Thread: Russian Equivalent name for the English name John

Hi!

I was wondering what the Russian equivalent names would be for the Enlgish names of John and Jonathan. Thanks!

Actual Russian "equivalent":
Иван/ Ivan
If you want what YOUR name is actually in Russian, it is:
Джон/ Dzhon

Hi Barmaley!

Thanks!

No problem. Just do us all a favor, and don't do something crazy like tatoo it on your arse.

LOL. No worries about that

Джон - plain and simple. I don't like how people equate certain common American names to certain common Russian names. If you'd like to be called by a Russian name, just pick any old one. Certainly Иван isn't any closer to John than Василий, despite what online translators might tell you. Moreover, Ivan is at least somewhat common in America.

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Джон - plain and simple. I don't like how people equate certain common American names to certain common Russian names. If you'd like to be called by a Russian name, just pick any old one. Certainly Иван isn't any closer to John than Василий, despite what online translators might tell you. Moreover, Ivan is at least somewhat common in America.

Excuse me, but John existed for hundreds of years before any John ever set foot in what is now America.

They are called English names, because they belong to the English language.

And names do translate. Yes John ---> Иван is much much more ambiguous than Gregory ---> Григорий or Katherine ----> Екатерина, but they do derive from the same name.

The Biblical Hebrew name Yonochan (Йонохан) [short for a phrase meaning "Whom Jehovah gave"] entered Septuagint Greek as Ioannis. It then entered Old Church Slavonic as Iоan which then became Иван in Russian.

To get to English it went to Septuagint Greek Ioannis, then to Latin Ioannes/Joannes, then to old Germanic Johannes, Johan, then to English John.
The name Jonathan came from Yonochan much more directly.

I agree, if your name is John, when you go to Russian you don't call yourself Ivan. But the guy did ask how to translate his name. And this is why Ivan is closer to John, than Vasiliy is.

BTW Vasiliy is the Russian equivalent of the English name Basil (from Greek βασιλευς (Basileus).

There is more to etymology than words sounding or looking the same.

Fair enough.

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Джон - plain and simple. I don't like how people equate certain common American names to certain common Russian names. If you'd like to be called by a Russian name, just pick any old one. Certainly Иван isn't any closer to John than Василий, despite what online translators might tell you. Moreover, Ivan is at least somewhat common in America.

Владилен or Пятилетка ought to do the trick of distinguishing him...

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Владилен or Пятилетка ought to do the trick of distinguishing him...

Actually in my original draft I had "Трактор" in place of "Василий".

I agree with TATY, upon the whole.
But there exist one more Russian equivalent of John - Иоанн - it's a translation for Bible's Saint John, German Johann will be Иоганн, Йохан(н), Йохан(н).
You know, actually (as Barmaley said before) your name sounds ok in Russian without translation - some people from Russian/English(or just not Russian) families have Russian Second name and Джон as their first name - I can't recall any famous one, but I met such people. Such names like: Патрик (Patrick), Кристиан(Christian), Мартин(Martin), Каролина(Caroline) - are used in Russia as well, as far as I know. It's not typical, but it happens here and there. Eventually there is the row of English/German names which were taken in Russian and were not translated in Russian at all - like Robert, Edward, Henry, even Charles - yes like English monarchs as well! They are Russian Роберт, Эдуард, Генри, Чарлз and there exist some other as well!

Originally Posted by Leof

I agree with TATY, upon the whole.
But there exist one more Russian equivalent of John - Иоанн - it's a translation for Bible's Saint John, German Johann will be Иоганн, Йохан(н), Йохан(н).
You know, actually (as Barmaley said before) your name sounds ok in Russian without translation - some people from Russian/English(or just not Russian) families have Russian Second name and Джон as their first name - I can't recall any famous one, but I met such people. Such names like: Патрик (Patrick), Кристиан(Christian), Мартин(Martin), Каролина(Caroline) - are used in Russia as well, as far as I know. It's not typical, but it happens here and there. Eventually there is the row of English/German names which were taken in Russian and were not translated in Russian at all - like Robert, Edward, Henry, even Charles - yes like English monarchs as well! They are Russian Роберт, Эдуард, Генри, Чарлз and there exist some other as well!

The famous Ukrainian singer Ani Lorak is actually called Каролина something (I think this might be a German name since there are lots of those in Ukraine). Anyway, she entered a singing contest in Moscow where there was another girl with the same first and last name as her, so she reversed Каролина to get Ани Лорак.

I thought John came from this (curtosy behindthename.com)

English form of Johannes, which was the Latin form of the Greek name Ιωαννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan meaning "YAHWEH is gracious"

BTW, Leof: On the whole, not upon the whole!

Джонатон - Johnathon >??????????????????????/

Originally Posted by basurero

Джонатон - Johnathon >??????????????????????/

Maybe, based on "орфография" using ф > т? Thus Джонафон?

Originally Posted by basurero

Johnathon

"Джонатон". Слышится как "Джонатн"

Thanks to everyone for all the info!

Originally Posted by Dimitri

Originally Posted by basurero

Johnathon

"Джонатон". Слышится как "Джонатн"

Это имя по рссски пишется "Джонатан". Русский эквивалент - Ионафан(теперь встречается редко). В Библии - сын царя Саула.

Johnathan comes from Hebrew "Yahonatan" = Jehovah gave.

Originally Posted by TATY

Excuse me, but John existed for hundreds of years before any John ever set foot in what is now America.

They are called English names, because they belong to the English language.

And names do translate. Yes John ---> Иван is much much more ambiguous than Gregory ---> Григорий or Katherine ----> Екатерина, but they do derive from the same name.

The Biblical Hebrew name Yonochan (Йонохан) [short for a phrase meaning "Whom Jehovah gave"] entered Septuagint Greek as Ioannis. It then entered Old Church Slavonic as Iоan which then became Иван in Russian.

To get to English it went to Septuagint Greek Ioannis, then to Latin Ioannes/Joannes, then to old Germanic Johannes, Johan, then to English John.
The name Jonathan came from Yonochan much more directly.

I agree, if your name is John, when you go to Russian you don't call yourself Ivan. But the guy did ask how to translate his name. And this is why Ivan is closer to John, than Vasiliy is.

BTW Vasiliy is the Russian equivalent of the English name Basil (from Greek βασιλευς (Basileus).

There is more to etymology than words sounding or looking the same.

My actual name would be Ivana or Ivanka. SOmehow I can't quite see myself as either of these, so I'd just go with the French pronounciation and be Zhanette.

It's funny...there are lots of Mexicans and Nicaraguans around here. THey dont understand "Janet" but when I tell them it's the same as Juanita then they get it.