Boris

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Boris

Gender: Masculine
Language: Russian
Etymology:
1. Usually, Boris comes from a Slavic word meaning “Battle” from “borit” (to fight).
-or-
2. It comes from the Tartar name Bogoris, meaning “Small.”

History:
Traditionally, Boris is a favorite Russian name, for it belonged to the ruler of Bulgaria who converted to Christianity and a 10th century Russian saint (son of Prince Vladimir and brother of St. Gleb).

Pronunciation: boar-iss.

Diminutives: Borya, Boba.

Alternates: Borris.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890-1960)
Russian poet.
Boris Pilnyak (1894-1937)
Russian author.
Boris Artzybasheff (1899-1965)
Russian-American cartoonist.
Boris Blacher (1903-1975)
Estonian-German composer.
Boris Vian (1920-1959)
French author.

Miscellaneous:
Boris Godunov (1869/1874)
An opera by Modest Mussorgsky.
Boris Spassky (1937-)
Soviet chess player.
Boris Borisovich Yegorov (1937-)
Soviet cosmonaut.

Political Figures:
Boris Vladimirovich Stürmer (1848-1917)
Russian politician.
Boris Yeltsin (1931-)
Russian politician.

Royalty:
Boris I (-907)
Khan of Bulgaria. Introduced Christianity.
Boris Godunov (1551-1605)
A regent and czar of Russia.
Boris III (1894-1943)
Czar of Bulgaria.

Singers and Entertainers:
Boris Karloff (William Pratt) (1887-1969)
English-American actor.
Boris Aronson (1900-1960)
Russian-American theatrical designer.
Boris Christoff (1919-)
Bulgarian opera singer.

Sports Stars:
Boris Becker (1967-)
German tennis player.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.006 % named Boris

Popularity of Boris:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1910: 997th most popular.
1910-1960: N/A
1960-1970: 994th most popular.
1970-1990: N/A
1990: 969th most popular.
1991: 950th most popular.
1992: N/A