Svetlana
Female given name
Svetlana Svetlana is often used in reference to the
Samaritan woman at the well in the Biblical
Gospel of John . It is the Russian version of the Greek saint name
Photini , meaning "enlightened"
Gender female (feminine) Word/name Russia Meaning "light", "pure" Region of origin Russian , Serbian , Bosnian , Bulgarian , Macedonian , Ukrainian , Lithuanian , Circassian Nickname(s) Sveta, Lana , Ceca, Svetla, Svetka, Svetochka, Svetlanka, Svetulya, Svetik, Svetti Related names Svitlana , Sviatlana , Svjetlana, Świetlana
Svetlana (Cyrillic : Светлана ) is a common Orthodox Slavic feminine given name , deriving from the East and South Slavic root svet (Cyrillic : свет ), meaning "light", "shining", "luminescent", "pure", "blessed", or "holy", depending upon context similar if not the same as the word Shweta in Sanskrit .[ 1]
Particularly unique among similar common Russian names, this one is not of ancient Slavic origin but was coined by Alexander Vostokov in 1802 and popularized by Vasily Zhukovsky in his eponymous ballad "Svetlana ", the latter first published in 1813. The name is also used in Ukraine , Belarus , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Slovakia , Macedonia , and Serbia , with a number of occurrences in non-Slavic countries.[ 2]
Popularity of name Svetlana.
In the Russian Orthodox Church Svetlana is used as a Russian translation of Photina (derived from phos (Greek : φως , "light")), a name sometimes ascribed to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (the Bible , John 4 ).
Semantically similar names to this are Lucia (of Latin origin, meaning "light"), Claire ("light" or "clear" in French , equivalent to Spanish and Portuguese Clara ), Roxana (from Old Persian , "little shiny star, light"), and Shweta (Sanskrit , "white, pure"[ 3] ).
Variants
The Ukrainian equivalent of the name is Svitlana (Ukrainian: Світлана ), the Belarusian is Sviatlana (Belarusian: Святлана ), the Polish variant is Świetlana , and the Czech is Světlana . The Serbo-Croatian speaking area has three pronunciations: Ijekavian Svjetlana (Свјетлана ), Ekavian Svetlana (Светлана ) and Ikavian Svitlana (Свитлана ) are used according to local customs.
Diminutives
Russian language diminutives include Sveta (Russian : Света ), used in Russian-speaking countries, and Lana (the latter is mainly used outside the former USSR).
Sveta also means "saint" in Bulgarian. The Slavic element Svet means "blessed, holy, bright".
Serbian language diminutives of the name are Sveta (Света), and Ceca (Цеца, pronounced Tsetsa).
People
Svetlana Abrosimova , Russian professional basketball player
Svetlana Alekseeva (born 1955), Russian figure skater
Svetlana Alekseeva (born c. 1999), Russian model
Svetlana Alexievich , Belarusian journalist, writer, 2015 Nobel laureate in Literature
Svetlana Alliluyeva , the youngest daughter of Joseph Stalin
Svetlana Alpers (born 1936), American art historian, professor, writer and critic
Svetlana Antonova (born 1979), Russian actress
Svetlana Baskova (born 1965), Russian film director, screenwriter and painter
Svetlana Biryukova (born 1991), Russian long jumper
Svetlana Boiko , Russian fencer
Svetlana Boginskaya , Soviet Belarusian gymnast
Svetlana Bolshakova , Belgian triple jump athlete
Svetlana Bojković (born 1947), Serbian actress
Svetlana Boym (1959–2015), Russian-American cultural theorist, artist, playwright and novelist
Svetla Bozhkova (or Svetlana), Bulgarian discus thrower
Svetlana Broz , Bosnian author and physician
Svjetlana Bukvich , American/Bosnian-Herzegovinian music composer/artist
Svetlana Cherkasova , Russian middle-distance runner
Svetlana Chmakova , Russian-born comics artist
Svetlana Cvetko , American cinematographer and film director
Svetlana Efremova (born 1970), Soviet-born American actress
Svetlana Galante (born 1973), Russian judoka and a sambo practitioner
Svetlana Gladysheva , Russian alpine skier
Svetlana Gorshenina , Uzbekistani historian of Central Asia
Svetlana Ishmouratova , Russian biathlete and soldier
Svetlana Kapanina , Russian aerobatic pilot
Svetlana Kasyan (born 1984), Russian-Kurdish operatic soprano
Svetlana Khodchenkova , Russian actress
Svetlana Khorkina , Russian gymnast
Svetlana Kitić , Bosnian retired professional handball player
Svetlana Kolesnichenko (born 1993), Russian synchronized swimmer
Svetlana Koroleva (model) , Russian model
Svetlana Koroleva (water polo) , Kazakhstani waterpolo player
Svetlana Koroleva-Babich , Soviet javelin thrower
Svetlana Krachevskaya , Soviet Olympic silver medalist in shot put
Svetlana Krivonogikh (born 1975), Russian former cleaning woman and millionaire
Svetlana Nikolaevna Kryuchkova , Russian actress
Svetlana Valentinovna Kryuchkova , Russian volleyball player
Svetlana Kulikova , Russian ice dancer
Svetlana Kuzina , Russian water polo player
Svetlana Kuznetsova , Russian tennis player
Svetlana Loboda , Ukrainian singer
Svetlana Lunkina , Russian ballet dancer
Svetlana Masterkova , Russian middle-distance runner
Svetlana Matić , Serbian writer
Svetlana Matveeva , Russian chess player
Svitlana Maziy , Ukrainian rower
Svetlana Medvedeva , wife of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
Svetlana Melnikova , Soviet discus thrower and shotputter
Svetlana Morgunova (1940–2024), Russian announcer for Soviet Central Television
Svetlana Moskalets , Russian heptathlete
Svetlana Nageykina , Soviet/Russian cross-country skier
Svetlana Nemolyaeva (born 1937), Soviet and Russian actress
Svetlana Osipova (born 2000), Uzbekistani taekwondo athlete
Svetlana Pankratova , world record-holder for longest female legs
Svetlana Paramygina , Soviet Belarusian biathlete
Svetlana Petcherskaia , Russian biathlete
Svetlana Pletneva , Russian archeologist and historian
Svetlana Podobedova (born 1986), Russian-born Kazakhstani weightlifter
Svetlana Ražnatović , Serbian pop-folk singer from Serbia
Svetlana Roudenko , Russian-American mathematician
Svetlana Savitskaya , Soviet cosmonaut
Svetlana Smirnova , Soviet and Russian actress
Svetlana Smirnova (sport shooter) , Soviet and Russian sport shooter
Svetlana Sourtseva (born 1984), Russian volleyball player
Svetlana Spajić (born 1971), Serbian singer, performer, pedagogue, activist, and translator
Svetlana Staneva , Bulgarian boxer
Svetlana Surganova , Russian rock musician, singer and poet
Svetlana Toma (born 1947), Soviet actress
Svetlana Tsarukaeva (born 1987), Russian weightlifter
Svetlana Ulmasova , Soviet long-distance runner
Svetlana Ustinova (born 1982), Russian actress
Svetlana Vysokova , Russian speed skater
Svetlana Zainetdinova , Soviet-Estonian chess player and coach
Svetlana Zakharova (athlete) , Russian long-distance runner
Svetlana Zakharova (dancer) , principal dancer with the Bolshoï Ballet
Svetlana Zhurova (born 1972), Russian speed skater
Svetlana Zilberman (born 1958), Israeli badminton player and coach
See also
References