Volodya is a Russian diminutive of Vladimir. Vladimir originates in Slavic languages and means "ruler of the world". In Russian speaking countries, as well as other Eastern European languages, it is one of the most popular masculine given names. The famous bearers of this name include Vladimir Putin, former President of the Russian Federation, and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, 20th century Russian Marxist revolutionary. In the United States, the usage of Vladimir is very rare.