Vladimir (name)

Gender	male
Word/name	Slavic
Meaning	origin: of great power (modern Russian reinterpretations: ruler of the world/peace/People)
Alternative spelling	Włodzimierz, Volodymyr, Waldemar, Uladzimir, Vladimiro, Bladimir, Wladimir
Variant form(s)	Vladimira (f)
Related names	Valamir, Vladislav, Wladyslaw, Baltazar

Vladimir (Russian Cyrillic: Влади́мир Russian pronunciation: [vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr], Old Church Slavonic: Владимѣръ) is a male Slavic given name of Church Slavonic and Old Slavic origin, now widespread throughout all Slavic nations. It is also a common name in former Soviet non-Slavic countries where Christianity is practised, such as Armenia. While being a Russian calque of the Ruthenian Volodymyr, today Vladimir is the more preferred version in the English language.

Max Vasmer in his Etymological Dictionary of Russian Language explains the name as meaning "regal". Folk etymology interprets the meaning as "person of the people" or "the one with peace on one side". This confusion is introduced by other meanings of the Slavic word "Mir" or "Myr" – peace, people/community, and the world. There was no ambiguity prior to reforms of Russian orthography in 1918. The spelling of the two words was миръ (peace) or мiръ (the Universe), but the name was spelled a third way, Владимѣръ, from the Gothic suffix mērs meaning "great". Thus the name originally meant "Great in His Power". (compare: Theodemir, Valamir) but Russian speakers understood and still understand the meaning as "Peace Owner" or "World Ruler".

...
Wikipedia