Advice needed re: choice of name for a boy

[E11a]

Hello,
I am expecting my first child very soon. We still haven't decided on the name for him.
I am thinking of naming him Vladimir but my parents fear that he would get bullied at school with such a name and would rather I gave him an English name.
We live in London and I think it might not be such a problem as so many children have foreign names here anyway. Please let me know what do you think of this name.
By the way, the short version of Vladimir is not "Vlad", but 'Vova' or 'Volodya'.

[daftpunksConscience]

Vladimir would be okay in some parts of the country. My ds has a Baldizar in his class...noone says a thing.

Although Putin.

[bigbluebump]

Vladimir is a great name, especially if it relates to your ds's heritage.

We are also in London and hear so many different names, reflecting the huge cultural diversity here.

In my experience children rarely get bullied solely because of their name, unless the name is really silly e.g. Willy or similar. But Vladimir sounds like a perfectly normal name to me.

[sonniboo]

Vladimir is fine - and much more interesting/relevant to you than if you were to name him Jack or Charlie or similar.

Some mumsnetters seem to think that any name that is too 'chav', too 'posh' or too foreign sounding will be teaseworthy. No, children couldn't care less about their friends' names (unless, as previous poster said a name is really silly, like poopoohead or willy or something ).

Go for Vladimir!

[twosofar]

Is a wicked name! Don't try to blend in to sound more English...epecially if you are in London.
I would estimate that 50% of the kids in DS1's pre school have foreign/exotic/unusual names (Essien, Buster, Marius, Spike, Loveday to name but a few)

No-one will bat an eye

[E11a]

Thank you very much for your replies!This name has been in my family for generations,so nothing to do with Putin!
I would probably call the child 'Vova' for short though - would he automatically abbreviated to 'Vlad' at school? How does 'Vova' sound to the English ear(that's how Russians call their Vladimirs at home)? Vlad is actually short for a different name: Vladislav.

Our other options are: Timofei/Timothy or possibly George or Edwin.

[E11a]

P.S. Although we are thinking of a Russian name, but English name would be equally appropriate as the child is half English/half Russian.

[alarkaspree]

I think you'd have to be prepared for it to be shortened to 'Vlad' at school, yes. Children, boys especially, don't usually get to choose their own familiar names ime.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Just to answer your question about how 'Vova' sounds to the English ear - IMO it's a bit too similar to vulva, which could be a terrible source of amusement to other children (once they are old enough to have heard of a vulva of course).

[E11a]

Hmm... I didn't realise that it sounded similar to something rude.
Oh well, perhaps we shall stick to something safe like Tim then, although my husband is not convinced.

[mathanxiety]

Oh, please pick a good Russian name! Vladimir is great. You could use Volodya instead of Vovo.

[thrifty]

what about something like alexander (or russian equivalent of) then you can use sacha as a nn. personally i think though you should use vladimir if thats what you like, at least he wont be one of many in his class.

[imahappycamper]

What about Ivan?

[thrifty]

wasn't Ivan terrible though? whereas alexander was great

[Rockbird]

Definitely use a Russian name. Despite the fact that you don't have to be Irish to use an Irish name blah blah, not many people can really carry off Russian names like Vladimir so if you have a reason, go for it! There are a squillion different nationalities in London anyway so he won't stand out.

[Rockbird]

Prefer Volodya as well. Vovo sounds a bit, well, like a car

[twosofar]

Vladimir sounds a good strong name for a child and a man - cool and interesting

Tim is a bit of a wet lettuce kind of name (apologies to mothers of Tims but it's just howit sounds to me) and sadly Timofei sounds like you can't pronounce Timothy.

Definitely Vladimir (but agree with the Vova/vulva thing)

[E11a]

Thank you very much for supporting Vladimir!
As far as Russian names go, it's quite unusual for newborns to be called this name lately even in Russia itself. As far as Alexander is concerned, it has remained the most popular boy's name in Russia since 1978 so it is very widespread and it's a "safe" and international name. Also, my first cousin and also my husband's cousin are both called Alexander (despite one being English and the other Russian), so maybe to call our son Alexander would be too much? Thrifty, you are right, we could call him Sasha or Alex at home - both are safe options.
So, the dilemma is: whether to go for unusual name like Vladimir or for a safe one like Alexander?

What about Timofei or Timothy? Timofei is a very old Russian name - an equivalent of English "Timothy".

Ivan is sort of... I don't know. It's OK, but probably too old fashioned these days. Also, nobody in my family ever had this name, and I think it's nice to pick a name which has a tradition behind it

[E11a]

Ok, I am going to tell my husband that nobody seems to like Timofei so far, so it's a choice between Alexander and Vladimir then

[Rockbird]

I'm married to a Tim so I'll like it

[MamaLazarou]

Vladimir is an excellent, excellent name.

[oceryo]

Alexander

[E11a]

It all sounds very encouraging, thank you very much people!

[annasophia]

Definately Vladimir! Much more interesting/less common than Alexander and lovely to reflect his Russian heritage!

[E11a]

He is due tomorrow. Will see if he is going to make an appearance on time

[Manda25]

Vladimir is a great name ...i would call him Imir for short