Ukraine is a beautiful and ancient land in Eastern Europe, and during the 10th and 11th centuries, it was the most prominent and most powerful land on the continent. Ukraine is a Slavic country; however, it has been a part of many different nations. Besides a brief period of independent rule between 1917-1920, it did not finally achieve independence until 1991.
As a result of Ukraine being a part of so many different nation-states, names have been influenced by other cultures and languages. As a result, there are Russian, Greek, Hebrew, Polish, and Latin monikers among Ukrainian baby names.
Top 20 Baby Names in Ukraine
Some of the most popular Ukrainian names also top the lists in the U.S. According to the Social Security Administration’s list of the most popular names in the 2010s, Anna is #39 for girls, Eva #81, and Emilia #131. For boys, Andrew, the anglicized version of Andrey is #25, Alexander #45, Timothy, the anglicized version of Timofey #140.
Ukrainian Baby Girl Names
Anna - Grace or favor.
Anastasiya - Resurrection.
Antonia - Worthy of praise.
Bogdana - Given by God.
Valeria - Strong and healthy.
Angelina - Messenger of God.
Emilia - This Italian origin name means rival.
Eva - Life.
Milana - Dear.
Solomia - A Hebrew name that means Peace.
Ukrainian Baby Boy Names
Artyom - This name has two meanings, safe or butcher. An alternate spelling is Artem.
Andrey - Masculine or brave.
Bogdan - Given by God.
Vladislav - Power, glory, or fame.
Vladamir - Renowned prince.
Dmitry - Earth lover.
Maksim - Greatest.
Timofey - Honoring God.
Matvey - Gift of God.
Alexander- Defender of man.
Ukrainian and Slavic Names
Ukrainian is a Slavic-based language, and nearly 70% of the population speak this Indo-European language. The language is also spoken in parts of Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Kazakhstan.
Unique Ukrainian Boy Names
Andriy - Man or ruler
Bohdan - God’s gift, ruler, or world mighty.
Danylo - Possessor of the world.
Dmytro - Lover of the earth.
Fedir - A Ukrainian variation of the Greek name Theodore which means gift of God.
Kyrylo - Lord.
Mykhailo - One who is like God.
Mykola - Victory of the people.
Rostyslav - To increase glory.
Volodymyr - Famous ruler.
Unique Ukrainian Girl Names
Bohdana - This name is the female version of Bohdan and means God’s gift.
Daryna - Affluent or wealthy. Light.
Evgeniya - Wellborn.
Lera - To be strong.
Marta - The lady or the mistress
Mykyta - Unconquerable or unconquered.
Myroslava - Peaceful glory.
Nadya - Hope.
Olena - Light.
Polina - Destroyer.
Russian Inspired Ukrainian Baby Names
Ukraine has a long and often sordid history with Russia. The recent conflict that started in 2022 is only one of many times Ukraine has battled for its independence from Russia. While there has been much tension between these two nations, they share a border, and many people have family members on both sides of the line, and they also share many baby names.
Boy Names
Aleksandr - Man’s defender. Alternate spellings include Oleksandr and Oleksander. Alex or Alexi are common nicknames for this name.
Borys - Fight or fighter. Alternate spellings are Boris or Barys.
Ivan - God is gracious.
Grigory - Watchful. Igor and Grigori are common nicknames for this Russian name.
Maksimilian - A name with Polish and Russian origins that means the greatest. A cute nickname for this name is Maksym.
Nazar - A popular Christian name, it means from Nazareth or a follower of Christ.
Pavlo - Small. Alternate versions are Pavel, Paviel, and Paval.
Ruslan - One who is like a lion.
Slava - A name with Russian and Slavic origins, it means one who archives glory. Stanislav and Stas are alternate versions.
Vasyl - Royal or regal. Alternate versions are Vasily and Vasili.
Girl Names
Doroteya - Gift from God. Dorthea is an alternate spelling.
Fania - Shining or crown
Galina - Calm or tranquil
Kateryna - Pure or perfect. Alternate versions are Katya, Ekaterina, and Katia.
Larysa - This name has Russian, Greek, and Latin origins. The name means fortress or citadel. Alternate spellings include Larissa and Larisa.
Oksana - Praise to God.
Ruslana - Lion. The female version of Ruslan.
Svitlana - Shining star. Alternate versions of this name are Svetlana, Sveta, and Lana.
Yeva - Life. This name is a variant of Eve.
Yana - This name has Hebrew, and Russian origins and means God is gracious or a gift from God.
Popular Names in Ukraine from Other Languages
While names with Russian origins are certainly very popular, and roughly 30% of the population speaks Russian, many other languages have left their mark on this remarkable country.
Girl Names
Denys - French. A follower of Dionysius.
Dinara - Arabic/Latin. Wealth.
Dominika - Czech/Polish. From the Lord.
Ivanna - Czech/Hebrew. God is Gracious.
Vira - Latin. Heroic or valiant.
Boys Names
Antin - Latin. Worthy of praise.
Marko - Latin. From Mars.
Petro - Esperanto. Rock or stone.
Pylyp - A Ukrainian name of Greek origin that means lover of horses.
Taras - Ancient Greek. Taras was one of Poseidon’s sons in Greek mythology.
