Natasha is the Russian pet form of Natalya, which comes from the Latin natale domini, "birthday of the Lord", and was traditionally given to girls born around Christmas. Tolstoy's Natasha Rostova in War and Peace carried it westward, and in America it became familiar in the 1970s and 1980s. Natasha ranked number 281 in 2000, stayed in the top 1000 through 2024 and stands at number 1148 in 2025.