It kind of sticks out though, most of the other names are derived from Arthurian legends, or at least based off Western names/words. Zhivago is derived from a Russian word/Slavic root for "life" (although it's formed in an archaic way).
Jericho is of Hebrew origin. Diane is of Greek origin and I can find more examples. It's more accurate to say that most of the names are derived from Indo-European origin, which includes the Slavic languages. In fact he doesn't seem to be using that much Arthurian names as you would expect seen the setting.
Yeah, but Diane is also a fairly common name (such as some of the others), while Jericho is a rather well-known name of a city. Zhivago is something more specific. It's not a regular word, and not an actual name or surname. It is pretty much only used in that book I mentioned (yes it's apparently derived from an archaic word, but it's not really known by itself). It would be like if, I don't know, there was a character named Gandalf. It would be a rather specific reference (even though the name itself was taken from Old Norse legends). It's the same with Zhivago. And that's why the name choice is making me curious. After all, Arthur and Merlin are obviously based off actual Arthurian legend characters they are named after (even if Merlin is a female).
The only real difference here is that Zhivago simply has only one real famous cultural reference, which makes it easier noticeable, but that's about it. That it's of Slavic origin is not important as he uses names from a variety of languages. Diane could be referring to Princess Diane, Dreyfus to the famous Dreyfus-affair, Margaret to Margaret Thatcher etc. so that one name has a more unique profile than another doesn't really have to mean anything either. In the end it depends on what the author associates with the name. A common name can hold an important meaning to him, while a rare name absolutely nothing. So he can have easily picked out Zhivago plainly because he liked it.
I'm aware; which is why I said I was curious whether there is any correlation or not, and not that I was sure there is. Sure, the reason it stood out for me is because I'm Russian (and classical literature is pretty much unavoidable due to school); I remember having the same feeling about Dolohov in Harry Potter - it is not a common Russian surname, but it has a relatively popular use in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace.
