Vladimir

vla-DEE-meer

Slavic

"great ruler, peaceful ruler, ruler of the world"

Vladimir Origin and Meaning

The name Vladimir is a boy's name of Slavic, Russian origin meaning "great ruler, peaceful ruler, ruler of the world".

Vladimir is a cultured and deep-rooted Slavic name associated in this country with cultural figures including piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz and the author of Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov.

The name Vladimir is rich in history, notably borne by Vladimir the Great, the 10th-11th century ruler of Kievan Rus' who brought Christianity to his nation and is now venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Among the name's other famous – or infamous – bearers are several Russian political figures past and present, including Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin and current Russian president Putin.

Volodymyr is the Ukrainian form of the name, recently made internationally famous by Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy following the Russian invasion of his country. Other variations of this name in other European countries include Valdemar and Waldemar. All derive from Slavic roots vladěti, meaning "to rule," plus meru "great" or miru, "peace" or "world." Common Slavic diminutive forms include Volodya, Vova, Vladan and Vlatko.

Long a common name throughout the Slavic world, Vladimir is featured in novels by Turgenev and Pushkin. Vladimir also has vampirish connections: Dracula is based on Vlad III, three-time ruler of Wallachia in the 15th century, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler. A more modern literary character is Vladimir, one of the two main figures in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot.

Vladimir Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1097 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Vladimir

• 1097 Nameberry 2025
• 857 Unique 2023
• 597 England 2021
• 3 Estonia 2024

20 Names Similar to Vladimir

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Vladimir.

• Claudius
• Viktor
• Cornelius
• Constantine
• Valentin
• Horatio
• Albus
• Salvatore
• Romulus
• Ulysses
• Balthasar
• Octavian
• Valentino
• Hermes
• Brutus
• Caesar
• Marcellus
• Dionysius
• Balthazar
• Ignacio

Famous People Named Vladimir

• Vladimir the Great Grand Prince of Kiev
• Vladimir Lenin (born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov) Soviet leader
• Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin President of Russia
• Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov Russian,American novelist
• Vladimir Ivanovich Osenev Soviet stage, film and voice actor
• Vladimir Ducasse Haitian,American NFL football player
• Vladimir Alvino Guerrero Dominican baseball player
• Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky Russian singer,songwriter
• Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik Russian chess grandmaster
• Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky Russian poet and playwright
• Vladimir Kozlov (born Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius) Russian pro wrestler
• Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov Russian Soviet test pilot
• Vladimir Kosmich Zworykin Russian,American inventor, engineer, and TV pioneer
• Vladimir "Wonta" Matovic Serbian singer & member of Elitni Odredi
• Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld art dealer, son of former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld
• Vladimir Prelog Croatian,Swiss chemist; winner of the Nobel Prize
• Vladimir Nikolaevich Konstantinov Russian,American ice hockey player
• Vladimir Maslennikov Russian sport shooter

The name Vladimir in Pop Culture

• Vladimir Dracula main character on British TV series "Young Dracula"
• Vladimir "Vlad" Masters/Plasmius antagonist in animated series "Danny Phantom"
• Dr. Vladimir "Vlad" Stain character in "Blood Stain"
• Saint Vladimir namesake of the school in the Vampire Academy series
• Vladimir also known as Prince Blueblood, character in "My Little Pony" series
• Vladimir the Crimson Reaper, a playable character in the MOBA game "League of Legends"
• Vladimir Tod protagonist of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series written by Zac Brewer
• Vladimir a vampire in the French online visual novel Moonlight Lovers

International Variations of the name Vladimir

• Waldemar Scandinavian
• Vladimír Czech
• Wlodzimirez Polish
• Valdemar Scandinavian