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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

International-sounding name for a Russian baby girl

111 replies

JuliaEf · 30/01/2017 07:53

Hello, everyone!
I need your advice.
We live in Russia and are choosing a name for our baby girl who is soon to come.
We certainly have some typically Russian names on the list, but also consider more international-sounding names.
What do you think of the names below:

  1. Leoncia
  2. Leontia (almost the same like No.1, but more Russian version of it)
  3. Silvia
  4. Emilia (in Russian, it is Emilia, not Emily)
Do you have any negative associations with any of these names? Maybe they sound funny or outdated? Would you be surprised if you met a typical Russian girl with such a name? Thank you for your contributions!
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Manumission · 30/01/2017 12:30

Elizabeth/ Elisabeth
Coralie
Elspeth
Olivia /Livia
Louisa/ Luisa
Alice

GiddyGiddyGoat · 30/01/2017 12:09

Vera is a great name.
Also love Olga.

Foureyesarebetterthantwo · 30/01/2017 12:07

I like the name Fiona, I sort of think the Shrek thing is of it's age, and the new generation won't make the association with something of 20 years ago when she's at school. I do think of it myself, though.

Alexia is lovely, I like all names that can be shortened to Alex (as you can keep them long/shorten as you wish).

Sveta is sweet, but it isn't an international name in the way that even Emilia is.

Original poster
JuliaEf · 30/01/2017 12:03

By the way, I also considered the name Fiona - it is beautiful and short, but was confused by the Shrek series. Do you associate Fiona with Shrek or not? And if not, do you generally think this name is ok?

OP posts:
Original poster
JuliaEf · 30/01/2017 11:59

Alexia is a nice and "fresh" option, thank you for this idea!
I ruled out Sofia/Sophia and Sonya from the very beginning, since it is really No.1 now in Russia. Everybody I know name their girls Sonya:) I would really like something less common, because I remember us, 5 Julias sitting in the same class at school and being called by surnames...
And as for Svetlana, I agree, the full form of the name does not suit a little baby, but we have a shortened form - Sveta. So, it is ok for a baby and a girl.

OP posts:
EssentialHummus · 30/01/2017 11:58

Am I the only one who thinks of Vera Lynn?

Foureyesarebetterthantwo · 30/01/2017 11:50

Vera is also rather frumpy and not elegant sounding to English ears. Vera Drake, Vera Duckworth, it's an old ladies name which hasn't quite come full circle yet like Mavis.

Foureyesarebetterthantwo · 30/01/2017 11:48

Svetlana is just a very Russian name or at least common in Eastern European countries. I don't like it personally, it just never suits little babies (I know they grow up!) It's like calling a boy Victor or Igor, it is what it is- it denotes where they came from which is not a bad thing, but it's not international at all.

I love Alexandra, Alexandria, because you can use Alex.

Sofia/Sophia is a very common but very pretty name.

MadeForThis · 30/01/2017 11:43

How about Sonya or alexia?

EssentialHummus · 30/01/2017 11:36

I have a Russian husband and have never heard of Leontia/Leoncia.

I like Emilia from your list, and Vera - works well in both English and Russian.

I'm expecting our first and she will be Sophia/Sofia (not sure of spelling yet) if a girl.

user1477282676 · 30/01/2017 11:29

I love Silvia or Sylvia.

I also like Femke.

Original poster
JuliaEf · 30/01/2017 11:28

Thank you for this input!
As for Emilia - I can see it is super-popular all over the world, but still not so common in Russia - approximately 60th place among TOP-100 baby girl names. I think it makes a good balance of popularity.

OP posts:
goldenrachita · 30/01/2017 11:11

Silvia is really nice. I like Leoncia and Leontia (Leoncia is my preferred spelling but I don't think it matters, if Leontia is better for Russian speakers). It's not weird but it's unusual and attractive, so that ticks my boxes.

Emilia is a very 'typical 2016' name, in the top name lists all over the world at the moment along with Amelia etc, so if you like very popular names, it's a safe choice.

Original poster
JuliaEf · 30/01/2017 10:50

Thank you, Miri! It was good for me to learn that Leontia is hard to pronounce for many people. I work as a translator myself, so I do not mind tongue-twisters:) I even fancy names which are not too simple, but I cannot discard the opinion of the society. To an average Russian ear, this name sounds rather unusual as well.
It's great Nadezhda is also on your "like" list. I did not expect Svetlana and Nadezhda to be widely known beyond Russia.

OP posts:
MiriAmmerman · 30/01/2017 10:30

Emilia and Silvia are lovely, and would travel very well. Leontia is also nice, but I would think there would be more pronunciation confusion.

I also like:

Anya
Katya
Alexandra
Nadezhda
Elena
Sofia

FrankUnderwoodsWife · 30/01/2017 09:35

My favourite name is Alexandra.

Raines100 · 30/01/2017 09:31

Sylvia is coming back into fashion in the UK, which doesn't surprise me as I think it's beautiful. I know a newborn Sylvia and a 4 year old Sylvie, which is the French version.

My DD is Elena, which travels very well.

Original poster
JuliaEf · 30/01/2017 08:37

Yeah, thank you for this info. I will take it into account when making an international travel pass, because in the Russian spelling Sylvia and Silvia will be the same.

OP posts:
Weedsnseeds1 · 30/01/2017 08:35

Silvia is the Italian spelling.

tigertorch · 30/01/2017 08:28

Maria, Anna and Tania would travel well to the UK.

Shadowboy · 30/01/2017 08:25

Being of Russian descent I've never heard of your first two choices.
Not keen on the 3rd but love the 4th.
Names I know are
Natasha
Alena
Luda
Sasha
Anna
Klara
Svetlana

BikeRunSki · 30/01/2017 08:25

I think Vera would work very well!

Original poster
JuliaEf · 30/01/2017 08:23

Thank you so much for your precious comments, they help me a lot!!!
I am really surprised to learn that almost nobody has ever heard of Leontia/Leoncia, and that it is hard to pronounce. I believe, I will have to remove it from the list, then, because it is not known in Russia, either, and I do not want to make the life of my daughter difficult:)
In the Russian language, Silvia will be written with the Russian "и", but good to know that Sylvia is a more wide-spread option.
Emilia and Emily is popular in the world now, but not so much in Russia, which I like.
I am myself Julia (Yuliya), this name was I think within the top-10 in the 1980-s in Russia, together with all Tatianas, Annas and Anastasias. That is why now I want to choose for my daughter a less common name. Russian options that I consider are Vera, Svetlana and Nadezhda. Vera is actually my favourite, because I believe it should be easily integrated in any cultural context - short, clear and easy to pronounce.

OP posts:
MidnightSheep · 30/01/2017 08:18

I agree Katya is lovely (it was the Russian name I was given by my Russian teacher- we all had alternative Russian names)

I also love Ekaterina and Elizaveta.
Anastasia is well known internationally.

Also think Alyona, Galina and Marta are. International.

Out of your list I like Emilia most.

CointreauVersial · 30/01/2017 08:13

Have never heard of the first two. Emilia is lovely, though.

A friend of mine adopted a baby girl from Russia and called her Natasha. A standard name in England, but with a Russian ring to it.