God has remembered

75. Zavid

Origin: Serbian
Meaning: to envy

76. Zinov

Origin: Greek
Meaning: life of Zeus

77. Zhivago

Origin: Russian
Meaning: life

Cute Russian baby boy names

Some people have a (mistaken) idea of all Russian baby boy names being dour and stiff but there are actually many Russian baby boy names that are delightfully sweet and charming. We’ve picked out some super-cute Russian boy name ideas – ranging from names that simply sound cute to those with cute meanings, too. We particularly love Pasha, which means small, Khrysanya, which means golden flower, and Amvrosiy which means divine.

78. Abram

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: father of many

79. Alik

Origin: Greek
Meaning: defender of the people

80. Amvrosiy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: immortal, divine

81. Anton

Origin: Etruscan
Meaning: highly praiseworthy

82. Antosha

Origin: Etruscan
Meaning: invaluable

83. Budimir

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: the one who awakens peace

84. Danya

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is my judge

85. Dima

Origin: Greek
Meaning: earth mother

86. Erast

Origin: Greek
Meaning: beloved, passionate

87. Fedotka

Origin: Greek
Meaning: divine, deity
Also: Fedya, Fedot

88. Filipp

Origin: Greek
Meaning: fond of horses

89. Gennady

Origin: Greek
Meaning: noble, generous, noble of birth
Also: Gena, Genasha

90. Iona

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: dove; Russian form of Jonah

91. Isay

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is salvation

92. Iustin

Origin: Latin
Meaning: rightful, fair, honest

93. Kir

Origin: Greek-Persian
Meaning: young

94. Kolya

Origin: Greek
Meaning: victory of the people
Also: Nikolai

95. Khrysanya

Origin: Greek
Meaning: golden flower, bloom

96. Lavr

Origin: Latin
Meaning: laurel
Also: Lavrentiy, Lavrik

97. Pasha

Origin: Latin-Greek
Meaning: small, modest, humble

98. Pavel

Origin: Latin
Meaning: small, humble; Russian form of Paul

99. Taras

Origin: Greek
Meaning: oak; son of Poseidon

The 10 most popular baby boy names in Russia

We don't have the baby name data from the whole of Russia but we do have the official list from the Statista Research Department of the most common first names given to a baby boy Moscow, Russia's capital city:

Aleksandr. Origin: Greek; Meaning: defender of men, warrior
Artyom. Origin: Greek; Meaning: strong as a bear
Daniil. Origin: Hebrew; Meaning: God is my judge
Dmitry. Origin: Greek; Meaning: earth lover, follower of Demeter
Ivan. Origin: Hebrew; Meaning: Russian form of John, meaning God is gracious
Lev. Origin: Greek; Meaning: lion
Mark. Origin: Latin; Meaning: dedicated to Mars, god of war
Matvey. Origin: Hebrew; Meaning: gift of the lord, Russian form of Matthew
Maksim. Origin: Latin; Meaning: the greatest, illustrious
Mikhail. Origin: Hebrew; Meaning: who is like God, godlike; Russian form of Michael

Traditional Russian baby boy names

Teeming with history, these traditional baby boy names have been given to Russian newborns for centuries, and will likely continue to be well into the future. We like their classic solidity and their meanings that centre on leadership, faithfulness and an action-packed life.

100. Adrian

Origin: Latin
Meaning: from the city of Hadria

101. Anastasiy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: resurrected

102. Anikita

Origin: Greek
Meaning: unconquerable
Also: Nikita

103. Artur

Origin: Latin-Ancient British
Meaning: leader, bear king

104. Borya

Origin: Bulgarian
Meaning: heavenly, celestial

105. David

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: beloved

106. Denisk

Origin: Greek
Meaning: after Dionysius, the Greek god of wine

107. Dosifey

Origin: Greek
Meaning: divine God

108. Erikhfoniy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: earth-shaker

109. Garya

Origin: Greek
Meaning: land-worker, farmer

110. Ioann

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is gracious, old Russian form of John

111. Iosef

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God will increase

112. Isidor

Origin: Greek
Meaning: gift of Isis (the goddess of magic)

113. Kliment

Origin: Latin
Meaning: merciful, peaceful, gentle

114. Lukyan

Origin: Latin
Meaning: light, clear, bright

115. Maksimilian

Origin: Latin
Meaning: greatness, illustrious, important
Also: Max

116. Miroslav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: peace, calm, world, glory, renown

117. Moisey

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: son, to create, to form

118. Osip

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God will increase

119. Samuil

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: name of God, God has heard

120. Semyon

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: the listener, listening

121. Viktor

Origin: Latin
Meaning: conqueror, man of victory

122. Vitaliy

Origin: Latin
Meaning: life

123. Yegor

Origin: Greek
Meaning: land-worker, farmer

124. Yulian

Origin: Latin
Meaning: youthful

Cool Russian baby boy names

This selection of baby boy names from Russia have a swaggeringly cool style – in the way they're said, what they mean or who they're named after. We love them all but our favourite, for its funky mid-name apostrophe, has to be Vl’koslav – with a meaning as glorious as the name sounds when you say it out loud.

125. Afanasiy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: immortal, resurrection

126. Agafonya

Origin: Greek
Meaning: person with good character, brave, noble in spirit

127. Anatoliy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: sunrise, rising above the horizon
Also: Anatoly

128. Anton

Origin: Etruscan
Meaning: highly praiseworthy

129. Arkhip

Origin: Greek
Meaning: master of horses

130. Artem

Origin: Greek
Meaning: strong as a bear

131. Feliks

Origin: Latin
Meaning: lucky, successful, happiness

132. Gavriil

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: a strong man of God, God is my strength

133. Ilya

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: my God is the lord

134. Ignatiy

Origin: Etruscan
Meaning: fiery one, glow, radiance

135. Isaak

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: he laughs

136. Khariton

Origin: Greek
Meaning: grace, kindness

137. Kima

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: established by Yahweh; raised by God

138. Marat

Origin: Arabic
Meaning: to desire, desired, wished

139. Natan

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: He has given, He will give

140. Panteley

Origin: Greek
Meaning: compassionate, most merciful

141. Prokopiy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: progress, advance

142. Rafail

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God heals

143. Rodion

Origin: Greek
Meaning: song of the hero
Also: Rodya

144. Rostislav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: growth of glory

145. Sevastyan

Origin: Greek
Meaning: sacred, majestic

146. Stanislav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: to stand in glory

147. Svyatopolk

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: bright people, blessed people

148. Svyatoslav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: holy glory, blessed glory

149. Valentin

Origin: Latin
Meaning: healthy, strong, vigorous

150. Venya

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: having greater glory

How do Russian names work?

Russian names have three parts: the first name and surname, like British names, and then the patronymic, which is the middle name.

The patronymic is formed for boys by taking their father's first name and adding -ovich or -evich to it.

So, a son of Ivan will have the middle name Ivanovich, and a son of Vladimir will be called Vladimirovich.

(Girls add -ovna or -evna to the father's first names so a daughter of Ivan will have the patronymic Vladimirovna while a daughter of Ivan will be called Ivanovna.)

Russians are known by multiple names: their full first name, as well as several diminutive versions of it that are shortened forms or nicknames. These nicknames carry different levels of familiarity and affection, so a person could be called by his first full name at work, a diminutive with friends and family, another diminutive by family members, and so on.

In some cases, these diminutive versions have become popular as names in their own right outside of Russia. Names such as Alec, Sasha and Misha are just three examples of diminutives of Russian names that work as standalone names.

Here are some popular Russian baby boy names with their diminutives:

Alexander - Sasha, Shura, Sashenka, Sashulya, Sashka, Sanya

Dmitry - Dima, Dimochka

Ivan - Vanya, Vanechka

Mikhail - Misha, Mishenka

Viktor - Vitya, Vityenka, Vityok

Yakov - Yasha, Yashen'ka

151. Vl’koslav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: great glory

152. Voyslav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: more glory

153. Vyacheslav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: having greater glory

154. Yefim

Origin: Greek
Meaning: one who speaks well

Strong Russian boy names

If you're after a statement Russian boy name that stands out for its imposing, powerful vibes, we've some super-strong ideas here. Some are fiery and fit for a warrior, while others celebrate bravery, vigour and lion-like strength.

155. Adam

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God will establish

156. Alyosha

Origin: Greek
Meaning: guard, protect, defend, help

157. Amvrosiy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: immortal, divine, ambrosia

158. Andrian

Origin: Latin
Meaning: from the city of Hadria

159. Arseniy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: masculine, manly, strong

160. Artyom

Origin: Greek/Slavic
Meaning: strong as a bear; dedicated to Artemis

161. Avgust

Origin: Greek
Meaning: immortal, divine, ambrosia

162. Boleslav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: greater glory, more glory

163. Borislav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: glorious battle

164. Bronislav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: protection and glory

165. Bryachislav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: to cry glory

166. Demid

Origin: Greek
Meaning: god-like cunning, advised by Zeus

167. Demyan

Origin: Greek
Meaning: to tame, subdue

168. Domaslav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: home glory

169. Eduard

Origin: Germanic
Meaning: guard prosperity, defend wealth

170. Genrikh

Origin: Old High German
Meaning: home ruler

171. Gleb

Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: the descendent of the Lord

172. Ivan

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is gracious

173. Konstantin

Origin: Latin
Meaning: steadfast
Also: Kostya

174. Lazar

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God has helped

175. Lev

Origin: Greek
Meaning: lion

176. Mechislav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: sword of glory

177. Mstislav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: vengeance and glory

178. Panas

Origin: Greek
Meaning: immortal
Also: Apanos, Panash

179. Pankratiy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: all-powerful

180. Rolan

Origin: Turkish
Meaning: glory to the homeland

181. Ruslan

Origin: Turkish
Meaning: the great lion; dashing young fellow

182. Spartak

Origin: Greek
Meaning: from the city of Sparta

183. Valeriy

Origin: Latin
Meaning: strong, vigorous, brave

184. Valik

Origin: Latin
Meaning: strong, healthy

185. Vasiliy

Origin: Greek
Meaning: king, chief, master

186. Vikentiy

Origin: Latin
Meaning: conqueror, winner

187. Yakov

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: supplanter
Also: Yasha

188. Yaroslav

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: fierce and glorious

Gender-neutral Russian names

Yes, this is a list of Russian baby boy names – but there are actually many boy names that are popular with Russian parents of boys but are used pretty frequently for girls, too. If you like the idea of a unisex boy name with a Russian flavour, there might be just the name here for you:

189. Afonya

Origin: Greek
Meaning: immortal, resurrection

190. Alek

Origin: Greek
Meaning: defender of mankind

191. Damyan

Origin: Greek
Meaning: to tame, subdue

192. Genya

Origin: Greek
Meaning: of noble birth

193. Georgi

Origin: Greek
Meaning: farmer; Russian form of George

194. Mischa

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: one who is like God

195. Mitya

Origin: Greek
Meaning: dedicated to Demeter

196. Sanya

Origin: Greek
Meaning: protector of men

197. Sasha

Origin: Greek
Meaning: defender of men

198. Shura

Origin: Greek
Meaning: defender of men

199. Vanya

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: gracious gift of God

Pic: Getty Images

Gabrielle NathanContributor

Gabrielle Nathan has been a journalist for 20 years, writing lifestyle features for publications including Red, Women’s Health, Wildflower and Condé Nast Traveller. She has been writing about parenting since 2012, the year she became a mum.