How to Say “Name” in Russian

Ways to say it

In Russian, the term used depends heavily on whether you are referring to a person, a thing or a formal designation. For people and pets, use и́мя. When talking about titles of things like books, movies or places, use назва́ние. When dealing with official, technical or legal designations, use наименова́ние.

Which one should you use?

и́мя is used specifically for the personal name of a person or a pet. назва́ние is the term for the name of an object, a place, a book or a movie. наименова́ние is a more formal or technical term used for official designations, such as those found in business, law or inventory lists.

Related words

To designate for a role (verb): определя́ть, определи́ть, назнача́ть.

To give a name to (verb): называ́ть, назва́ть, именова́ть.

How does it change in a sentence?

и́мя is a neuter noun. Its genitive singular form, which is used to indicate possession or the phrase 'of the name', is и́мени.

How do you pronounce it?

ímja

When do people say it?

When providing your full name in Russian, the surname follows the given name (for example, Anastasia Ivanova). When you encounter forms that ask for your 'first name and last name', look for the phrase и́мя и фами́лия.