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Russian Names for Boys

Russian names for boys range from the familiar (Nikolai, Ivan, Vladimir), to the under-the-radar (Matvei, Leonid, Rodion), to the utterly unknown (Timofel, Innokenti, Yelisei).

Along with Nikolai and Ivan, other Russian boys’ names that have featured in the US Top 1000 in recent years include Valentin and Dimitri. Baby boy names popular in Russia include Mikhail — the Russian variation of Michael — Kirill, Maksim, Lev, Roman and Alexei.

All of these Russian boys’ names share a certain special power and energy — the Russian "strong man" image in baby name form, if you like. Whether you’re looking for a Russian boy name to honor your heritage, or you’re simply drawn to the strong sounds and striking looks of Russian baby names, you’re sure to find something to love in our long-list of Russian names for boys, below. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.

A note on Russian usage: most boys' names ending in -sha, -ya and -ka, like Sasha (from Aleksandr), Kostya (from Konstantin) and Vovka (from Vladimir), are diminutive forms in Russian, and are not usually given as names in their own right.

Origin:Russian variation of Daniel
10500
Lev

Meaning: heart; lion

Origin:Hebrew, Russian
188
Dimitri

Meaning: follower of Demeter

Origin:Russian from Greek Demetrius
192
Nikolai

Meaning: people of victory

Origin:Russian variation of Nicholas
428
Valentin

Meaning: strength, health

Origin:French, German, Russian, Czech, Scandinavian variation of Valentine
726
Ivan

Meaning: God is gracious

Origin:Russian variation of John
429
Valery A name primarily chosen for girls, the meani...
Origin:French
9469
Dmitri The name Dmitri is of Slavic origin. The mea...
Origin:Russian from Greek Demetrius
1892
Rodion

Meaning: song of the hero

Origin:Russian from Greek
2179
Ilya

Meaning: the Lord is my God

Origin:Russian variation of Elijah
577
Alexei

Meaning: defending men

Origin:Russian, Greek
803
Misha The name Misha is Hebrew and the meaning of ...
Origin:Russian, diminutive of Mikhail
2220
Zhivago

Meaning: life

Origin:Russian literary name
2727
Konstantin The name Konstantin is derived from Russian ...
Origin:Russian
2609
Simeon

Meaning: he [God] has heard

Origin:Hebrew
713
Vadim

Meaning: attractive

Origin:Russian
4367
Vladimir

Meaning: great ruler, peaceful ruler, ruler of the world

Origin:Slavic
838
Feodore While the name Feodore finds its origins in ...
Origin:Greek
4956
Sasha

Meaning: defending men

Origin:Russian diminutive of Alexander
949
Kenya

Meaning: mountain of white

Origin:Place name, Kikuyu
16158