Fun Facts About the Name Ruslan
- 622 babies named Ruslan: U.S. records list 622 babies given the name Ruslan from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ruslan Mean?
Ruslan is a Slavic given name of Turkic origin, from the Turkic word arslan (also aslan), meaning "lion." That same word is itself a personal name among many Turkic peoples, appearing in forms such as Arslan and Aslan.
The Slavic form Ruslan drops the opening vowel of the Turkic word and places the stress on the second syllable. It is usually linked to the older East European forms Eruslan and Uruslan, which are generally explained as borrowings of the Turkic lion-name. The literal sense is simply "lion"; the name is not a compound of Slavic elements with a separate meaning. Later associations with courage or strength are symbolic extensions of the animal meaning, not part of the etymology.
Ruslan Name History & Origins
Turkic-speaking peoples of the Eurasian steppe used Arslan and Aslan as personal names long before the form Ruslan appears in Slavic records. Through contact with Tatar and other Turkic groups, the name entered East Slavic speech, where it took forms such as Uruslan and Eruslan before settling into Ruslan.
An East Slavic hero named Eruslan Lazarevich appears in a Russian prose tale of Eastern origin that is known from seventeenth-century manuscripts. In 1820 Alexander Pushkin published the verse poem Ruslan and Lyudmila, which made the shorter form Ruslan familiar throughout Russian literature; the poem did not create the name, which was already in use. Today Ruslan is common in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, and it is also widely used in the Caucasus and Central Asia, including Chechen, Avar, Ossetian, Kazakh, and Uzbek usage.
How Popular is the Name Ruslan?
Ruslan has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #3,511 in 2000.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,571 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2024 | #4,152 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2023 | #5,206 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2022 | #4,273 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2021 | #4,750 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2020 | #4,249 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2019 | #3,974 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2018 | #3,775 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2017 | #4,899 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #4,909 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #3,967 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #4,829 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #4,286 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2012 | #5,443 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2011 | #5,155 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2010 | #4,647 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2009 | #4,563 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #5,028 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2007 | #4,346 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #4,823 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #6,151 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #4,957 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #3,952 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #8,291 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #4,431 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #3,511 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1999 | #5,589 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #7,422 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #4,831 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #3,818 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1993 | #6,128 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #6,046 | 9 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ruslan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Ruslan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ruslan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.