Boris - Origin and Meaning of the name

[ 2 syll. bo-ris, bor-is ] The boy name Boris is pronounced BAORIHS ^KEY. Boris has its origins in the Slavonic and Tartar languages. It is used largely in the German, Russian, and Slavic languages. Slavonic and Tartar origin: The name is often taken to be from the short form of Borislav and thus of the element boru ('fight, battle'). It is more likely of Tartar origin, from the nickname Bogoris. The name has been borne by three Bulgarian rulers, including the 9th-century King Boris I, who converted his kingdom to Christianity. Saint Boris was a 10th-century Russian saint and prince who was murdered along with his brother Gleb; their festival is still being observed in Russia. Boris Godunov was a 16th-century Russian tsar and son-in-law of Ivan the Terrible; he became the subject of Alexander Pushkin's play (1831) and Mussorgsky's opera (1872) bearing his name. The name has long been popular in Russia and Hungary. Among English speakers, it has been made known by Boris Karloff (1887-1969), the horror film actor best known for his role as the monster in the film Frankenstein (1931).

A variant form of Boris is the Slavic Borut.

Boris is a short form (German, Russian, and Slavic) of the Russian and Slavic Borislav.

Boris is also a variant form of the name Boris. Other forms of Boris include the pet forms Boba (Russian), Borja (Russian), and Borya (Russian), and the variant spellings Borris (English) and Borys (Polish).

Boris is rare as a baby boy name. At the modest peak of its usage in 1923, 0.004% of baby boys were given the name Boris. It was #963 in rank then. The baby name has declined in popularity since then, and is currently used on a very light scale. Out of all boy names in its family, Boris was nonetheless the most popular in 2008.

Baby names that sound like Boris include the English Borris, the Hebrew Barak, the English Baris, the Greek and Hebrew Baruch, the Czech Berco, the Turkish Berkay, the Scottish Bhreac, the English Borgia, the Russian Borik, the Russian Borka, the Polish Borys, the German Börries, the Scandinavian Braga, the Scandinavian Bragi, the Czech Brozek, the English Brucey, the English Brucie, the Turkish Burak, the English Burrhus, and the Swahili Baraka.

Details of famous persons named Boris:
Actor Boris Karloff, born William Henry Pratt 23 November 1887 - 2 February 1969, Camberwell, London, England.
Poet Boris Pasternak, born February 10 1890 - May 30, 1960, Moscow, Russia.
Politician Boris Yeltsin, born 1 February 1931 - 23 April 2007, Butka, Sverdlovsk Region, Russia.
Politician Boris Johnson, born 19 June 1964, New York City, New York.
Tennis Player Boris Becker, born Boris Franz Becker 22 November 1967, Leimen, West Germany.

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