Ukrainian names — pronunciation, meaning, origin

Ruslan — Pronunciation, Meaning & Origin

Male Ukrainian name (Руслан)

Pronunciation

Pronunciation card for Ruslan
/rusˈlɑn/ · rus-LAHN
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Meaning

Ruslan (Ukrainian: Руслан) is a male name of Turkic origin meaning «lion». A strong, sonorous name with a romantic, steppe-epic flavour.

Origin & History

The name derives from Turkic arslan / aslan («lion»), which appeared in East Slavic folk tales in the form Yeruslan (Yeruslan Lazarevich — hero of Old Russian byliny and folk stories). The modern form Ruslan and its broad popularity were given by Alexander Pushkin in the poem «Ruslan and Lyudmila» (1820), based on these folk motifs. Thanks to the poem's literary fame, the name quickly entered the East Slavic onomasticon and became especially popular in Ukraine in the second half of the 20th century, where it remains one of the most recognizable «non-traditional» male names.

Etymology & Roots

From Turkic arslan / aslan («lion»); the Ukrainian form arrived via Old Russian Yeruslan and the literary revival by Pushkin (1820).

International equivalents

Equivalents in other languages: Ruslan (Russian, Belarusian, Tatar, Kazakh, Uzbek), Aslan (Turkic, Kazakh, Turkish, Azerbaijani), Arslan (Turkish, Uzbek), Yeruslan (Old Russian, Ukrainian folklore).

Diminutives and short forms

Сава, Савка, Савко, Чка, Савчик, Русланчик, Руся, Русик, Руська, Русечка, Русенька.

Declension (Ukrainian)

NominativeРуслан
GenitiveРуслана
DativeРусланові
AccusativeРуслана
InstrumentalРусланом
LocativeРусланові
VocativeРуслане

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