Karenina

Karenina is a Russian feminine surname derived from the masculine Karenin. In Russian naming conventions, feminine forms often end with -ina, so Karenina designates a woman belonging to, or associated with, the Karenin family. The root Karenin itself comes from the given name Karen, and the surname is used by women in households or contexts where the family name Karenin is present.

The most famous bearer of the name is Anna Karenina, the central character of Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina, first published in 1877. In the book, Anna Karenina is married to Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, and her affair with Count Alexei Vronsky drives much of the plot. The work is regarded as a landmark of realist fiction and has profoundly influenced both literary criticism and cultural associations with the name Karenina.

In analysis and popular culture, Karenina has become strongly linked with themes of romantic tragedy, social scrutiny, and moral conflict. The surname, and particularly the title character Anna Karenina, are frequently invoked as references to scandal, personal autonomy, and the constraints of society in 19th-century Russia and beyond.

Outside the Tolstoyan context, Karenina primarily appears as a real-world surname in Russian-speaking regions, with the masculine form Karenin and the feminine Karenina. The name is not broadly common in non-Russian contexts, but it remains globally recognized largely due to Tolstoy’s novel.