50+ Slavic Boy Names with Their Meanings

We've all heard various Slavic names before. Names such as Vladimir, Sergey, Ivan, or Nicolai, which we have all heard in movies or on the news, are of Slavic origin.

Slavic people have a rich history and a fascinating culture. This is also reflected in people’s names. Slavic boy names are culturally diverse and cover the history of a region that is full of rich cultural heritage. Many names come directly from Russian and Polish and other languages from the Slavic language family.

If you're looking for a Slavic baby name for your son or want to find out the meaning of different Slavic boy names, you've come to the right place. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of 50+ Slavic names for boys with their meanings.

Most Popular Slavic Boy Names

Slavic boy names have a long and rich history. Many of these names are derived from the names of ancient Slavic gods and heroes, while places and events from Slavic folklore inspire others.

This list includes Slavic names that are common throughout Eastern Europe and some that have gained popularity in Western countries due to immigration from countries like Russia and Poland.

Popular Slavic Boy Names Starting with A-H

1 Aleksandr

This is one of the most popular Slavic boy names and an Eastern European equivalent of Alexander. This name has, in fact, Greek origins and comes from the Greek name “Alexandros,” meaning “a defending man.” The most famous bearer of this name was the king of Macedon, Alexander the Great.

2 Alexei

Also spelled Aleksey, a Russian equivalent of the Greek name Alexis, meaning “helper” or “defender.” A 17th-century czar of Russia bore this name.

3 Anatoli

Also spelled Anatoliy, it’s the Russian and Ukrainian form of the name Anatolius. Anatolius is a Greek name that derives from the word “anatole,” meaning “sunshine.”

4 Andreas

It’s an Ancient Greek or Latin form of the name Andrew. Its Polish equivalent is Andrzej. It derives from the Greek word “andreios,” meaning “manly, masculine.”

5 Anton

Anton comes from the name Antonius, equivalent of Anthony, and is a form used in many Slavic countries. The name became used in the Christian world after Saint Anthony the Great. It has been incorrectly associated with the Greek word “anthos,” meaning “flower.”

6 Bogdan

It’s a popular name in Poland, but it’s also widely used in other Slavic countries. It comes from the words “bogu” (God) and “dan” (given), meaning “God-given.”

7 Boris

It is thought that Boris comes from the Bulgarian-Turkish name of Bogoris. It is also believed that the name Boris means “short,” “wolf,” or “snow leopard.” This name is most popular in Bulgaria and Russia.

8 Damir

This name is mainly used in Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia. It is thought to derive from the Slavic words “dan” (given) and “miru” (peace, world). It may also have Turkish origins.

9 Daniil

This is a Russian and Belarussian form of the name Daniel, which originates from the Hebrew name Daniyyel, meaning “God is my judge.” There was a Hebrew prophet under this name, whose story is mentioned in the Old Testament.

10 Dmitri

Also spelled Dmitriy, it’s a Russian variant of Demetrius. Demetrius is a Greek name derived from the name of a Greek goddess, Demeter. A famous bearer of the name Dmitri was Dmitri Mendeleev, the creator of the periodic table.

11 Grigor

Armenian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian form of the name Gregory, which derives from the Greek name Gregorius, meaning “watchful, alert.” Gregory, or Grigor, is the name of Christian origins, which was borne by many saints.

Popular Slavic Boy Names Starting with I-O

12 Igor

This name comes from the Old Norse name Yngvarr, which is a combination of the name of a Germanic god, Yngvi, and the word “arr,” meaning “warrior.” Therefore, the name Igor likely means “the warrior of Yngvi.”

13 Ivan

Surprisingly enough, Ivan is a distant cousin of John. It’s a newer form of an old Slavic name Ioannu, which originates from the Greek name Ioannes. The name Ioannes gave origin to the English name John.

14 Jan

Jan is also a distant cousin of John. It is a newer form of the name Johannes, which originates from the Greek name Ioannes - the same one that gave origin to John. Jan is mainly used in Poland.

15 Kazimierz

A traditional Polish name derived from Slavic words “kaziti” (to destroy) and “miru” (peace, world). There were 4 Polish kings with this name.

16 Laszlo

Originally spelled László, this is the Hungarian form of the name Vladislav. Vladislav derives from the words “vladeti” (rule) and “slava” (glory). Interestingly enough, Saint Laszlo was an 11th-century king of Hungary.

17 Lev

A variant of the names Leo and Leon. It is a Russian name of Greek origin that means “lion.”

18 Luka

This is the Slavic equivalent of the name Luke. Luke derives from the Greek name Loucas, meaning “from the region of Lucania,” which was thought to be in the south of Italy.

19 Maksim

Also spelled Maksym. A Russian, Macedonian, and Belarusian form of Maximus. Maximus is an old Roman family name derived from the Latin word “maximus,” meaning “the greatest.”

20 Marios

A variant of the Lithuanian name Marius, derived from a Roman family name. It is thought that the name Marius has derived from the name of the Roman god of war, Mars, or the Latin word “maris,” meaning “male.”

21 Marko

It’s a Slavic form of Mark, which comes from the Latin name Marcus. Marcus was a Roman given name that is thought to derive from Mars, the Roman god of war.

22 Mikhail

A Russian and Belarusian form of the name Michael, or the Bulgarian variant of Mihail. Michael is a biblical name that originates from the Hebrew name Mikha’el, meaning “who is like God.” Not to be misinterpreted, the meaning of the name implies that there is no one like God.

23 Milan

A Slavic name that derives from the Slavic word “milu,” meaning “gracious” or “dear.” It’s important to note that although the famous city in Italy bears this name, the name of the city comes from an entirely different source.

24 Mirko

Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, and Macedonian form of the name Miroslav. The name Miroslav derives from a combination of Slavic words “miru” (peace, world) and “slava” (glory) and was the name of a Croatian king.

25 Oleg

This name is mainly in use in Russia and Georgia. It’s derived from the Old Norse name Helgi and was brought to Eastern Europe from Scandinavia by the Varangians. The name derives from the Old Norse word “heilagr,” meaning “holy” or “blessed.” The name Olga is the female equivalent of the male name Oleg.

Popular Slavic Boy Names Starting with P-Z

26 Pavel

A form of the name Paul used in Russia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia. In Poland, it’s spelled Paweł. Paul is a name of Christian origins, deriving from an old Roman family name “Paulus,” meaning “small” or “humble” in Latin.

27 Sergei

Also spelled Sergey, a Russian and Bulgarian variant of the name Sergius. Sergius was a Roman family name of unknown origins, probably meaning “servant” in Latin.

28 Stjepan

It’s a Croatian and Serbian form of the name Stephen, which originates from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning “crown” or “wreath.” Stephen was the name of ten popes.

29 Toma

A form of the name Thomas used mainly in Romania, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Georgia. In Russian, Toma is the diminutive of the feminine name Tamara. The name Thomas and its variants originate from the Aramaic name Ta’oma’, meaning “twin.”

30 Viktor

Slavic spelling of the name Victor, a Roman name meaning “conqueror,” or “the one that has won” in Latin. The men with the name Victor are considered to be decisive and assertive.

31 Zlatko

A diminutive of Zlatan. You may be familiar with this name, thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovič, a Swedish football player. The name Zlatan means “golden” and derives from the Slavic word “zlato,” meaning “gold.”

Rare Slavic Boy Names

There are many Slavic names for boys in use today that are very rare. For example, there are only a handful of boys or men named Yeremey or Tonči around the world, and that’s what makes them so special!

If you’re looking for some unique Slavic boy names, take a look at the list below.

Traditional Slavic Boy Names

While nowadays, most parents prefer to choose more modern and trendy names for their children, there are still many beautiful traditional Slavic boy names.

Here are some traditional and vintage Slavic boy names still popular today:

Conclusion

The popularity of Slavic boy names varies from country to country, as culture and tradition often vary between Slavic regions. Many of them are lovely and evocative and are among the most popular names in the world today.

There are many different Slavic languages. For more Slavic boy names, see this guide to Czech boy names, and this guide to Serbian boy names.

Now that you're up to speed on the most popular Slavic boy names, you can pick your favorite. Whether it's one of the more common names or something more unique, there are plenty of beautiful options to choose from for your baby boy. We hope that this list will help you find the right one!

This guide also has a companion article which covers Slavic girl names.