The first name Oleg
A boy’s name from Russian meaning “holy”, “sacred”, “blessed”.
2 syllables Male
Meaning and origin
Russian origin
Oleg means “holy”, “sacred”, “blessed” in Russian.
Borrowed from Russian Оле́г (Olég), a Varangian name, ultimately from Old Norse Helgi (“holy, sacred or blessed”). Cognate to modern Scandinavian Helge.
More names that mean holy.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Oleg last appeared in the official list in 2020, given to 3 boys. It peaked in 2015, with 10 births (#2,150).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Oleg with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Oleg at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 9 boys born in the United States were named Oleg, the 8,728th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2019, when 26 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Oleg in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Oleg in Czech, Polish and Swedish too.
Famous people named Oleg
41 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Oleg PenkovskyBritish spy in the USSR (1919–1963)
- Oleg GordievskyColonel of the KGB (1938–2025)
- Oleg SalyukovArmy General, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, and Commander-in-Chief o, born 1955
- Oleg SaitovBoxer, born 1974
- Oleg I of Chernigov(1052-1115)
- Oleg ReabciukAssociation football player, born 1998
- Oleg KononovFootballer, born 1966
- Oleg CassiniAmerican fashion designer (1913–2006)
- Oleg AntonenkoBelarusian ice hockey player, born 1971
- Oleg Peshkov1970–2015
- Oleg GrabarFrench-born American art historian and archaeologist (1929–2011)
- Oleg GrigoryevBoxer, born 1937
More Russian boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Oleg mean?
- Oleg means “holy”, “sacred”, “blessed” in Russian.
- What is the origin of the name Oleg?
- Borrowed from Russian Оле́г (Olég), a Varangian name, ultimately from Old Norse Helgi (“holy, sacred or blessed”). Cognate to modern Scandinavian Helge.
- How popular is the name Oleg?
- In 2020, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named Oleg, ranking 4,608th. Its peak was 2015, with 10 births.
- Is Oleg a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 466 US babies named Oleg since 1880 were boys.
- When was Oleg most popular?
- 2019 in the United States, when 26 babies were named Oleg, its highest rank at 4,080th.