Cyrillic is not one alphabet. It's a family of them, and the differences between the Ukrainian, Serbian and Bulgarian versions are exactly the differences that get flattened when a name is written by someone who assumes Cyrillic means Russian.
The Ukrainian Alphabet
Ukrainian uses 33 letters, and four of them do not exist in Russian at all: є, і, ї and ґ. That last one, ge with an upturn, is the one most often lost, since it looks close enough to г that software substitutes it without asking.
Ukrainian also does not use ы, ъ or ё, which Russian does. So the two alphabets are not a subset of each other in either direction. They overlap heavily and then diverge in specific, meaningful places.
The practical result: a Ukrainian name typed by a system expecting Russian can come back subtly wrong, in the same way that dropping an accent from a French name produces something that is almost right and therefore worse than obviously wrong.
The Serbian Alphabet
Serbian Cyrillic has 30 letters and includes several that appear nowhere else: ђ, љ, њ, ћ and џ. It is also the only one of these written according to a strict one letter, one sound principle, which is why Serbian spelling is unusually predictable once you know the alphabet.
Serbian is also digraphic, meaning it is officially written in both Cyrillic and Latin script. A Serbian name can be correct in either, and which one someone wants on a piece of jewelry is a personal choice rather than a technical one. Worth asking rather than assuming.
The Bulgarian Alphabet
Bulgarian has 30 letters and is where Cyrillic originated, which gives it a claim the others do not. The letter ъ is the interesting one here. In Russian it is a silent hard sign that mostly separates sounds. In Bulgarian it is a full vowel that appears in ordinary words and names, including the country's own name, България.
That single letter is a good illustration of the whole point. The same character, the same alphabet family, doing a completely different job depending on which language is using it.
Common Names Across the Three
Some names travel across all of them with small changes in spelling. Others belong firmly to one.
| Language | Names |
|---|---|
| Ukrainian | Олександр, Софія, Тарас, Оксана, Богдан, Соломія |
| Serbian | Јован, Милица, Стефан, Јелена, Никола, Ања |
| Bulgarian | Георги, Мария, Иван, Цветанка, Димитър, Йордан |
Why This Matters on Jewelry
A name in the wrong variant of Cyrillic is not a small aesthetic issue. For a lot of families, particularly Ukrainian ones, having a name rendered in Russian conventions is not neutral. It carries something. The correct alphabet is not pedantry, it is the difference between a name that belongs to someone and a name that has been approximated.
Every letter across all three alphabets is laser-cut exactly as typed, including є, і, ї, ґ, ђ, љ, њ, ћ, џ and ъ. Nothing gets substituted for a nearer neighbor.
Make It Yours
Type the name into our live preview tool and check every character before you order. Choose a Cyrillic name necklace, bracelet, or ring, laser-cut in surgical-grade stainless steel and finished in 18K Gold, 18K Rose Gold, or Rhodium Silver, fully waterproof, hypoallergenic, 10 year warranty. If you'd rather have precious metal, most pieces also come in 18K Gold Vermeil: solid 925 sterling silver under 18K gold, with a 2 year warranty, and it comes off before swimming.
Made for you in 4 to 5 business days, then delivered free within 1 to 2 weeks, anywhere in the world. See everything in the Cyrillic collection, and for the Russian side of the alphabet we covered that separately in your name in Russian.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Ukrainian alphabet the same as Russian?
No. Ukrainian has four letters Russian does not use, є, і, ї and ґ, and it does not use ы, ъ or ё, which Russian does. Neither alphabet is a subset of the other.
How many letters are in the Ukrainian alphabet?
Thirty three. Serbian Cyrillic has thirty, and Bulgarian also has thirty.
Is Serbian written in Cyrillic or Latin?
Both. Serbian is officially digraphic, so a name can be correctly written in either script. Which one someone prefers on jewelry is a personal choice worth asking about rather than assuming.
What makes Bulgarian Cyrillic different?
Bulgarian is where Cyrillic originated, and it uses ъ as a full vowel rather than a silent hard sign, which is how it appears in ordinary Bulgarian words and names.
Can Gemiria make a name in Ukrainian, Serbian or Bulgarian?
Yes. Every character in all three alphabets is laser-cut exactly as typed, with nothing substituted for a similar looking letter.
How long does a Cyrillic name necklace take to arrive?
Every piece is made for you in 4 to 5 business days, then delivered free within 1 to 2 weeks.