Svetlana

Svetlana
Svetlana is often used in reference to the Samaritan woman at the well in the Biblical Gospel of John. It is the Russian version of the Greek saint name Photini, meaning “enlightened”
Gender	female (feminine)
Origin
Word/Name	Slavic (Russian)
Meaning	"light", "pure"
Region of origin	Russia
Other names
Nickname(s)	Svetka, Sveta, Svetla, Svietla, Svietlanka, Svetulya, Svetochka, Lana

Look up Svetlana in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Svetlana (Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian: Светлана; Belarusian: Святла́на; Ukrainian: Світла́на) is a common Slavic female name, deriving from the Russian word свет svet, which translates into English as "light", "shining", "luminescent", "pure", "blessed", or "holy", depending upon context. The name was coined by Alexander Vostokov and popularized by Vasily Zhukovsky in his eponymous ballad, first published in 1813. The name is also used in Ukraine, Belarus, Slovakia, and Serbia, with a number of occurrences in non-Slavic countries.^[1]

In the Russian Orthodox Church Svetlana is used as a Russian translation of Photina (derived from φως (phos), meaning "light" in Greek), a name sometimes ascribed to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (the Bible, John, 4).

Etymologically, similar names to this are Lucia (of Latin origin, meaning “light”), Claire (“light” or “clear” in French, equivalent to Spanish Clara), Roxana (from Old Persian, “little shiny star, light”), and Shweta (Sanskrit, “white, pure”).

The Ukrainian equivalent is Svitlana (Світлана), the Belarusian -- Sviatlana (Святлана). The Polish variant is Świetlana.

Russian language diminutives include Sveta (Света) and Lana.

Sveta also means “saint” in Macedonian. The Slavic element Svet means "blessed, holy, bright."

Serbian language diminutives of the name are Sveta (Света), and Ceca (Цеца, pronounced Tsetsa).

Sveta also means World, Sacred, and Saint.

People named Svetlana

• Svetlana Abrosimova, professional basketball player
• Svetlana Alliluyeva, the youngest daughter of Joseph Stalin
• Svetlana Boiko, Russian fencer
• Svetlana Boginskaya, Soviet Belarusian gymnast
• Svetlana Bolshakova, Belgian triple jump athlete
• Svetla Bozhkova (or Svetlana), a Bulgarian discus thrower
• Svetlana Cherkasova, Russian middle distance runner
• Svetlana Chmakova, Russian-born comics artist
• Svetlana Gladycheva Professor of Physics at the University of Washington
• Svetlana Ishmouratova, Russian biathlete and soldier
• Svetlana Kapanina, Russian aerobatic pilot
• Svetlana Khodchenkova, Russian actress
• Svetlana Khorkina, Russian gymnast
• Svetlana Koroleva (model), Russian model
• Svetlana Koroleva (water polo), Kazakhstani waterpolo player
• Svetlana Koroleva-Babich, Soviet javelin thrower
• Svetlana Kuzina, Russian water polo player
• Svetlana Nikolaevna Kryuchkova, Russian actress
• Svetlana Valentinovna Kryuchkova, Russian volleyball player
• Svetlana Kulikova, Russian ice dancer
• Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russian tennis player
• Svetlana Loboda, Ukrainian singer
• Svetlana Masterkova, Russian middle distance runner
• Svetlana Matveeva, Russian chess player
• Svetlana Maziy, Ukrainian rower
• Svetlana Medvedeva, wife of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
• Svetlana Melnikova, Soviet discus thrower and shotputter
• Svetlana Moskalets, Russian heptathlete
• Svetlana Nageykina, Soviet/Russian cross-country skier
• Svetlana Paramygina, Soviet Belarusian biathlete
• Svetlana Petcherskaia, Russian biathlete
• Svetlana Pletneva, Russian archeologist and historian
• Svetlana Rerikh, Russian singer
• Svetlana Ražnatović, Serbian pop-folk singer from Serbia
• Svetlana Savitskaya, Soviet cosmonaut
• Svetlana Sotiroff MacDonald, Canadian lawyer
• Svetlana Ulmasova, Soviet long-distance runner
• Svetlana Zakharova (dancer), principal dancer with the Bolshoï Ballet
• Svetlana Zakharova (athlete), Russian long-distance runner
• Svetlana Vysokova, Russian speed skater
• Svetlana Omelyanenko, canadian-Ukrainian scientist

See also

• Slavic names
• Svetlina (disambiguation)
• Alexander Vostokov

References

External links

• Behind the name: Svetlana

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