Dmitri

Dmitri is a Russian form of Demetrios or Demetrius, a Greek name referring to Demeter. Demeter was the goddess associated with agriculture and grain, so the name is usually interpreted as “belonging to Demeter.” Its Russian history gives it a cultural identity quite distinct from the longer Greek and Latin forms.

Dmitri, Dmitry, and Dmitriy are different ways of writing the Russian name in the Latin alphabet. Dima and Mitya are established familiar forms, rather than obvious shortenings an English reader would necessarily guess. The chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, associated with the development of the periodic table, is a prominent bearer. The same name family also appears in Russian royal history, giving Dmitri connections with science and historical tradition as well as its ancient Greek root.