Category Archives: Russian Names

Apollinaris, Apollinaire

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  • Origin: Greek Ἀπολλινάρις
  • Meaning: “of Apollo.”
  • Gender: Masculine

The name is from the classical Greek, related to Apollo. It was borne by several early Christian saints. The most notable being St. Apollinaris of Ravenna, a Syrian Christian missionary to Ravenna who was martyred there and thereafter became the city’s patron saint.

The French form Apollinaire is linked to the Franco-Polish poet, Guillaume Apollinaire. He lived from 1880 to 1918. He was born Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki.

Apolinary was common in Poland during the late 19th-century and early 20th-centuries, it is now obsolete. Diminutives include: Apolinek, Apollinek, Apolin, Apollin, Polin, Polinary, Polinarek, Polinaruś, Poli, and Polik.

In Italy, Apollinare was mainly used in the Romagna region due to it being the name of their patrion saint, but it has since fallen out of use.

Apollinaire sporadically appeared in the French Top 1000 between 1900 and 1926 and peaked at #403 in 1923. In 2024, 5 babies were given this name.

Neither its masculine form nor its feminine form had much usage in the English-speaking world. It was mostly used in families of Greek or Eastern European background during the late 19th-century.

Designated name-days include July 20th, July 23rd, and September 12th

Other forms include

  • Abolinarius أبونيناريوس (Arab Christian)
  • Apolighnar Ապողլինար (Armenian)
  • Apolinar Ապոլինար (Armenian, Spanish)
  • Apolinaris ܐܦܘܠܝܢܪܝܣ (Assyrian)
  • Apoliñari (Basque)
  • Apalinariy Апалінарый (Belarusian)
  • Appolinariy Апполінарій (Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Rusyn, Russian)
  • Apol·linar, Apol·linari (Catalan)
  • Apollinaris Ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲓⲛⲁⲣⲓⲥ (Coptic, Dutch, English, German, Greek, Scandinavian)
  • Apollinari (Corsican, Sardinian)
  • Apolinár (Czech, Slovak)
  • Apollinaire (French)
  • Apolinario (Galician, Spanish)
  • Apo’linar აპოლინარ (Georgian)
  • Apollinarios Ἀπολλινάριος (Greek)
  • Apollinár (Hungarian)
  • Apollinare (Italian)
  • Apolenaris (Late Latin)
  • Apolinārs (Latvian)
  • Apolinaras (Lithuanian)
  • Apollinarju (Maltese)
  • Apolinary (Polish)
  • Apolinário (Portuguese)
  • Apolinàri (Provençal)
  • Pulinéra (Romagnol)
  • Apollinari (Romansh)
  • Apolinariu (Romanian)
  • Apolinarije (Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian)
  • Apołinare (Venetian)

Its feminine form is Apollinaria, which is also borne by an early Christian saint.

Other feminine forms include:

  • Abolinarya أبوليناريا (Arab Christian)
  • Apoghlinaria Ապողլինարիա (Armenian)
  • Apolinaria Ապոլինարիա, აპოლინარია (Armenian, Galician, Georgian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish)
  • Apolinaryja, Apolinariya,ܐܦܘܠܝܢܪܝܐ, Аполлинария (Assyrian, Bulgarian, Russian, Rusyn, Ukrainian)
  • Apalinariya, Apalinaryja, Апалінарія (Belarusian)
  • Apollinaria Ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲓⲛⲁⲣⲓⲁ, Ἀπολλιναρία (Coptic, Corsican, German, Greek, Lithuanian, Romansh, Sardinian)
  • Apolinária (Czech, Portuguese, Sardinian, Slovak)
  • Apollinarie (French)
  • Apollinária (Hungarian)
  • Apolinārija (Latvian)
  • Apollinarja (Maltese)
  • Apolinària (Provençal)
  • Apolinarija (Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian)

A traditional feminine diminutive form in Russian is Polina. Polish diminutives include: Apollinka, Apollina, Apolinka, Apolla, Apola, Pola, Polka, Polcia, Polina, and Polinka. Modern Greek diminutives include: Nαρία (Naría), Πόλλα (Pólla), or Λίνα (Lina). Potential English short forms would include: Apple, Pollie, Polly, and Narey, or Narie.

Sources

Poemen

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  • Origin: Greek Ποιμήν
  • Meaning: “shepherd.”
  • Gender: Male

The name comes from the Greek Ποιμήν (poimen) meaning, “shepherd.”

In Greek Mythology, the earlier form of Poemenius is known as the name of a satyr. He led the god Dionysos’ satyr troops in a war against India.

It was borne by a 4th-century desert father and Christian saint, known in the Coptic Church as Abba Poemen.

Other forms include:

  • Bayman بیمن (Arabic Egyptian, used by Copts)
  • Pimen Пимен Пимен (Bulgarian, Polish, Russian, Serbian)
  • Poimen ⲡⲓⲙⲏⲛ Ποιμήν (Coptic, German, Greek)
  • Poemen Поемен (English, French, Latin, Ukrainian)
  • P’imen პიმენ (Georgian)
  • Poimén (Hungarian)
  • Pimeno (Italian, Spanish)
  • Pimenus, Poemenius (Latin)
  • Pojmen (Polish)

In Poland, the designated name-day is September 9th

Sources

Zenobia

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Zenobia is composed of the Greek elements, Zeus (Zeus) and bios (life). It was notably borne by a 1st-century Armenian queen of Georgian descent and later a 3rd-Century Queen of Palmyra who tried to expand into Roman territory but was defeated by Emperor Aurelian.

Zenobia of Palmyra’s name might have been a Hellenized form of her birth name, Bat-Zabbai, which is from the Aramaic meaning “daughter of Zabbai.” Zabbai itself is an Aramaic male name. It seems to be a theophoric name, meaning “gift of–.” The latter part refers to an unknown deity. It may have actually been an Aramaic form of the Hebrew female name, Bathsheba.

Speculation has also linked it with the Arabic female name Zaynab, which can either mean “father’s beauty” or be from the name of a type of flowering tree.

It was borne by the 3rd-century martyrs, Ss. Zenobia and Zenobius, two early Christians who were siblings and beheaded under Emperor Diocletian. Their feast and name-day is October 30.

In the English-speaking world, it is first recorded in Cornwall and Devon, England in the 16th-century. Early English forms of Synibie, Sinobie, Senobie, Cenobie, and Cenoby (Sen-e-bee; SIN-e-bee), would make interesting revivals in the spirit of Sydney and Willoughby. A common English diminutive was Nobby.

Zenobia appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Female names between 1881-1925, peaking at #669 in 1909.

Zenobia is no stranger to English literature, it is the name of a character in Nathaniel Hawthorn’s The Blithedale Romance (1852); Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome (1911); and is even used by Anne Rice in her the eighth book of her vampire series, Blood and Gold (2001).

Zenobia “Nobby” Hawthorne appears as a character in the P.G. Wodehouse series, Jeeves.

Tina Fey used this as the middle name of daughter, Alice Zenobia.

Other forms include

  • Zenobia Զենոբիա ზენობია ܙܢܘܒܝܐ Armenian, Assyrian, Coptic, Czech, Danish, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Provencal, Romanian, Swedish, Spanish)
  • Zanubya ܙܢܘܒܝܐ (Assyrian)
  • Zinovia Зіновія Зиновия Ζηνοβία Зіновія (Belarusian, Modern Greek, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian)
  • Zinovija Зиновия (Bulgarian, Serbian)
  • Cenobia (Catalan, English, Spanish, Swedish)
  • Anobia Ⲁⲛⲟⲃⲓⲁ (Coptic); Zanubiyah زنوبيا (Modern Arabic/Coptic)
  • Zenobie (English, archaic)
  • Senobia, Senobie, Sinobia (English)
  • Synibie, Sinobie, Cenobie, Cenoby (English)
  • Senopia (Finnish)
  • Zénobie, Zénobine (French)
  • Zenovia Ζηνοβία(Greek, modern, Romanian)
  • Zenóbia (Hungarian)
  • Zanobia (Italian, archaic)

Diminutives

  • Zinooba, Nubya (Assyrian)
  • Nobby, Zeena, Zina (English)
  • Pia, Piiu, Piu, Seno, Senu (Finnish)
  • Zena, Zenna (Hungarian)
  • Zenka, Zenobijka, Zenia, Zeba, Zebia, Zebka, Zeniulka, Zenusia, Zeniusia, Zeneczka (Polish)
  • Zina Зина (Russian)

Masculine forms include

  • Zenob Զենոբ (Armenian)
  • Zinovi Զինովի (Armenian)
  • Zenobio ܙܢܘܒܝܐ (Assyrian, Italian, Spanish)
  • Kenoba (Basque)
  • Zinovij Зиновий (Bulgarian, Serbian)
  • Cenobio, Zenobi (Catalan)
  • Zenóbe (French)
  • Zenobios Ζηνόβιος (Greek, classical)
  • Zinovios Ζηνόβιος (Greek, modern)
  • Zenóbiosz (Hungarian)
  • Zanobi (Italian, archaic)
  • Zenobiusz, Zenobi (Polish)
  • Zenovie (Romanian)
  • Zinoviy Зиновий Зіновій (Russian, Ukrainian)

Sources

Zillah

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  • Origin: Biblical Hebrew צִלָּה
  • Meaning: “shade, shadow; bell.”
  • Gender: Female
  • Eng (ZIL-luh)

The name is Hebrew, either derived from צל (tsel) (shadow) or צלל (tsalal) (to ring like a bell). In Genesis 4:19, it is the name of one of the two wives of Lamech.

Though it never became a widespread Jewish name until recently, it had usage in the Protestant Anglo world since the 16th-century and experienced mild popularity in the mid to late 19th-century. It appeared in the U.S. Top 100 between 1881 and 1886, peaking at #679. It was borne by Zillah Oakes (circ. 1870s), the namesake of the city of Zillah, Washington. It was also borne by New Zealand Politician, Zillah Smith Gill (1859-1937).

In English literature, Lord Byron used it as the name of the wife of Abel in his 1821 play, Cain. It is the name of a servant in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847), and the name of the titular heroin in the 1865 operetta by Australian composer, William Wilkins Russell. In recent years, it is the name of a character in Madeleine L’Engle’s, A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978).

It may have occasionally been used as a form or short form of Cecilia.

Other forms include:

  • Sella Σέλλα Селла (Armenian, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Slovak, Spanish)
  • Zilla (Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Scandinavian, Spanish)
  • Sille, Zille, Selle, Zelle (French)
  • Sela სელა (Georgian, Lithuanian, Portuguese)
  • Tzila, Tsila Цілла (Hebrew, Ukrainian)
  • Cilla (Hungarian, Polish)
  • Cillá (Hungarian)
  • Silla (Latvian)
  • Zila (Portuguese)

Sources

Perpetua

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  • Origin: Late Latin
  • Gender: Female
  • Meaning: “perpetual.”
  • Eng pron (per-PET-choo-ah)

The name is derived from the Latin perpetuus, meaning “continous; perpetual.” It was borne by a 3rd-century Christian matyr and saint, the companion of St. Felicity and it was also the name of the sister of St. Augustine of Hippo.

Perpetua and its various forms have been in sporadic use throughout the Catholic world. In Italy, it became synonymous with a priest’s housekeeper. This is due to the eponymous character in Alessandro Manzoni’s 19th-century novel, “The Betrothed.“

It experienced sporadic use in England in the 1920s after the release of the now lost 1922 film, Perpetua also known as Love’s Boomerang.

It has recently appeared in English literature as the name of minor characters in Bridget Jones’s Diary (Helen Fielding), and in the Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling).

It was borne by Scottish landscape painter, Perpetua Pope (1916-2013).

It is the name of Cape Perpetua Oregon which was named for St. Perpetua as well as a typeface.

It’s designated name-day is February 1, March 6th and March 7th.

Forms & Usages

  • Perpetua (Basque, Croatian, Dutch, Galician, German, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Provençal, Romanian, Spanish)
  • Perpètua (Catalan)
  • Perpétue, Perpétué, Perpetue (French)
  • Perpétua (Hungarian, Portuguese)
  • Perpetuya Перпетуя (Russian)

English short forms include: Perp, Perpie, Perpy, and Petty.

Masculine forms include

  • Perpeta (Basque)
  • Perpetu (Catalan)
  • Perpet (French, Polish)
  • Perpetuo (Italian, Spanish)
  • Perpète (French)
  • Perpetuus (Late Latin)
  • Perpetuüs (German)

Sources

Ianthe

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  • Origin: Greek Ἰάνθη
  • Meaning: “violet flower.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Eng pron: (i-AN-thee); Grk pron: (ee-AHN-thay)

The name comes directly from the Greek ἴον (ion) meaning “violet” and ἄνθος (anthos). It is borne in Greek mythology by an Oceanid nymph who was responsible for violet flowers and purple tinged clouds. It is also the name of Cretan woman in Greek mythology who marries Iphis after she is turned into a man by Aphrodite.

It was in vogue in 19th-century England, being the nickname for Lady Charlotte Harley, by Lord Byron to whom the poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage is dedicated. It was also used by Percey Bysshe Shelley’s poem, Queen Mab, in which it is the name of a character. Shelley later named his daughter Ianthe. It is also the name of a character in John William Polidori’s 1819 short story, The Vampyre. It was the pen-name of American writer and poet, Emma Catherine Embury (1806-1863).

In recent literature, it is the name of a character in the Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas.

Other forms/Usages

  • Ianthé (French)
  • Janthe (German, Late Latin)
  • Ianta Ианта (Russian)

Sources

Ephraim

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  • Origin: Biblical Hebrew אֶפְרַיִם
  • Meaning: “fruitful; double fruited; increasing.”
  • Gender: masculine
“Ephraim” Francisco Hayez

The name is borne in the Bible by the son of Joseph and Asenath, who is considered a patriarch, as he is a founder of one of the 12 trubes of Israel. According Genesis 41:52, he is named thus by Joseph because “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

The name was also borne by a few early Christian saints, including St. Ephraim of Syria (4th-century, CE).

Ephraim appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1914, it disappeared for 99 years and reappeared in the charts in 2013. For its first centennial cycle, it peaked at #403 in 1880. As of 2023, it was the 992nd most popular male name.

Its Spanish counterparts of Efraín and Efrén have also appeared in the U.S. Top 1000, Efraín appeared between 1950 and 2014, peaking at #469 in 1981 whilst Efrén appeared between 1966-2007, peaking at #768 in 1990.

Forms/Usages

  • Efrayim ኤፍራይም (Amharic, Modern Hebrew)
  • Yeprem, Jeprem, Eprem Եփրեմ (Armenian)
  • Afrem ܐܦܪܝܡ (Assyrian)
  • Afri ܐܦܪܝ (Assyrian)
  • Afron ܥܦܪܘܢ (Assyrian)
  • Aprem, Aprim ܐܦܪܝܡ (Assyrian)
  • Efrim ܐܦܪܝܡ (Assyrian)
  • Ephraim ეფრაიმ (Georgian); Εφραιμ (Greek); ⲉⲫⲣⲁⲓⲙ (Coptic); ܐܦܪܝܡ(Syriac) (Assyrian, Dutch, English, Estonian, German, Greek, Portuguese)
  • Akhrym, Ahrym Акхрым (Belarusian)
  • Yafrym Яфрым (Belarusian)
  • Efraïm (Catalan, Dutch)
  • Efrajim (Czech)
  • Efraim (Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Nordic, Polish, Romanian)
  • Eprami (Finnish)
  • Éphraïm (French)
  • Îvfa (Greenlandic)
  • Eframi (Icelandic)
  • Efraím (Icelandic)
  • Efraimo (Italian)
  • Efrem (Italian, Polish)
  • Effrem (Italian)
  • Efro (Italian)
  • Ephraem (Late Latin)
  • Ephraimus (Late Latin)
  • Ofrem (Russian, Archaic)
  • Yefraim, Jefraim Эфраим (Russian)
  • Yefrem Ефрем (Russian)
  • Jevrem Јеврем (Serbian)
  • Efraín (Spanish)
  • Efrén (Spanish)
  • Ohrim, Okhrim Охрім (Ukrainian)
  • Evron ֶבְֿרוֹן (Yiddish)

Sources

Mishael, Misael

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Simeone Solomone, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
  • Origin: Biblical Hebrew מישאל
  • Meaning: debated
  • Gender: Masculine
  • Transcriptions: ሚሳኤል (Amharic), Ⲙⲓⲥⲁⲏⲗ (Coptic), Μισαήλ (Greek)
  • ENG: mih-SHILE, mih-SHALE; Heb: (MEE-SHAH-yel); Sp: (mee-SAH-yel)

The name comes from the Hebrew meaning, “who is like God?; who is equal to God?,” “who is asked for?” and according to Hitchcock Bible names, “lent.” The name is borne by three male characters in the Bible, one mentioned in (Exodus 6:22) as one of the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Moses and Aaron and most notably, it is the Hebrew name of Meshach (Dan. 1:11, 19) one of the three youths who refused to worship idols and were thrown in a furnace but miraculously survived.

Misael currently ranks in as the 192nd most popular male name in Mexico (2021) and the 790th most popular male name in the United States (2022).

In the Coptic Church, it is borne by St. Misael the Anchorite (7th-century CE).

Its feminine version of Mishaela is a pop song by Israeli pop singer, Achinoam Nini and has experienced sporadic usage in Israel and the English-speaking world. It is also the name of a character in Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict.

Other forms/Usage

Male

  • Misael (Amharic, Coptic, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Misiel ܡܝܣܝܝܠ (Assyrian – Neo Aramaic)
  • Misayyl ميصائيل (Egyptian-Arabic, used by Copts)
  • Misaël (French)
  • Mischaël (German)
  • Misaele (Italian)
  • Miszael (Polish)
  • Misail Мисаи́л, Mizael Мизаел (Ukrainian, Russian)

An Italian short form is Misa.

Sources

Alaric

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  • Origin: Gothic
  • Meaning: “ruler of all.”
  • Gender: masculine
  • Pronunciation: Eng (AL-e-rik)

The name is composed of the Germanic elements al (all) and rikr (ruler). It was most notably borne by two Gothic kings, Alaric I and Alaric II. Alaric I was known for leading a rebellion against Rome and sacking it. His Gothic name was 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (Alareiks).

An historical curiosity, Alaric has never experienced much usage, however, it has been in the U.S. Top 1000 since 2017, and currently ranks in as 915th most popular male name.

Other forms include:

  • Alaric (Catalan, French, English, Occitanian)
  • Alarich (Czech, German, Slovak)
  • Alareiks (Gothic)
  • Alarico (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Alaricus (Latin)
  • Alariks (Latvian)
  • Alarikas (Lithuanian)
  • Alaryk (Polish)
  • Alarih Аларих (Russian, Ukrainian)
  • Alarik (Scandivanian, Slovene)

Obscure feminine forms include Alarica, Alarika and Alarice.

Sources

Theodosia, Theodosius

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  • Origin: Greek
  • Meaning: “giving to God.”

Both come from the Greek, θεός (theos) meaning “god” and δόσις (dosis) meaning “giving.” Both the male and female form were borne by several Christian saints and Medieval rulers. In the English-speaking world, a notable bearer was Theodosia Alston Burr (1783-1813), the daughter of Aaron Burr and an American socialite who mysteriously disappeared in a ship-wreck. Her fate has been a source of speculation for two centuries, but she most likely died in the wreck. She is also the subject of the Broadway opera song from Hamilton, My Theodosia.

It’s female version has experienced usage in the English-speaking world since the 15th-century. It has spun off several diminutive off-shoots, which later became independent names, such as Docie/Dosey, Doshie, Dosha, Docia and Theda.

Theodosia appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Female Names between 1880-1895, it peaked at number #547 in 1880. It’s offshoot of Doshie appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1905 and peaked at #640 in 1884 whereas Doshia peaked at #582 in 1881 and Docia at #317 in 1880.

Theda (THEE-dah) was the name of silent film actress, Theda Bara (born Theodosia Burr Goodman, 1885-1955). Theda appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1948 and peaked at #350 in 1916. Theda Bara may have helped sustain the usage of the name in the United States, but it seems to have been common enough long before she graced the silver screen.

In the 1988 movie For Keeps, starring Molly Ringwald, a teen couple are faced with an unexpected pregnancy, in which they name their daughter Theodosia, short form Thea, it is a last minute decision decided by the father who gets the name from his deceased grandmother of the same name.

It is the name of the main character of the R. L. LaFevers 2007 children’s novel, Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, which spun off a tv series.

Its pronunciation in the English-speaking world fluctuates depending on the region and personal preference, from THEE-oh-DOH-see-uh, to THEE-oh-DOH-shuh and THEE-oh-DOH-zhuh, the sky’s the limits.

Its masculine form has always been prevalent in eastern Christian countries but did not pick up the same momentum in the English-speaking world as its feminine counterpart did.

Female forms

  • Tayodosiya ታዮዶሲዮስ (Amharic)
  • Thudusya ثيودوسيا (Arabic, used by Arab Christians)
  • T’eodosia Թեոդոսիա (Armenian)
  • Teodosija ТеодосиЯ (Bulgarian, Latvian, Lithuanian)
  • Teodosia თეოდოსია (Catalan, Corsican, Georgian, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Sardinian, Sicilian, Spanish)
  • Theodosia Θεοδοσια ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲟⲥⲓⲁ.(Coptic, English, German, Greek, Latin, Nordic, Romansch)
  • Teodozija Теодосија (Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovene)
  • Docia, Dosha, Doshia (English)
  • Docie, Docey (English)
  • Dosia (English, Polish)
  • Theda (English)
  • Théodosie (French)
  • Teodózia (Hungarian)
  • Teodosja (Maltese)
  • Teodozja (Polish)
  • Teodósia (Portuguese)
  • Feodosija Феодосия (Russian, Ukrainian)
  • Teudosia (Sicilian)

Male Forms

  • Teodosi (Albanian, Catalan)
  • Tayodosiyos ታዮዶሲዮስ (Amharic)
  • Thudusyus ثيودوسيوس (Arabic, used by Arab Christians)
  • T’eodosios Թեոդոսիոս (Armenian)
  • Teodosij Теодосий (Bulgarian)
  • Theodosios Θεοδόσιος ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲟⲥⲓⲟⲥ (Coptic, Greek)
  • Teodosiu (Corsican, Romanian, Sardinian)
  • Teodozije Теодосије (Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovene)
  • Theodosius (English, German, Latin, Nordic)
  • Théodose (French)
  • Theodósziosz (Hungarian)
  • Teodosio (Italian, Spanish)
  • Teodosijs (Latvian)
  • Teodosijus (Lithuanian)
  • Teodosju (Maltese)
  • Teodozy, Teodozjusz (Polish)
  • Teodósio (Portuguese)
  • Theodosi (Romansch)
  • Teodosie (Romanian)
  • Feodosij Феодосий (Russian, Ukrainian)
  • Teudosiu (Sicilian)
  • Teodóz (Slovak)

Sources