Given names of Soviet origin appeared in the early history of the Soviet Union, coinciding with the period of intensive word formation, both being part of the so-called "revolutionary transformation of the society" with the corresponding fashion of neologisms and acronyms, which Richard Stites characterized as a utopian vision of creating a new reality by means of verbal imagery. They constituted a notable part of the new Soviet phraseology.
Many such names may be found in Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian persons, as well as in other ethnicities of the former Soviet Union (e.g. Tatar.)
The proliferation of the new names was enhanced by the propagation of a short-lived "new Soviet rite" of Octobering, in replacement of the religious tradition of child baptism in the state with the official dogma of Marxist–Leninist atheism.
In defiance of the old tradition of taking names from menology, according to the feast days, many names were taken from nature having patriotic, revolutionary, or progressive connotation: Beryoza (Берёза, "birch tree", a proverbial Russian tree), Gvozdika (Гвоздика, "carnation", a revolutionary flower), Granit (Гранит, "garnet"), Radiy (Радий, "radium", a symbol of scientific progress). A peculiarity of the new naming was neologisms based on the revolutionary phraseology of the day, such as Oktyabrin/Oktyabrina, to commemorate the October Revolution, Vladlen for Vladimir Lenin.
Richard Stites classifies the Soviet "revolutionary" names into the following categories:
Revolutionary heroes and heroines (their first names, their last names used as first names and various acronyms thereof)
Revolutionary concepts (exact terms and various acronyms)
Industrial, scientific and technical imagery
Culture, myth, nature, place names
Most of these names were short-lived linguistic curiosities, but some of them fit well into the framework of the language, proliferated and survived for a long time.
The following names were quite common and may be found in various antroponymic dictionaries.
Barrikad Zamyshlyaev: from "barricade"
Elem Klimov: Эле́м = Engels, LEnin, Marx
Elmira (name): backronym for "электрификация мира", elektrifikatsiya mira (electrification of the world)
Engelsina Markizova
Gely Korzhev: "helium"
Aleksandr Gelyevich Dugin: father's name: Geliy = 'helium'
Izil Zabludovsky: Изиль = исполнитель заветов Ильича, ispolnitel zavetov Il'icha (Performer of the Il'ich (Lenin) Testaments)
Igor Talankin: birth name: Индустрий (Industriy)
Iskra Babich: in reference to Iskra revolutionary newspaper
Marlen Khutsiev: Marx+Lenin
Melor Sturua: "Marx, Engels, Lenin: Organizers of the Revolution"
Ninel Tkachenko: "Lenin" read backwards
Nonna Mordyukova: born Noyabrina, from Noyabr = "November"; October Revolution happened in November by Julian calendar
Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov: father name: Oktyabrin
Radiy Pogodin: "radium"
Radner Muratov: Раднэ́р = радуйся новой эре, raduysya novoy ere ("Hail the new era")
Revolt Pimenov
Rem Viakhirev: Рем = революция мировая, revolyutsiya mirovaya (World's Revolution)
Rem Petrov: Рэм = Революция, Энгельс, Маркс (Revolution, Engels, Marx)
Rimma Kazakova, birth name Remo, Рэмо = Революция, электрификация, мировой Октябрь, revolyutsiya, elektrifikatsiya, mirovoy Oktyabr (Revolution, Electrification, World's October)
Spartak Mishulin: "Spartacus"
Telman Ismailov: from Ernst Thälmann
Vil Mirzayanov: VIL = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
Vilen Zharikov: VILen = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
Vilen Tolpezhnikov: VILen = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
Willi Tokarev, born Vilen
Villen Novak
Vil Lipatov
Vladilen Letokhov
Vladilen Mashkovtsev
Vladlen Biryukov
Vladlen Davydov
Zhores Alferov: after Jean Jaurès
Zhores Medvedev: after Jean Jaurès
