After you\u2019ve spent more than two weeks in Russia and made friends with at least a handful of Russians you will, without a doubt, ask yourself: \u201cIs it just me or does this country only have ten given names all in all?\u201d Though it may seem as if everyone you meet is either a Masha or a Dasha or a Misha or a Vova, it would be harshly unfair to claim that Russians only have ten names to go around, five for women and five for men. Believe it or not, but that is as a matter of fact not the case. Recently I received a wonderful gift from the students in my Swedish class at Ural State University in Yekaterinburg, \u0421\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u044c \u0440\u0443<\/b>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0445 \u043b\u0438<\/b>\u0447\u043d\u044b\u0445 \u0438\u043c\u0451<\/b>\u043d [Dictionary of Russian personal names] by \u0410. \u0412. \u0421\u0443\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f, which boasts on its front page to contain \u00ab\u0431\u043e<\/b>\u043b\u0435\u0435 7500 \u0440\u0443<\/b>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0445 \u0438\u043c\u0451<\/b>\u043d\u00bb [\u201cmore than 7500 Russian names\u201d]. My first reaction at this was, of course, to raise my eyebrows in surprise \u2013 if they have so many names then why do I have over ten women called Irina in my phone and almost as many men with the name Aleksey? Russian parents aren\u2019t known for being very eager to experiment and choose an infrequent or peculiar name for their newborn child but prefer something usual, traditional and as common as bread with soup. Keeping kids apart in a class with five boys named Boris can easily be done with a little help from their \u043e\u0442\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430 [father names]. In Russia a person is officially called both by first name and father name, but in private the first name is rarely ever used in its full form. Instead every name has a short form and that is the name most commonly used, and what some people might see as their \u201creal\u201d name. The use of first names in their full form has become more and more common during the last ten years since Russia, despite its deep dedication to xenophobia, has failed to withstand influence from the West.<\/p>\n
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I think that many people studying Russian language, including myself, might not yet be familiar with all of the short forms for the most common names (and, for example, the names that lack short forms) and which syllable is stressed in them. Therefore I, with a little help from my awesome new dictionary, decided to put together a list of the twelve most common given names for both men and women. (Note that the stressed syllable is in thick shrift and that there are at least twice as many other Russian names that are just as common). <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For men:<\/p>\n \u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0430<\/b>\u043d\u0434\u0440 \u2013 \u0421\u0430<\/b>\u0448\u0430, \u0428\u0443<\/b>\u0440\u0430, \u0421\u0430<\/b>\u043d\u044f<\/p>\n \u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0435<\/b>\u0439 \u2013 \u0410\u043b\u0451<\/b>\u0448\u0430, \u041b\u0451<\/b>\u0448\u0430, \u041b\u0451<\/b>\u0445\u0430, \u041b\u0451<\/b>\u043d\u044f<\/p>\n \u0410\u043d\u0434\u0440\u0435<\/b>\u0439 \u2013 \u0410\u043d\u0434\u0440\u044e<\/b>\u0448\u0430<\/p>\n \u0410\u0440\u0442\u0451<\/b>\u043c \u2013 \u0422\u0451<\/b>\u043c\u0430<\/p>\n \u0412\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0438<\/b>\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u2013 \u0412\u043e<\/b>\u0432\u0430, \u0412\u043e<\/b>\u043b\u044f, \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e<\/b>\u0434\u044f<\/p>\n \u0414\u043c\u0438<\/b>\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0439 \u2013 \u0414\u0438<\/b>\u043c\u0430, \u041c\u0438<\/b>\u0442\u044f<\/p>\n \u0415\u0432\u0433\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u2013 \u0416\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u044f<\/p>\n \u0418\u0432\u0430<\/b>\u043d \u2013 \u0412\u0430<\/b>\u043d\u044f<\/p>\n \u041c\u0430\u043a\u0441\u0438<\/b>\u043c – \u041c\u0430\u043a\u0441<\/p>\n \u041c\u0438\u0445\u0430\u0438<\/b>\u043b \u2013 \u041c\u0438<\/b>\u0448\u0430, \u041c\u0438<\/b>\u0445\u0430<\/p>\n \u041e\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u0433 \u2013 (-)<\/p>\n \u0421\u0435\u0440\u0433\u0435<\/b>\u0439 \u2013 \u0421\u0435\u0440\u0451<\/b>\u0436\u0430<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For women:<\/p>\n \u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0430<\/b>\u043d\u0434\u0440\u0430 \u2013 \u0421\u0430<\/b>\u0448\u0430, \u0428\u0443<\/b>\u0440\u0430, \u041e\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u0441\u044f, \u0410<\/b>\u043b\u044f, \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u0441\u044f<\/p>\n \u0413\u0430\u043b\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430 \u2013 \u0413\u0430<\/b>\u043b\u044f<\/p>\n \u0414\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0438\u044f – \u0414\u0430<\/b>\u0448\u0430<\/p>\n \u0415\u0432\u0433\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u044f \u2013 \u0416\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u044f<\/p>\n \u0415\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0430 \u2013 \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0430, \u041b\u0451<\/b>\u043b\u044f, \u0410\u043b\u0451<\/b>\u043d\u0430<\/p>\n \u0415\u043a\u0430\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430 \u2013 \u041a\u0430<\/b>\u0442\u044f, \u041a\u0430\u0442\u044e<\/b>\u0448\u0430, \u0420\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430<\/p>\n \u041a\u0441\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u044f \u2013 \u041a\u0441\u044e<\/b>\u0448\u0430<\/p>\n \u041c\u0430\u0440\u0438<\/b>\u044f \u2013 \u041c\u0430<\/b>\u0448\u0430, \u041c\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0430, \u041c\u0430\u0440\u0443<\/b>\u0441\u044f<\/p>\n \u041d\u0430\u0434\u0435<\/b>\u0436\u0434\u0430 \u2013 \u041d\u0430<\/b>\u0434\u044f<\/p>\n \u041d\u0430\u0442\u0430<\/b>\u043b\u044c\u044f \u2013 \u041d\u0430\u0442\u0430<\/b>\u0448\u0430, \u041d\u0430\u0442\u0443<\/b>\u0441\u044f, \u0422\u0430<\/b>\u043b\u044c\u044f<\/p>\n \u041e<\/b>\u043b\u044c\u0433\u0430 \u2013 \u041e<\/b>\u043b\u044f, \u041b\u0451<\/b>\u043b\u044f<\/p>\n \u0422\u0430\u0442\u044c\u044f<\/b>\u043d\u0430 \u2013 \u0422\u0430<\/b>\u043d\u044f, \u0422\u0430<\/b>\u0442\u0430 <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If lack of fantasy and inspiration when it comes to name-giving today is widespread in Russia, then the trend was the opposite roughly 90 years ago. 90 years ago, after the October Revolution, society was innovative and people were feeling radical and because of this a new trend flourished. In the new country preparing for a new world in a new future the new fashion was to come up with new names. Some people even changed their old, often Christian or plainly \u201cbourgeois-sounding\u201d, names into brave new Soviet ones. It is not too difficult to figure out where the inspiration came from for names like \u0422\u0440\u0430<\/b>\u043a\u0442\u043e\u0440 [male] and \u0422\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430 [female \u2013 from the word tractor]. Other popular at the time, but soon to disappear in order to never return, names were \u0410\u043d\u0442\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u043d\u0430 [antenna], \u0411\u0430\u0440\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/b>\u0434\u0430 [barricade], \u0410\u0442\u0435\u0438<\/b>\u0441\u0442 [atheist], \u0413\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438<\/b>\u0442 [granite], \u041e\u043a\u0442\u044f<\/b>\u0431\u0440\u044c [October], \u0412\u043e\u0441\u043c\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0442 [short for \u0432\u043e\u0441\u044c\u043c\u043e<\/b>\u0435 \u043c\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0442\u0430 \u2013 March 8th, international women\u2019s day], \u041a\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u043c\u0438\u0439 [male] and \u041a\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u043c\u0438\u044f [female \u2013 short for \u041a\u0440\u0430<\/b>\u0441\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0410<\/b>\u0440\u043c\u0438\u044f, the Red Army], \u041f\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0434\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430 [in honor of the paper \u00ab\u041f\u0440\u0430<\/b>\u0432\u0434\u0430\u00bb – truth], \u041a\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0442\u0430\u043b\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430 [in honor of \u00ab\u041a\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0442\u0430<\/b>\u043b\u00bb – The Capital by Karl Marx], \u0418\u043d\u0434\u0443<\/b>\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0439 [industry], \u042d\u043d\u0435<\/b>\u0440\u0433\u0438\u0439 [energy], \u0421\u044a\u0435\u0437\u0434 [congress, \u0432 \u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c \u0441\u044a\u0435\u0437\u0434 \u043f\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0442\u0438\u0438 \u2013 in honor of the party congress], \u041b\u0443\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0430<\/b>\u0440 [in honor of the politician and academic \u0410\u043d\u0430\u0442\u043e<\/b>\u043b\u0438\u0439 \u0412\u0430\u0441\u0438<\/b>\u043b\u044c\u0435\u0432\u0438\u0447 \u041b\u0443\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e (1875 \u2013 1933). <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Back then it was also very much in style to name one\u2019s offspring in the honor of political leaders. Among the most frequent ones was the Communistic version of Christianity\u2019s Holy Trinity with the Father, the Son & the Holy Ghost \u2013 Marx, Engels & Lenin. Rarer, though existing, were names involving Trotsky, Zinoviev and Stalin. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Names made from Marx:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441\u0435\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0430 [short for \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441, \u042d<\/b>\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441 and \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d], \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430, \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u043d [short for \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441 and \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d], \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u043d [short for \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441 and \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d], \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u043d [short for \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441 and \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d], \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0441\u0442 [short for \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441, \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d and \u0421\u0442\u0430<\/b>\u043b\u0438\u043d], \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u0441\u0442 [short for \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441, \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d and \u0421\u0442\u0430<\/b>\u043b\u0438\u043d], \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043b\u0438<\/b>\u043d [short for \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441, \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d and \u0418\u043d\u0442\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0430\u0446\u0438\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/b>\u043b \u2013 the International], \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043b\u044d<\/b>\u043d [short for \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441, \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d and \u042d<\/b>\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Names made from Engels:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u042d\u043d\u0435\u0433\u0435\u043b\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430, \u042d\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0438<\/b>\u043d, \u042d\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430, \u042d\u043c\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u043d [short for \u042d<\/b>\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441, \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441 and \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d], \u042d<\/b>\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043b\u044c, \u042d\u043d\u0433\u043b\u0435<\/b>\u043d [short for \u042d<\/b>\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441 and \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Names made from Lenin: <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u041b\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0430 [short for \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0430<\/b>\u0440\u043c\u0438\u044f \u2013 the army of Lenin], \u041b\u0435\u043d\u0433\u0435\u043d\u043c\u0438<\/b>\u0440\u0430 [short for \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d \u2013 \u0433\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u043c\u0438<\/b>\u0440\u0430 \u2013 Lenin \u2013 world genius], \u041b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043e<\/b>\u043b\u043b\u0430, \u041b\u0435\u043d\u043c\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0430 [short for \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d and \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0441], \u041b\u0435\u043d\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0437\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0430 [short for \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d, \u0422\u0440\u043e<\/b>\u0446\u043a\u0438\u0439 and \u0417\u0438\u043d\u043e<\/b>\u0432\u044c\u0435\u0432], \u041b\u0435\u043d\u044d<\/b>\u0440\u0430 [short for \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u044d<\/b>\u0440\u0430 \u2013 the era of Lenin], \u041b\u0435\u043d\u0433\u0432\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0434 [short for \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0433\u0432\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0434\u0438\u044f \u2013 the guard of Lenin], \u041b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0430<\/b>\u0440 [a combination of \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d and \u043d\u0430\u0440\u043e<\/b>\u0434 \u2013 people], \u041b\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e<\/b>\u0440 [short for \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d \u2013 \u043d\u0430\u0448 \u043e\u0440\u0433\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0437\u0430<\/b>\u0442\u043e\u0440 \u2013 Lenin is our organizer], \u041b\u0435\u043d\u044d<\/b>\u0440\u0433 [short for \u041b\u0435<\/b>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u044d<\/b>\u0440\u0430 \u0433\u0440\u044f\u0434\u0451<\/b>\u0442 \u2013 the era of Lenin is coming].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Other names that were not predestined to survive their owners if the winds were to turn slightly more capitalistic were such as \u041a\u043e\u043c\u0438<\/b>\u043d\u0442\u0430 [female], \u041a\u043e\u043c\u0438\u043d\u0442\u0435<\/b>\u0440\u043d [male], \u041a\u043e\u043c\u0438\u043d\u0442\u0435<\/b>\u0440\u043d\u0430 [all variants made from the word \u041a\u043e\u043c\u043c\u0443\u043d\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/b>\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u0438\u043d\u0442\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0430\u0446\u0438\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/b>\u043b \u2013 the communist international], \u041a\u043e\u043c\u0438\u0441\u0441\u0430<\/b>\u0440 [male], \u041a\u043e\u043c\u0438\u0441\u0441\u0430<\/b>\u0440\u0430 [female \u2013 from the word meaning commissary], \u0421\u043e\u0446\u0438\u0430<\/b>\u043b [male], \u0421\u043e\u0446\u0438\u0430<\/b>\u043b\u0430 [female \u2013 made from \u0441\u043e\u0446\u0438\u0430\u043b\u0438<\/b>\u0437\u043c \u2013 socialism], \u0421\u0442\u0430<\/b>\u043b\u0438\u0439 [male], \u0421\u0442\u0430<\/b>\u043b\u0438\u043d\u0430 [female \u2013 made from, obviously, the last name of Stalin].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Out of all the names mentioned above I think my own two personal favorites are \u0422\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0438\u043d\u0430 [for a girl] and \u041b\u0435\u043d\u044d\u0433\u0440 [for a boy]. The last one not only for fun but just in case the era of Lenin was actually to arrive. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After you\u2019ve spent more than two weeks in Russia and made friends with at least a handful of Russians you will, without a doubt, ask yourself: \u201cIs it just me or does this country only have ten given names all in all?\u201d Though it may seem as if everyone you meet is either a Masha…<\/p>\n