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Baby names

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

Original poster

Ethnic names

64 replies

olga3860 · 04/05/2024 16:07

We are from Russia, however we live in the UK temporarily. We should be back before our daughter is born, however if we aren’t I worry her name would be hard to pronounce. A neighbour when I asked her yesterday said that these names are too hard to pronounce for our area, and that I should choose something less ethnic and more English. She recommended names but we would really like a Russian name for our daughter. People struggle with our sons names in our area, and our names, so I am not surprised. Maybe my accent is hard to understand? We have tried explaining how to say them all the time.

Aleksandra
Irina
Maria
Tatiana
Yekaterina

We had Xenia on our list, as well as Anastasia but people have said it would be too hard to pronounce the way we do.

Irina is my top name, however my husband does not mind. Her siblings are Vladimir, Nikolai, Anton, Mikhail and Kirill.

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Chaiilatte · 04/05/2024 20:58

What a pretty list of names. Love each one and can pronounce them all! Ignore the neighbour!

CelesteCunningham · 04/05/2024 20:55

Yeah your neighbour is crazy. I'm not from a multicultural area at all and would be fine with having a decent stab at all of those names, and more than happy to be corrected on my pronunciation if I was wrong (the vowels in Irina could have a few different sounds for example).

Of course you want to give your daughter a Russian name.

Newsenmum · 04/05/2024 20:54

This is ridiculous. You tell someone the name . They say oh, how lovely! Pronounce like this? Yes. That’s it. 🤷‍♀️

Brexile · 04/05/2024 20:52

olga3860 · 04/05/2024 20:14

She would pronounce it Blad-i-mer, but we say Vlah-dee-meer. I tried to explain it several times, but she still cannot say it.)

She's remarkably thick and / or trolling you, and the only further thing you need to say to her is "Go away".

"Bladimer", chrissakes. All your names are nice.

Original poster
olga3860 · 04/05/2024 20:50

I think I like Irina, Yekaterina/Ekaterina and Tatiana the best out of my list. It is difficult picking one, I had so many girl names listed from when I was a young girl and ended up having 5 sons and no chances to use them until now!

OP posts:
Kittybelle123 · 04/05/2024 20:30

They are lovely names OP 😊

I, too, recognise and would have no problem with any of these names (English born and bred). I have also come across people young and older with all of the names you have listed, including Xenia and Anastasia with the Russian pronunciation (London).

Please go with the name you feel happiest with - in general English people will try their best to get it right and look for guidance from you if they get it wrong - in general they won't mind and will go with your direction!

AsYouMightBe · 04/05/2024 20:27

You were talking to a Little Englander. Ignore her and give your child the name you want from your own culture/language. DS’s school has lots of new Ukrainian children, with Ukrainian names, and people manage just fine.

ClaudiaWinklepanda · 04/05/2024 20:23

Has your neighbour never heard of the name Vladimir before? I think she’s best ignored.

I’m intrigued by what would be a ‘soft K’ as mentioned by a PP.

Blacknailer · 04/05/2024 20:19

Your neighbour is being ridiculous. Pick the name you like the best.
They are fine for English people.

wutheringkites · 04/05/2024 20:18

olga3860 · 04/05/2024 20:14

She would pronounce it Blad-i-mer, but we say Vlah-dee-meer. I tried to explain it several times, but she still cannot say it.)

Honestly op, she sounds a bit dim. Just ignore her

ArseholeCatIsABlackAndWhiteCat · 04/05/2024 20:18

olga3860 · 04/05/2024 20:14

She would pronounce it Blad-i-mer, but we say Vlah-dee-meer. I tried to explain it several times, but she still cannot say it.)

A lot of the time it's won't rather than can't so don't pay any notice to her.

Which name do you actually like best?

Original poster
olga3860 · 04/05/2024 20:14

She would pronounce it Blad-i-mer, but we say Vlah-dee-meer. I tried to explain it several times, but she still cannot say it.)

OP posts:
Godesstobe · 04/05/2024 20:05

Pick the name you like best. They are all nice. None of the names you mention are difficult to pronounce and your neighbour sounds a bit odd. Please don't take her advice and call your DC Khloe (or anything else she suggests)!

TheTimeTravellerswifeisaFraser · 04/05/2024 19:58

They’re all fine OP. Pick the one you like best. English people will figure those out in 2 or 3 tries at most.

wutheringkites · 04/05/2024 19:54

@Brexile

But does that matter? Op isn't saying that she can't handle having a Russian name pronounced slightly differently, she's saying someone has told her it's unpronounceable to English people.

welshycake · 04/05/2024 19:46

Please choose a name you love. People who matter will make an effort to get it right

Brexile · 04/05/2024 19:45

wutheringkites · 04/05/2024 16:47

She couldn't pronounce Vladimir? People are normally familiar with that name.

I would not factor this person's capabilities or views into your decision here.

Show quote history

I think English people tend to stress the first syllable of Vladimir, whereas you're supposed to stress the second (hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong).

I think the other names are easy to pronounce. It wouldn't matter if you had to change Aleksandra to Alexandra because it wouldn't change the transliteration into cyrillic.

Original poster
olga3860 · 04/05/2024 18:33

Yes it would be shortened within our family but I was thinking about people who would know her as a long name not a short form! I guess I can always try to explain it)

OP posts:
Original poster
olga3860 · 04/05/2024 18:31

Mylobsterteapot · 04/05/2024 17:46

I wouldn’t bay an eyelid over the pronunciation of any your children’s names, eclectic maybe Kirill because I don’t know if it’s a hard K or a soft K.
I like all your suggested names, and they’d be perfectly fine for a child in the UK. Maria must be about the most international name ever!

Kirill would be kih-reel! A hard K I think would describe it. I don’t know how to describe it in English!)

OP posts:
Mylobsterteapot · 04/05/2024 17:46

I wouldn’t bay an eyelid over the pronunciation of any your children’s names, eclectic maybe Kirill because I don’t know if it’s a hard K or a soft K.
I like all your suggested names, and they’d be perfectly fine for a child in the UK. Maria must be about the most international name ever!

GrumpySock · 04/05/2024 17:32

But aren't you going to shorten the name anyway? Like Katya, Ira, Ksusha?

These are easy classic timeless names and compared to some you may come across in the UK they are totally a no problem.

BoleynMemories13 · 04/05/2024 17:30

Go for what you want. I would know how to pronounce all of your choices except the bottom one (but would quickly learn if I met one). I wouldn't say any of the others are difficult at all, especially Maria which is firmly top 100 over here due to the international appeal.

For what it's worth I'm also very familiar with all of your other children's names, but it does help that I teach in a very multicultural area I guess. I taught the most lovely little Kirill a few years back :-)

ArseholeCatIsABlackAndWhiteCat · 04/05/2024 17:28

I recognise them all and would know how to pronounce them but I am not English.

Irina would probably be the most mangled one, as it would be ayrina rather than eeirna.

I know one Catherine named after her EE grandmother , Ecaterina , but that might be too English for you. It could work though, but i'd cut the y at the beginning, unless that's the actual Russian spelling.

How much would it upset you if the name was pronounced the wrong way?

B0G0F · 04/05/2024 17:25

Stuck with a list | Mumsnet

agncndmkd128494 · 04/05/2024 17:09

I think they're all lovely names and not hard to pronounce at all, your neighbour is just being silly