Gender Feminine Usage English, Russian Scripts Тоня(Russian) Pronounced Pron. /ˈtɑn.jə/(American English) /ˈtɒn.jə/(British English) /ˈto.nʲə/(Russian) Meaning & History English diminutive of Antonia or a Russian diminutive of Antonina. In the English-speaking world its use has likely been positively influenced by the name Tanya.