Given name
Oleg
“one who is holy”
Oleg is used as a given name. One Russian interpretation is “one who is holy.”
Original RussianОлег
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Russian interpretation is “one who is holy.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Russian.
How it developed
In Russian use, Oleg is used as a form of Helge.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1959. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Oleg through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 466
- 466 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 26 babies
- 2025
- 9
- #8,728 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −26%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,728 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 25.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 26 in 2019. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,785 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Oleg’s family of names
Oleg has a feminine form in Olga. Oleg is a form of Helge. In Slovak usage, Oleg developed from the Old Norse form Helgi.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Oleg has relatives in 7 languages. Lines run from its Russian roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Оле́гRussian, Ukrainian
- Olgafeminine form
- Olegarioequivalent
- Olehequivalent
- Alehequivalent
- Oļegsequivalent
- Олежкаequivalent
- АлегBelarusian
Show 3 moreShow fewer
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Oleg
- Oleg BlokhinUkrainian footballer, coach, and politicianborn 1952
- Oleg the Wiseprince of Kiev845–912
- Oleg PashininUzbekistani footballer (born 1974)
- Oleg SalenkoRussian-Ukrainian footballer (born 1969)
- Oleg AntonovSoviet aeroplane designer (1906-1984)
- Oleg YankovskySoviet and Russian actor (1944-2009)
- Oleg DeripaskaRussian businessmanborn 1968
- Oleg ShatovRussian footballerborn 1990
- Oleg TabakovSoviet and Russian actor and theatre director (1935–2018)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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