The Russian Federation constitutionally consists of 85 federal subjects, 46 of which are oblasts ("provinces"), 9 are krais ("territories"), 22 are republics (one of them, Crimea, is claimed by Ukraine and not recognised internationally as a part of Russia), four are autonomous okrugs ("districts"), and three are the cities of federal significance (Sevastopol has the same international status as Crimea). The Jewish Autonomous Oblast remains the only example of this type, while other AOs had elevated to republican level in the early 1990s.
Most of Russia's oblasts and krais take their names from their administrative center; while autonomous entities (republics, autonomous okrugs and autonomous oblast) received their names from the native peoples they was created for by the Soviet government in 1920s–30s.
Oblasts All of the oblast names in Russian are based on the following model: "name of the central city" (with a few exceptions) + "-skaya" feminine adjective suffix. English name Russian name Meaning and notes Amur , Amurskaya oblast′ From the Amur River, which forms the southern border of the region Arkhangelsk Arkhangel′skaya oblast′ The region of the city of Arkhangelsk, whose name the inhabitants traditionally associated with a monastery in the area dedicated to the Archangel Michael. Astrakhan , Astrakhanskaya oblast′ The region of the city of Astrakhan, whose name is a corruption of old Turkic Haji Tarkhan. Tarkhan is possibly a Turco-Mongolian title standing for "great khan," or "king", while haji or hajji is a title given to one who has made the Islamic requisite of pilgrimage to Mecca. Belgorod , Belgorodskaya oblast′ The region of the city of Belgorod, literally "white city". Compare: Belgrade Bryansk , Bryanskaya oblast′ The region of the city of Bryansk, known in medieval times as Debryansk, from Chelyabinsk , Chelyabinskaya oblast′ The region of the city of Chelyabinsk. The city (initially a Russian fortress Chelyaba) received its name after a Bashkir locality, whose etymology is disputed. From Turkic title Çelebi From Bashkir siläbe "hollow, depression" Irkutsk , Irkutskaya oblast′ The city of Irkutsk was named after the Irkut River with -sk suffix used for names of the cities. Its name was derived from the Buryat word for "spinning," and was used as an ethnonym among local tribes, who were known as Yrkhu, Irkit, Irgit, and Irgyt. Ivanovo , Ivanovskaya oblast′ The city of Ivanovo was previously known as Ivanovo-Voznesensk and was formed as a result of the merger of two settlements: Ivanovo — from given name Ivan with typical -ovo suffix. Voznesensk — from Voznesensky posad, a workers′ settlement named after the near Ascension Church (). This part was discarded in 1932 during anti-religious campaign. According to another version, residents criticized the name for being too long. Kaliningrad , Kaliningradskaya oblast′ From its center Kaliningrad (Kalinin-city), renamed in 1946 in memory of the recently deceased Soviet leader Mikhail Kalinin. The region itself forms the northern part of former East Prussia. Kaluga , Kaluzhskaya oblast′ From Old Russian kaluga - "bog, quagmire".E.M. Pospelov, Geograficheskie nazvaniya mira (Moscow: Russkie slovari, 1998), p. 181. Kemerovo , Kemerovskaya oblast′ The city of Kemerovo, region's capital, was named after the surname of the first settlers — Kemerov. The ending "ovo" suggests a toponymic transition through a personal name. Another name of the Kemerovo oblast, Kuzbass, made official in 2020, is a short form of Kuznetsk Basin. This coal-mining region is called after Kuznetsk Alatau mountain range, which was named after Shors, a native people known archaically as Blacksmithing Tatars (Kuznetskiye Tatary), to distinguish these mountains from other Alataus. Kirov , Kirovskaya oblast′ The city of Vyatka was renamed to Kirov soon after the assassination of Sergei Kirov, a high Soviet official who was born in the region. Kostroma , Kostromskaya oblast′ The city of Kostroma received its name from the river it stands on.N. A. Zontikov "Kostroma": origin of the city′s name Its etymology is uncertain: Dialectal Kostra — shives Kostroma, Old East Slavic goddess. Kurgan , Kurganskaya oblast′ From the city of Kurgan. Its name is taken from a burial mound close to the original settlement. The word itself has Turkic origin. Kursk , Kurskaya oblast′ The city of Kursk was named after Kur River. The name relates to a dialect word kur'ya ("long and narrow river bay"),E.M. Pospelov, Geograficheskie nazvaniya mira (Moscow, 1998), p. 232. while city's coat of arms with three partridges shows a folk etymology version of the origin of the name ( "perdix") Leningrad , Leningradskaya oblast′ The city of Leningrad (Lenin-city) was renamed back to St. Petersburg following the 1991 referendum, but Leningrad Oblast retained its name. Lipetsk , Lipetskaya oblast′ From Lipetsk, literally "Linden city" Magadan , Magadanskaya oblast′ From its capital, Magadan, which etymology is uncertain: Even word "mongodan" — marine sediment "mongot" — a dried tree, then "mongodan" is a plural of it Even nickname Magda — "rotten hemp"A. M. Biryukov Magadan: Photo album, 1989 Moscow , Moskovskaya oblast′ Moscow Oblast is the region surrounding Russia's capital Moscow. See Moscow below. Its unofficial name Podmoskovye () literally means "under Moscow" Murmansk , Murmanskaya oblast′ Murmansk, region's capital, is named for the Murman Coast (Murmanskiy bereg), which is in turn derived from an archaic term in Russian for "Norwegian". Nizhny Novgorod , Nizhegorodskaya oblast′ Nizhny Novgorod literally means "Lower New Town". The prefix "lower" is used to distinguish it from Veliky Novgorod ("Great New Town") and Novhorod-Siverskyi ("New Town in Severia"). Russian name for this oblast is Nizhegorodskaya (literally "of Lower Town"), and not Nizhne(-)novgorodskaya as one might expect. Novgorod , Novgorodskaya oblast′ Literally "Region of New Town", after its capital Veliky Novgorod, which means "Great New Town" as stated above. Before 1999 was known as just Novgorod. Novosibirsk , Novosibirskaya oblast′ Literally "Region of New Siberian Town" Omsk , Omskaya oblast′ The name of Omsk city is derived from the Om River which in turn is probably originates from the Baraba Tatar om "quiet".E.M. Pospelov, Geograficheskie nazvaniya mira (Moscow, 1998), p. 310. Orenburg , Orenburgskaya oblast′ The city of Orenburg (Or River + "castle") was founded near the meeting of the Or and Ural rivers, but was later moved down the Ural. The initial place of the fortress became known as Orsk. Oryol , Orlovskaya oblast′ From Oryol, literally "eagle" Penza , Penzenskaya oblast′ City of Penza is named after Penza River, whose name possibly comes from Mordvin for edge, end, border or muddy, swampy Proto-Mari for stream an ancient Mordovian male given name Piyanza.M. S. Poluboyarov. World of Ancient Toponyms // Antiquities of the Penza region in the mirror of toponymy. Moscow, 2003, p. 148—150. Pskov , Pskovskaya oblast′ The name of the main city, originally Pleskov (historic Russian spelling , Plěskov), may be loosely translated as "[the town] of purling waters". Rostov , Rostovskaya oblast′ The city of Rostov on Don originates from a fortress named for Dimitry of Rostov, a metropolitan bishop of the old northern town of Rostov the Great. The word "Rostov" is usually associated with a personal name Rost (lit. "growth"). Compare: Rostislav Ryazan , Ryazanskaya oblast′ The region was named after its capital, which was initially known as Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky and officially took the name of ancient city of Ryazan in 1778. The original Ryazan, the capital of medieval principality, was devastated by Mongols in 1237. The name of the city is an Old Russian possessive adjective (Rězan′), related with archaic male given name Rezan, which is a short form of rezanny "[child] cut from [the womb]"Max Vasmer. Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Moscow, 1987, Vol. 3 p. 537 The city possibly retained its name after the surrounding region, which in the Middle Ages was allegedly "cut off" from another Rus' lands by dense forests and swamps. Vladimir Minorsky connected Ryazan with Arthania.Древнерусское государство и его международное значение. Moscow, 1965, p. 417-418. Sakhalin , Sakhalinskaya oblast′ This region received its name from its largest island, which name is supposed to originate from Manchu Saghalien ula anga hata "island in the mouth of Black River." Thus Sakhalin is "Black" Samara , Samarskaya oblast′ Regional center Samara is named after Samara River, which etymology is uncertain: from Indo-Iranian for "summer river/water" from Tatar and Chuvash samar, Kalmyk samr "bag, bowl" Saratov , Saratovskaya oblast′ From Turkic Sary Tau "Yellow Mountain", russianized as Saratov (meaningless Sarat + -ov suffix) or Sar Atau "Boggy Island". Smolensk , Smolenskaya oblast′ From the city of Smolensk on Smolnya River (smola "resin" or smol′ "black soil") Sverdlovsk , Sverdlovskaya oblast′ Regional center Ekaterinburg was known as Sverdlovsk in 1924–91 after the early Soviet leader Yakov Sverdlov. Tambov , Tambovskaya oblast′ The name "Tambov" originates from Moksha "" (tomba) meaning "abyss",Мокшанско-русский словарь / НИИЯЛИЭ при Совете Министров Правительстве Республики Мордовия; Под редакцией Б. А. Серебрянникова, А. П. Феоктистова, О. Е. Полякова - Москва: Русский язык: Дигора, 1998. or "deep pool". Tomsk , Tomskaya oblast′ The city of Tomsk is located on the bank of the Tom River, which name derives from Ket words tom "river" or tuma "dark, black"Воробьёва И. А. (I. A. Vorobyova) Язык Земли. О местных географических названиях Западной Сибири (The Language of Earth. About local geographical names of Western Siberia) — Западно-Сибирское книжное издательство, 1973, p. 15. Tula , Tul′skaya oblast′ Etymology of Tula Tver , Tverskaya oblast′ The name of the city of Tver is of Finno-Ugric origin, TiheveräFritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG. Diocese of Tver. Künker Auktion 130 - The De Wit Collection of Medieval Coins, 1000 Years of European Coinage, Part II: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary, Silesia, Poland, Baltic States, Russia and the golden Horde. "Numismatischer Verlag Künker". while folk etymology traces it back to Old Russian tverd′ "fortress" (compare Polish twierdza) Tyumen , Tyumenskaya oblast′ In 1586, a fortress was constructed on the site of the former Siberian Tatar town of Chingi-Tura ("city of Chingis"), also known as Tyumen, from the Turkish and Mongol word for "ten thousand"E.M. Pospelov, Geograficheskie nazvaniya mira (Moscow: Russkie slovari, 1998), p. 427. – tumen. Ulyanovsk , Ulyanovskaya oblast′ The city of Simbirsk was renamed Ulyanovsk in 1924 since it was the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin, leader of October Revolution and founder of the Soviet Union, whose actual last name was Ulyanov. Vladimir , Vladimirskaya oblast′ The city of Vladimir was founded by the Grand Prince Vladimir II Monomakh. See Vladimir#Etymology Volgograd , Volgogradskaya oblast′ Volga River + -grad "town/city" = Volgograd Vologda , Vologodskaya oblast′ From Old Veps valgeda (modern vauged) "white"Трапезников В. Н. Наш край. — Вологда: Издание Вологодского общества изучения Северного края, 1918. — С. 74.Трапезников В. Н. Jalo Kalima, cand. phil. Die ostseefinnischen Lehnvorter in Russischen. Akademische Abhandlung. Helsingfors. 1915. 265 стр. // Известия Вологодского общества изучения Северного края: Выпуск IV. — Вологда: Типография Союза Кооперативов Северного Края, 1917. Voronezh , Voronezhskaya oblast′ from the hypothetical Slavic personal name VoronegВ. П. Загоровский. "Воронежская историческая энциклопедия". Воронеж, 1992