title: Olesya (given name)
text: # Olesya (given name)
  
  Olesya (Ukrainian and Russian: Олеся), may also be spelt Olessia or Olesia, is a feminine given name.
  
  Olesya is a Slavonic name that derives from a word "lyess" (Ukrainian "ліс", Russian "лес" - forest) and means "a girl from the forest", "a girl living in the forest". A different version of the origin of the name states that Olesya is a variant of the name Alexandra, and thus acquires the meaning of "protector". The names Alesya and Lesya can be considered variants of Olesya.
  
  Notable people with the name include:
  
  * Olesya Aliyeva (b. 1977), Russian alpine skier
  * Olesya Babushkina (b. 1989), Belarusian gymnast
  * Olesya Bakunova (b. 1980), Belarusian sprint canoer
  * Olesya Barel (b. 1960), Russian basketball player
  * Olesya Belugina (b. 1984), Russian gymnast
  * Olesya Chumakova (b. 1981), Russian middle-distance runner
  * Olesya Dudnik (b. 1974), Ukrainian gymnast and coach
  * Olesya Forsheva (b. 1979), Russian athlete
  * Olesya Hudyma (b. 1980), Ukrainian artist, poet and journalist
  * Olesya Kurochkina (b. 1983), Russian football player
  * Olesya Mashina (b. 1987), Russian footballer
  * Olesya Nazarenko (born 1976), amateur wrestler, judoka and sambo player from Turkmenistan
  * Olesya Nurgalieva (b. 1976), Russian ultramarathon runner
  * Olesya Povh (b. 1987), Ukrainian sprinter
  * Olesya Rostovskaya (b. 1975), Russian composer, theremin player, carillonneur, organist, Russian zvon bell-ringer
  * Olesya Rulin (b. 1986), Russian-American actress
  * Olesya Stefanko (b. 1988), Ukrainian beauty pageant winner
  * Olesya Syreva (b. 1983), Russian athlete
  * Olesya Velichko (b. 1981), Russian modern pentathlete
  * Olesya Vladykina (b. 1988), Russian Paralympic swimmer
  * Olesya Truntaeva (b. 1980), Russian footballer
  * Olesya Zabara (b. 1982), Russian triple jumper
  * Olesya Zamula (b. 1984), Azerbaijani wrestler
  * Olesya Zykina (b. 1980), Russian athlete
  