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Is Anoushka a name that you can actually use in RL?

47 replies

HarderToKidnap · 28/05/2014 12:55

Or just an MN name. You know, like Ptolemy.

I also like Dalia, Esther and Claudia.

DH likes Leah.

OP posts:
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thegreylady · 28/05/2014 14:20

There is a Ptolemy in dgs' class.

burgatroyd · 28/05/2014 14:22

Don't know any Anoushkas. Love the name

Longdistance · 28/05/2014 14:23

Bleurgh, I don't like Anoushka. I knew one, and she was horrid.
Leah, is common in my home town.

Dahlia, Claudia and Esther are much nicer.

Are you after something that ends in an 'a' or 'er' sound?

HarderToKidnap · 28/05/2014 14:24

Yes, defo an "a" ending as that flows best with our surname. Pref Hebrew in origin but that's not a must.

OP posts:
Jacksmania · 28/05/2014 15:37

It's my name in RL, spelled slightly differently.
Please, I would sincerely recommend you don't call your daughter Anoushka.
Going through life with such an unusual name, especially in an English-speaking country, is really difficult.

You can't imagine how annoying it is to introduce yourself, and have people draw back and say, variously:
"What?"
"Say that again?"
"Where's that from?"
"Oh... were you not born here?"
"How do you spell that?"
"Do you have a nickname?"
"Yeah... I won't remember that."
"An... Ana... Anoooo... what?"

Occasionally people are lovely. "Oh, what a beautiful name!" Which is nice. But it's usually followed by questions about where I'm from or where my parents are from and why did they call me that, and it just gets exhausting.
I hate introducing myself. Or spelling my name. Or having people look at my name and say "I have no idea how to pronounce that."

As I said above, my name is spelled slightly differently. A real highlight was when a classmate in school shouted at me that the first four letters of my name spell ANUS. I can still remember the entire class rocking with laughter. Even the teacher. He tried not to, but he had to hide a grin. Nice.

Please, just don't. Please pick something else. Leah is beautiful. If I could pick any name for myself now, as an adult, I'd choose Claire. About as different from Anoushka as you can get :)

florascotia · 28/05/2014 15:44

This may not matter, but Anouschka /Annushka etc is a diminutive of /pet name for 'Anna'. Russian in origin,like Babushka (= an affectionate name for grandmother).

thesaurusgirl · 28/05/2014 16:10

I was at school with an Anoushka. Her nickname was Noo-noo Hmm.

mathanxiety · 28/05/2014 16:44

Dinah
Aliza
Maya
Beulah
Aviva
Lila
Rivka / Rebecca
Freida
Eliana
Chaya
Tova
Chana (Hannah)
Chava (Eva)
Dafna /Daphne
Sarah
Shifra
Talia
Shoshana / Susannah
Zipporah

PilauMice · 28/05/2014 17:23

Hepzibah?

Viatrix · 28/05/2014 17:25

It's usable in real life. I've met one who went by 'Noush'

Jacksmania · 28/05/2014 18:26

People have tried to hang "Noush" on me. Or "Noushie".
No. Just no.

Anyway - just my experience having lived with the name. I really can't recommend it.

manicinsomniac · 28/05/2014 21:42

I knew an Anoushka when I was young. I guess she'll be 27ish by now (wonder if it's you *Jacksmania! )

I think it's beautiful. I wouldn't put it in the Ptolemy camp at all. Ptolemy is, to me, a posh name whereas Anoushka is one from another culture (yes, I know Ptolemy is Greek but it seems to be chosen by posh people whereas Anoushka would be chosen by people with Russian heritage).

Serenitysutton · 28/05/2014 21:44

Love anoushka. Leah's are always horrible :(

SanityClause · 28/05/2014 21:49

DD2 has a friend called Anoushka. I also know an Anoushka who would be about 30. Strangely, the older one went to the same school that the younger one attends now. There's also a Clementine there, but not a Ptolemy or an Arlo, because its a girls' school.

Gibbsismine · 28/05/2014 21:52

I like Anoushka, only know one. I like Petrushka too. Don't like Leah at all, sorry.

miffybun73 · 28/05/2014 22:01

Anoushka is lovely.

Ptolemy is ridiculous.

Leah is just awful.

thegreylady · 29/05/2014 11:22

Little Ptolemy is 6 now and always known as Tolly :) At primary school he has never been teased for his name.

fromparistoberlin73 · 29/05/2014 11:24

Its the kind of name an ecclestone girl would like, sorry!

NigellasDealer · 29/05/2014 11:25

Leah is just an ugly word on the page to be honest. Lia kind of looks better -irrational I know.

scarletforya · 29/05/2014 11:29

I don't like Anoushka, the pet name Nush is horrible.

There was one on big brother a few years ago she was really narcissistic which put me off.

CruCru · 29/05/2014 19:29

My DD is called Claudia. I am surprised at people finding Anoushka difficult to say / spell but then I suppose some people mispronounce really normal names. I like Esther. I don't like Dalia because I don't know how to say it (is it Daylia?). I also don't like Leah.

Would you consider Miriam? I find it a similar sort of name to Esther and Claudia.

TheHorseHasBolted · 29/05/2014 21:26

I like Anoushka - it's unusual but in a good way, a bit exotic and intriguing. I like Annie or possibly Anouk better as a sort form than N(o)ush, although I have known a rather cool Noush, who was short for an even more unusual Armenian name.

I agree with NigellasDealer that the spelling Lia is somehow much prettier than Leah. Quite like the other names on your list but Dalia will probably get misspelt as Dahlia!

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