The most popular female names in Russia

Popular names change over time and depend on the region of Russia, although there are a few names that are popular in all ages since the Soviet Russia till nowadays:

1. Елена - Elena (short name: Lena, diminutive form: Lenachka, Lenusik)

2. Татьяна - Tatiana (short name: Tania, diminutive form: Tanichka, Tan’usha)

3. Анна - Anna (short name: Anya, diminutive form: An’uta, An’utka)

4. Мария - Maria (short name: Masha, diminutive form: Mashin’ka, Marusya, Manya)

5. Ольга - Olga (short name: Olya, diminutive form: Olichka)

6. Наталия - Natalia (short name: Natasha, diminutive form: Natashichka, Natusya, Nata)

7. Екатерина - Ekaterina (short name: Katya, diminutive form: Katichka, Kat’usha)

8. Елизавета - Elizaveta (short name: Liza, diminutive form: Lizan’ka, Lizachka)

9. Ирина - Irina (Ira, diminutive form: Irachka, )

10. Анастасия - Anastasiya (short name: Nastya, diminutive form: Nastin’ka, Nast’usha, Nastyona)

The full form is the one you may find in the Russian passport and other official documents.

Short names are usually used in everyday life - between friends, relatives and close colleagues. Children are also called by their short names.

If you train a little, you will be able to identify the full name by its short form, for example Yulia – Yul’a, Elena – Lena. But in most cases they sound quite different (Sophia - Sonya, Svetlana – Sveta) or totally different (Evgenia – Zhenya, Aleksandra – Sasha).

Diminutive form is used mostly in family – between parents and children, between lovers, between very close friends in case they want to show their warm feeling. This is mostly typical for women; in a conversation between men using of diminutive forms will be at least strange.

Not all the names have their short form (for example Vera, Dina), whereas diminutive form you can create from any name, just by adding suffixes (in particular -ечка, -енька). So the number of diminutive names is limited only by your fantasy.

Summaries:

Depending on the form of the name, you can express a variety of emotions:

- Respectful form is used in official situations or with unfamiliar people (the full name): Nataliya (Наталия)

- Neutral form is used between friends (the shortened form) for friends: Natasha (Наташа)

- Form of affection (kind of diminutive form): Natashen’ka (Наташенька)

- Intimate, tender form (kind of diminutive form): Natusya (Натуся), Natulek (Натулёк), Tusya (Туся)

- The unceremonious form: Natashka (Наташка).

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