International-sounding name for a Russian baby girl

[JuliaEf]

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Maybe they sound funny or outdated?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!

[user1477282676]

I love Silvia or Sylvia.

I also like Femke.

[EssentialHummus]

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.

[MadeForThis]

How about Sonya or alexia?

[Foureyesarebetterthantwo]

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.

[Foureyesarebetterthantwo]

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.

[EssentialHummus]

Am I the only one who thinks of Vera Lynn?

[JuliaEf]

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.

[JuliaEf]

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?

[Foureyesarebetterthantwo]

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.

[GiddyGiddyGoat]

Vera is a great name.
Also love Olga.

[Manumission]

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

[Manumission]

Is Yelizaveta the Russian rendering of Elizabeth? I think that's so pretty.

Fiona will outlast Shrek connotations and it's pretty and travels well but it's a 1970s name.

[JuliaEf]

I am happy to hear that Fiona's associations with Shrek are not so strong as it seemed to me and as I read on Russian name forums.
Yes, Yelizaveta = Elizabeth, but also too common in Russia right now:)
Actually, our favourite name was Leontia (for me) and Leoncia (for my husband). To us, it seemed elegant and unusual at first. In Russian it is pronounced like l i O n t i y a or l i o n S i y a. But then we went into doubts about how this name is pronouced in the world and how it is generally perceived. I see from most of your comments, that it is almost unknown and hard to pronounce, which is a pitty for me. We need to consider other options.

[Manumission]

How about Leonora or Letitia (several alternative spellings of that one). Do they work in a Russian context?

[Kr1stina]

Svetlana won't work in English. Sveta is a beautiful name in Russian but with an English intonation it will sound like sweaty and in American English it sounds like sweater .

Valentina is not a well known name here but everyone would know how to pronounce and spell it. And Valya is fine.

Olga is seem as an ugly name here, although Olya is fine.

You need to also think about how the diminutive works in English .

Tatiana and Ekaterina will be pronounced ok , but you will need to correct spelling, because the sound in the middle is translated ya or ia ( sorry I don't have Cyrillic letters on my keypad ) .

English speakers will struggle with Nadezhda and Nastia is terrible in English .

[Sophronia]

I really like Vera and Sylvia.

[Kr1stina]

I guess you know that English speakers consider the name and the diminiutuve / familiar form to be completely different names?

So they will not know that Anna , Anya and Anoushka are the same name.

That's why people say things like " I like Tanya but not Tatiana/Tatyana "

[Kr1stina]

What about Victoria, Elena or Emma ?

Vera is lovely although quite traditional here but looks very odd as Bepa.

[JuliaEf]

I personally like both Leonora and Letitia (if pronounced Letisia), but I feel for Russia they would be too exotic. Here people get shocked by names that are in a strong contrast with the surname, and our surname is very Russian, traditional and simple.

[OlennasWimple]

Emilia is lovely

Anna / Anya

Maria

Sofia

Nichola

[Manumission]

Well then;

Helena/Yelena/Elena has to be the most international name ever (my opinion).

Alexandra/Shura?

Natasha/Natalya is also very well known.

And your Emilia/Amelia idea travels well.

[originalmavis]

I've met many Russian Elenas but never a Catherine (as in 'the great').

[JuliaEf]

Wow, I have not expected so many comments starting this thread, you really help me to get a clearer picture in my head, to sort out my names list, thank you!
Yes, I like Svetlana in Russian, but often hear it shortened to Lana in English, which is not so nice:( Neither do I like associations with "sweat" or "sweater". I remember one of my foreign partners struggling to pronounce this name in full - ZVIETLANA, it was hard for him, a real tongue-twister.
I also do like the name Valentina, it sounds soft and tender, though a little old-fashioned for Russia.
Thank you for the hint about the diminutives, I sometimes consider them as 2 different names myself, that is why I am thinking about a name with either no diminutives at all or those that sound similar to the full form.
My colleague Nadezhda introduced herself as Nady to foreign partners, and all girls who are Nastia in Russia prefer to call themselves Asia or Stasia because of the association with the word "nasty".

[EssentialHummus]

OP, apologies for the slight hijack, but what are the equivalent Russian websites to Mumsnet where people discuss baby names? Our boy's name is the subject of hot controversy and I'd love the opinion of a bunch of Russian mums.

[HolisticAssassin]

Lydia, Yana or Valentina for me.