The history of ancient Russian female names.

Choosing a son's name is a difficult task for all parents. After all, the name will remain with the child for life, it will be his reflection. Therefore, the issue of a name for a boy must be taken seriously. On the this moment there are names in the world various origins italian names, Kazakh, Greek, Old Russian names of boys and girls. If you decide to give your son an old Russian name, then our article is just for you.

It should be noted that among the old Russian names there are great amount beautiful and sonorous names, and if they are used correctly, you can significantly influence the fate of the child, that is, in the process of education, strengthen the positive traits in the character of the child and develop in him good qualities. Among the old Russian names, princely names are in special demand. As a rule, men with such names as Vladimir, Vsevolod, Svyatoslav. The name Yaroslav gives the child a solid male character and charisma. There are also good old Russian names for boys, the owners of which were not princes, but were worthy men. For example, the name Bogdan (given by God). A boy named Bogdan will be a calm person who knows his own worth, adherence to principles and stubbornness - bright features Bogdan. Boriss (wrestlers) are smart, achieve great success, scrupulous, with a sense of humor. And such old Russian bright and having deep meaning many names.

Old Russian names boys:

Bogumil - dear to God

Krasimir - the beauty of the world

Budislav - be glorious!

Krasislav - the beauty of glory

Boleslav - glorifying

love - favorite

Belogor - from the white mountains

Ludimir - bring peace to people

Beloyar - furious

Lubomil - beloved

Bazhen - divine

Lubomir - loving world and the world

Bueslav - stork

Luborad - pleasing with love

Budimil - be nice!

Lyuboslav - glorifying love

Bogolep - divine

Ladislav - glorifying beauty

Bratislav - brother, friend of glory

Ladislav - glorifying people

Belimir - white, pure

Lubodron - beloved, dear

Bogumir - bring peace to God!

Lucheslav - in a ray of glory

Borislav - stormy glory

Lyubodar - giving love

Volodar - giving freedom

Ladimir - peaceful

Vitoslav - the glory of life

Peaceful - loving world

Vlastislav - owner of the world

Milava - sweet, kind

Vladimir - who owns the world

Young - young

Vyacheslav - glorifying advice

Mirodar - giving peace

Venislav - crowned with glory

Milan - sweet, kind

World - worldwide

Myslemir - thinking about the world

Vseslav - famous

Moguta - powerful, mighty

Vysheslav - famous; all glory

Miloslav - dear glory

Vlastimir - rule the world

Mladen - young

Vsemil - dear to everyone

Milorad - dear, kind

Verislav - faithful

Hope - hope expectation

Vojislav - glorious warrior

Negomir - gentle and peaceful

Vadim - called, invited

Found - found

Vladislav - owner of fame

Neroslav - fastening glory

Vadislav - called

Witty - sharp-minded

Gleb - sweet, affectionate

Ocheslav - desperate glory

Gradibor - creating force

Oleg - light, fast

Gorislav - glorifying high light

Wonderful - wonderful

Gorisvet - high light

Peresvet - bright

Gostislav - ready glory

Putislav - the path of glory

Gradimir - creator of the world

Premislav - take glory!

Gift - gift to the world

Pervoslav - ahead of glory

Drogoslav - dear glory

Ratislav - military glory

Dobrava - dobreeding, carrying

Radimil - sweet joy

Daroslav - giving the word

Raday - joy, joyful

Act - acting, active

Ratibor - the chosen warrior

Daromir - giving peace

Radibor - chosen from joyful

Dobran - giving good

Ruslav - fair-haired

Daren is a gift to the world

Radislav - rejoicing in glory

Given - given by God

Radim - sweet joy

Drogorad - dear joy

Ratmir - advocating for the world

Drogomir - dear world

Radosvet - the light of joy

Danko - shining, day

Rusimir - Russian world

Divislav - in the radiance of the word

Radimir - caring about the world

Daniyar - given to shine

Radovlad - own joy

Dobrolyub - loving good

Svetovid - light, holy

Danislav - giving glory

Svetozar - illuminated by light

Daromysl - thinking, thinking

Holy fighter, warrior

Dragoljub - kind, beloved

Svyatomir - holy world

Dobroslav - glorifying goodness

Svetovik - light

Dragovit - appreciating life

Svyatorad - holy joy

Damir - who gave the world

Tikhoslav - quiet glory

Yeseny - clear sky

Trajan - third son

desired - desired

Die - peace, appeasement

Zhelislav - desired glory

Tenderness - tenderness

Zhdanimir - the waiting world

Delight - Delight

Zhiteslav - glorifying life

Hranimir - save the world

Zlatoslav - golden glory

Hvalimir - glorify the world

Zlatozar - with a clear eye

Khvalislav - praise glory

Zvenislav - ringing with glory

Khranislav - keep the glory

Zalazar - because of the azure

Tsvetimir - be the color of the world

Zelislav - very nice

Chudomil - sweet miracle

Zdanimir - creator of the world

Chestimir - honor of the world

Zvenimir - calling to the world

Chestislav - honor the glory

Dawn - rising light

Chtislav - honor the glory

Izheslav - be with glory!

Shchaslav - happy

Igor - militant

Jaromir - be furious in the world

Ivar - tree of life

Yaroslav - shining with glory

Idan - walking, overcoming the path

Yaromil is a nice man

Ivan - to be born, to be born

Yaropolk - furiously ganged up

Krasibor - chosen from the beautiful

Yanislav - glorious

Old Russian and Slavic names in Russia today

The main array of modern Russian names are the names of saints contained in Orthodox church calendars (“saints”). Sometimes such names are called "calendar". By origin, they are all very different: ancient Greek, ancient Roman (Latin), Hebrew, Assyrian, ancient Egyptian, ancient Germanic, Scandinavian, Arabic. But over hundreds of years, these names have undergone complete assimilation in the Russian language environment and acquired completely Russian sound and form. Who's to say that Ivan or Marya are not Russian names?

As for the huge number of ancient Russian and Slavic names, only 20 names have survived to our time:Boris, Vera, Vladimir, Vladislav, Vsevolod, Vyacheslav, Izyaslav, Lyubov, Lyudmila, Militsa, Mstislav, Nadezhda, Rostislav, Svyatoslav, Yaropolk, Yaroslav, as well as Gleb, Igor, Olga and Oleg, who appeared in Russia along with the Varangians. And it should be noted that the named names were preserved only due to the fact that somehow miraculously got into Orthodox saints.

Per last years interest in the names of our distant ancestors has grown and continues to grow (this is noted by registry offices throughout the country). Everything more newborns receive the names of Vlad, Darina, Miroslav, Milan, Stanislav, Jaromir, etc. We bring to your attention a list of the most attractive (euphonious and modern-looking) male and female common Slavic names.

List of male names (Old Russian-Varangian-Slavic):

• Bazhen (desired child, rootbag-; bug- wish)
• Bogdan, DanGod-given),
• Bogumil (dear to God; God loves him),
• Boguslav (born to the glory of God; praising God),
• Boleslav (more glory, more glorious),
• Boris, Borislavfight, fight + glory),
• Bronislav (defend, defend + glory),
• Budimir (there will be, there will be + peace),
• Velimir, Velislavveli = great, big),
• Wenceslas (crown = more, more),
• Vlad,
• Vladimir,
• Vladislav,
• Vojislav (fight for glory),
• Vratislav (return, return + glory),
• Vsevolod,
• Vseslav,
• Vysheslav, Vyacheslavhigher, higher, crown- synonyms, meaning more, more),
• Gleb (Varangian name),
• Gostislav (guest = guest: nice guest),
• Gradislav (),
• Gremislav,
• Goodwill (good thoughts),
• Dobroslav (good fame),
• Dobrynya (kind, good person),
• Dragoslav,
• Zhdan (the one who was waiting; long awaited),
• Zvenislav,
• Zlatoslav,
• Igor (Varangian name),
• Izyaslav (seize- take: “take the glory”, “take the glory”),
• Casimir (kaz, tell= show, instruct, preach + peace),
• Ladimir, Ladislav (wordfretmeans harmony, harmony, beauty),
• love (Darling), Lubomir (loves the world),
• Mechislav (sword, i.e. weapons + glory),
• Milan, Milen, Milorad, Miloslav, Milos,
• Miroslav,
• Mstislav (place= revenge, revenge on enemies + glory),
• Nechay (did not expect, did not wait),
• Oleg (Varangian name),
• Radan, Radim, Radmir, Radovan, Radoslav,
• Ratibor (army- army, war,boron- fight, fight
• Ratmir,
• Rostislav (increase, multiply + glory),
• Rurik (Varangian name),
• Svyatopolk, Svyatoslav and Svetoslav (“holiness” and “light” are synonyms, in reality this is one name),
• Stanimir (there will be peace, there will be peace),
• Stanislav (become glorious, become glorious),
• Stoyan,
• Sudislav (court+ glory),
• Tverdoslav, Tverdislav,
• Tvorimir,
• Tikhomir,
• Cheslav (honor, honor + glory),
• Jaromir, Yaropolk, Yaroslav (yar, yar =Spring;ardent =red, hot, hot, furious)

Notes:

one). All the above Old Russian-Varangian-Slavic names (from Bazhen to Yaroslav) really existed, and this is confirmed by historical documents (see the works of Moroshkin M.Ya. and Tupikov N.M.). And the name Ruslan, for example, only seems to be Slavic and ancient, in fact it has oriental origin and age not exceeding 200 years.

2). Elementglory, glorymeans not only "glory" (as evidence of honor and respect), but also "to be called, named, reputed, to be known."

3). Rootglad-in Slavic names like Radoslav and Milorad means not onlyrejoice, but alsoplease(that is, to bake, care for, contribute).

four). For our ancestors, the names Svyatoslav and Svetoslav were identical, since the wordslightandholiness, light colouredandSt

5). Patronymics from Slavic names are formed as a short form - Yaroslavich, Yaroslavna; Dobrynich, Dobrynichna; Svyatoslavich, Svyatoslavna, and "long" - Stanislavovich, Stanislavovna, Mstislavovich, Mstislavovna.

6). NamesBoris, Vladimir, Vladislav, Vsevolod, Vyacheslav, Gleb, Igor, Izyaslav, Mstislav, Oleg, Rostislav, Svyatoslav, Yaropolk, Yaroslav are the names of Orthodox saints, therefore they can be both passport and godparents. If you want to name the boy any other name from the above list (Velemir, Dobrynya, Zhdan, Ratmir, Stanislav, Jaromir, etc.), then keep in mind that for baptism you will need to prepare another name - “calendar” ( that is, contained in the Orthodox "saints").

List of female names (Old Russian-Varangian-Slavic):

• Bazhen (desired, desired child, frombash, bash- wish)
• Bela (i.e.white),
• Beloslav (white and glorious),
• Bogdana, Danagiven by God),
• Bogumila (dear to God; God loves her),
• Boguslav (born to the glory of God; praising God),
• Bozena (God's; given by God; belongs to God),
• Boleslav (more glory, more glorious),
• Borislav (fight, fight + glory),
• Bronislava (defend, defend + glory),
• Wanda (value unknown),
• Velislav (veli = great, big),
• Wenceslas (crown = more, more),
• Vlada (having power, domineering), Vladimir, Vladislav (having glory, having glory),
• Power, Power,
• Vojislava (fight for glory),
• Vratislav (return, return + glory),
• Vsemila (everyone dear),
• Vseslav,
• Vysheslav (abovemeans more, more)
• Gostislava (guest = guest),
• Gradislava (grad = city, castle, fortress),
• Darina (from the wordgift, gift),
• Dobrava (from the wordgood),
• Dobromila,
• Dobronega (kindness + tenderness, gentleness),
• Dobroslav,
• Dragomira,
• Dragoslava,
• Zhdana (the one you were waiting for; long awaited),
• Zvenislav,
• Zlata, Zlatoslava,
• Willow (name of a tree, shrub),
• Inga (mistress, Varangian name),
• Casimir (kaz, tell= show, tell)
• Kalina (name of a tree, shrub),
• Ladislava (wordfretmeansconcord, harmony, beauty),
• Lyubava,
• Lubomir,
• Lyudmila,
• Raspberries (named berries),
• Mechislava (sword, i.e. weapons +glory),
• Mila, Milava, Milana, Milena, Milica,
• Milolika,
• Miloslava,
• Mira, Miroslava,
• Mlada, Mladena,
• Mstislav (revenge, revenge on enemies + glory),
• Hope,
• Nejdana (came unexpectedly),
• Olga (from the VarangianHelga),
• Predslava (ahead + glory),
• beautiful,
• Pribyslav (arrive, increase, multiply + fame),
• Glad (see also Ariadne),
• Radmila,
• Radoslav,
• Rogneda (from the VarangianRagnhild - advice before the battle),
• Rostislav (increase, multiply + fame),
• Ruzhena (rose flower- flower),
• Sbyslava (come true + glory),
• Svyatoslav and Svetoslav (“holiness” and “light” are synonyms, in reality this is one name),
• Severina (from the wordnorth, but also from the Christian male name Severin),
• Glory,
• Slavomir,
• Stanislav,
• Sudislava (judgment + glory),
• Tverdislav, Tverdoslav,
• Tsvetana (blooming, flower),
• Cheslava (honor + glory),
• Yara (yar, yaro = spring; spring, hot),
• Yarmila (hot, ardent + sweet, beloved),
• Jaromira (yar + world \u003d ardent and hot, but peaceful, peaceful),
• Yaroslav (yar, yaro = spring; ardent = red, hot, hot, furious)

Notes:

one). All the above Old Russian-Varangian-Slavic names (from Bazhena to Yaroslava) really existed, and this is confirmed by historical documents (see the works of Moroshkin M.Ya. and Tupikov N.M. And such names as Lada, Ruslana, Svetlana and Snezhana only seem ancient, in fact, these are "artificial" names with an age not exceeding 150-200 years.

2). Regarding the elementglory, glory, then it means not only "glory" (as evidence of universal respect), but also "to be called, named, reputed, to be known."

3). RootGlad-in Slavic names like Radmila, Radoslava means not onlyrejoice, but alsoplease(i.e. to bake, care for, contribute to); rootPower-meanshomeland, fatherland.

four). Our ancestors had the same names Svyatoslav and Svetoslav, since the wordslightandholiness, light colouredandStexpress the same meaning - "pure, unstained."

5). NamesFaith, Love, Lyudmila, Militsa, Nadezhda, Olga are the names of Orthodox saints, so they can be both passport and godparents. If you want to name the girl any other name from the above list (Bozhena, Vlasta, Zlata, Inga, Miroslava, Radmila, Yaroslava, etc.), then keep in mind that for baptism you need to prepare one more name - “calendar” (that is, contained in the Orthodox "saints").

For other materials on this topic, see the section

In ancient times, people believed that there was a magical connection between a person and his name. It was believed that without knowing the main name, it is impossible to harm a person. Therefore, children were often given two names: the first - deceitful, known to everyone, and the second - secret, which only the closest knew. secret name hid to protect the child from the evil eye and evil spirits. A false name was sometimes deliberately made unattractive to deceive evil spirits.

In adolescence, a rite of re-naming took place. The young man was named in accordance with the pronounced features and character traits that were manifested by this time.

History of occurrence

In the pre-Christian era, Slavic names reflected the meaning attached to the naming. Usually the name carried positive energy and expressed the hopes and wishes of the parents. There are several options for the origin of Slavic names:

• From weather phenomena (Frost, Vetran), time of day (Sumorok, Zoryan).
• From natural world: fish (Ruff, Catfish), animal (Wolf, Hare), bird (Eagle, Nightingale, Raven).
• According to the qualities of a person (Clever, Dobryak, Molchan, Tishilo). By character traits: Brave (brave, brave), Veselin (cheerful, mischievous), Offended (touchy).
• By external features(Kudryash, Mal, Chernysh). Strong Old Slavic boys could be called: Dubynya (strong, like an oak), Gorislav (steady, like a mountain).
• Names from verbs, adverbs (Zhdan, Hoten, Found, Daren).
• In order of birth: numerals (Pervusha, Vtorak, Tretyak, Shestak, Nine), and ordinal (Senior, Menshak).
• From pagan gods(Veles, Yarilo).
• Negative names were chosen to protect against the evil eye (Likho, Malice, Nezhdan, Fool), or as a reflection physical handicaps(Kriv, Nevzor, ​​Nekras).
• By occupation, profession - Kozhemyaka, Warrior, Peasant. These names look like nicknames, but in fact they are confirmed by surviving documents.
• Names derived from the names of other peoples. From the ancient Germanic names Khrodrik, Ingvarr, Helg came the ancient Russian Rurik, Igor, Oleg.
• Compound or dibasic names composed of two roots united by a connecting vowel.

Dibasic

Most of the Old Slavic names are represented by complex two-base names. One root of such a name determined the qualities (strength, power, power, love), and the second root showed the scope of their application (everyone, people, goodness, gods, army). The inherent meaning of such names can be determined intuitively by ear. For example, Bogomil - dear to God, Vsemil - dear to everyone, Kazimir - seems to show the world.

The propensity for military art was transmitted by names with military roots - regiment, howl-, rati-:

1. Yaropolk.
2. Ratibor.
3. Ratislav.
4. Vojislav.

Those inclined to the study of spiritual sciences added the root of the holy:

1. Svyatoslav.
2. Svyatomir.

Positive qualities determined the roots of kindness, cuteness, joyfulness, loveliness:

1. Lubomir.
2. Dobrogost.
3. Radolyub.

Some meanings are already difficult to determine by sound, because the meanings of words have changed. For example, the root fat meant abundance, wealth:

1. Zhiroslav.
2. Domazhir.

The root -ostr (sharp) meant brave:

1. Ostromir.
2. Wit.

The root - Slav spoke about princely origin name and upper class. Artisans and peasants had the same names with simple suffixes and endings: -l(o), -yat(a), -sh(a), -n(ya):

1. Dobroslav - Dobrynya, Dobryata.
2. Putislav - Putyata, Putyata.
3. Stanislav - Stanilo.
4. Mstislav - Mestilo, Mistyasha.

Evolution

Many names of ancient Slavic men were lost after the arrival of Christianity in Russia. To replace the Slavic pagan gods with Christianity came one God . With a change in faith, there was a rejection of names that included the names of the old gods (Yarilo, Veles). Some of the ancient Slavic names were banned by the Christian Church.

Old Slavonic names replaced names from the Bible (Greek, Jewish, Roman and others). After the adoption of Christianity, children began to be named after Orthodox saints. For example ancient name Ivan, which formed the basis of many folk tales and seems to be primordially Russian, came from Jewish name John, and appeared after the baptism of Russia.

Some of the ancient Slavic names remained in use, like worldly household names, they called the child in the family circle. Some of these names gradually evolved into nicknames.

Many ancient names formed the basis of surnames (Nezhdan - Nezhdanov, Volk - Volkov, Nevzor - Nevzorov, Nekras - Nekrasov, Molchan - Molchanov, Hare - Zaitsev, Tretyak - Tretyakov, Spite - Zlobov, Putyai - Putin, Orel - Orlov, Ruff - Ershov).

Some of the Slavic names have survived to this day almost unchanged. Vladimir, Stanislav, Vyacheslav, Vladislav - remain popular and modern at the present time. These names were worn by rulers, princes, generals and governors, so they remained relevant for many centuries. Some of the Old Slavonic names were canonized by the church, name days were added to them, these names were included in church calendars and remained in use:

• Vladimir.
• Bogdan.
• Vsevolod.
• Vladislav.
• Yaroslav.

A complete list of Old Church Slavonic and their meanings

This is what the ancient names of Russian men meant:

• Bazhen (desired, beloved, divine).
• Bazan (screamer).
• Bashilo (spoiler, naughty).
• Belimir (white, bright world).
• Belogor (white mountain, sublime).
• Beloslav (white, bright glory).
• White (white, light).
• Berislav (taking glory).
• Bogdan (Given by the Gods).
• Bogolyub (God loving).
• Bogomir (God peace).
• Boleslav (more glorious, most glorious).
• Borimir (fighting for peace).
• Borislav (fighting for glory).
• Bratislav (brother, friend of glory).
• Bronislav (preserving glory).
• Bryachislav (glorious warrior).
• Budimir (awakening, awakening the world).
• Burislav (stormy glory).
• Vadim (arguing, proving).
• Vadimir (attractive, calling).
• Velizar (great dawn, much light).
• Velimir (great, big world).
• Velimudr (knowing).
• Vesilin (cheerful, cheerful).
• Vladimir (owning the world, striving for harmony).
• Vladislav (possessing glory).
• Vlastimir (ruling over the world).
• Vojislav (fighting for glory, glorious warrior).
• Volodar (possessing the will, lord).
• Volga (wizard, hero).
• Vorotislav (returning glory).
• Vsevolod (owning everything).
• Vseslav (the most glorious, generous).
• Vysheslav (higher than others in glory, glorified).
• Vyacheslav (the most glorious, the most glorious).
• Gleb (presented to God, given under the protection of God).
• Much (large, large, skillful).
• Gorislav (flaming in glory).
• Gradomir (creator of the world).
• Gradislav (preserving glory).
• Gremislav (loudly famous).
• Danislav (let it be glorious).
• Darimir (bestower of peace).
• Dobrolyub (kind, loving).
• Dobromil (kind, dear).
• Dobromysl (good thinking).
• Dobroslav (glorified for good, glorifying good).
• Dobrynya (kind, daring).
• Dragomil (especially expensive, precious).
• Dragomir (cherishing the world, beloved by all).
• Squad (friend, comrade, or army, detachment).
• Dushan (spiritual, spiritual).
• Duhovlad (possessing the spirit).
• Yeseny (clear sky, clear).
• Zhdan (desired, expected).
• Zhiteslav (glorifying life).
• Zvyaga (loud).
• Zvenimir (ringing about peace, calling for consent).
• Zlatan (gold, precious).
• Zlatomir (golden world).
• Zlatoslav (golden glory).
• Izyaslav (who gained fame).
• Izheslav (be with glory).
• Istislav (glorifying the truth).
• Casimir (bringing peace, peace).
• Krasimir (beautiful world).
• Krasislav (beauty of glory).
• Labuta (clumsy, bumpkin).
• Ladimir (pacifying, in harmony with the world).
• Ladislav (glorifying beauty, harmonious).
• Lel (love, passionate).
• Luchezar (radiant, luminous).
• We love (favorite).
• Lubomir (loving world, any world).
• Curiosity (loving to think).
• Lyuboslav (glorifying love).
• Lyudmil (dear to people).
• Mal, Malyuta (small, baby).
• Mechislav (famous for the sword, glorious warrior, valiant).
• Milan (sweet, gentle).
• Milovan (affectionate, caring).
• Miloslav (dear glory).
• Mirko (peaceful, calm).
• Miroslav (glorious with the world, glorifying the world).
• Molchan (silent, laconic).
• Mstislav (irreconcilable, avenging glory, glorious avenger).
• Myslimir (thinking about the world).
• Hope (hope, expectation).
• Negomir (gentle world).
• Nikola (winner, warrior).
• Odinets (the only one, the first in a row).
• Oleg (sacred, dedicated).
• Ostromir (piercing, brave world).
• Witty (sharp-thinking, brave-thinking).
• Peresvet (bright, bright, clear).
• Polkan (strong, quick).
• Polyuda (giant, huge).
• Beautiful (beautiful).
• Putimir (reasonable world, the way of the world).
• Putislav (who glorified his path, blessed road).
• Radamir (rejoicing in peace, fighter for peace).
• Raday (joyful, joy).
• Radimir (who cares for the world).
• Radislav (rejoicing in glory, rejoicing in glory).
• Radmil (sweet joy).
• Radosvet (light of joy).
• Ratibor (fearless warrior, conqueror of the army).
• Rodislav (born glorious).
• Rostislav (growing glory, grown up for glory).
• Svetozar (illuminating with light, illuminated with light).
• Svyatomir (holy world).
• Svyatoslav (consecrated by glory).
• Svyatopolk (fighter for a holy cause, holy host).
• Slavomir (glorifying the world).
• Stanislav (becoming glorious or famous for the camp).
• Stoyan (persistent, strong).
• Tverdimir (solid world).
• Tvorimir (creating the world).
• Tikhomir (quiet, peaceful, peaceful).
• Tikhoslav (quiet glory).
• Khotislav (desiring glory, striving for glory).
• Brave (brave).
• Hranislav (guardian of glory).
• Cheslav (famous).
• Chudomil (wonderful, dear).
• Yanislav (glorious).
• Jaromir (bright world).
• Yaropolk (bright regiment, powerful army).
• Yaroslav (bright glorious, glorifying Yarila, the god of the Sun).

Old Slavic male names not only sound beautiful, but also have deep roots and sacred meanings. They carry the stamp of energy, culture and traditions. Slavic people. Choosing an ancient Slavic male name, parents lay the foundations of spiritual qualities and direction life path his child, because the growing boy will be projected those features that great ancestors possessed.

Are you choosing a name for your newborn son? Parents always dream of their child being the happiest and healthiest. And the first thing you can do for him is to give correct name. After all, a name is a sign that affects not only the character, but also the fate of a person.

But the problem is that, firstly, the list of names is huge. Secondly, I would like to consider strong and euphonious Slavic male names that have become popular again. In the article you will find out what traditions existed in the naming of boys in Russia and what the Slavic names meant.

What were the boys called in Russia?

Our ancestors, the Slavs, were strong and beautiful people. Russia was famous for its heroes, and their names were bright. We learn about this from folk tales, epics. The poem "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" presents us whole line beautiful heroes with memorable names.

Choosing a Slavic name for a boy, our ancestors paid special attention to its meaning. It had to necessarily reflect the character traits of the future man, warrior or successor of the clan - grandfather, father. The names of men differed from the names of the peoples of other countries in their connection with the forces of Nature, gods and family.

Slavic names for boys were chosen by parents depending on the type of employment, in honor of glorious ancestors, based on the qualities of the child's character.

For example, Dobrynya is kind,

Vsevolod - who owns everything,

Rodomir is the carrier of the world and many others.

The sons were named after the pagan gods: the name Jaromir consists of two roots - Yarilo (the god of the sun) and the world.

There were names indicating the order of the birth of a child in the family: Pervusha, Vtorak, Tretiak.

The most common group is represented by two main names: Bogdan, Vsevolod, Svetozar, Svyatoslav, Ratibor, Tikhomir, Yaropolk.

There were names associated with mythical characters representatives of flora and fauna, natural phenomena: Brave, Pike, Hare, Yarilo, Lada.

Why are Slavic male names forgotten?

This was mainly influenced by the baptism of Russia, which took place in the 10th century. Pagan beliefs were replaced by a nationwide single religion. With the change of faith, changes occurred in people's lives, their way of life, worldview.

Prohibitions were imposed on the original Slavic names, so they gradually disappeared from memory, were forgotten. They were replaced by Hebrew, Byzantine, Greek, Babylonian, Syrian names. In the 19th century, there were very few Russian names left; names of Latin origin also appeared in families. AT modern Russia boys with Old Russian names According to statistics, it was only 5%.

How to recognize Slavic names?

Male Slavic names had sacred meaning. They are beautiful, harmonious, as well as strong-willed, strong. You can easily recognize them. Usually they consist of two foundations: the first is the main one and was given at the birth of a child, the second was added when the boy grew up and had certain merits, showed himself in some way. For example,

Absey - born on the first day of spring,

Vsemil - dear to everyone,

Daroslav - giving the word,

Yaropolk is a hot warrior.

Slavic names for boys

There used to be a lot of names in the Slavic name-book. Most of them are now completely forgotten. So, if you want to name your baby with a traditional Slavic name, then take a look at the following list.

Absey- talented, innate creativity.

Agnechron- strong, fast, the need to dominate.

Agnes- a tendency to continuous movement, a bright person.

Aliy- active, always busy with something, stormy energy.

Bazhen- desired, beloved.

Belimir- sacred in the world, full of love and compassion.

Belogor- white mountain, has a strong character.

Beloslav- a pragmatist, tends to milk everything himself.

Belomir- honest, active.

Beloyar- sacred fury bright personality, craves everything that a person can possess.

Bogdan- Confident, loyal friend.

Boeslav He is handsome, confident and has a strong character.

Bozheslav- benevolent and polite.

Bogolep- Created by God.

Bogumil- dear to God, reliable.

Bogumir is a friend to all.

Blagomir- capable of maneuvering and changeability.

Blagoslav- has the ability to forgive and high spiritual qualities.

Boleslav- glorified, most glorious, hearing.

Borislav- fighting for glory, an extraordinary mind.

Bratislava- sociable, cheerful.

Bronislav- Purposeful, persistent, principled.

Budislav- will be glorious, master of crafts, sociable.

Bueslav- like a storm, indestructible.

Budimir- kind, loves nature, has a sense of beauty.

Vadislav- possessing fame, strong-willed, strong, successful.

Velibor- a great wrestler.

Venislav- crowned with glory, prudent, successful.

Vitoslav- a symbol of reliability.

Vladimir- ruler of the world, leader.

Vsevolod- all-powerful, gift to convince, courageous, firm.

Vseslav- all-glorious, famous.

Vyacheslav- glorifying, striving for leadership, sociable.

Gradimir- a good organizer, sociable.

Gleb- a lump, resolute, fair.

Godimir – needed by the world, an idealist, seeks to improve the world.

Skylight- clear, intelligent, balanced.

Gorislav- flaming glory, healthy, strong, hardy.

Gostimir- Talented, funny, versatile.

Daniyar- smart, knowledgeable.

Daromir- independent, courageous.

Divislav– amazing, full of energy, active.

Dobrolyub- kind and loving.

Dobroslav- renowned for good.

Dobrynya- kind, daring, the best.

Drogoslav – strong personality, purposeful.

Yeseny– practical, reliable, love science.

Zhelislav- courageous, independent, determined.

Zhiteslav- fair, active, strong.

Zvenislav- wise, self-sufficient, successful.

Zelislav- Cheerful, sociable.

Zlatoslav- philosophical mindset, easily learns foreign languages.

Zlatozar- disinterested, developed intuition, honest.

Igor- careful, attentive.

Krasimir- beautiful and peaceful.

Ladislav- balanced, reasonable, successful.

Lyuboslav- brave and independent.

Miloslav- glorifying the world, glorified by peacefulness.

Oleg- the soul of the company, resolute, reliable.

Peresvet- independent, courageous, strong character.

Radim- talented in art, sports, cheerful.

Radislav- reliable, conscientious, sane.

Ratislav – strong-willed loves power.

Ratmir- a warrior of the world, hospitable, purposeful, cunning.

Svetozar- stubborn, independent, sociable.

Svetoslav“Diplomatic, practical, strong-willed.

Tikhomir- peace-loving, good-natured, affable.

Yarilo sun, god.

Yaromil- Confident, positive, friendly.

Jaromir- calm, balanced, cheerful.

Yaroslav- athletic, stubborn, striving for victory, success.

Yaropolk- a glorious warrior, leader, independent, ringleader, has a strong energy.

Of course, this list presented cannot be called complete, but it gives an idea of ​​what the ancient Slavic male names were like.

Male Slavic names are back in fashion

After analyzing the meanings of ancient Slavic names, you will, of course, agree that they sound melodious, full of nobility, courage, and strength. They have a deep meaning and powerful positive energy. The more men with such names, the better and healthier the world becomes. This is a return to their origins, roots. Slavic names are energetically much stronger than foreign ones. And than more people bear names with positive energy, the better and cleaner the energy-informational background of the Earth.

Of course, no one urges you, parents, to completely abandon the usual names, such as Danil, Maxim, Arthur, Artyom, Egor, Arseny, Nikita, Semyon, Konstantin, Alexander, Nikolai, Kirill.

Just among the ancient and forgotten, there are many beautiful and noble ones. Giving your child Old Slavic name, you strengthen your family, make it stronger and cleanse it of bad energy. This is the strength of a person's name. The choice is yours.

The split of the church in Russia occurred in the middle XVII century when, on the initiative of Patriarch Nikon, a church reform in order to bring Russian religious rites into line with Greek Orthodox traditions. But not everyone accepted the innovations, which gave rise to the Old Believers. The Old Believers still live according to their own laws, in particular, they name their children in a special way.

How were the Old Believers given names?

In the article “On Proper Names in Russian Confessional Groups”, Doctor of Philology, Chief Researcher of the Institute of Linguistics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR / RAS Nikitina notes: The basis of all local names are the Old Believer saints.

So, the names were given strictly according to the holy calendar: for boys during the first eight days, for girls - within eight days before or after the date of birth. Therefore, many Old Believers bore rare and almost forgotten names in our time, for example: Macarius, Procopius, Savvaty, Fevrusa, Ulita, Yermil, Glykeria, Kallistrat, Kornil, Sekletinya, Hermogenes, Fotinya. At the same time, in one family there could be several children with the same names - this was not forbidden.

Canonical and non-canonical forms

Ethnographer A.I. Nazarov in his work “Namebook of the Old Believers-Priests of the Land of the Ural Cossack Army” draws attention to the fact that both canonical and non-canonical spellings of individual names are found in the metric books of Old Believer settlements. The latter, for example, include such as Aftan, Anton, Gavrila, Efimy, Mikhaila, Stepan, Foky; Nastasya, Anisya, Daria, Arina, Ustina.

“Some names in the metric book for 1833 were found only in non-canonical form,” the researcher reports, “for example, the male names Avinaliy, Anisim, Anufry, Arefiy, Cyril (Cyril), female names Alimpiada (Elimpiyada), Uliyana (Ulyana), Uliya (Ulyaniya). They correspond to the canonical forms Uvenaliy, Onesimus, Onufry, Aretha, Cyril; Olympias, Juliana, Juliana.

Interestingly, according to the canons of the Old Believers, the name Nikolai is found only in the form of Nikola, which existed before the so-called book right in the second half of the 17th century. According to sources, Archpriest Avvakum said about this: “Nicholas was among the Germans, and under the apostles there was a heretic, and there is no Nicholas anywhere among the saints.”

How have traditions changed?

According to S.E. Nikitina, although common names were often found in the Old Believer environment - Ivan, Maria, Peter, Anna, Vasily, Tatyana, Pavel, Natalya, along with them less common ones were also used - Savely, Evdokia, Karp, Efrosinya, Savvaty, Praskovya, Ulyana, Matryona, Pelageya, Akulina, Fedor, Mavra. Moreover, this happened already in the post-revolutionary period, as evidenced by the documentation stored in the village councils of some Old Believer villages in the Urals and Siberia.

Sometimes young people changed their names without permission: for example, Fyodor became Faina, Akulina - Lina, Pelageya - Polina, Fotinya - Svetlana (translated from Greek). Adherents of the old faith condemned such behavior: “You can’t change the name for no reason: it is given according to the book (that is, according to the calendar) and has been tested for centuries.”

Only in the 60s of the twentieth century, the Old Believers began to call their children by more traditional names for us, although also available in the calendar - Andrei, Sergey, Anatoly, Ekaterina, Valentina, Galina.

Today, "Old Believer" names are found mainly among people from the Urals and Siberia, as well as among the descendants of the Old Believers who emigrated to the West after the revolution. Moreover, S.E. Nikitina notes: “The Old Believer names of the Old Believers in America are also striking in their unusualness. Here, for example, male names: Abraham, Onufry, Lavren, Nestor, Cyprian - they do not form diminutives. Such female names as Minadora, Feoktista also do not have diminutive forms. Those who have them do not always coincide with those familiar to us: Praskovya - Pan, Clement - Mitka, Evdokia - Kay (from the variant of Evdokey), Fetinya - Fet. AT recent times“American” names appear as diminutives: Sam (from Samuil), Sally (from Salome, the Russian version is Solonka), etc. ”