Awesome Slavic Names

Oliver is an international star, ranking near the top of the charts in the US and throughout the English-speaking world, along with a host of European and Latin American countries, from Norway to Chile, Slovenia to Switzerland.

Oskar is to Oscar as Jakob is to Jacob: more distinctive and continental.

Peter is derived from the Greek Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone." One of the most important figures in the Christian hagiography is Saint Peter, keeper of the Gates of Heaven. Born Simon bar Jonah, he was given the nickname Peter by Jesus, to signify that he would be the rock on which Christ would build Christianity. Centuries later, there was Peter the Great, the czar who developed Russia as a major European power.

A strong Greek name with pan-European charm, Petra is a relatively recent feminization of Peter, though it relates back to an incredible ancient city in Jordan that was rediscovered in the early nineteenth century.

Petronela, along with Petronella and Petronelle, are relatives of Petra, sister of Peter. Old names, they are exceedingly rare. But they could be an original route to the cute nicknames Nell and Nellie.

Soft name in the Mia-Nia-Tia family, Pia is heard in both European and Hindi languages.