Slavic Boy Names: a comprehensive guide

The multitude of Slavic boy names reflects the diversity of the Slavic languages. Some of these names originate from Slavic root words, while others are adaptations of names with different origins.

For instance, some Slavic names are derived from Greek names, just as the Cyrillic alphabet used by several Slavic languages is related to the Greek alphabet.

The Most Popular Slavic Boy Names

1 Aleksandr

Aleksandr is one of the most popular Slavic boy names. It is an eastern European equivalent of the name Alexander. This name has Greek origins as it originates 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

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

3 Anatoli

Anatoli (sometimes spelled Anatoliy) is the Russian and Ukrainian form of the name Anatolius, a Greek name derived from the word anatole, meaning “sunshine.”

4 Andreas

Andreas an Ancient Greek or Latin form of the name Andrew. The Polish equivalent is Andrzej. This name originates from the Greek word andreios, meaning “manly”, “masculine”.

5 Anton

The name Anton comes from Antonius, the 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

Bogdan is a popular name in Poland but is also widely used in other Slavic countries. It comes from the words bogu (God) and dan (given), which combine to produce the meaning of “God-given.”

7 Boris

Boris is a Slavic name that is thought to originate from the Bulgarian-Turkish name of Bogoris. It is also believed that this name means “short,” “wolf,” or “snow leopard.” This name is most common in Bulgaria and Russia.

8 Damir

Mainly used in Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia, the name Damir is thought to derive from the Slavic words “dan” (given) and “miru” (peace, world).

9 Daniil

Daniil 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 with this name whose story appears in the Old Testament.

10 Dmitri

Dmitri is a Russian variant of Demetrius, a Greek name related to the goddess Demeter. A famous bearer of the name Dmitri was Dmitri Mendeleev, the creator of the periodic table.

11 Grigor

Grigor is an Armenian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian form of Gregory derived from the Greek name Gregorius, meaning “watchful, alert.” Gregory, or Grigor, is a name of Christian origins which many saints carried.

12 Igor

Igor is a Slavic name derived from the Old Norse name Yngvarr, 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, the names Ivan and John are etymologically related. Ivan is a newer form of an old Slavic name Ioannu, originating from the Greek name Ioannes. The name Ioannes also gave rise to the English name John.

14 Jan

The name Jan is a newer form of Johannes, which originates from the Greek word Ioannes - the same one that gave rise to the name John. Poland is the leading Slavic country where the name Jan is used.

15 Kazimierz

Kazimierz is a traditional Polish name derived from the Slavic words kaziti (to destroy) and miru (peace, world). There were four Polish kings with this name.

16 Laszlo

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

17 Lev

Lev, a Slavic variant of the names Leo and Leon, is a Russian name of Greek origin, meaning “lion.”

18 Luka

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

19 Maksim

The name Maksim (which is also spelled Maksym) is a Russian, Macedonian, and Belarusian form of the Latin name Maximus. Maximus is an old Roman family name derived from the Latin word “maximus,” meaning “the greatest.”

20 Marios

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

21 Marko

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

22 Mikhail

The name Mikhail is 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

Milan is a name that comes from the Slavic root “milu,” which means “gracious” or “dear.” Despite sharing its name with a famous Italian city, the origin of the name Milan is unrelated to that city’s name.

24 Mirko

The name Mirko is a Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, and Macedonian form of the name Miroslav, which derives from a combination of the Slavic words miru (peace, world) and slava (glory). There was a Croatian king with this name.

25 Oleg

Oleg is a Slavic name found in Russia and Georgia. It is 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.

26 Pavel

Pavel is a Slavic form of the name Paul. The name Pavel is used in Russia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia. In Poland, this name is spelled Paweł. Paul is a name of Christian origin, deriving from an old Roman family name, Paulus, meaning “small” or “humble” in Latin.

27 Sergei

The name Sergei (which is also spelled Sergey) is 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

Stjepan is a Croatian and Serbian form of Stephen, originating from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning “crown” or “wreath.” Stephen was the name of ten popes.

29 Toma

Toma is a form of the name Thomas which is 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

Viktor is a Slavic spelling of the name Victor, a Roman name meaning “conqueror” or “the one that has won” in Latin. Victor is a name that evokes decisiveness and assertiveness.

31 Zlatko

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

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 worldwide, making them unique!

See the list below if you’re looking for some unique Slavic boy names.

Traditional Slavic Boy Names

Nowadays, most parents prefer to choose more modern and trendy names for their children, but many beautiful traditional Slavic names also exist.

Here are some traditional and vintage Slavic boy names which are 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 names, see this guide to Czech boy names and this guide to Serbian boy names.

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