Olesya

Olesya is an East Slavic feminine name, originating as a regional folk variant of Oleksiya or, more broadly, as a diminutive form associated with Oleksandra (the Slavic equivalent of Alexandra, meaning defender of men in Greek). It is particularly common in Ukraine and Russia, carrying a poetic, countryside association partly reinforced by Alexander Kuprin's 1898 novella Olesya, whose protagonist is a young woman living in the Polesian forests. Related forms include Lesya, which is used as both an independent name and a short form, and the name is sometimes linked to Olena or Olga in popular usage.