Ancient and rare Russian names. Beautiful old names for boys Noble names for men Russian

Psychologists say that a person's name is not just a set of alternating sounds, but a kind of unique personality code. Hearing the name for the first time, the brain of a newborn baby on a subconscious level begins to adapt to it, forming certain character traits.

IN Soviet times the diversity of names was not honored, so the inhabitants of cities and villages were almost without exception called Sergeys, Marias, Valentins, Ivans, Alekseys, etc. As a result, the main mass of people who had similar characteristics and lived similar lives became impersonal.

At the end of the 20th - the beginning of our century, there was a change of priorities and there was a tendency to give children rare and long-forgotten names. They even began to produce special collections - names that help young parents choose a beautiful name for their heir. And although some mothers and fathers prefer their son or daughter to be called a “foreign” name like Angelina or Harry, the majority still turns to the origins and chooses old Russian names.

Days long past...

Before the introduction of Christianity in Rus', original names were used, which in essence were nicknames given for one reason or another. Often they were assigned to men and women according to external signs - height, physique, manner of speaking, character traits or time of birth.

To protect against evil spirits and unkind people, there was a system of double names. The first was given to the child at birth and most often did not sound very attractive - Dislike, Nekras, Malice, Kriv, but this was precisely what should have scared away evil forces from him.

The second name was called already in adolescence, given the character traits that have already manifested themselves in a boy or girl. These names can generally be classified into the following groups:

1. In order of birth into the world in the family - Pervusha, Vtorak, Tretyak, Osmusha and others.
2. According to the main qualities of character - Smeyan, Stoyan, Torop, Kras, Zorko, etc.
3. Names reflecting the world of plants or animals - Wolf, Falcon, Oak, Pike, Nut and others.
4. By physique - Vyshata, Davila, Mal, etc.
5. Nicknames of pagan deities - Lada, Yarila, etc.

But the vast majority of Old Slavonic names were two-basic, that is, formed from two roots. Most often, “glory”, “wise”, “yar”, “holy”, “regiment”, “rad” and others were used: Milorad, Mstislav, Luchemir, Yaropolk, Svyatoslav. To form a diminutive form, the second part was cut off from the full name and the suffixes "neg", "tka", "sha", "yata", "nya" were added, for example, Dobrynya, Yarilka, Miloneg, Putyata, Svyatosha.

Old Slavic male names

Male pagan names our ancestors came up with especially carefully. After all, boys have always been more desirable than girls as carriers of strength and wisdom, continuers of the clan, defenders of their people. At the same time, strictly observed following rules and prohibitions:

1. The child was not given the name of his father: it was believed that this doubled not only the merits, but also the shortcomings, which was unacceptable.
2. It is impossible for two people in the same family to have the same name, since one of them was soon to die.
3. It was not necessary to use the names of drowned people, dead children, as well as feeble-minded, crippled, robbers, drunkards, since negative qualities could be transferred to the baby.

There was also such an interesting ritual. If, after birth, the child did not show signs of life and did not cry for a long time, they began to call him by various names. What he reacted to became his own.

The list of forgotten names is very extensive. Some ancient Slavic names, especially male ones, may seem pretentious and strange in our time. However, among them there are many that can be successfully used in the modern world.

• Agnes - fiery, light;

• Bayan - the keeper of antiquity;
• Berislav - taking glory;
• Theologian - the one who knows the gods;
• Bogodius - pleasing to the gods;
• Bogumil - dear to God;
• Boeslav - victorious in battles;
• Bratislav - brother of glory;
• Budimil - be nice;
• Bueslav - stork;
• Belogor - from the white mountains;
• Beloyar - furious;

• Vadimir is the leader of the world;
• Vsemil - dear to everyone;
• Vyacheslav - glorifying advice;
• Volodar - giving will;
• Gradimir - looking at the world;
• Gorisvet - high light;
• Dobrynya - kind;
• Acts - active;
• Dan - above given;
• Daromir - giving peace;
• Daromysl - thinking;

• Zhdanimir - the expected world;
• Zhdan - long-awaited;
• Desirable - desired;
• Dawn - rising light;
• Zvenimir - calling for peace;
• Zdanimir is the creator of the world;
• Idan - going;
• Ivar - the tree of life;
• Istislav - glorifying the truth;

• Krasibor - chosen from the beautiful;
• Kudeyar - a magician;
• Ladislav - glorifying beauty;
• Lyudimir - bringing peace to people;
• Luborad - pleasing with love;
• Lyuboyar - loving Yarila;
• Love - beloved;
• Lubodrone - dear;
• Lubogost - hospitable;
• Milan - cute;
• Young - young;
• Peaceful - loving peace;
• Moguta - powerful;
• Mirodar - giving peace;

• Negomir - gentle and peaceful;
• Found - found;
• Witty - sharp-minded;
• Otcheslav - glory to the father;
• Peresvet - bright;
• Raday - joyful;
• Ratibor - the chosen warrior;

• Svyatomir - holy world;
• Svyatovik - light;
• Saint is a warrior;
• Die - appeasement;
• Hvalimir - glorify the world;
• Chestimir - the honor of the world;
• Yaromil - cute;
• Yanislav is glorious.

With the introduction of Christianity, Old Slavonic names were replaced by Greek, Roman, Jewish and Arabic ones, and some even found themselves under the strictest ban. True, later individual names, for example, Yaroslav, Vladimir, Mstislav, were included in the Orthodox nomenclature thanks to Vladimir the Holy, Yaroslav the Wise or Mstislav the Great who glorified them.

Features of female Slavic names

Like male, the main female Slavic names were not given from birth. They were often replaced with distracting nicknames, or they simply said “child”, “child”, “girl”, “smaller”. Over the years, having discovered in their daughter a craving for some kind of craft or seeing special character traits in her, her parents prepared her for the ceremony of obtaining a new permanent name.

According to customs, the ceremony was held at the temple - an ancient Slavic sanctuary near the statues of pagan gods. At first, the girl was bathed in water, washing off her old childhood name, and then the magi solemnly named her new.

This usually happened when the girl was 16 years old. However, there were exceptions. For example, for girls from princely families, the ceremony was performed at the age of 12, and for babies, who from childhood were destined to become witches or priestesses, at 9.

Old Russian female names have a special melody and beauty. Therefore, many of them can be used in our time, naming their beloved daughters.

• Agnia - fiery, enlightened;

• Bela - white, clean;
• Bazhena - desired;
• Bayana is a storyteller;
• Beloslav - glorifying purity;
• Snow White - pure, white;
• Belyan - enlightened;
• Goddess - kind;
• Bogdana - given by God;
• Bogolyuba - loving the gods;
• Bogumila - dear to God;
• Boguslav - glorifying God;
• Borimira - fighting for peace;
• Boyana - fighting, courageous;
• Bratislava - taking glory;
• Bronislava is a glorious protector;

• Verna - faithful;
• Vedana - knowing;
• Velena, Velina - imperative;
• Velizhana - polite;
• Wenceslas - crowned with glory;
• Veselina - cheerful;
• Vesnyan - spring;
• Vlad - okay;
• Vladislav - owning glory;
• Power - domineering;
• Sovereign - ruler;
• Vojislava - conquering glory;
• Vratislav - returning glory;
• Vsemila - dear to everyone;
• All-nezha - tender to everyone;
• High - high;
• Vyacheslav - the most glorious;

• Gala - spiritual;
• Galina - feminine, earthly;
• Dove - tender;
• Much - capable;

• Darena - donated;
• Daryana - courageous;
• Dobrovlada - possessing kindness;
• Dobroslava - glorifying kindness;
• Guess - quick-witted;
• Dolyana - lucky;
• Domna - homely, economic;
• Dragana - precious;
• Dushan - sincere;

• Zhdana - waiting;
• Desired - desired;

• Fun is a comforter;
• Zadora - fervent;
• Zbigniew - restraining anger;
• Zvezdana - born under the stars;
• Zlatoyara - strong as the sun;
• Zoreslava - glorious beauty;

• Election - chosen;

• Irina - ascended;

• Karina - brown-eyed;
• Beauty is beautiful;

• Lada - dear;
• Lagoda - sincere;
• Lebedyan - slender;
• Luchesara - radiant;
• Love is love, darling;
• Ljubodara - giving love;
• Lyudmila - dear to people, humane;

• Matryona - mature;
• Milada - dear to the goddess Lada;
• Milana - sweetheart;
• Militsa - sweet on the face;
• Milolika - sweet face;
• Milonega - sweet and gentle;
• Milorada - sweetheart with joy;
• Mironega - peaceful, gentle;
• Mlada - young, fine;

• Hope is hope;
• Beloved - beloved;
• Ogneslava - glorifying Fire;
• Olesya - forest;
• Olela - beloved;
• Polelya - loving;
• Poleva - field;
• Polina - balanced;
• Beautiful - beautiful;
• Charm - lovely;
• Suitability - comely;
• Radmila - caring and sweet;
• Radoslav - glorifying joy;
• Rogneda - abundant;
• Rosana - clean, fresh;
• Ruzhena - pink;
• Blush - ruddy;
• Rusava - fair-haired;

• Svetana - light;
• Svetolika - enlightened;
• Svetoyara - sunny;
• Sineoka - blue-eyed;
• Siyana - shining;
• Slavia - glorious;
• Smeyana - laughing;
• Humble - meek;
• Snezhana - white-haired;
• Stanislav - constantly glorious;
• Stojana - very courageous;

• Delight - delighting;
• Tsvetana - blooming, tender;
• Charusha - generous;
• Chernava - swarthy;
• Cheslava - glorious honor;
• Generous - generous;
• Jadwiga - nurse;
• Yana - courageous;
• Yarolika - sun-faced;
• Jaromira - bright and peaceful;
• Yaroslav - glorifying Yarila-sun.

Our ancestors attached special importance to names. Ancient people believed that the sounds from which they are composed have magical powers received from the gods and mother nature herself. Old Slavonic names are a huge layer of our history and culture, which modern parents are increasingly turning to, hoping to find the most beautiful name for their beloved baby.

Every woman, while still in position, together with her husband, regardless of whether they know the sex of the unborn child or not, begin to search for a name for their child. Absolutely all parents are trying to choose a beautiful and powerful name for their future baby. We invite you to consider the most beautiful and unique male names recognized all over the world!

The main thing in the article

How to choose a beautiful name for a boy?

Each person has his own understanding of beauty, it concerns both material things and elements of the spiritual world, one of which is the name given at birth.

Many mothers, when they first see their child, call him the name that immediately comes to mind when looking at the baby. This is an inexplicable fact that men understand least of all, but at such moments they agree to everything.

Other families choose a name for the child in advance, depending on their nationality, ancestral roots, or simply the one that they like best.

Boys - representatives of the stronger sex, along with the name, receive some kind of parting word in life. In order not to make a mistake, give the child the opportunity to participate in choosing his name. How to do it? Simple - read to the baby, who is still in the tummy, all the names you have chosen, and the one on which you get a powerful push will probably become the chosen one.

The most beautiful male names

The most beautiful Old Slavonic names:

Old Russian names are considered no less beautiful:

With the arrival of Orthodoxy in our country, names with Latin, Jewish and Greek roots also came to us. Among them you will find both unusual options and those that have long been familiar to Russian ears.

Beautiful male names by month according to the church calendar

According to the rules of Orthodoxy, the name of the child must be given according to the church calendar, based on the date of birth of the baby. Every day the church venerates the saints whose names are on the calendar.

When a newborn is named and subsequently baptized, the new human soul acquires its own saint - a guardian angel. As a result, the baby has a date of birth (Birthday) and a date for the veneration of his saint (Angel Day). Ideally, these dates should coincide.

Beautiful Russian male names

Do not lose their positions of popularity and are considered truly beautiful at any time, such Russian male names as:

• Alexander is a name of Greek origin. Saints three times a year - March 8, August 25, December 6. direct meaning — strong defender all people on earth.
• Andrey - Slavic name powerful value"brave" and "daring".
• Artem - the name of Greek origin, prophesies to its owner strong and impeccable health.
• Vladislav - Vlad for short, is of Slavic origin. Means dominance over fame; boys with this name already in childhood are distinguished by a contradictory character.
• Daniel The name comes from the Bible. Means humility and justice. Men with this name are distinguished by calmness, poise and honesty.
• Kirill - the name has its roots in Ancient Greece, it was from there that it came to us, reborn from the name Cyrus (lord). Children with this name easily perceive all the parting words of adults, it is easy for them to study at school, communicate with their peers.
• Maksim - comes from Maximus (Roman generic name). The owners of this name are creative natures. IN Everyday life the name sounds beautiful even in the abbreviated version - Max.
• Michael - one of the few names that is associated with the Almighty. The name means messenger of God. Children with this name are balanced, serious and purposeful. It has a wonderful simplified version - Misha.
• Nikita An old name meaning "winner". This name often appears in fairy tales and stories, it is considered beautiful and popular.
• Rostislav - "increasing glory", abbreviated Rostik.
• Stepan - "crown", a man-conqueror. This concerns the attention of the mother, the location at work, relationships with women.
• Yaroslav - the name, the bearers of which were 16 Russian princes. The meaning is "owner of fame."

Fashionable old male names

Today, many families want to give their child an unusual old name that will make the baby stand out from the crowd and make it special.

Top 10 Trendy Vintage Names

1. Daniel / Daniel. According to statistics, 419 boys out of 10 thousand born are called by this name.
2. Dmitriy - 411/10 thousand newborn boys.
3. Ivan - 356/10 thousand newborn boys
4. Egor - 311/10 thousand newborn boys
5. Nikita - 296/10 thousand newborn boys
6. Proud - 251/10 thousand newborn boys
7. Fedor - 198/10 thousand newborn boys
8. Savely - 112/10 thousand newborn boys
9. Seraphim - 59/10 thousand newborn boys
10. Nicholas — 41/10. thousand newborn boys

Unusual and rare male names

Everyone familiar with Kolya, Sasha, Lesha, Petya, Slava can hardly be called rare, since people with such names are found quite often. The demand for unusual and rare names is now very high, as many want to distinguish children from the crowd, besides, naming a child “not like everyone else” has become very fashionable in 2017.

We offer you a list of the most unusual and rare male names

• Aaron, Augustine, Avda, Avenir, Avid, Autonomus, Avtius, Adrian, Alfiy, Anuvius, Bacchus, Barlaam, Basilisk, Benjamin, Vivian, Vsevolod, Evdokim, Eustathius, Hezekiah, Hellius, Ephraim, Eros.
• Zechariah, Zenon, Jacob, Jason, Ignat, Eli, Job, Zhdan, Zlatomir, Innokenty, Karp, Kamil, Kirik, Klim, Kuzma, Leo, Lawrence, Milan, Marat, Macarius, Mark, Methodius, Miron.
• Nolan, Naum, Neon, Nestor, Noah, Onisius, Orion, Peacock, Paphnutius, Pelius, Plato, Radislav, Richard, Robert, Romil, Said, Samuel, Simeon, Solomon, Socrates, Stephen, Sultan, Elman, Emil, Theogen, Feofan, Filimon, Khariton, Christopher, Juvenaly, Yaropolk.

Muslim male names: how beautiful to name a child?

• Do not name a child with a name that is associated with despots, tyranny, or in its meaning has notes of self-praise and hints of success. For example, Yasar, Aflyakh, Khaliq and the like.
• Children are recommended to be called by the names of the prophets, whose grace will positively affect the life of the owner.

Popular foreign male names: English and American

In our country, it is not uncommon to hear how a mother calls her son a foreign name. Perhaps this family has its roots abroad, or maybe they just decided to stand out among the crowd.

IN America people very often name their children after their father or grandfather, but at the same time, special attention is paid to the consonance of the name and surname. The significance of the chosen name is also important for Americans, this people firmly believes that the whole life of the baby depends on the name given at birth.

Popular American Names

IN England name popularity is tracked annually. Moreover, it will not be difficult to find lists of the most beautiful male names. The National Statistical Service of this country puts statistics by name in free access. We propose to consider a list of popular English names based on statistical data that was collected from 1905 to 2017.

Beautiful Tatar male names

Tatar names sound melodious and beautiful, it often happens that parents independently add their invented prefix or ending to an existing name. Thus, new Tatar names are created.

This people pays special attention to the pronunciation of the name - the simpler and clearer, the better. But, the roots of Tatar names are quite strong. The basis of male names lies in Arabic and Muslim roots.

Beautiful Tatar names for boys

Armenian male names: the most beautiful options

The Armenian people have a very rich history, and this could not but be reflected in their names. Among the Armenian names you can find not only ancient national ones, but also those borrowed from Persians and Turks. Now it is difficult to separate them, since the influence of other peoples has adapted as much as possible to the Armenian dialect beyond recognition: only by looking into the past can one say for sure whether this name is national or borrowed.

We offer to consider the most popular and beautiful Armenian names for future men.

List of the most beautiful modern male names

We offer to consider the most beautiful modern names according to the inhabitants of the Russian Federation.

• Alexander
• Andrey
• Arkady
• Bogdan
• Vladlen
• Vyacheslav
• Hermann
• Denis
• Dmitriy
• Egor
• Ignat
• Ilya
• Konstantin
• a lion
• Leonid
• Makar
• Michael
• Naum
• Nikita
• Rodion
• Novel
• Rostislav
• Svyatoslav
• Spartacus
• Semyon
• Stepan
• Tikhon
  
• Philip
• Julian
• Yaroslav

In the list of the most beautiful names, according to the inhabitants of our country, the main percentage is occupied by Slavic names familiar to the Russian people, but there are also those borrowed from other nations.

Popularity statistics for 2016

1. Ivan - a forgotten name for a couple of decades began to gain momentum in popularity again.
2. Alexander - has been in the top three most popular names for more than a year.
3. Dmitriy - just like Alexander keeps his popularity, constantly being at least 10th position from year to year.
4. Nikita - became common about 10 years ago, then this name was for the first time in the top 20 according to the statistics of the registry office, now there is a rapid increase in the popularity of this name.
5. Ilya - a biblical name, this name gained great popularity among religious parents.

The meanings of beautiful male names

In addition to all the above names, the following are also considered beautiful and popular:

• Adam - has a Hebrew origin, the meaning is "original"
• Adolf - has a Germanic root, means "nobility", "wolf"
• Anatoly - "eastern"
• Arkady - Greek beginning "blessed"
• Arseniy - from the Greek "strong"
• Vsevolod - "owning the world"
• Hector - a very powerful name, meaning "God is my strength"
• George - "earthen"
• Hermann - has a Latin beginning, "blooded"
• David - "long-awaited"
• Yevsey - Greek "spiritual"
• Yefim - also differs in Greek roots, "pious"
• Igor - a strong name, means "strength and strength of spirit"
• Karim - Arabic roots, "generous"
• Kuzma - Greek tamer
• a lion - the name speaks for itself, "the main one is the king of beasts"
• Naum - "comforting"
• Matvey - a gift from God
• Micah - "equal to higher powers"
• Oleg - came to us from Scandinavia, "sacred"
• Ramon - has a Spanish origin, means "skillful defender"
• Ruslan - "Lion Heart"
• Robert - "eternally glorious"
• Savva - Aramaic "wisdom of the old man"
• Sergey - oddly enough, but the name familiar to the Russian people, originated in the Roman Empire and was considered an indicator of the bearer of the generic name.
• Timothy - "Glorifying God"
• Timur - "powerful"
• Fedor - "Gift of God"
• Thomas - has Hebrew roots, means "twin"
• Christopher - "Glorifying God"
• Edward - a Germanic name that means "waiting for wealth"
• Emil - just like Sergei among the Romans, it was considered a significant distinction belonging to a high family.
• Jan - "God's gift"

The main thing is that in an effort to name your child unusually, which is very fashionable now, think first about how your baby will live with this “unique” name. Wouldn't it be a problem? Maybe you should pay attention to the rich list of Russian male names familiar to the ears of the people?

The name determines the fate of a person. This is the key to his inner self. After all, it was not without reason that in Rus' a person had two names, one - false, for everyone, and the other - secret, only for the person himself and his very close people. This tradition existed as a protection against unkind spirits and unkind people.
Often the first Slavic name was deliberately unattractive (Kriv, Nekras, Malice), for even greater protection from the evil. After all, without a key to the essence of man, it is much more difficult to cause evil. The rite of the second naming was performed in adolescence when the main character traits were formed. The name was given based on these traits. Slavic names abounded in their diversity, there were groups of names:
1) Names from the animal and flora(Pike, Ruff, Hare, Wolf, Eagle, Walnut, Borscht)
2) Names in order of birth (Pervusha, Vtorak, Tretyak)
3) Names of gods and goddesses (Lada, Yarilo)
4) Names according to human qualities (Brave, Stoyan)
5) And the main group of names - two-basic (Svyatoslav, Dobrozhir, Tikhomir, Ratibor, Yaropolk, Gostomysl, Velimudr, Vsevolod, Bogdan, Dobrogneva, Lyubomila, Miroljub, Svetozar) and their derivatives (Svyatosha, Dobrynya, Tishilo, Ratisha, Putyata, Yarilka , Miloneg).
From the listed names, it is easy to trace the process of creating a derivative name: the second part is cut off from the two-base one and a suffix or ending is added (-neg, -lo, -ta, -tka, -sha, -yata, -nya, -ka).
Example: Svyatoslav: Holy + sha = Holy.
Of course, the names of people carry a significant part of the culture and traditions of the whole people. In Russia, with the advent of Christianity, Slavic names almost completely fell into oblivion. There were lists of Slavic names forbidden by the church. Why this happened is not difficult to guess. One part of the names (Lada, Yarilo) were names Slavic gods, the owners of the second part were people who, even after the Christianization of Rus', tried to restore the cult and traditions (magicians, heroes). To date, only 5% of children in Russia are called Slavic names, which certainly impoverishes the already meager Slavic culture.

LIST OF SLAVIC NAMES

Bazhen is a desired child, desired. The names have the same meaning: Bazhai, Bazhan. Surnames arose from these names: Bazhanov, Bazhenov, Bazhutin.
Bazhen is a female form named after Bazhen.
Beloslav - From BEL - white, turn white and GLORY - praise. Abbreviated names: Belyay, Belyan. Surnames arose from these names: Belov, Belyshev, Belyaev.
Beloslava is the female form named after Beloslav. Short name: Belyan
Berimir - caring about the world.
Berislav - taking glory, taking care of glory.
Berislav is a female form named after Berislav.
Blessing - glorifying kindness.
Blagoslav is a female form named after Blagoslav. Abbreviated names: Blaga, Blagana, Blagina.
Fornication - dissolute, unprofitable. One of the "negative" names. From this name arose the surname: Bludov. Historical personality: Fornication - governor Yaropolk Svyatoslavich.
Bogdan is a child given by God. The name has the same meaning: Bozhko. Surnames arose from these names: Bogdanin, Bogdanov, Bogdashkin, Bozhkov.
Bogdana is the female form of the name Bogdan. Short name: Goddess.
Bogolyub - loving God. From this name arose the surname: Bogolyubov.
Bogomil - dear to God. The name has the same meaning: Bogumil.
Bozidar - gifted by God.
Bozhidara is a female form named after Bozhidar.
Boleslav - famous. Historical figure: Boleslav I - Polish king.
Boleslav is the female form named after Boleslav.
Borimir is a fighter for peace, a peacemaker.
Borislav is a fighter for glory. Abbreviated names: Boris, Borya. Surnames arose from these names: Borin, Boriskin, Borisov, Borisikhin, Borichev, Borischev. Historical personality: Boris Vseslavich Polotsky - Prince of Polotsk, founder of the Drutsk princes.
Borislav is a female form named after Borislav.
Borsch is one of the personalized names of the plant world. In the literal translation: Borscht is the tops of plants. From this name came the surname Borshchev.
Boyan is a storyteller. The name was formed from the verb: bayat - speak, tell, sing. The names have the same meaning: Bayan, Bayan. From these names came the surname: Bayanov. Legendary personality: songwriter - Boyan.
Boyana is the female form named after Boyan.
Bratislav - From BROTHER - to fight and GLORY - to praise.
Bratislava is the female form named after Bratislava.
Bronislav is a defender of glory, protecting glory. The name has the same meaning: Branislav. Short name: Armor.
Bronislava is the female form named after Bronislav.
Bryachislav - from BRYACHI - rattling and SLAV - glorify Historical personality: Bryachislav Izyaslavich - Prince of Polotsk.
Budimir is a peacemaker. From this name came the surnames: Budilov, Budischev.
Velimir is a big world.
Velimira is a female form named after Velimir.
Velimudr - knowledgeable.
Velislav - great glory, the most glorious.
Velislav is a female form named after Velislav. Abbreviated names: Vela, Velika, Velichka.
Wenceslas - dedicated to glory, crowned with glory.
Wenceslas is the female form named after Wenceslas.
Faith is faith, true.
Veselin - cheerful, cheerful.
Vesselina is a female form named after Veselin. The name has the same meaning: Vesela.
Vladimir is the owner of the world. The name has the same meaning: Volodimer. From this name came the surnames: Vladimirov, Vladimirsky, Volodimerov, Volodin, Volodichev. Historical personality: Vladimir I Svyatoslavich the Red Sun - Prince of Novgorod, Grand Duke Kyiv.
Vladimir is the female form named after Vladimir.
Vladislav - owning fame.
The name has the same meaning: Volodislav. Short name: Vlad. Historical personality: Volodislav is the son of Igor Rurikovich.
Vladislava is the female form named after Vladislav. Short name: Vlad.
Vojislav is a glorious warrior. Abbreviated names: Voilo, Warrior. Surnames originated from these names: Voeikov, Voinikov, Voinov. Historical personality: Warrior Vasilyevich - from the family of Yaroslavl princes.
Vojislava is a female form named after Vojislav.
The wolf is one of the personified names of the animal world. From this name came the surname: Volkov.
Raven is one of the personified names of the animal world. From this name came the surnames: Voronikhin, Voronov.
Vorotislav - returning glory.
Vsevolod is the ruler of the people, who owns everything. From this name came the surnames: Vsevolodov, Vsevolozhsky. Historical personality: Vsevolod I Yaroslavich - Prince of Pereyaslavsky, Chernigov, Grand Duke of Kiev.
Vsemil - beloved by all.
Vsemila is the female form named Vsemila.
Vseslav - all-glorifying, famous. The name has the same meaning: Seslav. From this name came the surname: Seslavin.
Historical personality: Vseslav Bryachislavich Polotsky - Prince of Polotsk, Grand Duke of Kiev.
Vseslav - the female form named after Vseslav.
Vtorak is the second son in the family. The names have the same meaning: Second, Vtorusha. Surnames came from these names: Vtorov, Vtorushin.
Vyacheslav - the most glorious, the most glorious. The name has the same meaning: Vatslav, Vysheslav. Surnames came from these names: Vysheslavtsev, Vyacheslavlev, Vyacheslavov. Historical personality: Vyacheslav Vladimirovich - Prince of Smolensk, Turov, Pereyaslavsky, Vyshgorodsky, Grand Duke of Kiev.
Vyachko is a legendary person: Vyachko is the progenitor of the Vyatichi people.
Godoslav - The name also matters: Godlav. Historical personality: Godoslav - the prince of the Bodrichi-rarogs.
Dove - meek. From this name came the surnames: Golubin, Golubushkin
Much - skillful, capable. From this name came the surname Gorazdov.
Gorislav - fiery, burning in glory.
Gorislava is a female form named after Gorislav.
Gorynya - like a mountain, huge, indestructible. Legendary personality: hero - Gorynya.
Gostemil - dear to another (guest). From this name came the surname: Gostemilov.
Gostomysl - thinking about another (guest). Historical personality: Gostomysl - Prince of Novgorod.
Gradimir - keeping the world.
Gradislav - guarding glory.
Gradislava is the female form named after Gradislav.
Granislav - improving glory.
Granislav is a female form named after Granislav.
Gremislav - famous.
Gudislav is a renowned musician trumpeting glory. Short name: Gudim. From these names came the surname: Gudimov.

Darren - donated.
Darena is the female form of Daren. The names have the same meaning: Darina, Dara.
Devyatko is the ninth son in the family. From this name came the surnames: Devyatkin, Devyatkov, Devyatov. Dobrognev
Dobrolyub - kind and loving. From this name came the surname: Dobrolyubov.
Dobromil - kind and sweet.
Dobromila is a female form named after Dobromil.
Dobromir is kind and peaceful. Abbreviated names: Dobrynya, Dobrysha. From these names came the surnames: Dobrynin, Dobryshin. Legendary personality: hero - Dobrynya.
Dobromir is the female form named after Dobromir. Goodwill - kind and reasonable. From this name came the surname: Dobromyslov.
Dobroslav - glorifying kindness.
Dobroslav - female form named after Dobroslav.
Domaslav - glorifying relatives. Abbreviated name: Domash - one's own, dear. From this name came the surname: Domashov.
Dragomir is more precious than the world.
Dragomir is a female form named after Dragomir.
Dubynya - similar to oak, indestructible. Legendary personality: hero - Dubynya.
Druzhina - comrade.
It also matters common name: Friend. Surnames came from these names: Druzhinin, Drugov, Drunin.
Ruff is one of the personified names of the animal world. From this name came the surname: Ershov.
The lark is one of the personified names of the animal world. From this name came the surname: Zhavoronkov.
Zhdan is a long-awaited child. The surname came from this name: Zhdanov.
Zhdana is a female form named after Zhdan.
Zhiznomir - living in the world.
The hare is one of the personified names of the animal world. From this name came the surname: Zaitsev.
Zvenislava - announcer of glory.
Winter - harsh, merciless. From this name came the surname: Zimin. Legendary personality: Ataman Zima from Razin's army.
Zlatomir - the golden world.
Zlatotsveta - golden-colored. Short name: Zlata.
Malice is one of the "negative" names. From this name came the surnames: Zlobin, Zlovidov, Zlydnev.
Izyaslav - who took glory. Historical personality: Izyaslav Vladimirovich - Prince of Polotsk, founder of the Polotsk princes.
Sincere - sincere. The name has the same meaning: Iskra.
Iskra is the female form named after Iskren.
Istislav - glorifying the truth.
Istoma - languishing (possibly associated with difficult childbirth). From this name came the surnames: Istomin, Istomov.
Casimir - showing the world.
Casimir is the female form named after Casimir.
Koschey - thin, bony. From this name came the surnames: Koshcheev, Kashchenko.
Krasimir - beautiful and peaceful
Krasimira is a female form named after Krasimir. Short name: Beauty.
Curve is one of the "negative" names. From these names came the surname: Krivov.
Lada - beloved, dear. The name of the Slavic Goddess of love, beauty and marriage.
Ladimir - getting along with the world.
Ladislav - glorifying Lada (love).
Swan is a personified name of the animal world. The name has the same meaning: Lybid. From this name came the surname - Lebedev. Legendary personality: Lybid is the sister of the founders of the city of Kyiv.
Luchezar - a luminous beam.
We love - beloved. From this name came the surname: Lyubimov.
Love is beloved. The name has the same meaning: Lyubava. Surnames originated from these names: Lyubavin, Lyubimtsev, Lyubavin, Lyubin, Lyubushin, Lyubimin.
Lyubomila - beloved, dear.
Lubomir is a loving world.
Lubomir is a female form named after Lubomir.
Curiosity - loving to think.
Lyuboslav - loving glory.
Lyudmil is dear to people.
Ludmila is the female form named after Ludmila. Historical personality: Ludmila - Czech princess.
Mal - small, younger. The name has the same meaning: Malay, Mladen. Surnames came from these names: Maleev, Malenkov, Maltsov, Malyshev. Historical personality: Mal - Drevlyansky prince.
Malusha is a female form named after Mal. The name has the same meaning: Mlada. From these names came the surname: Malushin. Historical personality: Malusha is the wife of Syatoslav Igorevich, the mother of Vladimir Svyatoslavich.
Mechislav - glorifying sword.
Milan is cute. The name has the same meaning: Milen. Surnames originated from these names: Milanov, Milenov.
Milana is the feminine form of Milan. The names have the same meaning: Milava, Milada, Milena, Milica, Umila. From these names came the surname: Milavin. Historical personality: Umila is the daughter of Gostomysl.

The study of names is far from an idle occupation. In a number of cases, it helps historians to shed light on events of the distant past and even make important discoveries. What can the names say?

The names of Russian princes minted on coins present a curious riddle to scientists. The chronicle claims that after the death of Prince Vladimir in 1015, the Kiev throne briefly went to his son Svyatopolk the Accursed, and then Yaroslav the Wise became the Grand Duke. The reign of each of these princes is certified, among other things, by the issuance of coins bearing their names. However, archaeologists have also found coins dating back to the same time, with the name "Peter". Moreover, none of the named princes bore such a baptismal name. It turns out that the chroniclers intentionally or unwittingly missed one of the great princes of the early 11th century.

Vladimir Monomakh was an inveterate hunter. Here is how he himself described his adventures: “Two rounds threw me with their horns along with the horse, the deer gored me, the elk trampled on my feet, the boar tore off the sword on my hip, the bear bit my sweatshirt at my knee, the fierce beast jumped on my hips and the horse with me overturned."

Now we know that during one of these hunting martial arts, Vladimir Monomakh lost a golden neck amulet found in 1821 in the forests near Chernigov. Slavic inscription it reads: "God, help your servant Vasily." This thing is very valuable, and could only belong to the prince. Meanwhile, it is known that Vasily was the baptismal name of Vladimir Monomakh.

As you can see, the name of a person can tell a lot to an inquisitive researcher. It is no coincidence that there is even a science of names - anthroponymy.

2. The origins of Slavic names

Like everything in the world, names have their own history.

In ancient times, the name was given to a person as a sign by which he could be distinguished from the family and clan. Here is what one ancient Russian manuscript says about this: “People of the first generations and times gave their children names, as the father or mother of the child would like, either according to the appearance of the offspring, or from a thing, or from a parable.” Thus, behind each name there was a meaning understandable to everyone, the meaning of the name was completely transparent.

Names could be given depending on the order and time of birth (Pervusha, Vtoryshka, Tretiak, Devyatko, Subbotka, Veshnyak); they could characterize the circumstances of the birth of a child (Zhdan, Nechaiko, Istoma, Tomilko); names could also determine the physical appearance of the child (Belyak, Ushak, Khudyak, Rusinko, Chernysh), or traits of his character, behavior (Gloom, Buyan, Smeyan, Molchanka, Zlobko). A special layer of names were the names that were given to the child by a tender mother: Bogdan, Lyubava, Lyubim, etc.

There was also a group of guard names, names-amulets (Koshchei, Failure, Neustroy, Gryazka). This was done in order to ward off evil spirits from the child. In addition, giving the child the name Failure, it was believed that, on the contrary, he would be lucky, everything would be fine with Neustroy, etc.

The group of the most ancient also included the so-called zoophoric names, dating back to the names of animals, fish, birds and reflecting the remnants of totemism (Bear, Wolf, Horse, Eagle, Drake and others).

An intra-family personal name was given to the child immediately after birth. Having matured, a person received another, so-called street name. Street names that were widespread in Rus' included, for example, the following: Gulyayko, Pyanko, Likhachko, Kislyak, Chudinko, Kisel, Yaryga, Negodyayko, Goremyka.

Scientists also call street personal names nicknames. As can be seen from the foregoing, nicknames, as a rule, did not give a very flattering assessment of the person named, however, like most modern nicknames. It just so happened that people usually stand out by no means the best of their qualities.

After the adoption of Christianity, ancient Russian names (they are also called pagan) began to be replaced by new names - church ones. Hundreds of ancient Slavic male and female names are completely out of use.

3. Christian names

Christian names in Rus' were known long before the official baptism. Suffice it to recall that Princess Olga (baptized Elena) was a Christian. But those were still isolated cases.

The Russian name book underwent fundamental changes in 989, when the Grand Duke Vladimir baptized the people of Kiev.

The chronicle tells that on this day a lot of people of both sexes and all ages gathered on the banks of the Dnieper. They were divided into groups and ordered in turn to go into the river, which replaced the font. The priests read the prescribed prayers, and then gave each group of those who were baptized Christian names: one male - common to all men, the other female - common to all women. There was no everyday inconvenience from this, since in everyday life the former worldly names were still used. Church names were used in rare cases: in the preparation of a spiritual testament, in commemoration, etc.

With the approval of Christianity, a church onomasticon was formed - a set of names given at baptism. At the beginning of his reign, Vladimir, while still a pagan, sacrificed two Varangian Christians, Ivan and Fedor, to the ancient Russian gods. With the adoption of Christianity, the names Ivan and Fedor became extremely popular. The names of the apostles also became widespread. They are loved to this day - Peter, Pavel, Andrei, Philip, Mark. Along with the Greek names, a lot of Hebrew names, as well as the names of ancient Roman, Syrian, Egyptian saints, got into the Christian name book.

As for the actual Russian, worldly names, they were used for a long time together with church ones in the meaning of personal ones. In the annals and documents of the XI-XIV centuries, one can meet the Novgorod priest "German, called Voyat", "Boyar Fedor, called Road". The scribe of the most ancient Russian book - the so-called Ostromir Gospel, signed: "Joseph is baptized, and the worldly Ostromir."

But already starting from the 15th century, worldly names are increasingly used in the meaning of nicknames: “Prince of Lithuania Ivan, and his nickname is Baba” “Cossack Bogdan, and his name is God knows.”

In the XVII-XVIII centuries, church names almost completely replaced the Old Russian ones. But the latter did not disappear without a trace. On their basis, thousands of Russian surnames were created: Belyaevs, Glazkovs, Tretyakovs, Orlovs, Ragozins, Medvedevs, Putins and many, many others.

4. Saints

Saints, or the calendar, is a church calendar indicating the holidays and days of memory of the saints. According to church rules, only these names, consecrated by tradition, should be given to newborns.

The calendar of calendars translated from Greek significantly limited the vocabulary of names: in the oldest of the saints there are only 330 male and 64 female names. In addition, the new names were alien to the Old Russian language: after all, they were not translated, but phonetically accurately conveyed in Slavic sounds. For example, the name Eustolia, given to one Christian martyr, means “well-dressed” in translation. The Greek Didim and the Hebrew Thomas (in the Latin transmission - Thomas) meant "twin", etc. Many of the Christian names even find quite exact parallels among the names of Old Russian: Agathon ("kind") in Slavonic would be Dobrynya, Latin Pavel ( "small") corresponds to the Russian Small, or Malyuta, the Hebrew David - Lyubim.

But all these correspondences were unknown to our ancestors. In 1596 (600 years after the introduction of Christian names!) The author of one alphabet book complained: “We Slovenes are inconvenient to know our current names, what is interpreted (i.e. what does it mean) Andrey, that Vasily or Danila.”

It is worth saying that the saints themselves were not without blunders. For example, 3 Scythians are mentioned there, who were executed for their adherence to Christianity in the 1st century AD. Their names were Inna, Pinna and Rimma. But in Rus', these masculine names began to be given to girls. Apparently, the illiterate village priests mistook them for women - according to the characteristic ending in A. The mistake took root, and then it was “legalized”.

Saints are popular among believers today. When choosing a name according to the calendar, they usually look at the child's birthday. If the names of the saints whose memory is celebrated on this day are not too harmonious, it is permissible to choose a name among those saints whose memory is celebrated on the eighth day from birth. If it was not possible to choose a name on the first and eighth day, then they look at the 40th day from birth, because. it is on this day that a child is brought to the temple to perform the sacrament of Holy Baptism.

5. Princely names

During the 700 years of its existence, the grand princely Rurik dynasty developed its own special name-book, which is very popular today.

Unlike ordinary people, Russian princes were called complex, two-part names with the roots "holy", "glory", "volod", "yar". Their sacred nature is obvious, since at least some of them coincide with the names of pagan gods: Yarila, Svyatovid.

The cult of ancestors led to the fact that the newborn prince usually received a name in honor of his grandfather. In some genera, only two or three names were kept for centuries, passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, in the annals, Oleg Svyatoslavichs endlessly alternate with Svyatoslav Olegovichs, Izyaslavs Mstislavichs with Mstislavs Izyaslavichs.

With the adoption of Christianity, the tradition of giving the prince a "significant" name was also transferred to baptismal names. Vladimir Monomakh writes about himself that he was "named in baptism Vasily, and the Russian name is Volodimer."

However, the princes were called by both names - worldly and baptismal - almost exclusively when mentioning church events: their birth, baptism or burial. For example, in the Chronicler of Pereslavl of Suzdal, under the year 1211, we read: "Born to Kostyantin Vsevolodich, a son, and called his name in holy baptism, John, and by prince Vsevolod." In the vast majority of cases, the princes in the annals are called only by Russian names, which are given the name of the main, "princely" names. It was they who were minted on coins: "Prince Volodymyr, and behold his silver."

This continued until the end of the thirteenth century. But then, in connection with the strengthening of the positions of the Christian church, the princes begin to be called by only one, church name - Ivan, Fedor, Andrey, Konstantin, Mikhail, Dmitry ...

However, several Old Russian names still remained in the princely nomenclature. First of all, these are Vladimir, Boris (short for Borislav) and Vsevolod - the names of the princes canonized by the Russian Church. Later, the church recognized six more Slavic names - Yaroslav, Mstislav, Rostislav, Svyatoslav, Oleg, and Vyacheslav - the Russian equivalent of the name of the Czech saint of the tenth century, Prince Wenceslas.

Thanks to their inclusion in church calendars, these names have survived to this day. Now "princely" names make up the vast majority of the rather narrow circle of old Russian names that parents call their children.

6. Women's names

The history of the female half of the human race is the history of the gradual acquisition of equal rights with men. The stages of this long process, which took more than one hundred years, are especially clearly visible in the example of the naming of women.

In the monuments of ancient Russian literature of the XI-XIV centuries, women appear as faceless, almost nameless creatures. Of course, they had personal names, but their mention is a rarity: few, for example, Princess Olga, were awarded this honor. In most cases, the naming of a woman was of an indirect nature - through the name of her husband or father. As we know, Yaroslavna in "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" is the patronymic of the daughter of Prince Yaroslav Praskovya. In the annals there is also "Princess Vsevolozhaya" - the wife of the Grand Duke Vsevolod. But by patronymic they called only to know, and for women from the common people, one derivative from the name of her husband was enough - Ivanikha, Pavlikha. Even in the documents such entries were common: "Jacob's daughter, Ivanov's wife of a shoemaker." As you can see, this woman is designated by the name of her father and husband, and even by her husband’s occupation, but her personal name is not indicated, no one used it.

Only in the 15th-17th centuries did the formula of female names begin to approach the male one, since its first component is already the woman's personal name. Moreover, in most cases we are talking about widows who, after the death of their husband, inherited land and other property: the widow Polashka, or the widow Kaptelinka Yakovlevskaya wife of Kupreyanov. The naming of unmarried women at that time was content with an indication of the father: Annitsa Ignatieva's daughter.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the formula for naming a woman underwent further changes: now, in addition to her personal name, a semi-patronymic appears in her composition. Let us confine ourselves to one example: the townsman's widow Paraskovya Pankratov's daughter Prokofiev's wife Nikiforov's son Loktev. In our opinion, this is Praskovya Pankratovna, the wife of Prokofy Nikiforovich Loktev. The forms of naming an unmarried woman during this period were as follows: township girl Ulita Guseva daughter, or: girl Marya Alekseeva daughter.

Finally, in the 19th century, the formula for naming a woman made the last transformation, completely coinciding with the male: for example, Maria Ivanovna Postnikova. The long process of turning a woman into a man has been successfully completed. There was only a little left: to have a short haircut, put on pants, go in for sports and master men's professions.

7. "Revolutionary" names

A new era in the life of Russian personal names began with the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 23, 1918, which proclaimed the complete and final separation of the church from the state and school. The saints were rejected with "religious prejudices", instead of baptism, civil registration was accepted, and it was allowed to give any names.

Since 1924, “Soviet calendars” began to appear in millions of copies - desktop and tear-off calendars, in which lists of new names were recommended and ways of creative search were suggested. For example, it was advised to choose any beautiful word for the name: “poem”, “abstraction” or something like that. Do you remember how Bulgakov's Sharikov took his name according to the new calendar - Polygraph Poligrafovich? Do you think the writer was joking or exaggerating reality? Not at all. For example, the tear-off calendar of the North-West Industrial Bureau for 1925 recommended the following names: February 7. Utopian writer Thomas More is born. Suggested names are Thomas and Mora (depending on the sex of the child). On September 23, in memory of the Conference of the 1st International of girls that took place on this day in 1865, it was recommended to call them Interns. There were girls of Eden and Iskra, Volga and Eurasia, Proletkults, and even Artillery Academies in this calendar. The boys were named Tribunes, Tractors, Oyushminalds (Otto Yulievich Schmidt on an ice floe), and some of them were called Glavspirts! And if the name Vilen (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin) still sounds quite acceptable, then Pyatvchet (five-year plan in four years) seems simply nightmarish.

Of course, there have always been more than enough fools in Rus'. But there are more sane people, thank God. Despite revolutionary innovations, Russia remained true to the names of its saints, martyrs and heroes. Sergey, Alexandra, Ilya, Ekaterina, Olga and many other proud, tender, romantic names remain our favorites. Children were and will be named after grandparents, and no revolution can prevent this. Even today, according to statistics, 95 percent of Russians have traditional Russian calendar names.

8. Western European names

What do Agafya Lykova and Agatha Christie have in common? Or Ivan the Terrible with Johann Sebastian Bach, John Lennon, Gianni Versace and Jean Marais? Yes, actually, nothing, except that these people are namesakes. But why do the names we are used to sound in a European way so alien to our ears?

All of Europe (and after it America) also called children after church calendars. But the Orthodox world borrowed the names of Christian saints through the Greek language, and Catholics and Protestants - through the Latin. Therefore, the same name in Russian sounds completely different than in English or French. It is enough to compare the names of Gavrila and Gabriel, Benjamin and Benjamin, Martha and Martha, Barbara and Barbara.

The fascination of Russians with Western European names began in the 19th century, in connection with the general Franco- and then Anglo-mania. From school literature lessons, we remember Helen Kuragina and Pierre Bezukhov, as well as an excerpt from "Eugene Onegin" about how Tatyana's mother "called Polina Praskovya and spoke in a singsong voice." Of course, when baptizing a newborn, the Russian nobles, as expected, chose a name for the child according to the holy calendar. But from early childhood, the baby was called not by this name, but by a similar French or English one - full (like Helen and Pierre) or diminutive (like Steve Oblonsky or Kitty Shcherbatskaya in Anna Karenina).
We experienced a new rise in the popularity of foreign names and Western variants of common Russian names in the late 60s and early 70s of the last century. It was due to the expansion of ties with Western countries: the growing popularity of Western European and American literature and cinema, and the increasing frequency of marriages with foreigners. Then numerous Artur Semyonovichi and John Tikhonovichi, Angelica, Jeanne, Eduard and even Romuald appeared.

Now times have changed: over the past 10-15 years, we have revised our attitude towards ourselves and towards Western countries. Only the name Kristina reminds of the former flash of love for everything foreign, replacing the name Khristina, more familiar to a native Russian speaker, in the list of modern names.

9. Name and destiny

The ancients were sure that the fate of a person, a city and even a state is destined in his name. Today we are far from such ideas, considering them prejudices. However, there is probably a grain of truth in this.

The Russian researcher Mintslov wrote about the striking homogeneity of characters and properties of bearers of the same name at the beginning of the 20th century. Based on the analysis of the names of prominent personalities of the past, he came to the conclusion that among the Alekseevs most often there are prudent people, Alexanders, as a rule, are merry fellows, and Peters are mostly quiet, quiet people, but with a firm and stubborn character. Sergeys, according to Mintslov's observations, are very often the fathers of prominent people: Pushkin, Griboedov, Turgenev, Dargomyzhsky were Sergeyevichs.

The outstanding Russian scientist and philosopher Pavel Florensky believed that the name Alexander corresponds basically to the sanguine character. The name Elena marks female nature, Nikolai is very kind in character, Vasily usually hides tender feelings in himself, Konstantin is notable for inconstancy.

Speaking of the mysticism of names, one cannot help but recall the story of Jack London, in which one woman calls her sons the name of the deceased beloved brother Samuel, and all four of them, one by one, are taken to death.

In 1986, American psychiatrists conducted a study and found that people with strange names are four times more likely than others to have various kinds of mental complexes. Researchers from the Universities of San Diego and Georgia found that teachers in schools persistently give low grades to students with some names, high grades with others. Girls with attractive names do not advance well in the business world, but they can achieve noticeable success in show business. English therapist Trevor Weston determined that people whose names begin with the letters of the last third of the alphabet are three times more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease.

So, apparently, there is still a certain connection between the name of a person and his mental characteristics. Of course, it cannot be absolutized, but it would also be unreasonable not to take this connection into account at all.

10. Choosing a name

A name is the first gift parents give to a newborn baby, and this gift is for life. What should be guided by when choosing a name for your child?

Of course, there are no instructions in this regard today. Christian saints facilitated and simplified the task, but they have outlived their time. What can now be the criteria common to all names?

There are many beautiful names in the world, as well as beautiful clothes. But the name, unlike the dress, cannot be random. First of all, it should correspond to the national culture and at the same time not be too long and difficult. The name must sound beautiful, be elegant in form, in order to please its bearer. “They gave me the name Anna at baptism, the sweetest for human lips and hearing ...” - this is how Anna Akhmatova spoke about her name, not without pride.

A person, in fact, bears three names at once: given name, patronymic and surname. And when choosing a name, one must not forget that he will have to sound in the circle of these neighbors and eventually turn into a middle name himself. It is unacceptable that a name, no matter how beautiful it may be, sounds like a complete dissonance with a person's surname. The writer Lev Uspensky recalled the following incident: “In a pre-revolutionary gymnasium, I had a friend who bore the beautiful, proud Spanish name Rodrigo: his mother was Spanish. But his father was Russian. The combination of Rodrigo Stepanov did not seem to us at all majestic or beautiful, we considered it simply ridiculous.
It is desirable that the name does not impede the formation of pet forms (Svetochka, Sanechka, Cornflower, etc.). This makes it possible to convey various nuances of attitude towards a person.

And finally, the last piece of advice: don't be original. Remember that it will not be you who will bear the name, but your child, and not only you, but also those around you will judge him.

Marina Tsvetaeva once wrote:

Your name is a bird in your hand
Your name is ice on the tongue.
Ball caught on the fly
Silver bell in the mouth

This is how our children's names should sound.
________________________________________ ________________________________________ ___
Book "The Last War of the Russian Empire" will be released this autumn.
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