Name day
Olga: Name Day and Patron Saint
Olga keeps the name day on 11 July, or 24 July on the Old Calendar: the feast of St Olga of Kiev.
- Patron saint
- St Olga of Kiev
- New Calendar
- 11 July
- Old Calendar
- 24 July
- Next name day
- 11 July 2027 (New Calendar) · 24 July 2027 (Old Calendar)
- In the feast calendar
- The feasts of July
The patron saint: St Olga of Kiev
Kept on 11 July, or 24 July on the Old Calendar · St Olga, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Princess of Kiev
The princess of Kiev, the first of the Rus’ to be baptized, grandmother of St Vladimir.
Other saints named Olga
St Olga of Alaska
Kept on 10 November · Feast as set by the OCA Holy Synod proclamation (8 Nov 2023)
Matushka Olga (Arrsamquq, “the hidden one”) was born in 1916 in the Yup’ik village of Kwethluk on Alaska’s Kuskokwim River, where the faith of Saints Herman and Innocent had taken root. She married Nicolai Michael, the village storekeeper, who was later ordained priest of St Nicholas Church. As his matushka she became the quiet heart of the village. She raised a large family in poverty, baked prosphora, sewed clothes for the needy, and served as a midwife. She listened without judgment to those suffering in silence, especially women who had been abused. She bore cancer without complaint and reposed in 1979. Over the decades many told of her comfort in dreams, of healings, and of safe births. The Orthodox Church in America numbered her among the saints in 2023 and glorified her at Kwethluk in June 2025. She is the first woman saint of North America. Orthodox Christians pray to her above all for the wounded, mothers, and the grieving.
What the faithful pray for
- healing for survivors of abuse, including childhood and clergy abuse
- a safe and peaceful childbirth
- the gift of children after miscarriage
- comfort in grief and a peaceful death for loved ones
- healing and recovery from surgery
- relief from nightmares and trauma
- help for those unjustly detained
- reconciliation and restored peace of soul
- maternal tenderness and consolation
Protection
- survivors of abuse
- women in childbirth
- the suffering and the grieving
- from tormenting fears and nightmares
Miracles
- At her repose in November 1979 the frozen river thawed so that boats from nearby villages could reach Kwethluk, and birds that should have flown south circled above the village. (source)
- A survivor of childhood abuse saw her in a dream as a mother and midwife who embraced and anointed her. The woman awoke freed from decades of torment. (source)
- A priest present at his daughter’s difficult labor saw Matushka Olga standing beside them. The pain ceased and the child was born in peace. (source)
the Royal Passion-Bearers
Kept on 17 July · Martyrdom at Yekaterinburg (1918)
The last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas, his wife Alexandra and their five children, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei, lived as one household of the Church of Christ, bound together by love. The Church’s hymns praise how they built their home on love, kept their marriage honorable, and raised their daughters as wise virgins for Christ. Their son Alexei bore a grave illness from infancy as a cross from the Lord, without complaint. During the war the Empress and her elder daughters served the wounded as sisters of mercy. After the Tsar’s abdication in 1917 the family was held in captivity. They bore humiliation with Christian meekness, prayed together, and forgave their persecutors. In the night of 16-17 July 1918 they were killed together at Yekaterinburg. The Russian Church Abroad glorified them in 1981, and the Moscow Patriarchate glorified them in 2000 as passion-bearers, those who imitate Christ by meekly accepting suffering and death.
What the faithful pray for
- love and unity in the family
- a faithful and honorable marriage
- raising children in the faith
- healing of sick children
- comfort for parents grieving over children in sickness or sin
- patience and meekness in suffering
- forgiveness of enemies
- the spiritual welfare of Russia and her people
Protection
- the family hearth
- children from sickness and the passions of this age
- the persecuted
- Orthodox families from division
Miracles
- Tsarevich Alexei was born, after long prayer, as ‘the fruit of the prayers of the Wonderworker of Sarov’, the longed-for heir of his royal parents. (source)
- Collections of testimonies record many healings and answered prayers through the intercession of the Royal Passion-bearers since their glorification. (source)
Olga in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | Olga, Olha, Helga | |
| Greek | Όλγα, Olga | |
| Russian | Ольга, Olga | Оля, Оленька, Ольгуша, Olya, Olia, Olenka |
| Ukrainian | Ольга, Olha | Оля |
| Belarusian | Вольга, Volha | |
| Bulgarian | Олга | |
| Serbian | Олга, Olga | |
| Romanian | Olga | |
| Georgian | Olga |
Icons of St Olga of Kiev
Folding diptychSt Olga of Alaska & Guardian Angel
$99$69
Folding diptychRoyal Passion-Bearers (Romanov family) & Feodorovskaya Mother of God
$99$69
Folding diptychRoyal Passion-Bearers (Romanov family) & Guardian Angel
$99$69
Folding diptychSts Nicholas II & Alexandra (Royal Passion-Bearers)
$99$69
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for Olga
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
St Olga of Kiev's diptych is chosen and the name is filled in.
Questions
When is Olga’s name day?
Olga keeps the name day on 11 July on the New Calendar and on 24 July on the Old Calendar, the feast of St Olga of Kiev.
Who is the patron saint of Olga?
St Olga of Kiev. The princess of Kiev, the first of the Rus’ to be baptized, grandmother of St Vladimir.
How is Olga written in other languages?
Greek: Όλγα (Olga), Russian: Ольга (Olga), Ukrainian: Ольга (Olha), Belarusian: Вольга (Volha), Bulgarian: Олга and Serbian: Олга (Olga). Every form of the name keeps the same saint.
What is a good name-day gift for Olga?
An icon of St Olga of Kiev, the saint Olga bears: the St Olga of Alaska & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych ($69), or the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with that diptych, a crucifix and a prayer rope in a gift box.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name
Sources
- OCA - Righteous Mother Olga of Kwethluk, Wonderworker, Matushka of All Alaska
- OCA - Proclamation of the Holy Synod on the Glorification of the Righteous Matushka Olga
- Diocese of New York and New Jersey (OCA) - St Olga of Alaska Resources
- Акафист святым царственным страстотерпцам (Азбука веры)
- Акафист святому страстотерпцу царевичу Алексию (Азбука веры)
- OCA Lives of the Saints, 17 July
- eortologio.net, Greek name-day calendar (Εορτολόγιο)
- azbyka.ru, Месяцеслов (the Russian Church's calendar of saints by name)