In ancient times, when the daughter's parents wanted to name her by some name, they always looked first at the manifestations of her character traits, abilities, craving for something specific. Slavic names for girls must necessarily reflect not only the purpose of the future mother and wife, but also some of their personal traits. If today more people choose names of foreign origin or from the Orthodox nomenclature, then earlier the Slavs relied on ritual and even religious traditions. Beautiful Slavic names for girls were given in accordance with the personality. In the rite of naming, the sorcerer conducting the rite played a key role. Subsequently, traditions changed, Slavic Russian names for girls began to be assigned at birth. Perhaps now is the time when we can use rare Slavic names for girls?
According to culturologists, the Slavs had never given names to their children since infancy. In addition, they were always in the habit of naming children or an adult person by several names. Until now, we have a folk custom to give nicknames to a person who already has a first name, patronymic and family name.
Beautiful Slavic names for girls were assigned in adolescence. The destination for each girl played a special role. It could be both personal and generic, having a family or communal meaning.
The first feature includes the personal qualities of the child, which will remain with him for life. And to the second - the social role of the future mother, wife, continuer of the clan. There is also a third meaning - this is the identification of a girl with one or another Goddess of the Slavic pantheon of gods. Then the girl could involuntarily attract divine power to herself by her name alone.
Features of Slavic names for girls
The original Slavic name for a girl today is considered a rare occurrence. People are already accustomed to naming girls with names of Greek, Germanic, Roman and even English origin. It is also popular today to name children from the church Orthodox name book. But most of them include Jewish names, mixed with Greek variants.
Female names among the Slavs could be compound or simple, depending on the family structure, traditions and personal characteristics, time of birth, circumstances. In Russian fairy tales, even today you can find names consisting of an additional nickname: Elena the Wise, Marya the Artificer, Tiny Khavroshechka, Varvara Krasa - Long Braid, Ognevushka-Poskakushka and others. In addition to fairy tales, in the life of the Slavs there were names: Zarina Svetlaya, Dobronrava Solnechnaya, Yasun Krasa, Dobryana Kunitsa, Vedana Groza and others.
In addition to the double names that spoke about the special qualities of the child, or the special time and hour when he was born, the children of the Slavs were also called secret names. Only the priest conducting the ceremony, the Native Gods blessing the child and the girl herself knew about this name. This name should not be told to anyone, because there is a belief that with its help, evil forces can completely take over a person who bears a secret name. The function of such a name is to protect from various failures, attacks by evil spirits, from the evil eye and other negativity.
If they wanted to mark the girl with the power of any Goddess, then she was given a name either with the root of the name of the Goddess, or by naming the child with a whole divine name. Such a relationship with the Native Gods allowed the future girl to marry successfully, the future mother - to conceive, give birth and raise good children, the future wife - to be a true friend, companion and protector of her husband.
SLAVIC NAME
What Slavic name could you have if you lived in those distant times?
Take the testThere are the following names associated with the pantheon of Slavic goddesses: Lada, Zara (derived from Zarya Zaryanitsa), Maria (derived from Mary, Morena), Dana. Female names derived from the Gods: Yarila, Velesynya, Perunitsa.
How to choose Slavic names for girls
Rare Slavic names for girls (Vedagora, Gorislava and others) or common ones, such as Lada, for example, were chosen according to a special principle. It consisted of the following:
- A temporary name was given. From the moment of birth and up to a certain age, girls were not called by any specific name, but simply called - “child”, “child”, “girl”, or even a number at all - “second”, “third”.
- Naming. After observing what inclinations the girl showed, what she aspired to, parents could help choose a name.
- Honor the ancestors. They could name the girl by the name of some outstanding personality in the family. For example, great-grandmothers-needlewomen, grandmothers-witnesses and so on.
- Honor the ancestral God. When a certain god or deities were worshiped in the Slavic family, their names could also be passed on to people at the request of parents or grown-up children.
The naming was carried out for the girl in such a way as to first “wash away” a temporary name in a lake where there is no flowing water (for boys - in a river with flowing water). Then they “attached” a new name through a special ritual. The sorcerer performed the ritual at the temple. This is all done when the girl reaches a certain age:
- if the qualities of the future sorceress, priestess, witch were manifested, then the girl was named at the age of 9;
- when a child shows all the qualities of a warrior, or she was a princess - at the age of 12;
- children showing the qualities of other classes - at 16 years old.
Slavic mythology describes a number of conditions in the traditions of the ancient Slavs, when they could rename children or adults. This usually happened if a new name “from the language of the people” was already fixed in a girl or woman, given the passage of one or another stage of life, where she showed herself in a special way. They could conduct new rites of naming when, for some reason, the previously given name was not suitable. It rarely happens when a temporary name is assigned to a child for life.
The name of a girl, girl, woman must be heard! Our ancestors, the Slavs, believed that spoken words had magical powers, including names that were repeated aloud more often than other words. The future mother, wife must necessarily receive strength from Nature, the elements, the gods, in order to safely create virtuous offspring. The Slavic culture of the Russian North has in many ways now most fully preserved these traditions, especially in the villages.
Slavic female names
AGNIA - fiery, enlightened
ALLA - highly spiritual
BAZHENA - desired
BELA - white, clean
BELOYARA - bright
BORISLAVA - fighting for glory
BOYANA - fighting, courageous
BRATISLAVA - taking glory
BELOSLAVA - glorifying purity
BELYANA - enlightened, spiritualized
BOGOLYUBA - loving her gods
VLASYA - long-haired
VELENA - imperative
VESNYANA - spring
VLADA - fine, slender
VELMIRA (Velemira) - commanding the world (people)
VEDANA (Vedeneya, Vedenya) - in charge
VELIMIRA - very peaceful, balanced
VERA - knowing Ra (sun, primordial Light)
VSESLAV - all glorifying
GALA - sincere
GALINA - feminine, earthy
DANA (Danuta) - given
DARYANA (Daria) - courageous
DRAGOMIRA (Dorogomila) - dear, dear to the world (society)
ZLATA (Zlatana) - golden, golden-haired
ZVENISLAVA - calling glory
ZLATOYARA - ardent, strong as the sun
INNA (Inga) - feminine
KARINA - brown-eyed, rasenka
LYUBAVA (Lyuba, Lyubima, Lyubush) - beloved
LUDA - human
LUCHEZARA - radiant, illuminating with light
LUBOYARA - loving Yarila
LYUDMILA - dear to people, humane
MILA (Mlava, Milica) - dear
WORLD (Mirava, Mirana, Mirona, Mireta) - peaceful, reconciling
OLESIA - forest
OLGA (Olyana) - playful
OGNESLAV - glorifying Fire
POLADA - flexible
PEREYASLAVA - who adopted the glory of their ancestors
RUSSIA - blond
RITA - born in accordance with the Law of the Genus
SVETANA (Sveta, Svetla) - light
SNEZHANA (Snezhina) - snowy, white-faced
SVETLANA (Svetlena) - bright, pure soul
FLOWER - blooming, tender
YADVIGA - nurse
YANA - courageous
YAROSLAVA - glorifying Yarila-sun
Before the advent of Christianity in Rus', there were male names, which reflected the qualities of people, their various properties, for example, speech characteristics or physical defects. Also, Slavic male names reflected the attitude of parents to children or the order of their appearance in the family. All this was expressed directly by common nouns or figuratively, in comparison with animals, plants, etc. They could name the child Wolf, Cat, Sparrow, Pea, Birch, Pockmarked, Buyan, First, Tretiak, Big, Small, Zhdan, Unexpected. Subsequently, these male names were reborn into modern surnames Nezhdanov, Tretyakov, Volkov, etc.
After Christianity was introduced in Rus', such male names () were gradually replaced by church names that came from Byzantium. Among them there were not only Greek, but also ancient Roman names, and Hebrew, and Syrian, and Egyptian. Each of them had a certain meaning in their native language, but in Rus' they became proper names, not denoting anything else. So, once upon a time in Byzantium, the best Greek names and names that were used in neighboring countries were collected. All of them were canonized, that is, legalized officially, becoming church names.
Brought to Russian soil, church male names did not immediately replace the old ones. The fact that new names gradually entered Russian life is evidenced by the fact that until the 17th century, Russians, along with church Christian names, also gave secular, more familiar and understandable names. It was they who eventually became nicknames. Ancient chronicles contain quite complex names of people, sometimes compound ones: “Fedot Ofonasyev’s son, nicknamed Cucumber”, “Alexey, nicknamed Budila, Semyonov’s son”, “Ostashko, nicknamed Pervushka”, “Boyar Theodore, called Road”.
Old Russian names gradually faded into oblivion, and by the XVIII-XIX centuries. only Christian male names remained. However, they also underwent changes, succumbing to the influence of the peculiarities of Russian pronunciation, word formation and inflection. So Diomede became Demid, Jeremiah became Jeremiah, Ioannikius became Anikeem, and so on. A number of names even began to be used in two versions - church and civil. Church male names resembled the Greek original, while civil or folk names were more adapted to Russian pronunciation. So Sergius became Sergey, Agapius - Agap, Elijah - Ilya, Zachary (Zakharia) - Zakhar.
Let's see list of most popular male names, and also learn their values. We hope that from the list presented there is the most suitable name for your boy.
Ancient Slavic female names.
Bazhen is a female form named after Bazhen.
Belogora - enlightened.
Beloslava is the female form named after Beloslav.
Berislav is a female form named after Berislav.
Blagoslav is a female form named after Blagoslav.
Bogdana is the female form of the name Bogdan.
Bogumila - dear to the Gods.
Boleslav is the female form named after Boleslav.
Borislav is a female form named after Borislav.
Boyana is the female form named after Boyan.
Bratislava is the female form named after Bratislava.
Bronislava is the female form named after Bronislav.
Vedana (Vedeneya, Vedenya) - the leader.
Vedislava - glorifying knowledge.
Velizhana is polite, subdued her feelings.
Velizara - many-light, illumined.
Velimira is a female form named after Velimir.
Velislav is a female form named after Velislav.
Wenceslas is the female form named after Wenceslas.
Faith is faith, true.
Vesselina (Vesela) - the female form named after Veselin.
Vladimir is the female form named after Vladimir.
Vladislava is the female form named after Vladislav.
Vojislava is a female form named after Vojislav.
Omniscient - omniscient.
Vsemila is the female form named Vsemila.
Vseslav - the female form named after Vseslav.
Dove - meek.
Gorislava is a female form named after Gorislav.
Gradislava is the female form named after Gradislav.
Granislav is a female form named after Granislav.
Darena (Darina, Dara) - the female form named after Daren.
Dzvenislava - glorified.
Dobrovlada - possessing kindness.
Dobrogora - exalting goodness.
Dobrolyuba - loving kindness.
Dobromila is a female form named after Dobromil.
Dobromir is the female form named after Dobromir.
Dobroslav - female form named after Dobroslav.
Dragomir is a female form named after Dragomir.
Zhdana is a female form named after Zhdan.
Zhivoroda - priestess of Alive.
Zvenislav - proclaiming glory; glorifying.
Zlatotsveta (Gold) - golden-colored.
Zoremira - illuminating, enlightening the world.
Iskra is the female form named after Iskren.
Casimir is the female form named after Casimir.
Krasimira is a female form named after Krasimir.
Lada - beloved, dear. Goddess of love, mother of the gods.
Ladomila - dear to the goddess Lada, merciful.
Ladomira is a female form named after Ladomir.
Ladoslava - praising Lada.
Luchesara - radiant, illuminating with light.
Lyubava (Love) - beloved.
Lyubomila - beloved, dear.
Lubomir is a female form named after Lubomir.
Lyuboyara - loving Yarila.
Ludmila is the female form named after Ludmila.
Ludomira - reconciling people.
Milada is dear to the goddess Lada.
Milana (Milena) is the female form named after Milan.
Miloslava is the female form named after Miloslav.
Miroslava is a female form named after Miroslav.
Mstislava is a female form named after Mstislav.
Hope is hope.
Nekras is the female form of Nekras.
Ogneslav - glorifying Fire.
Ogneyar is a female form named after Ogneyar.
Peredslava (Predslava) - preceding glory. Historical personality: Predslava - wife of Svyatoslav Igorevich, mother of Yaropolk Svyatoslavich.
Peresvet - the female form of the name Peresvet.
Radmila - pleasing with sunny mercy.
Radimira is a female form named after Radimir.
Radislava is the female form of Imney Radislav.
Radmila is caring and sweet.
Radosveta - sanctifying with joy.
Joy (Rada) - joy, happiness, sunny.
Rostislava is a female form named after Rostislav.
Svetislava is a female form named after Svetislav.
Svetlana is the female form named after Svetlana.
Svetozara (Svetlozara) is a female form named after Svetozar.
Svetogora is a female form named after Svetogor.
Svetoyara - sunny.
Snezhana - white-haired, cold.
Stanimira is a female form named after Stanimir.
Stanislav is the female form named after Stanislav.
Tikhomir is a female form named after Tikhomir.
Chaslava (Cheslava) - the female form named after Chaslav.
Chernava - dark-haired, swarthy; Avesha Mary.
Pike is a personified name of the animal world. The earthly incarnation of the KIND.
Yaromila - dear Yarile.
Yaroslav - female form named after Yaroslav
We all know that the name affects the fate of a person, it even determines it to some extent. Perhaps that is why in Rus' people were given two names - false, for everyone, and secret, which only the closest knew about. Thus, people wanted to protect their children from evil spirits and people, over time, giving two names became a tradition.
Basically, the first name was unattractive, children could be given the name Malice, for example, the second name was given already in adolescence, after the main character traits of a person were formed. Old Russian girls' names were varied. They were formed from the names of animals, flowers and goddesses, in order of birth, according to human qualities. And also the old Russian names of girls were formed from two bases, for example, Lyubomila, Dobrynya.
On the territory of Russia, with the advent of Christianity, many names, in particular the Old Russian ones, were forced out. At the same time, the church even forbade the use of some names. At the moment, only a small part of the population uses the old Russian names of girls. If you want to give your child an unusual old Russian name, then you can use our list, which contains many names invented by our ancestors.
Old Russian names of girls:
Alena - scarlet
Lubomira - peaceful
Belava - light
Luchesara - radiant
Berislav - chosen by glory
Lana - field, put on
Bazhena - desired
Ladomila - sweet, okay
Bogumila - dear to God
Lyubislava - beloved by fame
Blessed - happy
Lada - harmony, beauty
Branislava - covered in glory
Lubomila - beloved, dear
Beloslava - bright glory
Ladomira - peaceful
Bogdana - given by God
Milana - sweetheart
Vereya - tied
Miloslava - dear glory
Vladimira - who owns the world
Mila - sweetheart
Vlastimira - who owns the world
Militsa - dear
Vetran - airy
Milava - sweetheart
Velimira - great world
Milorada - sweet and joyful
Power - ruler
Unexpected - unexpected
Veda - knowing
Negomila - tender and sweet
Velislava - great glory
Hope - hope, expectation
Faith - knowing the light, faithful
Rejoicing - rejoicing
Wanda - Praise
Olesya - from the forest
Vlastislava - possessing fame
Olislava - around glory
Videslava - the glory of life
Ozara - illuminated
Veselina - cheerful
Ozhana - what is compressed
Ganna - bird
beautiful - beautiful
Godislava - in the time of glory
Pereslava - ahead of glory
Gordana - proud
Rostislav - grow glorious
Gostimira - peaceful guest
Radimila - sweet joy
Dushan - sincere
Glad - joy
Dobrodeya - active
Radislava - the joy of glory
Draga - dear
Slavyanka - glory
Druzhana - friendly
Svyatava - light
Dobroslava - glorifying goodness
Snezhana - snowy
Dana - given to the world
Svetozara - illuminated by light
Darina - given by God
Svetomir - the light of the world
Dobrana - kind
Svetolika - bright face
Daromila is a sweet gift
Semislava - seven times bright
Yesenia - clear, clear sky
Svetlana - bright
Zhdana - desired
Tikhosava - quiet glory
Zlatoslava - golden glory
Tomira - multi-world
Zlata - golden
Umila - dear
Krasimira - the beauty of the world
Ulada - getting along
Beauty is beauty
Hranimira - keeping the world
Kupava - set
Chayana - teahouse
Kraisava - the beauty of the earth
Jaromila - young, sweet
Love - love, love
Yasinya - clear
Lyudmila - dear to people
Yana - to be born, to be born
Ladoslava - beloved by fame
Yaroslav - shining with glory
Not all Russian names are of Slavic origin. Most modern Russian names are names from Orthodox saints, foreign or Russified names. But beautiful female Slavic names are not uncommon now.
Naming traditions among the Eastern Slavs
The turning point in the tradition of naming among the Slavs was the adoption of Christianity. For some time, Slavic and Christian names coexisted, moreover, in the naming of one person: a Slavic name for everyday life, and a baptismal, Christian name for the church. The Christian names used in Rus' came from Byzantium and therefore have ancient Greek roots, but some of them are of Hebrew and Roman origin. Starting from the XIV century, Slavic names began to be replaced by Christian ones, and for a long time they were perceived as pagan and became forbidden. The exception was the Slavic names of saints included in the calendar. Monthly or holy calendar is a church calendar with a brief indication of church holidays and days of memory of saints. Each name entered in the holy calendar must belong to a saint canonized by the church. The calendar was compiled in the order of months and days of the year. Orthodox names were given to girls in accordance with the month of birth.
In the 19th century, some Slavic names, especially of princely origin - Vladimir, Svyatoslav, Vsevolod, became widespread among the Russian intelligentsia. The fashion for Slavic names, including female ones, returned to Russia with the advent of the new millennium and the fascination with neo-paganism. Moreover, not only East Slavic and Old Slavonic names are widely used, but also common Slavic names adopted by other Slavic peoples - Bulgarians, Poles, Czechs, Serbs.
The rite of naming among the Slavs
Interest in Slavic culture, its traditions and rituals, revived some cult practices, including the rite of naming, which was once common among the ancient Slavs. The followers of Slavic paganism strive to return the lost meanings of the naming process, its magical meaning.
Old Slavic names have always had a sacred meaning and have never been random. The ancient Slavs knew that names reflect the deepest meanings of being, the structure of the universe, determine the fate of a person, his destiny.
In accordance with the concept of the magical meaning of names, a person should have two names - a “secret name” and a “name for everyone”. The name for everyone is rather a nickname that emphasizes the properties of character, appearance, as well as shortcomings, real or, most often, imaginary. This is a false name, and it was given to protect against evil forces. A false name is often dissonant, and its meaning is to scare away unkind people and evil spirits. The names Nekras, Nemil, Kriv, Malice are unlikely to attract envious people, but they will protect its bearers.
Adherents of Slavic traditions believe that a child should not receive a real name immediately after birth, but at the age of nine or twelve, when he realizes his destiny. The rite of naming should be performed by a sorcerer (priest). This is a kind of initiation, after which the child acquires a true, hidden from everyone (except him and the priest) name and a common name, which becomes his public personal name. The true name determines the fate of a person, harmonizes him with the world, preserves and protects the inner harmony.
Groups of Slavic names
Old Slavic names are divided into the following groups:
- names associated with the birth of a child (Winter, Frost);
- names emphasizing the features of the physical appearance (Chernysh, Malyuta, Golovach, Tolstoy);
- numerical names (Perva, Vtorak, Tretyak);
- names associated with distinctive features of character or temperament (Brave, Stoyan, Smeyana);
- names from the animal or plant world (Hare, Eagle, Nut, Wolf, Pike);
- names of gods and goddesses (Yarila, Lada, Veles);
- names reflecting the desirability or undesirability of the child (Nezhdan, Nechay).
Under the influence of Christianization, these nicknames were forced out of use, becoming the basis for the formation of surnames.
Apart from the old Slavic names are princely names. Almost all of them are dual-basic - Vladimir, Yaroslav, Mstislav, Svyatopolk and others. The meaning of such names is based on words symbolizing power and glory. The use of princely names by mere mortals was forbidden. By the 15th century, representatives of the ruling Rurik dynasty already had Christian names as their main name. Vladimirs and Svyatoslavs are replaced by Ivans, Vasily, Alexandra.
Female princely names are also two-based - Yaroslav, Vysheslav, Dobronega, Pereyaslav. Basically, these names were derived from male ones. Unfortunately, few female Slavic names have come down to us. The reason for this is the insignificant role of women in medieval Rus' and, perhaps, the distribution of Christian names earlier than among men.
The meaning of Slavic female names
The sound of Slavic female names is beautiful and melodic, and the meaning is clear and close to any Slav. Their popularity is growing every day, and the list of Slavic female names chosen for girls is becoming wider:
- Arina - according to one version, Arina is a form of the Slavic name Yarin, formed on behalf of the god Yaril;
- Bazhena - desired, honored, dear, beloved;
- Berislav - taking glory;
- Blessing - blessing kindness;
- Bogdana - given by God;
- Bogumila - dear to God;
- Boleslav - more glorious;
- Bozhena - God's, blessed;
- Branislava - protecting glory;
- Bratislava - fraternal glory;
- Bronislava is a glorious protector;
- Wenceslas - more glorious;
- Velimira - big world;
- Veselina - cheerful;
- Vladimira - who owns the world;
- Vlad - a short form from Vladislav;
- Vladislav - owning glory;
- Vseslav - all glory;
- Gordislava - proud glory;
- Gorislava - burn or grief + glory;
- Goritsa - forest;
- Gradislava - protecting the world;
- Gremislava - thundering glory;
- Darina - donated;
- Dobronega - good bliss;
- Dobromila - kind and sweet;
- Dobroslav - good glory;
- Dragomira - dear to the world;
- Zhdana - long-awaited;
- Zvenislav - ringing glory;
- Zlata - golden;
- Lada - dear, beloved;
- Lyubava - beloved;
- Lubomila - beloved, dear;
- Lubomira - loving peace;
- Lyudmila - dear to people;
- Malusha is small;
- Milana - sweetheart;
- Militsa - pretty;
- Miloslava - glorious in mercy;
- Miroslava - glorious in peace;
- Mlada - young;
- Mstislava - avenging glory;
- Unexpected - unexpected;
- Pereslava - strive for glory;
- Prebyslava - to be in glory;
- Rada - joyful;
- Radimira - caring about the world;
- Radmila - caring, sweet;
- Radoslav - joyful glory;
- Rostislav - growing glory;
- Svetozara - illuminating with light;
- Svetoslava - glorifying the light;
- Svetlana - light;
- Svyatoslav - holy glory;
- Snezhana - snowy, cold;
- Stanislav - asserting glory;
- Tikhomira - quiet, peaceful;
- Cheslava - honest glory;
- Yarina - possibly from the god Yaril;
- Yaroslav - ardent, strong glory.
Famous Russian female names - Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov - are not Slavic in origin, but are tracing paper from ancient Greek words in the meaning of Faith (Pistis), Hope (Elpis) and Love (Agape).
Interestingly, some modern Slavic names, including female ones, are the fruit of literary and cult fantasies. Representatives of the now popular genre of "Slavic fantasy" and neo-pagan Rodnovers are happy to invent new names, most often two-based ones.
