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Maybe they sound funny or outdated?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!

[JuliaEf]

As for Elena, I have 4 (!) Elenas among my closest relatives, Natalya is my aunt, Olga and Tatyana are my cousines. I've got an idea that a name has to be quite unique and you don't want to feel that you name your baby in honour of a relative or a friend. It is also not good from an energetiс point of view - it's like your child is going to inherit the character and fate of the person after whom he (she) is named. Anna, Maria and Sofia are just too popular in Russia right now. Alexandra to me sounds very masculine, because its male form Alexander is No.1 name for boys in Russia.
This leaves me with Emilia, Sylvia, and Vera for my short list. They are certainly not in TOP-20 in Russia, but still familiar to most people. They are tender and feminine (to my ear). Still do not want to strike out Leontia, this will be anyway a hard choice...

[Irritatedmama]

How about Lara (Larissa)?

[Kr1stina]

Don't you like Marina, Maria ,Viktoria or Katya ?

[ummlilia]

Another one I like is Lilia

[SnowWhite33]

How about Valentina, Daria, Tamara, Valeria or Marina?

[CancellyMcChequeface]

Emilia, Sylvia and Vera are all very nice! I'd probably choose Emilia from those three. I also love Nadezhda, but you're right that some English speakers might have trouble with the pronunciation initially.

I haven't come across Leontia or Leoncia before either, sorry!

[JuliaEf]

Marina is my mom, Viktoria is my niece, Katya and Maria are friends - these are all occupied:)))
I like Larissa and suggested it just several days ago to my husband, but he declined. With Lilia it is vice versa - my husband likes it, and I do not fancy it so much. Maybe I am wrong? It actually fits our surname and patronymic. Lilia and Lily are 2 different names or variants of one?

[123bananas]

I used to teach a lovely girl called Vera. Also a name in my English family. I like it.

Silvia and Emilia are also nice spelling doesn't matter as would sound the same.

Lilia/Lila/Liliana- would become Lily here also nice.

Also don't discount the name you love. My daughter's both have unusual foreign names with unusual pronounciation, even though they are British born (mixed heritage) and everyone in school/friends/family have learnt how to pronounce them. In the UK there are so many different cultures people are used to different names, particularly in the major cities.

[Sugarpiehoneyeye]

Larissa
Lana
Anya
Monica
Fiona

[SirChenjin]

Silvia/Sylvia and Emilia are lovely names. Also love Lera, Sveta and Katya

[Astoria7974]

Try sanskrit names?
Radha
Uma
Amaya
Arya

[drinkyourmilk]

I love Vera. Just my two pennies worth from a northern brit.

[znaika]

Ulyana.

[user1473882712]

How about Nina??? Or Marina?? Both lovely Russian names.

I think Matilda has a real international jet-setting feel to it & would be easy to pronouce in Russia?

What are the current trends in Russia? Every Russian I know is either Tatiana, Julia, Anna, Elena, Svetlana, Maria or Oksana....(& they say all their relatives/friends have the same names) was it common in Russia at one time to name after family members?

[AlmostNQT]

I had a Russian friend who's name was spelt "Aleksandra" I've always loved the spelling!

[MoreProseccoNow]

How about Saskia?

Of all the names mentioned, Emilia, Katya & Lila are the nicest.

[JuliaEf]

We thought about Ulyana, it perfectly fits our names - Julia and Ilia. All the three would sound so similar. But my main concern was that it is not quite international, so would be difficult to pronounce. Do you really know the name Ulyana and think it is nice?
Nina and Marina are our moms' names:))) Matilda is usually used in jokes and has a comic touch to it (in Russian).
The names you mention were extremely common in 1970-s - 1980-s, that is why I say that we were 5 Julias in the class. There was no Internet at that time, and people just used a limited set of names, so they were highly repetitive. And of course it was impossible to use a name from another culture/country, because the Soviet Union had an iron curtain, you know. Now we have a greater choice.
TOP-10 in Russia right now are: Sofia, Anastasia, Darya, Maria, Anna, Viktoria, Polina, Elizaveta, Ekaterina, Ksenia.

[TronaldDump]

I think Nadezhda is beautiful and Nadia is recognised in the UK and much of Europe too so she could go by the diminutive.

Valentina/Valya is so pretty too, although the only Russian ones I know are middle aged. So funny how names sound when you have fewer associations vs growing up with them!

[Foureyesarebetterthantwo]

If you like the name 'Leontia' then go for it! You asked for opinions on what an international name might be, and although 'Leontia' isn't a name I've heard before, it's fine to say it, and people will learn how you like it said. I have lots of students from all around the world and frequently have to make the effort to say new names, also among our friends (where there is an Elena, Theodora, Anna, Sofia). Even if you recognize the name, it doesn't mean you are saying it like that person would do! Pronunciation differs across the world anyway.

The most important thing is that you and your husband like the name, not whether it is incredibly international and said the same in all languages (which names often aren't).

[ChequeredPasta]

What about Eva?
Very international, and quite trendy at the moment. And lovely!

[RebelRogue]

What about Liliana? Not sure if russian enough,but it is eastern european,and would travel well as Lilly,Liana

[RebelRogue]

Or Lydia(one pd my favourites) or Olesya?

[Katielou75]

Russian names are amazing; I have a Lara- who may well have been Anastasia if I had been braver!

[crabb]

About Vera - it is pronounced Vee-ra in English, but would it not be Vay-ra or V-air-ah in Russian? Would that be a problem? It's quite an older lady name in English although perhaps due for revival!
(Whatever you do, don't name her what my Russian parents named me - they liked Vera but it was too old-fashioned when I was born - so I ended up with Veronica. I hate it 🙁)

[ladamanera]

Anouschka?