Russian

Compiled by James Holloway and Eric Provost

Russian names consist of a first name, a patronymic (otchestvo), and a family name. The patronymic is the name of the individual’s father, with a suffix indicating gender. For example, if Ivan Petrovich Ivanov had a son and named him Boris, the boy would be Boris Ivanovich Ivanov. A daughter might be named Lyudmila Ivanovna Ivanova – note that the surname is gendered as well. In the case of surnames ending in -sky, the feminine form is -skaya.

Name etiquette is more complex than in English: to use all three names is very formal. Using only the first name and patronymic (“well done, Arkady Borisovich!”) usually indicates good relations, while using only the first name is familiar. Most Russian names have nicknames, which may have further diminutives. Yekaterina Bogdanovna Vasilievskaya might be “Katya” to relatives and close friends, but even more familiarly, she might be “Katenka,” “Katyusha,” or “Katyushka.” A wide range of possible nicknames exist in addition to the ones listed below.