tikhon

Tikhon is a masculine given name used in Russia and other Slavic-speaking and Orthodox Christian communities. It has been borne by several prominent religious figures and, less commonly, by cultural figures in modern history. The name is associated with saints in the Russian Orthodox tradition and remains in use in contemporary Eastern European and diaspora contexts.

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724–1783) was a Russian Orthodox bishop and spiritual writer who served as archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk. His homilies and treatises on humility, prayer, and the Christian life helped shape devotional practice in Russia, and he is venerated as a saint within the Orthodox Church.

Patriarch Tikhon (1865–1925), born Vasily Ivanovich Belavin, was the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia from 1917 to 1925, a period overlapping with the Russian Revolution and the early Soviet era. He led the Russian Orthodox Church during a time of state atheism and political upheaval and was later canonized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Tikhon Khrennikov (1913–2007) was a Soviet and Russian composer and administrator who held a prominent role in Soviet cultural life, notably as long-time head of the Union of Soviet Composers. His career reflected and influenced the state-supported music culture of the mid-20th century.

Today, the name Tikhon remains in use in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and among Orthodox communities abroad. It is often encountered in historical and religious contexts, associated with the saints and notable figures who bore the name.