Latest Baby-Name Trends in Ukraine

During the year 2022, about 200.000 little citizens were born in Ukraine, and parents gave their babies a wide variety of names amid the absence of restrictions.

Ukraine does not prohibit parents to give any names to their children. Statistics in recent years suggest that Ukrainians prefer traditional names.

In 2022, the most popular female names that Ukrainians called their newborns were Анна (Anna), Софія (Sofia), Марія (Maria), Олександра (Oleksandra), Вікторія (Viktoria), Анастасія (Anastasia), Соломія (Solomia) and Поліна (Polina). The name Стефанія (Stefania) is gaining popularity after the victory of the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra at the Eurovision-2022 song contest.

According to the Ministry, the most popular male names are Артем(Artem), Олександр (Oleksandr), Максим (Maksym), Богдан (Bohdan), Марк (Mark), Дмитро (Dmytro), and Михайло (Mykhailo). However, in the context of the war against Russia, many new patriotic words have appeared in the media space, and some parents are trying to "stand out from the crowd" because of this.

The unusual names can be classified as follows:   

• historical names recently popularised by fictional characters (Северус / Severus),
• military (Артур-Байрактар / Artur-Bayraktar, Ян-Джавелін / Yan-Javelyn, Аделіна-Джавеліна / Adelyna-Javelyna),
• “peace-wishing” or “glory-related” old Slavic (Миролюб - Mirolyub /peace-love/, Добромир - Dobromir /good-peace/, Міродар - Mirodar /peace-giving/, Зореслав - Zoreslav /enlightened by glory/, Квітослава - Kvitoslava /flourishing glory/, Дзвенислава - Dzvenislava /ringing glory/, Мрія - Mriya /dream/, Сладіслава – Sladislava / sweet glory/)
• decorative old Slavic (Хазяйка - Khazyayka /housekeeper/, Червонка - Chervonka /beautiful/, Слав’яна - Slavyana /Slavic/, Заріна – Zaryna /shining/, Мілада – Mylada /adorable/)
• historical and/or religious (Варфоломій / Varfolomiy (= Bartholomew), Мойсей / Moisei (= Moses), Кий / Kiy (= Kyi, legendary founder of Kyiv), Еліазар / Elyazar (= Eleazar)
• exotic (Князь - Knyaz' /Prince/, Лорд - Lord, Марилуїз - Marilouis, Граф - Graf, Чіамада-Аделіна - Chiamada-Adelina, Євангеліна - Evangelyna, Тінатін - Tynatyn, Женєва - Zheneva)
• modern (Илон - Ylon, Фрея - Freya, Міссі - Myssy, Йордана - Yordana, Аріель - Ariel, Жасмін- Jasmyn).

Just to compare, one year before, among the trending rare names of 2021 you could stumble upon:

• Boys (adapted for English spelling): Achilles, Ishmael, Prince, Odysseus, Tamerlane, Osman, Solomon, Aeneas, Tsar, Moses, Rozhen, Cuong Kyong, Suleiman, Xenophon, Zlatoslav.

• Girls (adapted for English spelling): Octavia, Felicia, Melissa, Bozhena, Vesniana, Camille, Cassandra, Malvina, Santa, Sapphira, Tisha, Juno, Athena, Esmeralda, Madonna, Iskra, Zlatoslava, Empire, Rosinka, Florentina, Gerda, Melodison, Illinka, Aurora.