Ukrainian girl names. Ukrainian names

Ukrainian names have much in common with Russians and Belarusians. This is not surprising, because our peoples have common roots and one story. The intertwining of destinies has led to the fact that now in Ukraine they are asked to write down children in the Russian-language form of the name, while in mother tongue it may sound very different. What is the peculiarity of Ukrainian names?

Let's look into the past

Now in Ukraine the fashion is returning to name children Old Slavic names. So in kindergartens and schools you can meet girls Bogdana, Miroslava, Bozhedana, Velena, Bozena. The boys are named Dobromir, Izyaslav, Lubomir. But this is only modern tendencies, although they were observed for almost the entire centuries-old history of the fraternal people.

When Christianity was adopted in Rus', they began to baptize everyone in the church and give the names of the holy great martyrs. This tradition continues to this day. But we still continue to name children exactly as it is written in the certificate? And why is this happening?

It turns out that this phenomenon is more than a thousand years old. Ever since the first Christian years, people who were accustomed to this continued to call their children. And what the church demands from them simply remained on paper. So the names could actually be different. Bogdan was baptized as a child under the banner of St. Zenobius, and Ivan as Istislav.

Examples of names of Christian origin

But the language of the people is great and powerful, so some Ukrainian names were still borrowed from Christian faith. Over time, they were changed and adapted to the gentle sound of the colorful language. By the way, there are also native Russian analogues. For example, Elena in Ukraine sounds like Olena, Emilian - Omelyan, Glykeria - Licker (Russian Lukerya).

IN Old Russian there were no names that would begin with the first letter of the alphabet A. This rule was later transferred to Ukraine, with the exception of the name Andrey (Andriy, although in some villages you can hear Gandriy) and Anton. But Alexander and Alexey, more familiar to us, had the first O and turned into Oleksandr and Oleksiy. By the way, dear Anna in Ukraine sounds like Ganna.

Another phonetic feature ancient language- the absence of the letter F. Almost all words with F are borrowed from other countries. That is why the Christian versions of Thekla, Philip and Theodosius turned into Tesla, Pilip and Todos.

Ukrainian male names

It is simply impossible to name all the names suitable for boys and which will be considered primordially Ukrainian. There are a great number of them, and they all have an old Slavic roots. We propose to consider the most common Ukrainian male names and their meaning.

Women's names

Many female names are derived from the male. List of Ukrainian given names in feminine form:

The meaning of Ukrainian names can be understood from the very name. Originally Ukrainian words were used to display their meaning on the character of the child. Therefore, if you read Miloslav, then you mean that this sweet creature will certainly become famous.

How to read Ukrainian names correctly

In the Ukrainian language, almost all letters are similar to Russian. Except for a few. They are especially difficult for people from other countries, because the language requires them to be pronounced smoothly and softly.

So, the letter g is in two versions. The first ordinary is read gutturally, softly, and the second with a tail is more firmly. Besides:

• e is read like Russian e;
• her:
• i - and;
• and - similarly s;
• ї - like "yi"
• yo - like Russian ё.

Features of modern names

Modern Ukrainian names have already lost their uniqueness. Of course, the parents of the western regions and some of the central regions still preserve ancient traditions, but the rest, and especially big cities prefer to use Russified forms. By the way, data about a person is written in two languages ​​- national and Russian.

And when you finally find out the sex of the child, you immediately begin to sort through popular baby names to find the one that is ideal for the baby. We will tell you how boys and girls were most often called in 2017 in Ukraine. Maybe you want to choose a less common name, or, conversely, fall in love with one from the list?

What do the statistics say?

According to the Ministry of Justice, most often newborn babies are still called Sophia. This name has been leading the girls for more than a year. Well, it sounds beautiful in all languages ​​and means "wise" a good option for a little Ukrainian princess. The frequently chosen girls' names in Ukraine 2017 also included Anna and Maria. Eva, Darina, Katerina and Zlata became no less popular names for girls.

Statistics from the Ministry of Justice states that the situation is different among male names. If last year the popular names of boys were headed by Artem, then this year Timofey came out on top. No less common names for boys in Ukraine in 2017 are Mikhail, Dmitry, Maxim, Alexander, Matvey and Mark.

Our hit parade of popular baby names

We also want to contribute to the choice of a name for the child! Based on the photo contest, which takes place on the site "Your Baby", we have compiled our rating of popular baby names in our country.

Here is our selection of the most beloved boy names by parents in Ukraine 2017:

• Timur
• Kirill
• Vlad (Vladislav)
• Nikita
• Myron
• George
• Artem
• Daniel

Judging by our observations, little defenders are often named in accordance with the name day. Very common and continued family traditions: give your son a name in honor of dad or grandfather. Some call the boys in a Western manner, such as Eric or Louie.

How are things with the names of girls in Ukraine 2017? Here is our list:

• Veronica
• Elsa
• Emilia
• Sofia
• Arina
• Milan
• Zlata
• Pauline

As you can see, when it comes to babies, parents can afford to be creative! Popular names girls are sometimes borrowed from their favorite cartoon (often eldest daughter, which also takes part in choosing a name for the child), are sometimes given in honor of favorite stars or book characters. This is how one can explain such rare and beautiful names as Aurora, Patricia, Elizabeth or Vanessa.

Ukrainian names in their origin are not much different from Russian ones. As a state, Ukraine exists quite recently, and the sources of names remain the same as before. They date back to the era of pre-Mongol Rus, and their differences from Russians lie mainly in pronunciation and degree of prevalence. This is due to the fact that the basis of Ukrainian culture was rural traditions, and the language, in fact, is a phonetic record of local dialects.

Despite the fact that Ukrainian names for the most part correspond to Russian ones, they have a number of features related to the development of the language and the long stay different parts Ukraine under the rule of other states. These differences can be summarized as follows:

• dominance folk forms over church;
• wider use of Slavic names;
• influence neighboring nations both the pronunciation of the name and its diminutive form.

Baptismal or calendar names

They came to Rus' from Byzantium, and in their origin were Greek, Jewish and Latin. It was difficult for the Slavs to get used to them - differences in phonetics affected. For example, in Rus' there were no sounds [f] and [θ], the pronunciation was dominated by an okane, and long words were not held in high esteem.

On the territory of Russia, the sound [f] appeared after the final consonants were stunned, but this did not happen in Ukraine.

TO XVI centuryѢ began to disappear, moreover, in Russia it was replaced by [e], and in Ukraine - by [i].

When Ukraine was a part Russian Empire, the calendar name was recorded in their full form, but if a Russian, at least in the city, took it for granted, it was difficult for a resident of Ukraine to get used to it, and after it was codified in the USSR Ukrainian language, the pronunciation of names was fixed phonetically.

For example, among Ukrainian male names, the list abounds with names starting with O: Oleksiy in Ukrainian Oleksiy and Oleksa, Alexander - Oleksandr and Oles, Evstafiy - Ostap, Athanasius - Opanas and Panas. Andrew in Ukrainian - Ondry, although now Andriy is more common.

F and fita were replaced by [p], [t] and [v]: this can be seen from the names of Eustathius and Athanasius. Among women it is possible to note:

• Thekla - Veklya and Teklya;
• Theodora - Pidorka;
• Euphrosyne had the diminutives Pronya and Prisya.

IN recent decades appeared in Ukraine name-related passport problem. This was partly a consequence of the rules introduced for filling out foreign passports. They write down the name according to standard transliteration, which is why the national version recorded in a civil passport can play a cruel joke with the owner of the name.

In the USSR, the name national republics was not transcribed when it came to Ukrainian and Belarusian languages. That is, Nadiya Volodimirovna in the Russian version became Nadezhda Vladimirovna. And it seemed normal to everyone. Now the owners of the calendar names are faced with the fact that these names, it turns out, are different.

How good it is is unknown. The owners of such names, if they have not changed beyond recognition, believe that the name is one, and its spelling is a third matter. That is, Catherine will not mind if in Ukraine she is recorded as Catherine, but in the passport as Catherine. But officials don't think so..

The dictatorship of the Ukrainian form is also experienced by those who want to insist on a national version if it is not Ukrainian.

Old Russian heritage in names

As mentioned earlier, the use of pre-Christian names in Ukraine is more common than in Russia. An interesting fact is that such names can have both masculine and female forms, uncommon in Russia. This is partly due to Polish influence, and another reason was the long stay of Ukrainians outside the legal field of the Russian Empire, where for some time it was not allowed to give non-calendar names. They, of course, were in use, but they were not recorded in the documents. In Ukraine, the situation is different..

Among such names, one can recall male Volodymyr, Vladislav, Yaroslav, Stanislav, Miroslav, Bogdan, and the last four have female forms. The name Miroslava is more common among women.

Old and new foreign language influence

It was observed in border areas and in places where a mixed population lived. First of all, this concerns the western regions, which have been part of different states throughout history. These influences include:

• Slovak
• Hungarian;
• Moldovan and Romanian;
• German;
• Polish.

More often this affected diminutive variants of names, but full options. These names include male Tibor, Pishta, Dats, Vili, Rudy, female Bronislava, Zhuzha (Hungarian version of Susanna), Lyana, Aurika. Typical Czech and Slovak names are Bozena, Milos, Radomir, Draga.

The new time also made its contribution, and among Ukrainians, as well as Russians, Roberts, Arthurs, Zhannas, Alberts and Arnolds appeared.

Name in Ukrainian and its variants

The most obvious way to compare Ukrainian and Russian names is in the table.

Of course, these options are exaggerated. Names can be written in both Russian and Ukrainian transliteration, and diminutive forms can differ significantly. Both in Russian and in Ukrainian, there are two spellings of the name Natalya: Natalya and Nataliya. The name Yuri has long become independent and is not attached to George. The same can be said about the name Eugene and its derivatives.

Distribution and data of the registry office

Today it is difficult to judge which names in Ukraine are the most common. Statistics could not be found. IN Lately The registry offices began to let her down only by the names given to newborns. And if you look at them carefully, you can see a tendency to write names in a form close to the calendar.

Ukrainians, like Russians, pay little attention to how the name is translated from the original language. The main selection criterion is fashion and whether the name fits the surname and patronymic. The gender of the child also matters. Ukrainian names for boys are not particularly noticeable, girls get rare and beautiful ones. However, when there are five Anastasias in one kindergarten group, it starts to annoy.

For 2015, the names of girls have the following data:

By male names summary is even more interesting. Among the names of Ukrainian modern beautiful boys (if you look at what Russians and Ukrainians mean by the word "beautiful" when talking about a name), there are practically no:

As you can see, the desire to make the name universal prevails over the desire for national orthography.

Rules for reading Ukrainian names

The Ukrainian alphabet is slightly different from the Russian one, but the differences are important when reading. If you look closely at the list of popular names, you will notice that in different options Names use different letters. It has to do with reading. In principle, it will not be difficult to remember some rules:

• e is read as [e];
• Є - [ye];
• and - [s];
• i - [and];
• ї - [yi].

Knowing this, you can write your name correctly so that it is read correctly.

For example, [n'ik'ita] will be written as Nikita, not Nikita - with this transliteration, it will be read as [nykyta].

No matter how the name is written, it is important to remember: the main thing is that the person be good, and the name can be changed.

Attention, only TODAY!

In the days of our ancestors, the names given to newborns had special meanings. Now secret meanings few people are interested. This material will tell about Ukrainian names, their history.

Historical digression

Ukrainians took mostly part of the names from Orthodox saints and in a lesser traditional names Slavs.

The Eastern Slavs for a long time used the ancient names of their pagan ancestors along with the church ones. And so it happened: a person at baptism in christian church received a church name, and at birth he was called an ordinary one. Thus, the child was guarded by two deities all his life: pagan god and Christian saint. Church naming, according to the testimony of numerous written sources hid from everyone strangers. So the person defended himself from slander, damage and the evil eye. Double names and are rare these days.

Over time, Church Slavonic names have firmly entered the life of Ukrainians and began to be perceived positively by them. Due to the specifics of the language and peculiarities of pronunciation, they have slightly changed. For example, Ukrainian names never started with the letter a: Oleksandr (Alexander), Overky (Averky). Similar modifications occurred with the letter f: Khved (Theodore), Panas (Athanasius). However, names with this letter at the end still exist today: Eustathius, Joseph. Diminutive forms have become full-fledged replacements: Levko ( ex Leo), Palazhka (formerly Pelageya), Cooking ( former Barbara), Gritsko (formerly Grigory), Yurko (formerly Yuras), Timysh (Timofey).

What is popular these days?

There is the following classification of Ukrainian names:

• Adverbs that came from the old Orthodox calendar(Larisa, Oleksandra, Olena) are quite common, they are still called children;
• Male Ukrainian names, the roots of which stretch from the Old Slavonic language and its many dialects: Svyatoslav, Vladislav, Yaroslav, Yaropolk, Yaromir, Vsevolod;
• Polish with a Catholic origin: Lubomir, Teresa, Wanda;
• Female Ukrainian names that came from other countries, obeying fashion trends: Karina, Jeanne, Josetta.

Most of the Ukrainian modern nouns have Romano-Germanic origin. They are characterized by ancient symbolism (everyone, without exception, has a meaning and meaning), two-complexity: Miroslav, Brotherlyub.

What was the most common name given to children in Ukraine this year?

Statistics report that last year the most popular names for girls and boys in Ukraine were Alexander (Sasha) and Anastasia (Nastya). They are beautiful and have wonderful positive characteristics, whose reliability is proved by the happy fates of thousands of Nastya and Sasha, who have already lived their lives on earth. Alexander has always been considered the winner, and Anastasia means "reborn". By naming children in this way, people hope for a bright future, a good and calm life.

Anna (Anyuta, Anya), Alena (Alenka), Valentina (Valya), Polina (Fields), Natalya (Natasha), Elizaveta (Lisa) also appeared in the top of the most popular female names in the last six months. Ancient names are now in less demand, people are more likely to pay tribute to fashion.

Boys were most often called like this: Maxim (Max), Dmitry (Dima), Phillip, Egor (Egorka), Nikita. Many of these names have Slavic roots and are actively used in Russia and the Near Abroad.

The rarest names

What was the least common name for boys? They were: Zelay, Augustine, Loammiy. These names are unusual, they are difficult to pronounce and combine with the surname and patronymic of an ordinary Ukrainian. Children named like this may have problems with peers at school and in the yard.

The girls got the following rare names: Carbine, Indira, Ale, Aladina. They are rarely used because of the difficulty of pronunciation and dissonance, together with the often most common surnames of Ukrainians.

List of beautiful Ukrainian names

The name of the baby should be happy and joyful, give hope for the best and warm with its sound. That's the name of the child can only loving parents wishing him happiness.

Ukrainian female names have been formed over many centuries, reflecting the history of everyday life, beliefs of Ukrainians and their interaction with other peoples. Nowadays, the basis of female Ukrainian names is christian names church calendar, and the first names come from the pagan period.

Origin

Old Slavonic

Christian

With the advent of Christianity, women began to be called by Christmas time. The new names were Greek (Vasilisa, Antonina), Latin (Varvara, Valentina), Germanic (Alice, Inga, Irma), and Jewish (Anna, Martha). For a long time two names were used in parallel - the church one, given at baptism, and the pagan one, used in everyday life.

Coming from Europe

As a result of the interaction of peoples, the Catholic names of the West Slavic countries were borrowed:

1. Wanda.
2. Theresa.
3. Power.
4. Ruzhen.
5. Kvitoslav.

From other cultures came names that began to be pronounced in the Ukrainian manner: Zlata, Darina.

Borrowings in the 20th century

IN Soviet time influenced Western culture names entered into the Ukrainian language:

• Snezhana.
• Karina.
• Angelica.
• Angela.
• Diana.
• Camilla.
• Caroline.
• Christina.

Modification

Christian names were alien to the Ukrainian ear, and did not carry meaning for people.

Over time, sounds that were uncomfortable for pronunciation were crowded out or changed to others:

Some forms of calendar names became independent: Oksana (from Xenia), Alena (from Elena), Arina (from Irina). At the same time, the changed names retained their meanings.

How to name a girl - features of choice

In ancient times

The name laid down the qualities that they wanted to see in the child. A female Ukrainian name was usually more beautiful than a male one, and served as an adornment for girls, along with jewelry and clothes. The names emphasized the qualities that were valued in women - softness, tenderness, beauty.

Currently

Today, parents call girls based on personal preferences, trying to choose a beautiful name that is consonant with the surname. To choose a name with good energy, they pay attention to the fate of the women who wore it.

fashion influence

Fashion for names is cyclical and depends on politics, music, literature, public figures. Recently, the popularity of simple names (Elena, Anna, Marina) has been replaced by the revival of ancient Christian ones (Pelageya, Martha, Evdokia).

At the beginning of the 21st century, interest in Old Slavic names(Bratislava, Lubomila, Miroslava). Fashion trends bring European and American names: Adele, Joanna, Monica. Currently, people are again turning to simple familiar Ukrainian female names.

By value

When choosing a name, every parent wants their daughter to be happy. When choosing a name, be sure to study its meaning, which can affect the character and fate of the girl.

Alphabetical list of options and their meaning

Ukrainian female names are distinguished by their special beauty and sincerity. To select a name, you can use lists of female Ukrainian names. It is important to evaluate not only the sound, but also the translation and meaning of the name.

Popular

It is usually easier for girls with popular Ukrainian names to go through life. They are harmonious, understandable and familiar, favorably accepted by society. Common names give more freedom to their bearers, the ability to choose their own path. The popularity of the name changes over time, but there are the most commonly used and beloved Ukrainian female names.

• Alexandra (Greek)- protector, courageous. The contradictory character combines masculine strength and femininity.
• Alena (Greek)- radiant, sunny. Cheerful, cheerful, has a high self-esteem.
• Alina (lat.)- different from others. Proud, stubborn, with a good memory and creativity.
• Anastasia (Greek)- resurrected, resurrected. Sincere and sympathetic, at the same time strong-willed and principled.
• Anna (Heb.)- God's mercy. Kind, independent, has an analytical mindset.
• Antonina (Greek)- opposing, competing. Cheerful, good-natured, with good organizational skills.
• Bela (glor.)- white, clean. Sweet, soft, emotional nature, prone to the exact sciences.
• Bogdan (fam.)- Given by God. Kind, soft, sensitive and sentimental.
• Valeria (lat.)- strong, healthy Complex, impulsive, erratic.
• Barbara (Greek)- foreigner, foreigner Closed, slow, with a strong intuition and a penchant for creativity.
• Faith (Greek) faith, service to God. Smart, truthful, practical, has organizational skills.
• Veronica (lat.)- bringing victory. Sociable, emotional, loves comfort and beautiful things.
• Victoria (Greek)- goddess of victory. Combines perseverance, stubbornness with kindness and shyness.
• Vlad (famous)- possessing glory. Combines practicality and good imagination, material and creative.
• Galina (Greek)- calm, serene. Sociable, kind, knows how to find the golden mean in everything.
• Dana (glory) given, gifted. Contradictory, modest and persistent, with good intuition.
• Daria (Greek)- rich, wealthy. Artistic, decisive, easily adapts to new conditions.
• Evgenia (Greek)- high-born, noble. Passionate, unrestrained, high intelligence and artistic taste.
• Catherine (Greek)- immaculate, pure. Smart, ambitious, with a good imagination.
• Elena (Greek)- sunny, radiant Cheerful, smart, with a rich inner world.
• Elizabeth (Hebrew)- worshiping God. Domineering, capricious, direct in communication.
• Jeanne (Heb.)- God's grace. Stubborn, resourceful, with high self-esteem and leadership qualities.
• Zinaida (Greek) belongs to Zeus. Assertive, arrogant, smart, with penetrating abilities.
• Gold (Heb.)- golden, valuable. Serious, modest, tactful, a good hostess.
• Zoya (Greek)- life. balanced, with strong will and leadership abilities.
• Inna (lat.)- stormy stream. Lightweight, reliable, flexible, analyst-minded.
• Irina (Greek)- peace, peace. Sensitive, strong-willed, smart, loves a busy life.
• Karina (lat.)- dear, dear. Purposeful, capable, easily finds a common language with people.
• Christina (lat.)- a Christian. Capable, sociable, thoughtfully makes decisions.
• Xenia (Greek)- hospitable. Attractive, sociable, with developed intuition and high intelligence.
• Lera (lat.)- strong, healthy Bright, authoritarian, freedom-loving, self-confident.
• Love (glor.)- Love. sociable, straightforward, with analytical warehouse mind.
• Ludmila (famous)- dear to people. Emotional, active, attached to home and family.
• Marina (Greek)- marine. Bold, free-spirited, developed imagination and intuition.
• Mary (Heb.)- desirable, serene. Active, dynamic, critical, loves freedom.
• Hope (Greek)- hope. Independent, bright, does not accept restrictions.
• Natalia (lat.)- born on Christmas, Christmas. Stubborn, straightforward, gifted in many areas.
• Nina (Hebrew)- great granddaughter. Proud, tactful, well-read and responsible.
• Oksana (Greek)- a foreigner, a foreigner. Sensitive, calm, loves children.
• Olesya (Ukrainian)- girl from the forest, forest. Independent, eccentric, yet soft and affectionate.
• Olga (Scand.)- wise, holy. It has a strong will, high intelligence and great capacity for work.
• Polina (Greek)- solar, dedicated to the god of the sun. Determined, active, kind and sympathetic.
• Rada (glor.)- joyful, beautiful. Energetic, responsible, leader by nature, humanitarian mindset.
• Ruslana (Turk.)- a lioness. A mixture of energy and strength with doubt and caution.
• Svetlana (famous)- the light of the earth, luminous. Accurate, persistent, spiritual, with a subtle intellect.
• Snezhana (glor.)- winter, snow. Sensitive, vulnerable, receptive to other people's opinions.
• Sophia (Greek)- wise, prudent. Active, inquisitive, loves to be the center of attention.
• Taisia ​​(Greek)- fertile. Decisive, independent, active, with developed intuition.
• Tatiana (Greek)- Founder, organizer Wayward, unpredictable, independent, loves order.
• Ulyana (lat.)- owned by Julia. Energetic, strong, open to people, defends justice.
• Julia (Greek)- curly, wavy. Sociable, changeable, with creativity and intuition.
• Yana (Heb.)- God's mercy. Combines indecision and confidence, mind and intuition.