Given name · Bulgarian · Macedonian · Russian · Serbian · Serbo-Croatian · Ukrainian · rsk
Борис
“small”
Борис (Borýs) is a masculine given name from Old East Slavic, ultimately from Bulgarian. It is used in Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, and 2 other languages.
Bulgarian and Macedonian and Russian and Serbian and Serbo-Croatian and Ukrainian and rskWritten in Cyrillic script. In English: Boris.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Борис goes back to Old East Slavic Борисъ, meaning “small.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Борис comes from Old East Slavic, and ultimately from Bulgarian.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In Ukrainian usage, Борис is a short form of Бориславъ.
Борис’s family of names
In Russian usage, Борис has a diminutive in Бо́ря. In Pannonian Rusyn usage, Борис shares a linguistic root with the Slovak form Boris. In Russian usage, Борис has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Borys.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Борис has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Slavic roots to each of them.
17 related names in 15 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Бо́рисаvariant · Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian
- Борисъvariant · Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian
- Вори́сvariant · Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian
- Борі́съvariant · Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian
- Бори́съvariant · Macedonian, Russian
- Бориславъfull form · Ukrainian
- Бори́сикdiminutive · Ukrainian
- Бо́ряdiminutive · Russian
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Spellings & scripts 5
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 19
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Бобalso known as · Russian
- Бориславalso known as · Russian
- Бобаalso known as · Russian
- Боряхаalso known as · Russian
- Борюхаalso known as · Russian
- Боряшкаalso known as · Russian
- Боряшаalso known as · Russian
- Борюшаalso known as · Russian
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- Борюсяalso known as · Russian
- Борюнчикalso known as · Russian
- Борюняalso known as · Russian
- Борюликalso known as · Russian
- Борюляalso known as · Russian
- Боруликalso known as · Russian
- Боруляalso known as · Russian
- Борискиндalso known as · Russian
- Борискинalso known as · Russian
- Борискаalso known as · Russian
- Боряalso known as · Russian
People named Борис
- Boris YeltsinSoviet and Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (1931–2007)
- Boris PasternakRussian writer (1890–1960)
- Boris PerchatkinChristian Russian-American human rights activistborn 1946
- Boris NemtsovRussian scientist, statesman and liberal politician (1959–2015)
- Boris SpasskyRussian chess player (1937–2025)
- Boris GodunovRussian Tsar (1598–1605)1552–1605
- Boris AkuninRussian writer, translation, and historianborn 1956
- Andrei BelyRussian poet, writer and critic (1880–1934)
- Boris III of Bulgariaking of Bulgaria (1894–1943)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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