An archive photo
GOMEL, 30 March (BelTA) – Officials from the Justice Directorate of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee spoke with BelTA about recent trends in baby names in the region.
Families in Gomel Oblast are increasingly choosing the name Lev (Leo) for their sons. It is short and resonant. “Just a few years ago, this name was rare, but today it is winning over parents who want a winner’s destiny for their son. This short, resonant name is becoming one of the region’s naming trends,” specialists noted.
Last year, 47 newborns received the name Lev, and this year around 20 little Levs have already been registered.
When choosing this name, parents are confident that it combines nobility and strength. Additionally, it has many diminutive forms like Leva, Levushka, Levchik.
“Behind the name’s apparent simplicity lie fascinating stories from history and culture. Our ancestors believed that naming a child after a mighty beast bestowed its strength and fearlessness upon the newborn. In a sense, parents were securing a leader’s destiny for their son,” the Justice Directorate said.
Psychologists offer the following explanation: parents are once again gravitating toward so-called strong names, and the name Lev is associated with calm confidence, nobility, and dignity.
The Justice Directorate noted another interesting fact: last year, boys outnumbered girls by 5 percent. Yet girls received a far wider variety of names – 59 more distinct female names were registered than male names.
Overall, the most popular names for boys in 2025 were Matvei, Mikhail, Timofei, Artyom, Aleksandr, Mark, Roman, Maksim, Miron, and Ivan. Also high on the parental ranking were Kirill, Ilya, Bogdan, Yegor, Timur, Yevgeny, Yaroslav, and Daniil. The top girls’ names were Sofia, Eva, Anna, Alisa, Varvara, Darya, Vasilisa, Ksenia, Polina, and Viktoria.
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