Save Type Surname (from location) Usage History Scripts Ленин(Russian) Pronounced Pron. /ˈlʲe.nʲɪn/(Russian) [key·simplify] Meaning & History Surname adopted by the Russian revolutionary and founder of the former Soviet state Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), whose birth surname was Ulyanov. He probably adapted it from the name of the River Lena in Siberia. Categories dictators, history