Vladimir (Russian Cyrillic: Влади́мир [vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr], Old Church Slavonic: Владимѣръ) is a male Slavic given name of Church Slavonic and Old Slavic origin, now widespread throughout all Slavic nations. It is also a common name in former Soviet non-Slavic countries where Christianity is practised, such as Armenia. While being a Russian calque of the Ruthenian Volodymyr, today Vladimir is the more preferred version in the English language.
Max Vasmer in his Etymological Dictionary of Russian Language explains the name as meaning "regal". Folk etymology interprets the meaning as "person of the people" or "the one with peace on one side". This confusion is introduced by other meanings of the Slavic word "Mir" or "Myr" – peace, people/community, and the world. There was no ambiguity prior to reforms of Russian orthography in 1918. The spelling of the two words was миръ (peace) or мiръ (the Universe), but the name was spelled a third way, Владимѣръ, from the Gothic suffix mērs meaning "great". Thus the name originally meant "Great in His Power". (compare: Theodemir, Valamir) but Russian speakers understood and still understand the meaning as "Peace Owner" or "World Ruler".
In Old Church Slavonic tradition, preserved in Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian and later borrowed into Slovenian, Croatian, the name is spelled Vladimir.
In Old East Slavic tradition the name is spelled Volodimir(Володимир), Volodimer (Володимѣръ),
The modern Ukrainian transliteration of Володимир is Volodymyr.
In Belarusian the name is spelled Uladzimir (Uładzimir, Уладзімір) or Uladzimier (Uładzimier, Уладзімер).
In Czech and Slovak, the name is spelled Vladimír.
In Polish, the name is spelled Włodzimierz.
In East Slavic languages, short versions of the name are Vova, Volodka, Volodya. In other West and South Slavic countries, other pet or boy versions are used: e.g., Vladi, Vlada, Vlado, Vladko, Vlatko, Vladik, Wladik, Wladek, Wlodik and Wlodek.
In Germanic languages, the name is spelled Waldemar or Valdemar. ("wald": rule, "meri": famous)
Romanian derivations are Vlad and Vlăduț.
In Latvian the derivation is Voldemārs.
In Finnish and Estonian the derivation is Voldemar.
In Latin-Romance languages: Vladimiro/Vladimir in Spanish, Vladimir/Wladimir in Portuguese, Vladimiro/Wladimiro in Italian (stressed syllable in bold).
In Greek language: Vladímiros (Βλαδίμηρος).
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia (1847–1909)
Vladimir the Great (958–1015), Grand Prince of Kiev
Vladimir II Monomakh (1053–1125), Grand Prince of Kiev
Vladimir III Mstislavich (1132–1173), Grand Prince of Kiev
Vladimir IV Rurikovich (1187–1239), Grand Prince of Kiev
Vladimir of Bulgaria (died 893), ruler of Bulgaria
Vladimir Akopian (born 1971), Armenian chess player
Vladimir Ashkenazy (1937–) Russian-Icelandic renowned classical pianist and conductor
Vladimir Becić (1886–1954), Croatian painter
Vladimir Bekhterev (1857–1927), Russian neurologist
Vladimir Beschastnykh (born 1974), Russian football player and manager
Vladimir Bukovsky (born 1942), Russian dissident
Vladimir Colin (1921–1991), Romanian writer
Vladimir Constantinescu (1895–1965), Romanian general
Vladimir Conta (born 1954), Romanian conductor
Vladimir Cosma (born 1940), Romanian composer
Vladimir Dal (1801–1872), Russian language lexicographer
Vladimir Divljan (1958–2015), Serbian songwriter and singer
Vladimír Dolník (born 1993), Slovak ice hockey player
Vladimír Dzurilla (1942–1995), Slovak ice hockey player
Vladimir Farrell (born 1981), Montserratian football player
Vladimir Gardin (1877–1965), Russian actor and director
Vladimir Georgiev (chess player) (born 1975), Bulgarian chess player
Vladimir Guerrero (born 1975), Dominican baseball player
Vladimir Gessen (disambiguation), two persons
Vladimir Horowitz (1903–1989), Russian and American pianist
Vladimir Jankélévitch (1903–1985), French philosopher and musicologist
Vladimir Koman (born 1989), Hungarian football player
Vladimir Komarov (1927–1967), Russian pilot and cosmonaut
Vladimir Korolenko (1853–1921), Russian and Ukrainian writer, journalist, and human rights activist
Vladimir Kramnik (born 1975), Russian chess player
Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924), Russian politician
Vladimir Luxuria (1965-) Italian politician
Vladimir Matveevich Gessen (1868–1920), Russian jurist and politician
Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930), Russian writer
Vladimír Mečiar (born 1942), Slovak politician and Prime Minister
Vladimir Myshkin (born 1955), Russian ice hockey player
Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977), Russian author
Vladimir Nazor (1876–1949), Croatian poet and politician
Vladimir Núñez (born 1975), Cuban baseball player
Vladimir Oravsky (born 1947), Swedish writer
Vladimir Orlando Cardoso de Araújo Filho (born 1989), Brazilian football player
Vladimir Padwa (1900–1981), American musician
Vladimir Padrino Lopez (born 1963), Venezuelan militar
Vladimir Petrović (born 1955), Serbian football player and coach
Vladimir Posner (born 1934), Russian journalist
Vladimir Pravik (1962–1986), Russian firefighter
Vladimir Putin (born 1952), Russian politician and President
Vladimir Radmanović (born 1980), Serbian basketball player
Vladimír Růžička (born 1963), Czech ice hockey player and coach
Vladimír Růžička (born 1989), Czech ice hockey player
Vladimir Shainsky, (born 1925) Russian composer
Vladimír Šmicer, (born 1973) Czech retired football player
Vladimir Socor (born 1945), American political analyst
Vladimir Tarasenko (born 1991), Russian ice hockey player
Vladimir Terebilov (1916–2004), Russian judge and politician
Vladimir Tismăneanu (born 1951), American political scientist
Vladimir Troshin (1926–2008), Russian actor and singer
Vladimir Villegas (born 1961), Venezuelan journalist
Vladimir Volkov (born 1986), Montenegrin football player
Vladimir Voronin (born 1941), Moldovan politician and President
Vladimir Vysotsky (1938–1980), Russian musician
Vladimir Yelagin (born 1955), Russian politician
Vladimir Zhirinovsky (born 1946), Russian politician
Vladimir Zworykin (1888–1982), Russian and American inventor, engineer, and pioneer of television technology
