Nickname help!
We want to name our baby Penelope but we can’t decide on a nickname? Help!
Whether you have Ukrainian heritage or would simply like to pay homage to this mighty nation, Ukrainian baby names offer a world of choice.
The second-largest country in Europe, Ukraine is home to exquisite natural landscapes and deep, long-lasting traditions.
Its vibrant culture boasts colorful floral headdresses, lively traditional dance, and an interesting custom of plunging into ice holes in January.
Also, we have to mention how they’ve upped the bar on Easter egg painting.
Seriously.
Ukrainian pysanka, or painted eggs, are a sight to behold.
So if you want to embrace your heritage, check out these unique and traditional Ukrainian names.
In this article: 📝
- What are Ukrainian names?
- What is a popular Ukrainian name?
- What is a Ukrainian name for a girl?
- What are boy names from Ukraine?
What are Ukrainian names?
Ukrainian names usually consist of:
- A given name (or imia), which often originates from biblical names or names of saints.
- A patronymic (or otchestvo), a name usually derived from the name of a father or grandfather. For boys, these will usually end in -ovich or -evich, and for girls in -ovna or -evna.
- A last name (or familiia)
What is a popular Ukrainian name?
Many of these are on the list of most popular Ukrainian names published by the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice from the first half of 2022:
- Anastasia. “Resurrection”. ♀️
- Anna. With its Hebrew origins, Anna means “grace” or “favor.” ♀️
- Artem. This name means “dedicated to Artemis,” the goddess of wild animals and childbirth. ♂️
- Bohdan. “God’s gift”. ♂️
- Dmytro. From the Greek name Demetrios, this one also honors Demeter’s followers. ♂️
- Maria. “Star of the sea”. ♀️
- Mark. “Dedicated to Mars”. ♂️
- Maxim. “Greatest”. ♂️
- Mykhailo. “Like God”. ♂️
- Oleksandr. The Ukrainian version of Alexander, Oleksandr means “defender of men.” ♂️
- Oleksandra. “Defender of men”. ♀️
- Polina. “Little”. Cute! ♀️
- Solomiya. From Hebrew origins, Solomiya means “peaceful woman.” ♀️
- Sofia. A name popular in various parts of the world, Sofia means “wisdom.” ♀️
- Victoria. Meaning “victory.” ♀️
What is a Ukrainian name for a girl?
Let’s start with our list of Ukrainian baby girl names:
- Adelina. “Noble kind”
- Alla. This name is the Ukrainian version of the Russian name А́лла and refers to the Gothic Saint Alla. It means “other.”
- Alisa. “Noble”
- Anhelina. The Ukrainian form of the name Angelina, and means “messenger.”
- Anichka. “Graceful woman”
- Annael. “The grace of God”
- Ariel. “Lion of God”
- Arina. This beautiful Slavic name means “peace.” 🕊️
- Bohuslava. “The glory of God”
- Bozhena. “Divine”
- Chervonka. After the region in Latvia.
- Chiamada. “God will not fail”
- Daryna. A name also of Slavic origins, Daryna means “the gift of God.”
- Diana. This name is popular all over the world and means “divine” or “goddess-like.”
- Dzvenislava. “Guardian angel”
- Evangelina. “Good news”
- Feya. Of Hebrew origin, this sweet name means “fairy.” 🧚
- Fiona. Meaning either “fair” or “vine,” this name is of Gaelic origin.
- Freya. “Noble lady”
- Ganna. “Full of grace”
- Herda. This cute name has Czech origins. It means “thump” and is reserved for the particularly clumsy.
- Hlafira. A version of the Russian name Glafira, Hlafira means “polished” or “elegant.”
- Inna. This saintly name means “fast river” or “sparkling water.” It’s also a short form of Irene, meaning “peace.” 🕊️
- Iryna. “Peace” 🕊️
- Iya. “Violet flower”
- Jasmin. After the sweet-smelling flower.
- Javelina. “Javelin”
- Jordana. “Downflowing”
- Kateryna. “Pure”
- Khrystyna. “Follower of Christ”
- Klavdiia. A version of the name Claudia, Klavdiia means “lame.”
- Kseniya. This welcoming name has two beautiful meanings — “wanderer” and “hospitable.”
- Kvitoslava. “Glorious flower” 💮
- Lada. In Slavic mythology, Lada is the goddess of beauty and love.
- Layan. “Soft” and “tender”
- Liliya. The Ukrainian version of Lily, this name is bursting with sweet fragrance.
- Lidiya. Referring to someone from Lydia in Persian, Lidiya means “noble one.”
- Lyubov. Of Slavic origin, Lyubov means “love.” ❤️
- Marichka. “Star of the sea”
- Mariya. This popular name means “of the sea,” “bitter,” “rebellious,” and “beloved.”
- Marselina. “Dedicated to Mars”
- Milana. “Gracious” or “dear”
- Missy. “Bee” 🐝
- Myroslava. “Destined to be glorious”
- Nadiya. A name popular in various parts of Eastern Europe and beyond, Nadiya means “hope.”
- Nataliya. For lovers of Christmas, this one should be a favorite. It refers to Christmas Day and also means “birthday.”
- Odarka. “Gift” 🎁
- Oksana. “Praise be to God.”
- Olena. “Shining light” 🌟
- Olesia. “Defender of mankind”
- Oresta. From the Greek Orestes, Oresta means “one who conquers mountains.”
- Oriyana. “The golden one” 💛
- Roksolana. Roksolana was the beloved Ukrainian-born wife of the emperor of the Ottoman, Suleiman the Magnificent.
- Sevil. From its Turkish origin, Sevil means “be loved.” ❤️
- Stefania. “Crowned” 👑
- Svitlana. This Slavic name means “light,” “shining,” and “blessed.” ✨
- Teona. “Divine”
- Tetyana. The Ukrainian version of Tatiana, this name refers to the queen of the fairies. 🧚
- Valeria. “To be strong” 💪
- Vasylyna. From its Greek roots, Vasylyna means “chief.”
- Veronika. This name has two powerful meanings — “bringer of victory” and “true image.”
- Viktoria. “Victory” 🏆
- Vira. “Truth” or “faith”
- Vladyslava. “Glorious ruler”
- Yeva. “Life” 🌱
- Yoraslava. This Slavic name means “spring glory.”
- Yelyzaveta. “Sacred”
- Zlata. “Golden” 💛
- Zolushka. This sweet fairy tale name is the Russian version of Cinderella.
- Zoreslava. “Glory star”
- Zoriana. “Star” 🌟
What are boy names from Ukraine?
And here are the top Ukrainian baby boy names:
- Alikhan. “Prince” 👑
- Andriy. This powerful name means “manly,” “strong” and “warrior.”
- Arkady. With its Greek origins, this saintly name refers to someone from Arcadia.
- Artur. “Bear-like” 🐻
- Bartholomew. “Son of the farmer”
- Bayraktar. “Flag-bearer”. Also a patriotic Ukrainian song.
- Bohuslav. A name of Slavic origins, Bohuslav means “God’s glory.”
- Borys. This popular name means “warrior.”
- Boryslav. “Fighting for fame”
- Boyan. “Warrior”
- Danylo. A Ukrainian version of Daniel, Danylo means “God is my judge.”
- Denys. From its Greek origins, Denys refers to a follower of Dionysus, the god of fertility and wine.
- Dimitr. For followers of the Greek goddess of agriculture, Demeter. 🌱
- Dobromyr. “Kind to peace”
- Dovud. A Ukrainian version of David, Dovud means “beloved.”
- Estas. “Star” ⭐
- Fedir. “Gift of God”
- Feliks. “Happy”
- Georgiy. From its Greek origins, Georgiy means “farmer.” 🚜
- Grygoriy. This Ukrainian variant of Gregory means “watchful” or “alert.”
- Ihor. A Ukrainian version of Igor, this renowned name means “warrior of peace.” 🕊️
- Ilay. From its Greek origins, Ilay means “rising” and “supreme.”
- Isai. “God is salvation”
- Ivan. This Slavic name means “God is gracious.”
- Jan. “Yahweh has been gracious”
- Javelin. “Spear”
- Kirill. A version of the Greek origin name Cyril, Kirill means “master.”
- Kostyantyn. “Steadfast”
- Kuzma. From the Greek Kosmas, Kuzma means “universe.”
- Makar. “Blessed”
- Maksym. “One who is the greatest”
- Matviy. Of Hebrew origin, Matviy means “given by God.”
- Moses. “Son”
- Mykyta. “Winner” 🥇
- Myrodar. “One who gives peace”
- Myrolyub. “Peace-loving”
- Nazar. This name refers to someone from Nazareth, making it an important name for Christians.
- Oleh. This East Slavic name means “sacred” and “blessed.”
- Robin. “Fame” and “bright” 🌟
- Roman. From its Hebrew origins, Roman means “strong” and “powerful.”
- Rostyslav. “Growing glory”
- Severus. “Strong” 💪
- Spartak. This one is a reference to the ancient Roman rebel and athlete, Spartacus.
- Straton. “Army”
- Taras. “Rebel”
- Tymofiy. The Ukrainian version of Timothy, this name means “God’s honor.”
- Umut. From its Turkish origin, Umut means “hope.”
- Yehor. “Farmer” 🚜
- Zakhar. “The Lord has remembered”
- Zoreslav. “Dawn glory”
No matter which Ukrainian name you choose, you’ll be giving your little one a name with rich history and culture.
So go ahead, embrace your inner Ukrainian, and choose a name that’s as unique and special as your baby.
Удачі, мамо!