Olga

Olga is the Russian form of Helga. Helga developed as the female form of Helgi, an Old Norse masculine name from “heilagr” meaning “blessed, holy” or “the sacred one”. Helgi is a name borne from ancient Norse mythology in the form of a couple different heroes (see literary references below to understand the importance of Helgi in Norse tradition). It was the Nordic Vikings who brought the name Helgi/Helga to the Slavic people; a specific group of Vikings (the Varangians) would play a large role in the 8th century formation of the Rus' people, the early precursor state of what would later become the Russian Empire. The Nordic Helgi and Helga were transformed into Oleg and Olga by the Eastern Slavs as evidenced by the ruler of all the Rus’ people, Oleg of Novgorod, who formed Kievan Rus’ in the late 9th century. More importantly, however, was Saint Olga, a 10th century Rus’ Regent ruler (the Grand Princess of Kiev) for 15 years after her husband died. She is notable because she was the first Rus’ ruler to convert to Christianity, after which she did everything in her power to convert all her subjects. She has always been a highly venerated saint in Russian tradition so it’s no surprise the name Olga became so common among Russian women. Olga (Ольга) is still the 3rd most popular baby girls name in Russia today!