From the Vyatichi to "branch": Kirov residents were told where the name of the Vyatka River came from.

      The Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Kirov Region has begun to talk about the region's hydronyms. The first subject of attention was the Vyatka River — the largest and main river of the region.

      There are several versions of the origin of its name, but there is still no definitive answer. It was previously common to hypothesize that the river was named after the Slavic tribe of the Vyatichi. However, modern researchers reject this theory due to the lack of historical evidence of the Vyatichi's migration to the northeast, as well as because of linguistic differences between the words "Vyatichi" and "Vyatchane."

      Among the alternative versions is an Udmurt one. According to it, the name could have derived from the self-designation of one of the Udmurt groups — "vatka", whose tribal territories were located in the middle and upper reaches of the river.

      There is also a linguistic hypothesis linking the name Vyatka to a word that denoted a long, winding river resembling a tree branch. Over time the pronunciation could have transformed into the familiar "Vyatka."

      Today the most widespread version is that the river's name is connected to the Old Russian word "vyatshe," meaning "bigger" or "larger," which emphasizes the significance of the Vyatka among neighboring tributaries.