80+ Common Russian Boy Names

Published October 5, 2020
choosing baby names

Are you looking for the perfect Russian boy's name for your new son? Thankfully, Russian boy names are easy to find and some have strong meanings. Find the perfect Russian male name to suit the unique personality of your child.

Russian Boy Names With Strong Meanings

Are you looking for a Russian name with a strong meaning for your child? You're in luck. Several Russian names have strong meanings like a defender of man and brave. Explore various Russian boy names that are as strong as your son.

  • Alek - defender, a form of Alexander

  • Aleksandr - defending man

  • Aleksei - defender

  • Alik - helper of man

  • Andrei - manly, brave

  • Armen - a soldier

  • Boris - wolf, fighter

  • Danyl - hero

  • Eriks - eternal ruler

  • Igor - warrior

  • Lev - the heart of a lion

  • Ludis - renowned warrior

  • Nikita - unconquered

  • Nikolai - victory of the people

  • Ratmir - peace protector

  • Rodion - song of the hero

  • Rolan - famous throughout the land

  • Rurik - noted ruler

  • Ruslan - lion man

  • Sacha - defending warrior

  • Slavik - glory

  • Vasiliy - king

  • Viktor - conqueror

  • Vladimir - ruler

  • Vladislav - glorious rule

  • Vyacheslav - more glory

  • Yarik - fiercely glorious, form of Jaroslaw

  • Yaroslav - fierce and glorious

Common russian boy names

Heavenly Russian Male Names

Many Russian names have biblical roots or are variants of biblical names like John, Mark, George, etc. Explore fun Russian boy names with biblical roots.

  • Denis - saint

  • Fyodor - the gift of god

  • Georgiy - earth-worker

  • Ioann - gracious

  • Ivan - God is gracious

  • Matvey - God's gift

  • Michail - who is like God

  • Oleg - holy

  • Olezka - saint

  • Simeon - God is listening

  • Svyatoslav - blessed

  • Tima - honor God

  • Yakov - supplanter

  • Yegor - farmer

  • Yuriy - working earth

playful baby looks happy

Earthy Russian Names for Boys

Not all names have to do with glory or the Bible, there are a lot of Russian names based on the natural world. Dive into some earthy Russian male names.

  • Adrian - dark

  • Anatoliy - sunrise

  • Dmitriy - earth

  • Feliks - lucky

  • Filipp - a friend of the horse

  • Leonid - lion

  • Luka - light

  • Maksim - greatest

  • Mark - God Mars

  • Maximilian - great

  • Ony - eagle

  • Valentin - strong and healthy

  • Yefim - use words of good omen

  • Yevgeniy - good born

  • Ziv - bright, radiant

happy baby boy

Fun Russian Boy Names With Meanings

Not every Russian boy's name falls under a specific theme. However, they all have meanings that are unique to them. Learn different fun Russian boy names that might be perfect for your child.

  • Arkadi - Arcadia

  • Artyom - safe

  • Damien - a tamer

  • Dominik - of the lord

  • Eduard - rich guard

  • Evgeni - well-born

  • Gennadiy - noble

  • Grigoriy - watchful

  • Hedeon - feller

  • Innokentiy - innocent

  • Kesha - innocents

  • Kirill - lord

  • Konstantin - firm

  • Kostya - constant

  • Pavel - small, humble

  • Roman - Roman

  • Sergei - servant

  • Stanislav - stand, become

  • Stepan - crown

  • Tomas - twin

  • Vadim - unknown meaning

  • Waylan - exotic

  • Zion - heavenly city

Mother holding her newborn baby boy

Why Russian Boy Names Are Unique

Like America, Russian's have nicknames. However, unique to Russia, these nicknames serve different purposes. And, they can get confusing fast, because some nicknames or diminutive don't look anything like the name itself. Typically, there are four types of first names in Russia.

  • The formal first name is used on official documents (Mikhail).
  • The shortened version used by family and friends (Misha).
  • An affectionate form used by parents for their children (Mishunya).
  • Rude form if used by strangers (Mishka).

Patronymic Names in Place of Middle Names

Russia is unique in that boys have a first name, patronymic name, and last name. A patronymic name is derivative of the father's name. However, an ending is added to the baby boy's patronymic name: evich or ovich. For example:

Father's Name Evich Ovich
Mikhail

Mikhailevich

Michailovich
Ivan Ivanevich Ivanovich
Vladimir Vladimirevich Vladimirovich
Oleg Olegevich Olegovich
Aleksandr

Aleksandrevich

Aleksandrovich

First and patronymic names are appropriate in formal situations. For example, a physician would use the patient's first and patronymic name when addressing him.

Beautiful Russian Names

If you want to pay homage to your Russian heritage, a Russian name is really the way to go. With that said, Russian names are so beautiful and unique, you may want to give your baby a strong Russian name anyway - even if you're not Russian!

80+ Common Russian Boy Names