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Home › Baby Names Directory › Vladimir

Vladimir

♂ Boy

Pronounced v-DEE-mihr /vɫɐ.ˈdʲi.mʲɪr/Medium

Meaning: To ruleMedium

In 30 seconds: Vladimir is an Old Slavic name tied to the idea of rule and power. It has long been a leading name across the Slavic world.
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Origin MediumOld Slavic, Russian, Serbian
MeaningTo rule
U.S. rank (2025)#1836 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births87 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2016
Total births (all-time)≈ 6,189

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 201619132025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

From Old Slavic roots, Vladimir connects to the sense 'to rule'. It has held a prominent place in Russian, Ukrainian, and broader Slavic naming for centuries. Spellings shift across the region, from the Belarusian Uladzimir to the Latvian Vladimirs.

The name has a commanding, three-syllable weight to it, and the short form Lado offers a softer everyday option. Bearers range from baseball's Vladimir Guerrero (born 1975) to the chemist Vladimir Prelog (1906–1998), who won the 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Vladimir is 'to rule', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Vladimir — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

UladzimirVladimírVladimerLadoVladimirs

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Vladimir Guerrero (1975–present)
    Male public figure listed on Behind the Name.
  • ★Vladimir Prelog (1906–1998)
    Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975.

If you like Vladimir…

Kazimir— another Russian name
Mikhail— a fellow Russian choice
Aleksandr— a similarly popular pick
Alexei— shares Vladimir's Russian roots
Nikita— lands in the same popularity range

Explore names like Vladimir

By themerussian

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Vladimir mean?

Vladimir is usually explained as meaning 'to rule' and is most often linked with Old Slavic tradition.

How do you pronounce Vladimir?

It's commonly said v-DEE-mihr /vɫɐ.ˈdʲi.mʲɪr/.

Is Vladimir a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Vladimir is used as a boy name.

How popular is Vladimir?

In 2024, Vladimir ranked #1947 in the U.S. for boys, with 81 births recorded.

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