Names of Soviet origin

Given names of Soviet origin appeared in the early history of the Soviet Union,^[2] coinciding with the period of intensive word formation, both being part of the so-called "revolutionary transformation of the society" with the corresponding fashion of neologisms and acronyms,^[3] which Richard Stites characterized as a utopian vision of creating a new reality by means of verbal imagery.^[2] They constituted a notable part of the new Soviet phraseology.

Vilen "Willi" Tokarev was "octobered" with the name Vilen after V.I. Lenin^[1]

Such names may be primarily found in Russian persons,^[4] and sometimes in Belarusians and Ukrainians,^[5] as well as in other minorities of the former USSR (e.g. Tatar^[6]).

History

The proliferation of the new names was enhanced by the propagation of a short-lived "new Soviet rite" of Octobering, in replacement of the religious tradition of child baptism in the state with the official dogma of Marxist–Leninist atheism.^[2][7]

In defiance of the old tradition of taking names from menology, according to the feast days,^[2] many names were taken from nature having patriotic, revolutionary, or progressive connotation: Beryoza (Берёза, "birch tree", a proverbial Russian tree), Gvozdika (Гвоздика, "carnation", a revolutionary flower), Granit (Гранит, "granite", a symbol of power), Radiy (Радий, "radium", a symbol of scientific progress).^[3] A peculiarity of the new naming was neologisms based on the revolutionary phraseology of the day, such as Oktyabrin/Oktyabrina, to commemorate the October Revolution, Vladlen for Vladimir Lenin.^[2]

Richard Stites classifies the Soviet "revolutionary" names into the following categories:^[2][8]

• Revolutionary heroes (their first names, their last names used as first names and various acronyms thereof)
• Revolutionary concepts (exact terms and various acronyms)
• Industrial, scientific, and technical imagery
• Culture, myth, nature, place names

Most of these names were short-lived linguistic curiosities, but some of them fit well into the framework of the language, proliferated and survived for a long time.^[4]

Common new names

The following names were quite common and may be found in various antroponymic dictionaries.

Name (Cyrillic)	Transliteration	Origin	Comments
Вил, Вилен, Владлен, Владлена	Vil, Vilen, Vladlen (m) / Vladlena (f), Vladilen	Владимир Ильич Ленин (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin)[3][4]	"Vilen" or "Vilén" is also a traditional Finnish and Swedish surname.
Мэл	Mel	Маркс, Энгельс и Ленин (Marx, Engels and Lenin)[3][4]
Мэлс	Mels	Маркс, Энгельс, Ленин и Сталин (Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin)
Баррикад, Баррикада	Barrikad (m) / Barrikada (f)	Barricade[3][4]	Refers to the revolutionary activity
Ревмир, Ревмира	Revmir (m) / Revmira (f)	Революция мира (Revolyutsiya mira)	Means "The revolution of the World"[3][4]
Гертруда	Gertruda	Gertrude reinterpreted as Герой труда (Geroy truda)	Means "The Hero of Labour"[3][4]
Марлен	Marlen (m)	Marlene reinterpreted as Маркс и Ленин (Marx and Lenin)[3][4]
Стэн	Sten, Stan	Stan reinterpreted as Сталин и Энгельс (Stalin and Engels)[3][4]
Те́льман	Telman	Telman is a tribute to German Communist Ernst Thälmann
Ким	Kim	Kim reinterpreted as Коммунистический интернационал молодёжи (Kommunistichesky Internatsional Molodyozhi)[3][4]	Young Communist International

People with Soviet names

• Barrikad Zamyshlyaev [ru]: Баррикад, from "barricade"
• Elmira (name): Эльмира, backronym for "электрификация мира", elektrifikatsiya mira (electrification of the world)
• Geliy: Гелий = "helium", multiple persons
• Aleksandr Gelyevich Dugin: Patronym = Ге́льевич. Father's name: Geliy = "helium"
• Izil Zabludovsky [ru]: Изиль = исполнитель заветов Ильича, ispolnitel zavetov Il'icha (Performer of the Testaments of Il'ich (Lenin))
• Igor Talankin: birth name: Индустрий (Industriy)
• Iskra Babich: И́скра, in reference to Iskra, the revolutionary newspaper, the name of which means "spark"
• Nonna Mordyukova: born Ноябри́на (Noyabrina), from Noyabr = "November"; October Revolution (which happened in November by the Gregorian calendar)
• Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov: Patronym = Oктябpинoвич. Father's name: Октябри́н from 'October'
• Radiy Pogodin [ru]: Радий (Radiy) = "radium"
• Radner Muratov: Раднэ́р = радуйся новой эре, raduysya novoy ere ("Hail the new era") ^[9]
• Revolt Pimenov [ru]: Рево́льт
• Rem Viakhirev: Рем = революция мировая, revolyutsiya mirovaya (World revolution)
• Rem Petrov [ru]: Рэм = Революция, Энгельс, Маркс (Revolution, Engels, Marx)
• Rimma Kazakova, birth name Remo, Рэмо = Революция, электрификация, мировой Октябрь,^[10] revolyutsiya, elektrifikatsiya, mirovoy Oktyabr (Revolution, Electrification, October of the World)
• Spartak (given name): Спартак = "Spartacus", multiple persons
• Telman (given name): multiple persons
• Zhores Alferov: Жоре́с, after Jean Jaurès
• Zhores Medvedev: after Jean Jaurès

Marx/Engels/Lenin

• Elem Klimov: Эле́м = Engels, LEnin, Marx
• Engelsina Markizova: Энгельси́на.
• Marlen Khutsiev: Марле́н = Marx + Lenin
• Melor Sturua: Мэлор = "Marx, Engels, Lenin, October Revolution"
• Mels (name), multiple persons
• Ninel Tkachenko [ru]: Нинель = "Lenin" read backwards
• Vil Mirzayanov: Вил, from VIL = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
• Vil Lipatov [ru]: Виль
• Vilen Zharikov [ru]: Вилен, VILen = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
• Vilen Tolpezhnikov [lv]: VILen = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
• Villen Novak [uk]: Віллен (Ukrainian)
• Vladilen, multiple persons
• Vladilen Letokhov [ru]: Владилен
• Vladlen, multiple persons
• Vladlena, multiple persons
• Willi Tokarev: Вилли, born Vilen

See also

• ru:Список имён советского происхождения – the list of such names