Russian names

[Muira]

We have family connections to Russia and, although we live in the UK, hope to give future DC a Russian name. Something easily pronounced in both countries would be great. We are stuck on boys names, really. Just TTC and playing with ideas, not actually pregnant. So far we've thought of:

Girls
Anastasia
Nadejda
Tatiana

Boys
Pavel
Alexei

Lika
Yulia

Anton

Those are nice although I don't like Tatty-Anna, makes me think of a manky old doll.

Ilya for a boy?

natasha friend off dd whose mum is russian

anastasia lovely but nn stacey

Ludmila

Alexei

Ilya is gorgeous, thanks Silk!
Tatty Anna would be the pronunciation here in UK, you're right.

Ooh, smiley I didn't think of Stacey as a nn. I really don't like that. An old friend called Anastasia is nn Zia, which is far prettier.

Natalia
Yuliana

Ivan maybe?

My cousins (boys)have been adopted from Russia and are called Nikita and Evgeni (not sure about spelling as they have decided to be called different names now.

Anastasia's nn can also be Ana, which is a name in itself in some ex-Soviet countries.

What about Valeria?

Boys:
Alexander (nn Sasha)
Nikita (you might have to bash a few ignorant heads who insist it's a girls' name)

Love Sacha and Nicolai for boys. We had both on the list for our DS but went for something Anglo-Saxon that now turns out to be Dead-Common .

Love Valery for a boy. And Sacha.

I like Anastasia and Alexei best from your choices :)

Love Russian names

Anastasia and Alexei would be my choices.

I like Vadim.

I bloody love Nadezda.

Ludmilla is also lovely.

And Zinaida.

Thank you guys so much, this stage is such dreamy fun!

GetOrf - it is bloody fabulous, isn't it?!

Both DH and I are loving for a girl Nadejda (spelt that way after a friend) and for a boy Ilya.

Keep the suggestions coming, they are ace.

Ooh Zinaida is really beautiful, thanks!

OOh Zinaida is a lovely name also.

I also know a Zaphia, though that is Polish I believe.

I used to work with a Nadege (russian-french version of the name I was told)

I know a guy called Nikolai, nn Kolya. Love that name.

Don't use Natasha. It's been over-used in Russia, and as a result of that, it's become shorthand (among some people) for "Russian girls" (of the easy/ gold-digging variety). Of course the people who are doing this are unpleasant, but best not to attract the attention of the unpleasant ones.

Zinaida is lovely, and I adore "Irina" and "Daria/Darya".

As for boys, there's always:

Roman (first syllable scarcely pronounced, and second syllable more stressed than in the English term "Roman")

Vitaly

Dmitri

and others I can;t bring to mind at the moment, but what fun to experiment with names across cultures! Hope you are enjoying this stage.

plu, you're right about over-use of Natasha and 'Tash' makes my teeth itch.

Kolya is lovely!

You guys are great at this.

what about natalia?

anushka
katya
anya
elena
kira
lara

oh I love Russian girls names, cant think of any boys ones #I like, though

Kiril - fav name ever.

Nina?

Tanya