Boris
(source: State Statistical Office, 2025)
3,869
3,869 people in North Macedonia carry this name
Meaning
In the provided data, the name Boris is given as a name of Proto-Bulgar origin, with the original form Bogoris and the meaning “snow leopard.” In the Slavic reinterpretation, the name is connected with the word for battle and is understood as “fighter” or “warrior.” One source also gives the view that Boris is a shortened form of the Slavic name Borislav, made from the root meaning “to fight” and the element connected with glory.
Besides these interpretations, the data also gives another explanation: that the name may originally be Turkish, from Bogoris, possibly meaning “short” or “wolf.” These interpretations are not the same, so Boris should be presented as a name with several possible etymological explanations: Proto-Bulgar, Slavic, and, according to one view, Turkish.
In cultural context, the name is mentioned through the ruler Boris-Mikhail, who, together with two of his successors, introduced Christianity into his country. In Russia, the data also mentions an 11th-century saint who suffered together with his brother Gleb, as well as the 16th-century tsar Boris Godunov. The name is used in Macedonia, Bulgaria, Russia, Slovenia, and Germany.