The name Svetlana has an amazing cultural history: it was not included in the calendar and was not found in the monuments of ancient Russian writing, but became part of the Russian onomasticon thanks to the famous ballad of Vasily Zhukovsky. Elena Dushechkina traces its path from a classical poetic text of the early 19th century to incredible popularity in Soviet times, when it unexpectedly entered the list of new names with an “ideological sound.” Having described in detail the history of the creation of Zhukovsky’s ballad and the literary fate of its central image, the author turns to the history of the name Svetlana in the 20th century, drawing on extensive material, including anthroponymic research, as well as interviews with its bearers. Elena Dushechkina (1941–2020) - Doctor of Philology, Professor at St. Petersburg University, specialist in Russian literature and culture.