If the prospect of keeping track of those nearly six hundred characters in War and Peace with their weird Russian, French, and German names terrifies you, well, you’re not alone. But the task isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think. All you need to do is understand a few basic naming principles, recognize the five major families and the handful of other characters that are most important in the novel, and avail yourself of the character list below.
Russian names consist of a first name, a patronymic (based on the father’s first name, and usually ending in -ovich or -ich for males and -ovna or -ichna for females), and a family name. In formal settings, it is common to call a person by his or her first name and patronymic. Among family and friends only the first name is used, or the more endearing diminutive form (Natasha for Natalya, or Nikolenka for Nikolai). In informal settings characters will also sometimes call one another by their last name only (Rostov instead of Nikolai Rostov, or Dolokhov instead of Fyodor Dolokhov), or even by their patronymic alone (as in Alpatych). An -a or an -aya is often added to the end of a family name to indicate feminine gender (as in Natasha Rostova and Marya Bolkonskaya).
I have put the accented syllables of each Russian name in italics, and have included a pronunciation guide in brackets in cases where the pronunciation may not be obvious based on the spelling.
The Bezukhovs [beh-zoo-khuffs]
Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhov
Count Pyotr Kirillovich [kee-ree-luh-veech] (Pierre), his son
The Bolkonskys [bahl-cone-skeez]
Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky
Prince Andrei Nikolaevich (Andryusha), his son
Princess Marya Nikolaevna (Masha), his daughter
Princess Elizaveta Karlovna (Liza), Prince Andrei’s wife
Prince Nikolai Andreevich (Nikolenka), Andrei’s son by Liza
The Rostovs [rah-stohffs]
Count Ilya Andreevich Rostov
Countess Natalya (no patronymic given) (Natalie), his wife
Countess Vera Ilyinichna, their elder daughter
Count Nikolai Ilyich, their elder son
Countess Natalya Ilyinichna (Natasha), their younger daughter
Count Pyotr Ilyich (Petya), their younger son
Sofya Alexandrovna (no family name given) (Sonya, Sophie)—orphaned Rostov cousin brought up in the family
The Kuragins [koo-rah-geenz]
Prince Vassily [vah-see-lee] Kuragin
Prince Anatole Vassilievich, his eldest son
Prince Ippolit Vassilievich (Hippolyte), his younger son
Princess Elena Vassilievna (Hélène), his daughter, later Pierre Bezukhov’s wife
The Drubetskois [droo-buts-koyz]
Princess Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya
Prince Boris [bah-rees] (no patronymic given) Drubetskoi, her son
Other Important Characters
Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, society matron and friend of the Rostovs
Yakov Alpatych (no family name given), steward of old Prince Bolkonsky
Osip Alexeevich Bazdeyev, prominent Freemason who has a strong influence on Pierre Bezukhov
Alphonse Karlovich Berg, a young Russian officer who marries Vera Rostova
Mademoiselle Amalia Evgenievna Bourienne, a French companion living with the Bolkonskys
Vassily Dmitrich Denisov (Vaska), hussar officer and close friend of Nikolai Rostov
Fyodor Ivanovich Dolokhov (Fedya), Russian officer who befriends Nikolai Rostov
Dron, village headman at Bolkonsky family estate at Bogucharovo
Ilagin (no first name or patronymic given), wealthy landowner and neighbor of Rostovs
Ilyin (no first name or patronymic given), young officer being mentored by Nikolai Rostov
Julie Karagin (no Russian first name or patronymic given), a wealthy heiress and friend of Marya Bolkonskaya
Platon Karataev, simple peasant soldier who influences Pierre Bezukhov
Karp, insubordinate serf at Bogucharovo, the Bolkonsky country estate
Mavra Kuzminishna, Rostov family servant
Lavrushka (no patronymic or family name given), Denisov’s and Nikolai Rostov’s orderly
Anna Pavlovna Scherer, a well-known Petersburg salon hostess
Captain Tushin (no first name or patronymic given), Russian artillery captain at the battle of Schöngrabern
Major Historical Figures in War and Peace
Alexander I (1777–1825), tsar of Russia, often called “Emperor”
Napoleon I (1769–1821), French emperor
Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration [buh-grah-tee-own] (1765–1812), Russian general
Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813), Russian commander in chief at the battle of Borodino
Count Fyodor Vassilievich Rostopchin [ruh-stahp-cheen] (1763–1826), governor of Moscow
Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky (1772–1839), government reformer under Tsar Alexander I