The Eastern European country of Ukraine is the second-largest country on the continent, after Russia.
Several years ago, Ukraine had a population of roughly 42 million, making it Europe’s eighth most populous country. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February of 2022, however, more than 8 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries (such as Poland).
Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice recently revealed the top baby names of 2022 in the capital city of Kyiv and in five nearby regions (called “oblasts”). All six of these places are located in the central/western part of the country:
Rankings weren’t included, so, in the tables below, I’ve written the names in the order in which they appeared in the news release.
Kyiv (city)
Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, has a population of over 2.9 million — making it the seventh most populous city in Europe. Here are Kyiv’s top baby names of 2022:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| City of Kyiv | Sofiya Polina Viktoriya Eva Anna Mariya | Mark Oleksandr Maksym Matviy Artem |
The city’s rare names included…
- Girls: Afeliya, Javelina, Vlastylyna, Ava, Elya, Danya, Mriya, Agpiya, Sonya, Lali, Lukeriya, Zlatoslava, Zemfira
- Boys: Orion, Hraf (Graf), Kiy, Kai, Slaven, Horus, Avenir, Eleazar, Danko, Yavir, Danislav, Azariy, Veleslav
Javelina and its male equivalent, Javelin, are two of the weapon-inspired names that have emerged in the wake of the Russian invasion. They come from the FGM-148 Javelin — an American-made, hand-held, anti-tank missile system. The weapon is featured in the pro-Ukrainian “St. Javelin” internet meme (above). Incidentally, a baby born in Sonoma County in 2022 was named Javelin — perhaps his family is Ukrainian?
Another weapon-inspired name being given to baby boys is Bayraktar. This one comes from the Bayraktar TB2 — a Turkish-made unmanned aerial vehicle that carries laser-guided bombs. The word bayraktar means “flag-bearer” in Turkish.
Kyiv Oblast
Kyiv Oblast has a population of over 1.7 million. Here are the region’s top baby names of 2022:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| Kyiv Oblast | Anna Anastasiya Veronika Viktoriya Eva Mariya Polina Solomiya Sofiya | Andriy Artem Bohdan Vladyslav Danylo David Dmytro Matviy Mark Maksym Nazar Oleksandr Timofey Yaroslav |
Solomiya is the Ukrainian form of Salome.
The region’s rare names included…
- Girls: Aurika, Bozhena, Dayana, Evangelina, Emily, Narin, Noel, Rachel, Yasmina
- Boys: Arney, Vil’yam, Demyan, Lavr, Leon, Matt, Seraphim, Tamirlan, Teymur
Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast has a population of over 1.5 million. Here are the region’s top baby names of 2022:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| Vinnytsia Oblast | Sofiya Anna Anastasiya Viktoriya Solomiya | Artem Dmytro Maksym Matviy Mark |
The region’s rare names included…
- Girls: Pollyanna, Afina (Athena), Kyriena, Solomiya-Sevda, Lolita, Monika
- Boys: Sultan, Elisey, Radoslav, Moses, Nikitas
Khmelnytskyi Oblast
Khmelnytskyi Oblast has a population of over 1.27 million. Here are the region’s top baby names of 2022:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| Khmelnytskyi Oblast | Anastasiya Anna Viktoriya Veronika Daryna Emiliya Eva Zlata Mariya Nadiya Oleksandra Polina Solomiya Sofiya Yaryna | Andriy Artem Vladyslav David Danylo Ilya Maksym Mark Matviy Mykhailo Nazar Oleksandr Roman Timofey Yaroslav |
Yaryna is related to Irina (Irene).
The region’s rare names included…
- Girls: Alvina, Amaliya, Afina (Athena), Vanessa, Vivien, Hloriya (Gloria), Zara, Liliana, Luna, Patrina, Yunna, Ulpana
- Boys: Dominik, Iskander, Marius, Nathaniel, Nikodim, Ryan, Seviur, Stefa, Yusuf
Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast has a population of over 1.21 million. Here are the region’s top baby names of 2022:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| Zhytomyr Oblast | Alina, Alisa, Alisiya, Anhelina, Anna, Anastasiya, Arina, Bohdana, Valentyna, Valeriya, Varvara, Veronika, Viktoriya, Darina, Evelina, Emiliya, Eva, Elizaveta, Zlata, Karina, Kateryna, Kipa, Marharyta (Margarita), Mariya, Marta, Milana, Myroslava, Nikole, Oleksandra, Polina, Sofiya, Solomiya, Yuliya, Yana | Andriy, Artem, Artur, Bohdan, Volodymyr, Vladyslav, Danyil, Danylo, Denis, Dmytro, Yehor, Zakhar, Ivan, Ilya, Kyrylo, Lev, Makar, Maksym, Mark, Maryan, Matviy, Mykhailo, Nazar, Nikita, Oleksandr, Stefan, Timofey, Timur, Yuriy, Yan, Yaroslav |
The region’s rare names included…
- Girls: Aurora, Ahata (Agatha), Adelina, Adriana, Albina, Alvina, Aneliya, Anisiya, Bozhena, Habriella (Gabriella), Diana, Dariana, Dilara, Dominika, Elina, Elvira, Eliana, Emira, Emma, Esther, Ilona, Ilariya, Liana, Lika, Liya, Malika, Melisa, Mila, Milena, Mira, Miya, Monika, Nikoletta, Nikoloz, Oliviya, Radmira, Rosa, Roksolana, Ruf, Sabina, Sandra, Stella, Stefaniya, Teona, Ulyana
- Boys: Avdei, Ayrton, Aleks, Amin, Amibrek, Amir, Arman, Armen, Arsen, Brian, Biloslav, Bartholomew, Veniamin, Damir, Danil, Josh, Ernest, Emmanuel, Imran, Yonatan, Lavrin, Larion, Leon, Luka, Maksymilian, Milan, Nestor, Oles, Oscar, Platon, Radion, Rinat, Reuben, Samuel, Sarmat, Seraphim, Svitozhar, Tamirlan, Farid, Khoma
Cherkasy Oblast
Cherkasy Oblast has a population of close to 1.2 million. Here are the region’s top baby names of 2022:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| Cherkasy Oblast | Anastasiya Anna Alisa Arina Veronika Viktoriya Eva Mariya Milana Solomiya Sofiya Stefaniya Polina | Artem Bohdan Volodymyr Vladyslav Denis Dmytro Ivan Maksym Mark Matviy Nazar Oleksandr Timofey Yaroslav |
The region’s rare names included…
- Girls: Aveliya, Aya, Hlafira (Glafira), Elmira, Emma, Zoryana, Isolde, Ilariya, Chiara, Karolina, Luna, Miropiya, Mriya, Solya, Tiana, Tsvitana, Yasmina, Yatomira
- Boys: Ayman, Arey, Gulorom, Dar, Yesfir, Zakir, Zlatan, Ilon, Kosma, Lubomyr, Mars, Meruzh, Orest, Radomir, Sayan, Tehran, Tikhon
The name Stefaniya is on the rise thanks to the song “Stefania” by Ukrainian folk/rap group Kalush Orchestra. It won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest by a landslide. The lyrics refer to the lead singer’s mother, but the song “has since taken on a new, more patriotic meaning.” Here’s the music video:
I suspect that Viktoriya (Victoria) — which means “victory” in Latin, and appears on all six of the lists above — bears extra significance among Ukrainians these days as well.
Sources:
- Popular and rarely used names: what trends persisted in 2022? – Central Interregional Office of the Ministry of Justice (Kyiv) (via Google Translate)
- Fontaine, Marion. “En Ukraine, certains nouveau-nés portent des prénoms directement inspirés des armes de guerre.” GEO 12 Jan. 2023. (found via Clare’s Name News — thank you!)
- Zagorodnyi, Mykhailo. “Javelina, Bayraktar and Mistress: what names Ukrainians choose for children in 2022.” Ukraïnska Pravda 28 Jul. 2022. (via Google Translate)
- Ukraine – Wikipedia
- List of European countries by population – Wikipedia
- Nadworny, Elissa, and Claire Harbage. “Ukraine’s birth rate was already dangerously low. Then war broke out.” NPR 22 Feb. 2023.
- Oblasts of Ukraine – Wikipedia
- St. Javelin / Saint Javelin – Know Your Meme
- Treisman, Rachel. “Ukraine wins Eurovision 2022 with overwhelming support from the audience.” NPR 14 May 2022.
Image by Ganna Aibetova from Unsplash. Map adapted from Ukraine (1991-2014) location map by NordNordWest under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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