Ukrainian Female Names

31.05.2017

Many nations live on the modern territory of Ukraine: Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Bulgarians, Georgians, and others. Such a variety of nations is the result of the historical development of this state. So, Ukrainian women's names have an ancient and distinctive history.

As everyone knows, the name determines the destiny of every person. This is the key to the inner world. Earlier, people got two names in Ukraine: the first one was false — for strangers, and the second one was personal — only for very close friends and relatives. This tradition existed as a protection against evil spirits and cruel people. Often, the first name was not beautiful for even more protection against evil. It is much more difficult for evil to get person’s soul not having the key to it.

The second name was given in adolescence when the basic character traits were formed. The name was given on the basis of these traits. Sometimes, the name was given in honor of relatives that were known for or successful in their business. This tradition is preserved today as well, but people don’t pay much attention to it now. Let’s look at the most common Ukrainian names.

The Most Popular Ukrainian Girls' Names

Ukrainian names are quite diverse not only in sound but also in meaning. Ukrainian names of girls were formed during a long cultural evolution, and a wide variety of cultures influenced this process. Most etymologists believe that Ukrainian girls’ names are Slavic and come from the Russian language.

Today, beautiful Ukrainian girl names can be divided into several types. These are Orthodox names, including their folk forms, Catholic names, and names that are borrowed from other languages.

The first group includes Orthodox names that are more common in their folk sound: Olena, Oksana, Yarina instead of their canonical forms (Elena, Xenia, Irina). Also, very common names are the names Olesya and Lesya. Also, Slavic names include such beautiful names as Miroslava, Yaroslava.

Catholic names such as Teresa, Wanda, etc. are spread due to neighboring Poland and are more common in the western regions of the country.

 A separate group includes names that have been recently borrowed from other languages: Yana, Diana, and others.

Many national Ukrainian names symbolize tenderness, beauty, and femininity.  Here are the most popular Ukrainian names:

• Anna
• Daria
• Darina
• Sofia
• Maria
• Victoria
• Tatiana
• Christina
• Angelina
• Veronica

In addition, the names Alina, Karina, Valeria, Eva, Ekaterina, Alexandra, Polina, Olga, Irina, Julia, Arina are very popular as well. As you can understand, Ukrainian names are extremely harmonious, understandable and easy to comprehend.

Names that Have Recently Become Popular

A lot of pretty authentic Ukrainian girl names become more and more popular. Nowadays, parents choose the most beautiful names for their children. They also think about the fact that it should go well with a surname. And it is necessary to find out what meaning is hidden in the name as well.

Beautiful old names return due to the wave of patriotism. Among Ukrainian names for girls can be found such names as Bazhana and Bozhena, Veselina, Vesnyanka, Vesta, Zlata, Lesya, Lyubava, Mavka, Milana, Rada, Roksolana, Svyatoslava, and Solomiya.

People have basically the same names in modern Ukraine that people in Russia and Belarus have. These names are Slavic, Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Scandinavian. However, there is a gradual increase of interest in ancient names in Ukraine unlike in Russian society. It means that there is a high level of patriotism in society and attention to its cultural traditions. This is especially true in the western regions of the country where the newborn girls get the ancient Slavic names that are listed above.

Traditional Ukrainian names, which can be found in the territory of modern Ukraine, are varied in meaning and in the history of origin. However, it seems that the ancient Slavic names have been preserved in Ukraine (especially in the western regions of the country) better than in other countries. Although they were used by all Slavs a long time ago, unfortunately, they were gradually replaced by Greek and European names.