Given name & surname · also Slavonic
Boris
“a warrior; having battle glory”
Boris is used as a given name and a surname. One Slavic interpretation is “a warrior; having battle glory.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Slavic interpretation is “a warrior; having battle glory.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Slavic.
How it developed
In Hungarian usage, Boris is a diminutive of Borbála.
The story
The name’s historical associations include a 10th-century Russian saint, son of Prince Vladimir of Kiev and brother of St Gleb.
Boris through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,621
- 4,621 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 82 babies
- 2025
- 37
- #3,189 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −27%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 37 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,189 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 27.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 82 in 1970. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 14,924 as a first name in 2020; 2,261 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Boris’s family of names
In Slovenian usage, Boris has a diminutive in BOR. In English usage, Boris has a later derivative in Bora. In English usage, Boris has a related form in Borys.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Boris has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Slavic roots to each of them.
12 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.
- Borysvariant · English, Polish
- Bordiminutive · Slovene
- Borrysvariant
- Borrisvariant
- Boryssvariant
- Borissvariant · Latvian
- Boryapet form
- Bobapet form
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Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Boraderivative · English
- Барысequivalent
- Borisasequivalent
- Barysequivalent
- Bȏrishas masculine form
- BórisPortuguese
- Bååʹressms
- BorysławPolish
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People named Boris
- 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 BeckerGerman tennis player, coach, and commentator (born 1967)
- Boris Tadić3rd President of the Republic of Serbiaborn 1958
- Boris GodunovRussian Tsar (1598–1605)1552–1605
- Boris VianFrench writer and musician (1920–1959)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Boris, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tibor
“from the sacred place”
>99% boys
Władysław
Władysław is a masculine given name from Czech, ultimately from Proto-Slavic. It is used in Polish.
>99% boys
Mieczysław
“sword” · “glory”
>99% boys
Zygmunt
“the victorious protector”
>99% boys
Lew
“lion”
>99% boys
Quintin
“the fifth-born child” · “from the queen's town or settlement”
>99% boys
Stanisław
Stanisław is a masculine given name from Proto-Indo-European. It is used in Polish.
>99% boys
Korol
“king”
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