Oleg

This article is about the given name Oleg. For the Balinese dance form, see Oleg (dance).

For the ships of the Imperial Russian Navy, see Oleg (ship).

Oleg
Oleg of Novgorod by Viktor Vasnetsov
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Old Norse
Meaning	Holy
Region of origin	Eastern Europe
Other names
Related names	Olga, Helge

Oleg (Russian: Олег), Oleh (Ukrainian: Олег), or Aleh (Belarusian: Алег) is a Slavic given name. It derives from the Old Norse Helgi (Helge), meaning "holy", "sacred", or "blessed". The feminine equivalent is Olga.

Pronunciation

The usual pronunciation of Oleg in English is based on the transliteration of the Cyrillic alphabet, and hides three combined quirks of spoken (as opposed to written) Russian:

1. The stress is on the second syllable. In spoken Russian, the initial short unstressed 'O' is pronounced 'A' as in 'about', like 'Al-ég': however...
2. Written Russian 'e' is pronounced 'ye' as in 'yeti', like 'Al-yég': however...
3. A written final 'г' (hard g as in 'gun') is pronounced 'k', with the correct result 'Al-yék'.

Thus, rather than the typically mangled anglophone mess of 'Oh-leg', the proper pronunciation of Oleg in English most closely resembles the name Alec.

People named Oleg

• Oleg of Novgorod, 9th–10th-century leader and conqueror of Kievan Rus'
• Oleg of Bryansk, 13th-century prince of Bryansk and Chernigov, declared a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church
• Oleg I of Ryazan, 13th-century prince of Ryazan Principality
• Prince Oleg Konstantinovich of Russia, Russian Royalty
• Oleg Aleynik (born 1989), Russian professional football player
• Oleg Andronic (born 1989), Moldovan footballer
• Oleg Anofriyev (born 1930), Soviet and Russian stage and screen actor, voice actor, singer, songwriter, film director, poet
• Oleg Antonenko (born 1971), Belarusian professional ice hockey left wing
• Oleg Antonov (1906–1984), Soviet aircraft designer, founder of Antonov ASTC
• Oleg Atkov (born 1949), Russian cosmonaut
• Oleg Babenkov (born 1985), Russian professional football player
• Oleg Baklanov (born 1932), Soviet politician, scientist and businessman
• Oleg Basilashvili (born 1934), Soviet/Russian film and theatre actor
• Oleg Belyakov (born 1972), goalkeeper
• Oleg Berdos (born 1987), Moldovan road bicycle racer
• Oleg Berezin (born 1987), Russian professional football player
• Oleg Bernov, musician and member of Russian-American rock band Red Elvises
• Oleg Betin (born 1950), the governor of Tambov Oblast in Russia
• Oleg Blokhin (born 1952), Ukrainian football coach
• Oleg Bodrug (born 1965), Moldovan politician
• Oleg Bogayev (born 1970), Russian playwright based in Yekaterinburg
• Oleg Bogomolov, governor of Kurgan Oblast
• Oleg Bolkhovets (born 1976), Russian long-distance runner
• Oleg Borisov (1929–1994), Russian film and theatre actor
• Oleg Bozhev (born 1961), former speed skater
• Oleg Brega (born 1973), Moldovan journalist and activist
• Oleg Bryjak (1960–2015), Kazakhstani operatic bass-baritone
• Oleg Budargin (born 1960), governor of Taymyr Autonomous Okrug in Russia
• Oleg Buryan (born 1959), Russian artist
• Oleg Bykov (born 1987), Russian professional football player
• Oleg Caetani (born 1956), conductor of Russian and Italian descent
• Oleg Cassini (1913–2006), French-born American fashion designer
• Oleg Chepchugov (born 1989), Russian professional football player
• Oleg Chernyshov (born 1986), Russian professional football player
• Oleg Chirkunov (born 1958), governor of Perm Krai, Russia
• Oleg Chistyakov (born 1976), Russian professional football player
• Oleg Cretul (born 1975), Moldovan judoka
• Oleg Dahl (1941–1981), Soviet actor
• Oleg Delov (born 1963), Russian professional football coach and a former player
• Oleg Denishchik (born 1969), retired triple jumper who represented the USSR and later Belarus
• Oleg Deripaska (born 1968), Russian business oligarch
• Oleg Dineyev (born 1987), Russian footballer
• Oleg Dmitrenko (born 1984), Russian professional football player
• Oleg Dmitriyev (born 1973), retired Russian professional footballer
• Oleg Dolmatov (born 1948), former Russian footballer and a current manager
• Oleg Dudarin (born 1945), Russian professional football coach and a former player
• Oleg Dyomin (born 1947), former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Russian Federation
• Oleg Gordievsky (born 1938), KGB agent who defected to the UK
• Oleg Grabar (born 1929), archeologist and historian of Islamic art
• Oleg Ishutkin (born 1975), Russian race walker
• Oleg D. Jefimenko (1922–2009), physicist and Professor Emeritus at West Virginia University
• Oleg A. Korolev (born 1968), Russian artist
• Oleg Kuznetsov (serial killer) (born 1969), Russian serial killer
• Oleg Moldovan (born 1966), Moldovan sport shooter
• Oleg Nejlik, a Swedish singer
• Oleg Nikolaenko, Russian computer programmer, accused cyber-spammer
• Oleg Novachuk, Kazakh businessman, currently Chief Executive of Kazakhmys
• Oleg Penkovsky (1919–1963), Soviet colonel
• Oleg Pogudin (born 1968), Russian actor and singer
• Oleg Prokofiev (born 1928), artist, and son of Sergei Prokofiev
• Oleg Prudius (born 1972), Ukrainian professional wrestler known by his ring name Vladimir Kozlov
• Oleg Rykhlevich (born 1974), Belarusian freestyle swimmer
• Oleg Shteynikov (born 1985), Kazakhstani freestyle swimmer
• Oleg Tverdovsky (born 1976), is a Ukrainian-Russian professional ice hockey defenceman
• Oleg Velyky (1977–2010), German handball player
• Oleg Verniaiev (born 1993), Ukrainian gymnast
• Oleg Vishnepolsky (born 1957), prominent computer scientist and executive
• Oleg I of Chernigov, Oleg Svyatoslavich of Tmutarakan, 11th–12th century Rurikid prince
• Oleg III Svyatoslavich (Prince of Chernigov) (c. 1147–1204)
• Oleg of Drelinia, ruler of Drelinia