The name Ludmila is purely Slavic in origin and its meaning is derived from two parts. Lud means “people” and mila means “dear, love”, so the meaning of Ludmila is “beloved people”. Some Russian women prefer the spellings of Ludmilla or Lyudmila, and go by the nicknames Luda, Lyuda, or Mila.

One of the first women with this name was Saint Ludmila, a 10th century princess from Bohemia. As the daughter of a Slavic prince Slavibor, and the grandmother of Good King Wenceslaus, Saint Ludmila is also considered the patron saint of converts, problems with in-laws, and widows.

Another famous Ludmila is Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s wife, Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Putina. She’s a curator of a fund which focuses on maintaining and preserving the Russian language. There are many other notable Russian and Ukrainian women with this name.

A prominent Pushkin poem named Ruslan and Ludmila is an epic fairy tale which spawned an opera, several Russian films, and a made-for-TV movie. Ludmila is a Russian bride held captive and Ruslan struggles to rescue her.

Have you met these beautiful Russian and Ukrainian brides yet? Click on the photos to view their profiles and congratulate your favorites on this special day!