The name syrniki is derived from the word syr (сыр), which now generally means "(yellow) cheese" in Russian, but once partly stood for soft white cheese.[1][11] The Ukrainian language retains the old Slavic sense of the word, as in domashnii syr (домашній сир), whereas in Russian, the word for white cheese is tvorog (творог), which derived from Proto-Slavic tvorъ.[12]