Podolskiy

Podolskiy is a Russian and Ukrainian surname that literally means “of Podolia,” referencing the historical region of Podolia which lies in present‑day western Ukraine. The name originally derived from the Russian adjectival form Подольский (Podolsky) or its Ukrainian counterpart Подольський (Podols'kyi). It entered personal names during the late Middle Ages when families began to be identified by geographic origin.

The surname is found among ethnic Russians, Ukrainians and, to a lesser extent, in Belarus and other post‑Soviet states. It is borne by men and women alike, and the feminine versions in Russian are Подольская (Podolskaya) and in Ukrainian Подольська (Podols'ka). In Russian-speaking Western Ukraine, the variant Podolsí (Подольський) is also common.

Notable people with the surname include: the 19th‑century Russian novelist Alexander Podolskiy, whose works explored the Russian gentry; the Soviet theatre director Dmitri Podolskiy (b. 1957), best known for his productions at the Maly Theatre; Ukrainian economist Yevgeny Podolskiy (b. 1965), who served as Deputy Minister of Economy; and the Russian footballer Sergey Podolskiy (b. 1982), who played for FC Dynamo Moscow and the national team.

The name has also been used as a geographical adjective. For example, the city of Podolsk in Moscow Oblast is sometimes informally referred to as Podolskiy or Podolskaya in local vernacular. The term remains a living reminder of the historical ties between the people of the region and their ancestral homeland.