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SVETLANA

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian

Other Scripts: Светлана (Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian)

Pronounced: svyet-LAH-nah (Russian), sveet-LAH-nah (Russian) key
Derived from the Slavic element svet meaning "light". It was popularized by the poem 'Svetlana' (1813) by the Russian poet Vasily Zhukovsky

Personal experiences with the name Svetlana: | Edit

The MTV show Real World there was a girl named Svetlana on there that's when I first heard it. She also did an episode on "Sweet 16" but she was turning 21? She's very pretty girl and very exotic looking.
In the 2012 summer Olympics, there were two Svetlanas. They were both Russian. One was a pole vaulter and the other was a synchronized swimmer.

Nicknames for Svetlana: | Edit

Sveta, Seka, Ceca

Meanings and history of the name Svetlana: | Edit

Russian "bright light" "star"

Svetlana (Russian: Светла́на) is a common Russian female name, deriving from the Russian word for "light", "clean" or "holy". The name was coined by Alexander Vostokov and popularized by Vasily Zhukovsky in his eponymous ballade, first published in 1813. In Russian Orthodox Church Svetlana is used as Russian translated name as Saint Photina (meaning "enlighted" in Greek), the Samaritan woman at the Jacob's well in John 4. The name is also used in Ukraine- Svitlana (Світлана), Belarus, Slovakia and Serbia. Lately it has started been used among English speakers and other people in the West without any Slavic background1, in 2000 it ranked 389th in popularity in South Australia2.

Etymologically, the most similar name to this is Lucia (of Latin word origin, meaning "light"), Claire (meaning "light" or "clear" in French), Roxana (of Old Persian origin, literally: "little shiny star" or "light") or Shweta in Sanskrit which means "white" or "pure".

The short form of the name is Sveta (Света) and Ceca (pronounced Tsetsa) in Serbian language. The Ukrainian equivalent is Svytlana (Світлана), the Belarusian Svyatlana (Святлана).

Famous real-life people named Svetlana: | Edit

Svetlana Gurdin {aka Lana Wood russian american Actress younger sister of acadey award nominee Natalie Wood}
Svetlana Zakharova, principal dancer at the Bolshoi Ballet
Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russian professional tennis player

Svetlana Aleksić (Seka), A pop-folk singer from Serbia

* Svetlana Alliluyeva, the youngest daughter of Joseph Stalin
* Svetlana Boiko, a Russian fencer
* Svetlana Boginskaya, a Soviet Belarusian gymnast
* Svetlana Bozhkova, a Bulgarian discus thrower
* Svetlana Ražnatović (Ceca), a pop-folk singer from Serbia
* Svetlana Cherkasova, a Russian middle distance runner
* Svetlana Chmakova, a Russian-born comics artist
* Svetlana Ishmouratova, a Russian biathlete and soldier
* Svetlana Kapanina, a Russian aerobatic pilot
* Svetlana Khorkina, a Russian gymnast
* Svetlana Koroleva, a Russian model
* Svetlana Koroleva, a Kazakhstani waterpolo player
* Svetlana Koroleva-Babich, a Soviet javelin thrower
* Svetlana Kuzina, a Russian water polo player
* Svetlana Kryuchkova, a Russian volleyball player
* Svetlana Kulikova, a Russian ice dancer
* Svetlana Kuznetsova, a Russian tennis player
* Svetlana Suzchko Maslivec, a Ukrainian-American nurse
* Svetlana Masterkova, a Russian middle distance runner
* Svetlana Matveeva, a Soviet/Russian chess player
* Svetlana Maziy, an Ukrainian rower
* Svetlana Medvedeva, wife of Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev.
* Svetlana Melnikova, a Soviet discus thrower and shot putter
* Svetlana Moskalets, a Russian heptathlete
* Svetlana Nageykina, a Soviet/Russian cross-country skier
* Svetlana Nazarova, a character from the Russian novel Night Watch usually referred to by first name only
* Svetlana Paramygina, a Soviet Belarusian biathlete
* Svetlana Petcherskaia, a Russian biathlete
* Svetlana Pletneva, a Russian archeologist and historian
* Svetlana Savitskaya, a Soviet/Russian cosmonaut, and the second woman in space and the first woman to perform a spacewalk.
* Svetlana Sotiroff MacDonald, a Canadian lawyer
* Svetlana Ulmasova, a Soviet long-distance runner
* Svetlana Zakharova (dancer), a principal dancer with the Bolshoï Ballet
* Svetlana Zakharova (athlete), a Russian long-distance runner
* Svetlana Vysokova, a Russian speed skater

Svetlana in song, story & screen: | Edit

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