Where does “Svetlana” come from?
Svetlana (Latvian) comes from Russian Светла́на, from Russian свет, from Old East Slavic свѣтъ, from Proto-Slavic světъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic śwaitas, from Proto-Indo-European ḱweyt- — to shine.
Ancestry of “Svetlana”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Russian | Светла́на | Svetlana |
| 2 | Russian | свет | light; day; radiance |
| 3 | Old East Slavic | свѣтъ | world; society |
| 4 | Proto-Slavic | světъ | light; world |
| 5 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | śwaitas | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱweyt- | to shine |