Tanya originates in Latin language and the meaning is unknown. It is a Russian diminutive of Tatiana, which has been used in the English-speaking countries since the 1920s and nowadays is fairly popular. Tatiana is a feminine form of Tatianus. The name is very popular in Slavic languages, especially in Russian. In Christianity, Saint Tatiana was tortured and martyred and eventually became the patron saint of students. It is also the name of the main character in Alexander Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. In the English-speaking countries it has been used since the end of the 20th century.