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Baby names

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

I can’t decide on the name for my son

63 replies

Tkoko · 05/06/2025 14:05

Hi, I very badly need someone’s help. I live in Italy, with my Italian husband. I am Ukrainian myself. Our first daughter is Nikita and for our son I wanted to chose a name that would be slavic but still modern and international, and easy to understand in Italy. I am going crazy as nothing sounds perfect. I was thinking of Alexander (Sasha), Victor, Maxim or even Ian or Philip. But i am not able to understand if they are modern and good enough? What do you think?

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Tkoko · 08/06/2025 08:50

Plumedenom · 08/06/2025 07:01

You haven't commented on Milo. I have no idea if that is a Slavic name. However that is an unusual and excellent Italian name. I only know one. So unusual that it's timeless.
Alexander here in italy will become Alessandro no doubt, and his nickname will be "Ale" unless you keep his real name a secret and always call him Sasha. There are a million Alessandro's in Italy.
There is the name Nicola in Italy and it is firmly a boy's name. This is a good option that you could do with the letter l to make it more Slavic. It will be misspelt by italians but you just have to say "sono Nicola con la kappa invece della ci" and they'll understand. I will warn you that all the Nicola's I know are 30/40.
Modern names to consider here: Tomaso (Tommy), Diego, Ettore, Achille, Matteo, Luca, Alessandro, Daniel (and Daniele), Michele.

I know what the names are here in Italy… but wanted to chose one that sounds more Slavic… I just can’t find the one that I like… so I was thinking about Alexander (Sasha), Mikhail (Misha) or Aleksei or Maksim… but I just can’t take a decision.

OP posts:
Plumedenom · 08/06/2025 07:01

You haven't commented on Milo. I have no idea if that is a Slavic name. However that is an unusual and excellent Italian name. I only know one. So unusual that it's timeless.
Alexander here in italy will become Alessandro no doubt, and his nickname will be "Ale" unless you keep his real name a secret and always call him Sasha. There are a million Alessandro's in Italy.
There is the name Nicola in Italy and it is firmly a boy's name. This is a good option that you could do with the letter l to make it more Slavic. It will be misspelt by italians but you just have to say "sono Nicola con la kappa invece della ci" and they'll understand. I will warn you that all the Nicola's I know are 30/40.
Modern names to consider here: Tomaso (Tommy), Diego, Ettore, Achille, Matteo, Luca, Alessandro, Daniel (and Daniele), Michele.

Plumedenom · 08/06/2025 06:47

Victor is very easy for an Italian to pronounce as the spelling matches the pronunciation and it's a name they know. All the others have letters they'll mispronounce. I wouldn't worry about being modern as that changes and you can think you're doing something modern and then it ages badly. I'm English living in Italy for 11 years. I can certainly help you with perceptions of the names. Victor is definitely a good one though.

Razzmatazzle · 06/06/2025 19:56

This is a name of a friend of mine, I'm not sure what the nationality is perhaps Polish?
Kazamier, his nickname is Kaz, which I think is nice as a casual version of the name.

Eenameenadeeka · 06/06/2025 02:35

Another vote for Sasha! I think it's so lovely, I couldn't use it because it's used for girls where I live but I think it's such a lovely name for a boy.

AnneMarieW · 05/06/2025 22:51

WaltzingWaters · 05/06/2025 15:03

Alexander 100% from your list.

Maxim sounds a bit condom brandish.

And please not Ian!

🤣 I think that’s just the way your mind works tbh…

In English a “Maxim” is a phrase expressing a general truth - it’s a well known noun before anything else, unless it has a meaning I’m unaware of in other countries? I know about the old men’s magazine but that’s not published in the UK anymore.

OP I think Maxim is a lovely name - it’s popular in Slavic counties but also in French speaking ones too (although generally spelt Maxime in those) , whilst also being well known in English speaking ones thanks to the classic novel “Rebecca”.

I do really love Alexander too though - very timeless, international, lots of diminutives etc. Perhaps not as interesting as Maxim as everyone knows at least a few Alexander’s, but definitely a can’t-go-wrong sort of name with great historical namesakes too.

Nothing wrong with Victor or Phillip either - but Ian is considered a bit dated now, outside of Scotland where you still meet the occasional young one.

Mumofgirls2017 · 05/06/2025 22:29

Absolutely love Alexander, maxim and Victor!

meduskuka · 05/06/2025 21:19

I really like Mikhail- Misha and Aleksander - Sasha. Also Alexey, but I guess not so modern and harder to pronounce.

My eldest daughter is called Aleksandra, Sasha for short. We live in England (originally from Eastern Europe) and upon naming her I did not realise that those two names are in fact two different names in UK. The problem I have now- she( daughter) has already informed me that she is legally changing her name to Sasha once she is eighteen as hates name Aleksandra and is known as Sasha. 🤷‍♀️

healthybychristmas · 05/06/2025 20:52

Us that list I would definitely go for Maxim. I love that name.

prelovedusername · 05/06/2025 20:52

I’m surprised there’s no love for Victor. It’s a strong name, and you could start a trend with it!

olik252 · 05/06/2025 20:49

My son is called Michael but everyone he knows calls him Mischa. It started as a baby name and we expected he would be Michael by the time he starts school but it sort of stuck with him.

He gets a lot of compliment from random strangers on how nice his name sounds ☺️

(There was indeed a lot of confusion amongst the family whether we had a boy or a girl with a name like that but we couldn't care less)

MrsCarson · 05/06/2025 20:42

I love Sasha.

rockstuckhardplace · 05/06/2025 20:41

I like Maxim from suggestions others have made.

rockstuckhardplace · 05/06/2025 20:39

Tkoko · 05/06/2025 20:31

The way we say it in Russian is Artiom or Artyom… I am not sure it can be pronounced easily … otherwaise Artem doesn’t sound right

It's Артём? Didn't realise. Every day is a school day!

AllAroundMyGarden · 05/06/2025 20:36

Alexander is my favourite

I really dislike Ian and Philip

What about Hugo?

Tkoko · 05/06/2025 20:31

rockstuckhardplace · 05/06/2025 20:27

What about Artem?

The way we say it in Russian is Artiom or Artyom… I am not sure it can be pronounced easily … otherwaise Artem doesn’t sound right

OP posts:
IOYOYO · 05/06/2025 20:30

Ludo/Ludovic

rockstuckhardplace · 05/06/2025 20:27

What about Artem?

Hohofortherobbers · 05/06/2025 20:25

I love Alexander / sasha

You can't use Nickolai if your dd is Nikita.

Georgii is good too

ChocolateCinderToffee · 05/06/2025 20:12

Maxim is the name of the main male character in a very famous book, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, yet you really hear it used (I think possibly short for Maximillian). My favourite of your list would be Alexander/Sacha because I love Sacha as a shortening, but Maxim is very very good, a very strong name. It also has a meaning in English 'Maxim: a short statement of a general truth, principle, or rule for behaviour.'

HardRockHallelujah · 05/06/2025 20:12

coxesorangepippin · 05/06/2025 17:38

I don't know anyone who nicknames their Alexander's Sasha

I know a German Alexander, nickname Sascha. I really like it. Plus there's lots of possibilities apart from Sascha like Xander or Alex or Alexei even.

wizzler · 05/06/2025 20:05

Love Alexander nn Sasha . Also Mikhail nn Misha

Cotswoldmama · 05/06/2025 20:01

Im not keen on Alexander but love SASHA as a name in its own right. Also love Nikolai but maybe to similar to Nikita!

Nextdoormat · 05/06/2025 19:12

Tkoko · 05/06/2025 14:58

Yes Georgii or Gosha

Edited

Georgii love it.❤

Moreteaandchocolate · 05/06/2025 18:56

Maxim is my favourite! Or Nikolai.

Sasha and Misha I would assume were girls names if I heard them out of context.