Vladimir

Etymology

The Old East Slavic form of the name is Володимѣръ Volodiměr, while the Old Church Slavonic form is Vladiměr. According to Max Vasmer, the name is composed of Slavic владь vladĭ "to rule" and *mēri "great", "famous" (related to Gothic element mērs, -mir, cf. Theodemir, Valamir).

The modern (pre-1918) Russian forms Владимиръ and Владиміръ are based on the Church Slavonic one, with the replacement of мѣръ by миръ or міръ resulting from a folk etymological association with миръ "peace" or міръ "world".

The Bolshevik reform of Russian spelling in 1918 abolished the orthographic distinction between миръ (peace) and міръ (universe, world): both are now spelled as мир, so the name came to be spelled Владимир.

History

An early record of this name was the name of Vladimir-Rasate (died 893), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire.

Following the Christianization of Kievan Rus' in 988 during the reign of Vladimir the Great, the name Vladimir, along with other pagan names, was gradually replaced with Christian names, although the name Vladimir retained its popularity within the princely family in the following centuries.

Three successors of Vladimir the Great shared his given name: Vladimir II Monomakh (1053–1125), Vladimir III Mstislavich (1132–1173) and Vladimir IV Rurikovich (1187–1239). The town Volodymyr in north-western Ukraine was founded by Vladimir and is named after him. The foundation of another town, Vladimir in Russia, is usually attributed to Vladimir II Monomakh. However, some researchers argue that it was also founded by Vladimir the Great. The veneration of Vladimir the Great as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church gave rise to the replacement of the East Slavic form of his name with the Old Church Slavonic (Old Bulgarian) one. The immense importance of Vladimir the Great as national and religious founder resulted in Vladimir becoming one of the most frequently-given Russian names.

Variants

The Slavic name survives in two traditions, the Old Church Slavonic one using the vocalism Vladi- and the Old East Slavic one in the vocalism Volodi-.

The Old Church Slavonic form Vladimir (Владимир) is used in Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Macedonian, borrowed into Slovenian, Croatian Vladimir, Czech and Slovak Vladimír.

The polnoglasie "-olo-" of Old East Slavic form Vladimir (Владимиръ) (probably pronounced as Volodymyr) persists in the Ukrainian form Volodymyr (Володимир), borrowed into Slovak Volodymýr.

Historical diminutive forms include: Vladimirko (Russian), Volodymyrko (Ukrainian).

In Belarusian the name is spelled Uladzimir (Uładzimir, Уладзімір) or Uladzimier (Uładzimier, Уладзімер).

In Polish, the name is spelled Włodzimierz.

In Russian, shortened and endeared versions of the name are Volodya (and variants with diminutive suffixes: Volod'ka, Volodyen'ka, Volodechka etc.), Vova (and diminutives: Vovka, Vovochka, etc.), Vovchik, Vovan. In West and South Slavic countries, other short versions are used: e.g., Vlade, Vlado, Vlada, Vladica, Vladko, Vlatko, Vlajko, Vladan, Władek, Wlodik and Włodek.

The Germanic form, Waldemar or Woldemar, is sometimes traced to Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182) named after his Russian maternal grandfather, Vladimir II Monomakh. The Germanic name is reflected in Latvian Voldemārs and Finnic (Finnish and Estonian) Voldemar.

The Greek form is Vladimiros (Βλαδίμηρος). The name is most common in Northern Greece especially among the Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia. Diminutives of the name among these Slavic speakers are Vlade and Mire.

Wladimir is an alternative spelling of the name.

People with the name

Royalty

Ordered chronologically

Vladimir of Bulgaria (fl. 889–893), Knyaz (king) of Bulgaria

Vladimir the Great (c. 958–1015), prince of Novgorod, grand Prince of Kiev, and ruler of Kievan Rus'

Vladimir of Novgorod (1020–1052), Prince of Novgorod

Vladimir II Monomakh (1053–1125), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus', prince of Kiev; also ruled in Rostov and Suzdal

Vladimir II Mstislavich (1132–1173), Prince of Dorogobuzh, Vladimir, and Volyn, Slutsk, Tripolye and Grand Prince of Kiev

Vladimir III Rurikovich (1187–1239), Prince of Pereyaslavl, Smolensk and Grand Prince of Kiev

Vladimir the Bold (1353–1410), prince of Serpukhov, one of the principal commanders of Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1368–1372) and Battle of Kulikovo

Vladimir of Staritsa (1533–1569), Appanage Prince of Russia, cousin to Tsar Ivan the Terrible

Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia (1847–1909)

Vladimir Kirillovich, Grand Duke of Russia (1917–1992)

Presidents and prime ministers

Vladimir Ivashko (1932-1994), Soviet Ukrainian politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

Vladimir Kokovtsov (1853–1943), Russian politician, prime minister of Russia from 1911 to 1914

Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924), Russian revolutionary, head of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, founder and first leader of the Soviet Union

Vladimír Mečiar (born 1942), Slovak politician who served as the prime minister of Slovakia three times, from 1990 to 1991, from 1992 to 1994 and from 1994 to 1998

Vladimir Pashkov (born 1961), Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

Vladimir Putin (born 1952), current president of Russia and former prime minister.

Vladimir Špidla (born 1951), Czech politician who served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic

Vladimir Vasilyev (politician) (born 1949), Russian politician and Head of the Republic of Dagestan

Vladimir Voronin (born 1941), former president of Moldova

Religious figures

Metropolitan Vladimir (disambiguation)

Vladimir Bogoyavlensky (1848–1918), bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna between 1898 and 1912, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga between 1912 and 1915, and Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich between 1915 and 1918

Vladimir Gundyayev (born 1946), known as Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, Russian Orthodox bishop, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church

Military leaders

Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko (1883–1938), Ukrainian Bolshevik leader and diplomat, one of the principal commanders of October Revolution, Ukraine Offensive (1919) and Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War

Vladimir Arshba (1958-2018), Abkhaz soldier and politician who served as the first Minister of Defence of the Republic of Abkhazia, an unrecognised state, from 1992 until 1993, one of the principal commanders of War in Abkhazia (1992-1993)

Vladimir Baer (1853-1905), Russian captain of the Russo-Japanese War

Vladimir Boldyrev (born 1949), Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces, one of the principal commanders of Second Chechen War, Russo–Georgian War and Insurgency in the North Caucasus

Vladimir Chirkin (born 1955), Russian military officer and a former commander of Russian Ground Forces, one of the principal commanders of Insurgency in the North Caucasus

Vladimir Constantinescu (1895–1965), Romanian general in World War II, one of the principal commanders of Battle of the Caucasus

Vladimir Cukavac (1884-1965), Serbian general holding the title of army general in the Royal Yugoslav Army, one of the principal commanders of Invasion of Yugoslavia

Vladimir Dobrovolsky (1834-1877), Russian general of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)

Vladimir Gelfand, Soviet soldier in World War II who became known for his published war time diaries

Vladimir Gittis (1881–1938), Soviet military commander and komkor, one of the principal commanders of Battle for the Donbas (1919) and Latvian War of Independence

Intelligence officers

Vladimir Dekanozov (1898–1953), Soviet senior state security operative and diplomat, deputy chief of GUGB

Vladimir Kolokoltsev (born 1961), Russian politician and police officer, General of the police, Moscow Police Commissioner and Russian Minister of Internal Affairs

Vladimir Kvachkov (born 1948), Russian former Spetsnaz colonel and military intelligence officer, known for being arrested and charged for the attempted assassination

Vladimir Pozner Sr. (1908–1975), Russian-Jewish émigré to the United States who spied for Soviet intelligence while employed by the US government

Vladimir Semichastny (1924–2001), Soviet politician, who served as chairman of the KGB

Cosmonauts

Vladimir Aksyonov (1935–2024), former Soviet cosmonaut

Vladimir Dezhurov (born 1962), Russian former cosmonaut

Vladimir Dzhanibekov (born 1942), former cosmonaut

Vladimir Komarov (1927–1967), Soviet test pilot, aerospace engineer, cosmonaut and the first person to die in a space flight

Vladimir Kovalyonok (born 1942), Soviet retired cosmonaut

Vladimir Lyakhov (1941–2018), Ukrainian Soviet cosmonaut

Vladimír Remek (born 1948), Czech politician and diplomat and former cosmonaut and military pilot

Vladimir Shatalov (1927–2021), Soviet cosmonaut

Vladimir Solovyov (cosmonaut) (born 1946), former Soviet cosmonaut

Vladimir Titov (cosmonaut) (born 1947), retired Russian Air Force colonel and former cosmonaut

Vladimir Vasyutin (1952–2002), Soviet cosmonaut

Musicians

Vladimir Ashkenazy (born 1937), pianist, chamber music performer and conductor

Vladimir Djambazov (born 1954), Bulgarian composer and horn player

Vladimir Feltsman (born 1952), Russian musician

Vladimir Horowitz (1903–1989), Russian-American classical pianist and composer

Vladimir Andreyevich Komarov (born 1976), Russian musician, singer, songwriter, sound producer, DJ, and journalist

Vladimir Kranjčević (1936–2020), Croatian musician, conductor, pianist, and pedagogue

Vladimir Oidupaa Oiun (1949–2013), a Tuvan throat singer who was wrongfully jailed by the Soviet Union for 33 of his 55 years. He is known for his album "Divine Music from a Jail" and for his impact on Turkic culture.

Vladimir de Pachmann, Russian-German pianist

Vladimir Presnyakov Jr. (born 1968), Soviet and Russian singer, musician, keyboardist, composer, arranger, and actor

Vladimir Rosing (1890–1963), Russian-born American and English operatic tenor and stage director

Vladimir Shainsky (1925–2017), Soviet and Russian composer

Vladimír Válek (1935–2025), Czech conductor and educator

Vladimir Vysotsky (1938–1980), Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor

Actors and TV hosts

Vladimir Brichta (born 1976), Brazilian actor

Vladimir Duthiers (born 1969), American journalist and TV host at CBS

Vladimir Fogel, Russian actor of the silent film era

Vladimir Kozlov (born 1972), Ukrainian actor and professional wrestler

Vladimir Mashkov (born 1963), Russian actor and film director

Vladimir Solovyov (TV presenter) (born 1963), Russian journalist, television presenter, writer and propagandist

Vladimir Yeryomin (actor), Soviet and Russian actor, screenwriter and producer

Vladimir Karamazov (born 1979), Bulgarian actor, producer and photographer

Politicians

Vladimir Andronachi (born 1980), Moldovan politician and economist

Vladimir Chirskov (born 1935), Soviet politician

Vladimir Dedijer, Yugoslav partisan fighter during World War II who became known as a politician, human rights activist, and historian, representative of Yugoslavia at the United Nations

Vladimír Hučín (born 1952), Czech political celebrity and dissident of both communist and post-communist era

Vladimir Kara-Murza (born 1981), Russian opposition politician, journalist, author, and filmmaker

Vladimir Konstantinov (politician), Crimean and Russian politician, Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea, one of the principal commanders of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation

Vladimir Korolenko, Ukrainian-born Russian writer, journalist, human rights activist and humanitarian

Vladimír Matejička (1956–2025), Slovak politician

Vladimir Makei, Belarusian politician who has served as the minister of foreign affairs of Belarus since 2012

Vladimir Medinsky (born 1970), Russian political figure, academic and publicist who served as the Minister of Culture of Russia

Vladimir Milov (born 1972), Russian opposition, economist, associate of Alexei Navalny

Vladimir D. Nabokov (1870–1922), Russian criminologist, journalist, and progressive statesman

Writers

Vladimir Cavarnali (1910–1966), Romanian poet and editor

Vladimir Duthiers (born 1969), American journalist

Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930), Soviet poet, playwright, artist, and actor

Vladimir Menshov (1939-2021), Soviet and Russian actor and filmmaker

Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977), Russian and American novelist, poet, translator and entomologist

Vladimir Nazor (1876-1949), Croatian poet

Vladimir Oravsky (born 1947), Slovak-born Swedish author and film director

Vladimir Sorokin (born 1955), Russian writer and dramatist

Vladimir Vidrić (1875-1909), Croatian poet

Scientists and engineers

Vladimir Hachinski, Canadian clinical neuroscientist and researcher

Vladimir Leontyevich Komarov (1869–1945), Russian botanist

Vladimir Kostitsyn (born 1945), Russian geophysicist

Vladimir Kovalevsky, Russian statesman, scientist and entrepreneur

Vladimir Shkodrov (1930–2010), Bulgarian astronomer

Vladimir Vernadsky (1863–1945), Russian mineralogist and geochemist

Vladimir K. Zworykin, Russian-American inventor, engineer, and pioneer of television technology

Artists

Vladimir Becić (1886–1954), Croatian painter and photographer

Vladimir Dimitrov (1882–1960), Bulgarian painter, draughtsman and teacher

Vladimír Havlík (born 1959), Czech action artist

Vladimir Kush (born 1965), Russian-born American painter, jewelry designer, and sculptor

Vladimir Makovsky (1846–1920), Russian painter, art collector, and teacher

Sportsmen

Vladimir Arabadzhiev (born 1984), Bulgarian racing driver

Vladimír Coufal (born 1992), Czech footballer

Vladimir Dubov, Bulgarian freestyle wrestler

Vladimir Gadzhev (born 1987), Bulgarian footballer

Vladimir González (born 1978), Colombian road cyclist

Vladimir Guerrero (born 1975), Dominican baseball player

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (born 1999), Canadian-Dominican baseball player

Vladimir Iliev (born 1987), Bulgarian biathlete

Vladimir Kniller (born 1964), Russian football coach and a former player

Vladimir Kononenko (born 1971), former Russian football player

Vladimir Konstantinov (born 1967), Russian-American ice hockey player

Vladimir Kozlov (born 1979), Ukrainian-American producer and wrestler

Vladimir Latocha (born 1973), a French breaststroke swimmer

Vladimir Lutchenko, retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League

Vladimir Makeev (born 1957), Soviet alpine skier

Vladimir Moragrega (born 1998), Mexican footballer

Others

Vladimir Derevenko, Russian Empire and Soviet medical doctor and surgeon who served at the court of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia

Vladimír Hrinčár, co-developer of Beat Saber

Vladimir Kramnik (born 1975), Russian chess grandmaster

Vladimir McTavish (1955/1956–2026), Scottish comedian

Vladimir Petkov (born 1971), Bulgarian chess grandmaster

Vladimir Potanin (born 1961), Russian business oligarch

Vladimir Socor (born 1945), Romanian-American political analyst of East European affairs for the Jamestown Foundation and its Eurasia Daily Monitor

Vladimir Tenev (born 1987), Bulgarian-American entrepreneur and billionaire

Fictional characters

Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), also known as Vladimir "Albert" and "Didi", a character in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

Vladimir, a character from My Life as a Teenage Robot

Vladimir "Uncle Vlad" Glebov, character from GTA IV

Vladimir Makarov, character from Call of Duty

Vladimir DeMordrey, character from Sacred

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, character from Dune

Words derived from Vladimir

Vlad

Vovochka, diminutive form of Vladimir, common character in Russian jokes

Vladimirov

Vladimirovka (disambiguation)

Vladimirsky (disambiguation)

Vladimirovsky

Hvaldimir, a beluga whale found in Norway