Russian Nicknames 🌷

[readingreverie]

Russian nicknames fascinate me, but as someone with very little knowledge of the Russian language, I feel as if I don’t know much about them!
This leads to my questions! What are your favorite Russian nicknames? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you have a favorite nickname suffix? Would you ever use a Russian name and nickname for your child? Is there anything about Russian nicknames you find interesting or particularly enjoy?

Bonus question: What are your favorite “Russian nicknames” for non-Russian names?

[AerieEerie]

Well, I was once in a play that was sort of a parody of Chekhov plays, and it was called [name_u]Vanya[/name_u] and [name_f]Sonia[/name_f] and [name_f]Masha[/name_f], and [name_m]Spike[/name_m], so…I’m biased towards [name_u]Vanya[/name_u], [name_f]Sonia[/name_f], and [name_f]Masha[/name_f]

I also like [name_m]Grisha[/name_m], [name_u]Pasha[/name_u], [name_m]Dima[/name_m], [name_f]Lubov[/name_f], [name_f]Dasha[/name_f], and [name_f]Ulyana[/name_f].

[snowmaiden]

I adore Russian names nicknames, and I’m so glad you’ve made this a topic!

From what I know of Russian nicknames, they’re much more ‘-a’ or ‘-ya’ oriented than ‘-ie’ or ‘-y’ oriented, like [name_f]English[/name_f] names are. Where we’d go for [name_f]Helen[/name_f] “Nellie” or [name_u]Michael[/name_u] “Mikey” in [name_f]English[/name_f], the Russian equivalents would be [name_f]Yelena[/name_f] “Lena” and [name_m]Mikhail[/name_m] “Misha,” which are just so charming. (I know a sibset with these latter two Russian names—they’re so so great.)

Some more of my personal favorites are…
[name_f]Yekaterina[/name_f] nn [name_f]Katya[/name_f], Katyusha, Keit (Kate)
[name_f]Yelena[/name_f] nn [name_f]Lena[/name_f], [name_f]Lenka[/name_f]
[name_f]Olga[/name_f] nn [name_f]Olya[/name_f]
[name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] nn [name_f]Anya[/name_f]
[name_f]Natalia[/name_f] nn [name_f]Natasha[/name_f], Natalka
[name_f]Yelizaveta[/name_f] nn [name_f]Liza[/name_f]
[name_f]Yevgenia[/name_f] nn [name_f]Genya[/name_f]
[name_f]Larissa[/name_f] nn [name_f]Lara[/name_f]
[name_f]Valentina[/name_f] nn [name_f]Valya[/name_f]
[name_f]Irina[/name_f] nn [name_u]Ira[/name_u]
[name_u]Maria[/name_u] nn [name_f]Masha[/name_f]
[name_f]Sofia[/name_f] nn [name_f]Sonja[/name_f]

I absolutely love [name_f]Katya[/name_f] as a pet-name nickname for [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], especially for a [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] who also goes by [name_f]Kate[/name_f]. I think it’s so incredibly charming!

The [name_f]English[/name_f] forms of all of these Russian names using Russian nicknames would also be really sweet, come to think of it. [name_f]Helen[/name_f] nn [name_f]Lenka[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f] nn [name_f]Masha[/name_f], etc. So great!

[Greyblue]

[name_f]My[/name_f] faves: [name_f]Anya[/name_f], [name_u]Pasha[/name_u], [name_u]Sasha[/name_u], [name_u]Mishka[/name_u], [name_u]Shura[/name_u].

I would consider [name_f]Anya[/name_f], but as a stand alone - same as [name_u]Sasha[/name_u]

[Rosebeth]

Russian nicknames are amazing. My favorite suffix is -usha, for either gender.

Some of my favorites are:

Pasha for Pavel
Abrasha for Abram
Borya and Boryusha for Boris
Fedya for Fyodor
Gavrusha for Gavriil
Grisha and Grishunya for Grigorii
Lenya or Lyonya for Leonid
Markusha for Merkur
Mishulya for Michail
Kolya and Kolyusha for Nikolai
Nikusha for Nikita
Nyoma for Naum

Agasha for Agafya
Katyusha for Ekatarina
Verusha for Vera
Marisha for Maria
Lizusha for Elizaveta
Lenusha for Elena

Our children get called by Russian nicknames all the time (except for Hjörtur, who has no Russian heritage). I use Lyonya and Lenya for our Leonid on a daily basis. My husband, who’s part Russian, uses several Russian nicknames for all of our children. And his family is so creative with Russian nicknames that sometimes the children don’t even realize it’s them we’re referring to anymore

[heartwings]

I used one or two traditionally Russian nicknames for my name for a great part of my late childhood and I still do now. It started because my best friend, who is Russian, started calling me that and everyone of my friends circle thought it was cute.

One I really like is [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] for [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] & [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]. Others:

[name_f]Sonya[/name_f], Sonechka - [name_f]Sofia[/name_f]
[name_f]Katya[/name_f], Katyusha - [name_f]Ekaterina[/name_f]
[name_f]Dasha[/name_f], Dashenka - [name_f]Daria[/name_f], [name_f]Dalia[/name_f], [name_f]Darina[/name_f]
[name_f]Lena[/name_f], Lenochka - [name_f]Elena[/name_f]
Lësha - [name_m]Alexei[/name_m]
[name_f]Masha[/name_f] - [name_u]Maria[/name_u]
[name_f]Nastya[/name_f], [name_f]Nastasya[/name_f] - [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f]
Zhenya - Evgeniy & [name_f]Evgenia[/name_f]
[name_f]Rita[/name_f], [name_f]Margo[/name_f] - [name_f]Margarita[/name_f]
[name_m]Yasha[/name_m] - [name_m]Yakov[/name_m]
[name_f]Vika[/name_f] - [name_f]Viktoria[/name_f]
[name_f]Anya[/name_f] - [name_f]Anna[/name_f]

Other random ones:

[name_u]Ira[/name_u] - [name_f]Irina[/name_f]
[name_f]Raya[/name_f] - [name_f]Raissa[/name_f], [name_f]Raisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Lara[/name_f] - [name_f]Larissa[/name_f], [name_f]Larisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Taya[/name_f] - [name_f]Taisiya[/name_f]
[name_f]Liza[/name_f] - [name_f]Elizaveta[/name_f]
[name_f]Viola[/name_f] - [name_f]Violetta[/name_f]
[name_f]Varya[/name_f] - [name_f]Varvara[/name_f]
[name_m]Tolya[/name_m] - Anatoliy
[name_m]Edik[/name_m] - [name_m]Eduard[/name_m]
[name_f]Valya[/name_f] - [name_m]Valentin[/name_m]
[name_m]Kolya[/name_m] - [name_m]Nikolai[/name_m]
Felya - [name_m]Feliks[/name_m]
[name_m]Vitya[/name_m] - [name_m]Viktor[/name_m]
[name_f]Mila[/name_f], [name_f]Lyuda[/name_f], Lyusha - [name_f]Ludmila[/name_f]
[name_m]Fedya[/name_m] - Fëdor
[name_f]Valya[/name_f] - [name_f]Valentina[/name_f]
[name_f]Tonya[/name_f] - [name_f]Antonina[/name_f]
[name_m]Lipa[/name_m] - [name_f]Olimpiada[/name_f]
[name_f]Valera[/name_f], [name_f]Lera[/name_f] - [name_f]Valeria[/name_f]
[name_u]Kostya[/name_u] - [name_u]Konstantin[/name_u]
[name_u]Vanya[/name_u] - [name_m]Ivan[/name_m]
[name_f]Lesya[/name_f] - [name_f]Olesya[/name_f]
[name_f]Tanya[/name_f] - [name_f]Tatiana[/name_f]
[name_m]Grisha[/name_m] - Grigoriy
[name_f]Lida[/name_f] - [name_f]Lidiya[/name_f]
[name_f]Nadia[/name_f] - [name_f]Nadezhda[/name_f]
Polya - [name_f]Polina[/name_f]
Klava, Klasha - Klavdia
[name_f]Galya[/name_f] - [name_f]Galina[/name_f]

[marysia]

[name_m]Alik[/name_m] (for [name_m]Aleksandr[/name_m] or Albert)
[name_f]Alia[/name_f] (for [name_f]Aleksandra[/name_f] or Albina)
[name_m]Alyosha[/name_m] (for Alexei)
[name_m]Grisha[/name_m] (for Grigori)
Grusha (for Agrafena)
[name_m]Maks[/name_m] (for Maksim)
[name_u]Mishka[/name_u] (for Mikhail)
[name_f]Nastia[/name_f] (for Anastasia)
[name_f]Nika[/name_f] (for [name_f]Veronika[/name_f] or Nikita)
[name_f]Polina[/name_f] (for Apollinariya)
[name_u]Sanya[/name_u] (for [name_m]Aleksandr[/name_m] or Aleksandra)
[name_u]Vanya[/name_u] (for Ivan)
Zhenya (for [name_m]Evgeni[/name_m] or Evgenia)

[choupette]

One I can think of that hasn’t been previously mentioned is Glasha for [name_f]Glafira[/name_f]. It appears in Come and See (a well-known Soviet anti-war film).

I think Russian nicknames are really interesting! There’s just so many of them and they seem more varied than [name_f]English[/name_f] nicknames, with a wider variety of suffixes which are capable of expressing different levels of familiarity.

Some of my favourite names like [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] are used in Russian and yes, I would definitely be tempted to use Russian nicknames.

I guess a [name_f]Russia[/name_f] nickname for a non-Russian name might be something like [name_f]Nelya[/name_f] for [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]?

[wntrrs]

My favorite nickname suffix is “SHA”, I like almost all of the sha-nicknames
My absolutely faves: Sasha for Alexandra and Stesha for Stefania.
Also like: Natasha for Natalia, Misha for Michaela, Grisha for Gregory, Lësha for Alexi.

The only three I don’t like are Masha (Maria), Dasha (Daria), and Pasha (Paul).