The name Boris
Boris is a male name of Slavic origin meaning “fighting (for glory)”. Below: forms of the name, name days in the Orthodox calendar, character by tradition, numerology, the first letter, talismans and compatibility with other names.
Origin and meaning
Boris is a male name of Slavic origin. Meaning: “fighting (for glory)”. The name came to Rus from Bulgaria, where it was borne by Prince Boris I, who baptised the Bulgarians. Its origin is disputed: some consider it a short form of the Slavic Borislav (“fighting for glory”), others think it is Turkic-Bulgar.
Forms of the name
| Full form | Boris |
| Short forms | Borya, Boba |
| Affectionate forms | Borenka, Borka |
Name days (angel’s day)
| May 15 | Translation of the relics of the Holy Princes Boris and Gleb |
| 6 August | Holy Princes and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb |
A name day is the feast of the saint after whom a person was baptised. If several saints share the name, custom is to celebrate the first feast after the birthday. Shown here are the main feasts in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, with civil (Gregorian) dates.
Character by tradition
By tradition, Boris is purposeful and businesslike, used to relying on himself. He is neat and consistent, values order and dislikes idle chatter. He can be domineering and jealous of his position. His strength is good organisation and loyalty to his principles.
Name numerology
Letters of the name Boris «Борис» in the Russian 1–9 table: Б 2 + О 7 + Р 9 + И 1 + С 1 = 20 → 2. The sum is reduced to one digit; the master numbers 11, 22 and 33 are kept.
Name number 2: partnership and sensitivity. Two is the number of the pair: diplomacy, attention to others, the ability to listen and smooth things over. The person opens up in a union or a team; the weak spot is indecision and dependence on others’ opinions.
Vowels give the soul number 8 (power and achievement), consonants the personality number 3 (communication and creativity). Inner motive: power and achievement; outer manner: communication and creativity. Such a gap is not bad in itself: others see one side, close people know the other.
In Slavic Cyrillic numerals (using the modern spelling of the name): О=70 + Р=100 + И=8 + С=200 = 378, reduced to 9. Letters that had no numeric value are skipped. This is an additional digit, not a second name number: meanings for the Cyrillic numerals were added in the 20th century, modeled on Western numerology.
More: name number with surname, Slavic Cyrillic numerals, number meanings.
First letter and letters of the name
In letter reading — a popular tradition of interpreting letters — the first letter of the name matters most: it sets the main tone of character. The other letters add shades.
Б — reliability and stability. Romantic yet practical; a wish for a firm position and prosperity, strength of character.
Other letters: О — depth of feeling; Р — confidence and courage; И — refinement and kindness; С — common sense.
Talismans of the name
Name books usually derive talismans from the name number and its planet; lists differ between authors. Here we follow Cheiro (“Book of Numbers”): number 2 is linked with the Moon.
| Planet | Moon |
| Stones | pearl, moonstone |
| Colours | white, cream, light green |
| Favourable days | Monday |
Compatibility with other names
In numerology, compatibility of names is judged by their numbers. Number 2 goes most easily with 1, 6 and 8, and has more friction with 5.
Goes well with: Alisa, Alla, Eva, Elizaveta, Zinaida, Larisa, Lidiya, Margarita, Pelageya, Serafima.
More friction with: Anna, Diana, Marina, Natalya, Nina, Praskovya.
Check a couple precisely: compatibility by name.
Outcome
The name Boris carries the meaning “fighting (for glory)”. Name number 2: partnership and sensitivity; first letter B: reliability and stability. Inner wishes (power and achievement) and outer manner (communication and creativity) differ: a person with this name needs close people to see more than what is shown. Name days: 15 May, 6 August.