ANASTASIA Анастасія fGreek, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, English, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Ancient Greek Feminine form of ANASTASIUS. This was the name of a 4th-century Dalmatian saint who was martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Due to her, the name has been common in Eastern Orthodox Christianity (in various spellings). As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the youngest daughter of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II, who was rumoured to have escaped the execution of her family in 1918.
IVAN Іван mRussian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Macedonian, Slovene, English, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian Newer form of the old Slavic name Іѡаннъ (Ioannu), which was derived from Greek Ioannes (see JOHN). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote 'Fathers and Sons', and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.
NIKITA (1) Нікіта mRussian, Ukrainian, Belarusian Russian form of NIKETAS. This form is also used in Ukrainian and Belarusian alongside the more traditional forms Mykyta and Mikita.