Russian given names' short forms

[Kshahdoo]

Just in case if you want to call a Russian NHLer in more informal way. Sometimes they aren't short but more like diminutive

Alexander - Sasha (or Sahsha)
Alexei - Lyosha
Andrei - AndrYUsha
Artemii - Tyoma
Danil, Daniil, Danila - Danya (Dahnya)
Dmitriy - Dima (Deema)
Evgeniy - Zhenya
Grigory - Grisha (Greesha)
Ilya - IlYUsha
Ivan - Vanya (Vahnya)
Kirill - KirYUsha
Matvei - Motya (Mohtya)
Mikhail - Misha (Meesha)
Pavel - Pasha (Pahsha)
Sergei - SerYOzha
Valeriy - ValEra
Vasily - Vasya (Vahsya)
Vladimir - Vova (Vohva)
Vladislav - Vlad, Vladik (Vlahd, Vlahdik)
Yakov - Yasha
Yegor - Gosha (Gohsha), Zhora (Zhohra)

Click to read more...

 

[BKarchitect]

Vyacheslav - Slava? ie, Slava Kozlov

 

[Lshap]

Just in case if you want to call a Russian NHLer in more informal way. Sometimes they aren't short but more like diminutive

Alexander - Sasha (or Sahsha)
Alexei - Lyosha
Andrei - AndrYUsha, Dron
Artemii - Tyoma
Danil, Daniil, Danila - Danya (Dahnya)
Dmitriy - Dima (Deema)
Evgeniy - Zhenya
Grigory - Grisha (Greesha)
Ilya - IlYUsha
Ivan - Vanya (Vahnya)
Kirill - KirYUsha
Matvei - Motya (Mohtya)
Mikhail - Misha (Meesha)
Pavel - Pasha (Pahsha)
Sergei - SerYOzha
Valeriy - ValEra
Vasily - Vasya (Vahsya)
Vladimir - Vova (Vohva)
Vladislav - Vlad, Vladik (Vlahd, Vlahdik)
Yakov - Yasha
Yegor - Gosha (Gohsha), Zhora (Zhohra)

Thanks for the insight.

Are these 'nicknames' traditional, or are they mainly for younger people?

 

[vaspa]

Thanks for the insight.

Are these 'nicknames' traditional, or are they mainly for younger people?

They are as I understand it, you see them in classic Russian novels, Dostoevsky and Tolstoi for example use them. They are essentially like Russian version of Richard=Dick, Robert=Bob etc.

 

[aylib]

Just in case if you want to call a Russian NHLer in more informal way. Sometimes they aren't short but more like diminutive

Alexander - Sasha (or Sahsha)
Alexei - Lyosha
Andrei - AndrYUsha, Dron
Artemii - Tyoma
Danil, Daniil, Danila - Danya (Dahnya)
Dmitriy - Dima (Deema)
Evgeniy - Zhenya
Grigory - Grisha (Greesha)
Ilya - IlYUsha
Ivan - Vanya (Vahnya)
Kirill - KirYUsha
Matvei - Motya (Mohtya)
Mikhail - Misha (Meesha)
Pavel - Pasha (Pahsha)
Sergei - SerYOzha
Valeriy - ValEra
Vasily - Vasya (Vahsya)
Vladimir - Vova (Vohva)
Vladislav - Vlad, Vladik (Vlahd, Vlahdik)
Yakov - Yasha
Yegor - Gosha (Gohsha), Zhora (Zhohra)

Also:
Alex— Sanya
Alexei—Lyoha
Ilya-Ilyuha
Sergei-Seryoga

 

[miscs75]

What’s the short form for Miroshnichenko?

 

[Hanji]

They are as I understand it, you see them in classic Russian novels, Dostoevsky and Tolstoi for example use them. They are essentially like Russian version of Richard=Dick, Robert=Bob etc.

I'm not so sure.

From another forum I found this explanation:

So for Russian names there is a set of diminutives for every name. No one gets creative and comes up with a new one. For Lyudmilla, it would be Lyuda or Lyusa. They would be interchangeable and family members might tend to use one over the other, but she would answer to both. As a child, anyone could call her either of these. No one would call her Lyudmilla. Like no one would call her Milla, for example. And it's not like in America where a William is either a Will or a Bill. It's not like that. She might favor one, but she would go by both.

My daughter's name is Anna. She will answer to all the diminutives for her name: Anya, Anyuta, Annuschka, Ayn.

As an adult very close family and friends would call her one of her diminutives. Adults who know her but are not affectionate/super close to her could call her Lyudmilla. Depending on their age (older) or based on how formal they are in general, many adults would Call her Ludmilla Anatolyevna. Anyone ranked below her in a job or socially would call her by her first and patronimic. Anyone in a formal setting would as well. Anyone who was a stranger but had to use her name, would too--like a nurse calling out a name in a Dr's office, for example.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Thanks for the insight.

Are these 'nicknames' traditional, or are they mainly for younger people?

These are 100% traditional versions because variety of nicknames can be crazy.

Like Andrei can be Dron, Dryunya, Ahndr, Ahndryuha, Ahndryushka, Ahndreika and probably another dozen variations. But Ahndryusha will be always right and popular. Ahndryuha, if you want it sound tougher and even more informal. Like your mom or wife will call you Ahndryusha, but your friend prefers to call you Ahndryuha, because Ahndryusha isn't a name for a real man. It's just women don't understand it, like always.

Yeah, Russian can sometimes explode your mind...

 

[SirKillalot]

Just in case if you want to call a Russian NHLer in more informal way. Sometimes they aren't short but more like diminutive

Alexander - Sasha (or Sahsha)
Alexei - Lyosha
Andrei - AndrYUsha
Artemii - Tyoma
Danil, Daniil, Danila - Danya (Dahnya)
Dmitriy - Dima (Deema)
Evgeniy - Zhenya
Grigory - Grisha (Greesha)
Ilya - IlYUsha
Ivan - Vanya (Vahnya)
Kirill - KirYUsha
Matvei - Motya (Mohtya)
Mikhail - Misha (Meesha)
Pavel - Pasha (Pahsha)
Sergei - SerYOzha
Valeriy - ValEra
Vasily - Vasya (Vahsya)
Vladimir - Vova (Vohva)
Vladislav - Vlad, Vladik (Vlahd, Vlahdik)
Yakov - Yasha
Yegor - Gosha (Gohsha), Zhora (Zhohra)

So they all get girl's names besides Vlad, great!

Knew some of these.

We have some of the same in Norway.
Example Zuccarello is Zuccarello Aasen we are taking the hobbit to isengard to isengard.

 

[kp61c]

Alexandr can also be Shura, Sancho, Sanches, Sanya, Shurik and so on and on.

 

[ReHabs]

Always loved Vyacheslav as a first name for my boy, unfortunately the wife vetoed it more strenuously than she vetoed me asking for a 'hall pass' with Irina Shayk

 

[Kshahdoo]

Always loved Vyacheslav as a first name for my boy, unfortunately the wife vetoed it more strenuously than she vetoed me asking for a 'hall pass' with Irina Shayk

Btw Vyacheslav's short is Slava (or Slahva, because a sounds ah in most words in Russian) wich means glory in Russian. So English girl Gloria will be Slava in Russian (Slava can also be a girl's name from Yaroslava).

 

[Staniowski]

Just in case if you want to call a Russian NHLer in more informal way. Sometimes they aren't short but more like diminutive

Alexander - Sasha (or Sahsha)
Alexei - Lyosha
Andrei - AndrYUsha
Artemii - Tyoma
Danil, Daniil, Danila - Danya (Dahnya)
Dmitriy - Dima (Deema)
Evgeniy - Zhenya
Grigory - Grisha (Greesha)
Ilya - IlYUsha
Ivan - Vanya (Vahnya)
Kirill - KirYUsha
Matvei - Motya (Mohtya)
Mikhail - Misha (Meesha)
Pavel - Pasha (Pahsha)
Sergei - SerYOzha
Valeriy - ValEra
Vasily - Vasya (Vahsya)
Vladimir - Vova (Vohva)
Vladislav - Vlad, Vladik (Vlahd, Vlahdik)
Yakov - Yasha
Yegor - Gosha (Gohsha), Zhora (Zhohra)

What about Volodia for Vladimir? They called Krutov Volodia.

 

[Bowski]

Nikolai - Kolya

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

In american Russian, Evgeni is shortened to Geno.

 

[kugelbahn]

What about Volodia for Vladimir? They called Krutov Volodia.

Vladimir: Vova, Volodja, Volodechka, Vovan, Vovanchik, Vovhchik, Vovusja, Vovusechka, Vovon'ka, Vovka, Volodjushka, Vovulja, Vovik, etc, etc, etc

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Also:
Alex— Sanya
Alexei—Lyoha
Ilya-Ilyuha
Sergei-Seryoga

I feel like these are names you'd hear from teenagers trying to sound cool. But I'm also almost 40 so get off my lawn.

I do know an Alex who people call Sanya and he's almost 40, so I didn't bold it and maybe my is outdated.

These are 100% traditional versions because variety of nicknames can be crazy.

Like Andrei can be Dron, Dryunya, Ahndr, Ahndryuha, Ahndryushka, Ahndreika and probably another dozen variations. But Ahndryusha will be always right and popular. Ahndryuha, if you want it sound tougher and even more informal. Like your mom or wife will call you Ahndryusha, but your friend prefers to call you Ahndryuha, because Ahndryusha isn't a name for a real man. It's just women don't understand it, like always.

Yeah, Russian can sometimes explode your mind...

I've never heard of any of those other than Ahndryusha.

 

[Fantomas]

Vladimir: Vova, Volodja, Volodechka, Vovan, Vovanchik, Vovhchik, Vovusja, Vovusechka, Vovon'ka, Vovka, Volodjushka, Vovulja, Vovik, etc, etc, etc

Russian is the language of infinite affectionate nicknames and diminutives.

 

[Kshahdoo]

I feel like these are names you'd hear from teenagers trying to sound cool. But I'm also almost 40 so get off my lawn.

I do know an Alex who people call Sanya and he's almost 40, so I didn't bold it and maybe my is outdated.



I've never heard of any of those other than Ahndryusha.

Ahndryusha and Ahndryuha are the most popular forms by far.

 

[Anglesmith]

What’s the short form for Miroshnichenko?

Believe it or not, Meersy.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Believe it or not, Meersy.

Well Miroshnichenko isn't a given name so a short version can be whatever you like...

 

[luiginb]

Vova can choke on my Richard

 

[Acallabeth]

Thanks for the insight.

Are these 'nicknames' traditional, or are they mainly for younger people?

There's a theory (that may or may not be true), that the strong association of 'short forms' with certain names borrowed from the Byzantine empire and Orthodox Christianity is actually a result of people having both religious names (that were only used on formal occasions, mainly by the priests, because they were long and foreign) and traditional Russian names (that were universally used) for centuries.

So the names that could be smoothly linked to the foreign names (like, Sasha could work both as an independent name and a shortened Aleksander - Aleksashka - Leksashka - Sashka - Sasha) survived to the moment when people consider it just a shortened form of a now-traditional Russian name.

Not sure how much weight this theory holds; in fact, Orthodox Christianity started adopting Russian names of Slavonic or Scandinavian origin as early as in the XI century. But if it's true, these nicknames are not only traditional, but maybe even older than the actual names themselves.

Another way to call a Russian NHLer with some affection, if he's old enough (at least in his 30s), is using the slightly informalized patronymic. For example, Ovechkin is a coupla decades too old to be 'Shurochka', but is a great 'Mikhalych'

 

[Sasha Orlov]

We are so back

 

[FiveFourteenSixOne]

Here's a questions maybe you can answer!

I've been recently rewatching "The Americans" (AMAZING SHOW), and I noticed that all of the people that work at the Russian Embassy in DC almost always refer to each with both their first and last names.

Is this typical in Russia?

It's like every time you have a conversation with a co-worker named James Smith, you would literally say, "Hello James Smith, I'm working on it", or "Sorry, James Smith I don't have that information".

What gives?