Lenina

LEH-neen-uh

Literature, feminine form of Lenin

"large river; shining torch; like a lion"

Lenina Origin and Meaning

The name Lenina is a girl's name meaning "large river; shining torch; like a lion".

Created by the author Aldous Huxley for his novel, Brave New World, Lenina is a feminine form of Lenin, the surname of the founder of the Soviet state. It is borne by the central female character in the novel, Lenina Crowne, but in the real world, it is also been used occasionally in South America, notably in Brazil.

The Soviet Lenin's birth surname was Ulyanov, however he changed it to Lenin, possibly adapting it from the name of the River Lena in Russia. This could link it to Helena meaning "shining torch", or more likely, to the original name of the river, Elyu-En, meaning "large river".

Another theory is that it links to Leonard, Leonid, Lenya, and similar, lending it a leonine meaning.