Ukrainian names — pronunciation, meaning, origin

Olha — Pronunciation, Meaning & Origin

Female Ukrainian name (Ольга)

Pronunciation

Pronunciation card for Olha
/ˈɔlʲ.ɦɑ/ · OL-ha
Listen on YouTube →

Meaning

Olha (Ukrainian: Ольга) is a female name of Scandinavian origin meaning «holy», «sacred», «blessed». The feminine form of the name Oleh.

Origin & History

The name derives from Old Norse Helga — the feminine form of Helgi («holy, blessed»). It was brought to Rus by the Varangians in the 9th–10th centuries. The name was made famous by Grand Princess Olha of Kyiv (c. 890–969) — wife of Prince Ihor Rurikovych and mother of Sviatoslav the Brave. Princess Olha became the first Christian among the rulers of Rus (she was baptized in Constantinople around 957, taking the name Helena at baptism); the Orthodox Church venerates her as Equal-to-the-Apostles. Thanks to her historical and religious fame, Olha is one of the oldest and most venerated female names in the Ukrainian tradition.

Etymology & Roots

From Old Norse Helga — the feminine form of Helgi («holy, blessed»). The masculine counterpart is Oleh.

International equivalents

Equivalents in other languages: Olga (English, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Greek, Russian, Serbian), Helga (German, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic), Oili (Finnish), Ольга (Russian, Belarusian, Bulgarian).

Diminutives and short forms

Олег, Оленька, Олечка, Олюня, Олюнька, Олюненька, Олюнечка, Олюньця, Олюся, Олюська, Олюсенька, Олюсечка, Олюта, Олютка, Олютонька, Олюточка, Люся, Люсенька, Люсечка, Леся, Льоля, Льоленька, Льолечка.

Declension (Ukrainian)

NominativeОльга
GenitiveОльги
DativeОльзі
AccusativeОльгу
InstrumentalОльгою
LocativeОльзі
VocativeОльго

Українська версія сторінки →