Olga (name)

Olga
An icon of St. Olga
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameOld Norse
DerivationHelga
MeaningHoly; blessed
Other names
Variant form(s)Volha
Related namesOlha, Olja, Oleg

Olga is a female name of Slavic origins. It is the equivalent of Helga, and derived from the Old Norse adjective heilagr (prosperous, successful). The name was brought to Russia in the 9th century, by the Scandinavian settlers who founded Kievan Rus'.[1]

It is used in Russia (Ольга), Ukraine (Ольга, transliterated Olha), Belarus (Вольга, transliterated Vol'ha), Bulgaria (Олга transliterated Ólga), the Czech Republic, Greece and Cyprus (Όλγα, Ólgha), Georgia (ოლგა (Olga) or more archaic ოლღა (Olgha)), Latvia, Lithuania (Alge, Algis), Finland, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Balkans (Serbian Олга or Оља), Western Europe and Latin America (Olga). It is also much in use in Scandinavia.

Name days (St. Olga of Kiev): Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, Greece and France – July 11, Slovakia – July 23, Ukraine, Russia – July 24, Hungary – July 27.

The male form is Oleg (Олeг).

People

Kievan Rus'

  • Saint Olga of Kiev (890–969), a Varangian noblewoman, regent of Kievan Rus' and wife of Igor of Kiev

Russian imperial family

Other royalty and nobility

Other people

Fictional characters

  • Olga, a sister of the messenger Barnabas in Franz Kafka's unfinished novel The Castle
  • Olga, a.k.a. Olgariki, in the Russian animated children's television series GoGoRiki
  • Olga in Neighbours From Hell 2: On Vacation, who is Mr Rottweiler's love interest
  • Olga Marie Animusphere in the Japanese mobile game Fate/Grand Order
  • Olga Astronominov, also known as Lalavava, the younger sister of Mandark in the American animated television series Dexter's Laboratory
  • Olga da Polga, a fictional Guinea pig the subject of a book series by Michael Bond
  • Olga Fitzgerald in series 10 of the British television programme Waterloo Road, portrayed by Pooky Quesnel
  • Olga Gurlukovich in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
  • Olga Orlova in the VOCALOID song series, Parties are for Losers
  • Olga Orly in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
  • Olga Pataki, the older sister of Helga Pataki in the American animated television series Hey Arnold!
  • Olga Sergeyevna Prozorova in the Russian play Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov
  • Olga "meat" Romanova is a general of "The Volk" in the Crackdown video game series

See also

  • Olga (disambiguation)

External links

  • Popularity of the name in the United States
  • Diminutives of Olga

References

  1. ^ Hanks, P.; Hodges, F.; Hardcastle, K. (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. The Oxford Reference Collection. OUP Oxford. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-19-157854-0.
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