Tania

Tania developed from the familiar Russian form of Tatiana, a name that reaches back to the Roman family name Tatius. Tatiana’s ending originally expressed membership in that family. The meaning of Tatius itself is uncertain, so Tania does not have a securely established translation such as queen or fairy princess.

Tanya is another way of writing the same familiar form in the Latin alphabet. Tania has become a complete given name in several languages, rather than always functioning as a nickname that requires Tatiana on a birth certificate. Its history links an affectionate Slavic short form with much older Roman naming. For families with a Tatiana to honor, Tania preserves that connection while giving the name a more compact everyday shape.