Stiliyan for a boy?

[ttcAlex]

Hi all. What do you think of the name Stiliyan for a boy? Does it sound/look too weird? His surname would also be foreign.

(If any football fans out there - yes, his father IS a huge fan of Stiliyan Petrov from Aston Villa, and yes, we are both Bulgarian living in the UK )

It's fine, Assuming your surname isn't british sounding, which may be a bit weird

Is there an Eastern European community where you love as again it would fit in more. I think if he stays at The same school children will grow up with it and think it's just a name, rather than a strange name

Love it and as previously mentioned well known here in Scotland where his name sake is affectionately known as Big Stan As an aside I was at his testimonial charity match when he returned after cancer, very emotional day. Lot of love for SP

I'm more optimistic after reading some of the posts this morning, thank you. Stiliyan Petrov is indeed a big inspiration for the name, but not the sole reason for it. We wanted a name beginning with "S" (his dad's name first letter), that also has a nice meaning ("strong, steady" from Greek) and a Saint that shares the same name (that's a big thing in our culture).
We do not live in Scotland, but I would have thought Petrov is equally well known in England, given his football career and where he played. His nickname in the UK has always been Stan, I think that's a nice short version of his name for people who find it hard or awkward to pronounce his full name

The longer the thread goes on, the more I like it!

I like it. There's no harm in having a "different" name, otherwise we'd all be called Karen. I find some of the answers on this thread quite bizarre

Btw one of his sons' name is Stiliyan Jr (they live in the Uk as far as I know), so I assume he must not have had a very hard time with his name if he named his son that

When I read the title, I thought no. But reading the thread, because of his heritage it's really growing on me. Yan is a super cool nn.

He can also choose his own nickname / shortened version as he gets older, IF he wants to.

"Hi, I'm Stiliyan – you can call me Stan if it's easier."

I think it's a great name – also never heard it before but I like it!

I really like the name - and both Stan and Yan are great shortenings. Might sound a bit strange if the surname was British, but it's not, so hooray, go for it, OP.

That's a terrific name. If you are in Birmingham he will get called Still or Steel as it is usual to shorten names to one syllable there. Steely Yan would be a smashing nn if you like the band Steely Dan.

I think it sounds great. And I don't think there's a risk of anyone calling him Silly Jan or Stillborn 😂

I think it's a good name. Easy to say, fits in with your heritage and easy to spell. Sounds cool too.

I really like it!

Whoever said 'stillborn' needs to get a grip of their overactive imagination.

Never heard of it but I quite like it.
Only a narrow minded idiot would discriminate on the basis of a name so i wouldn't worry too much about that. We do live in a multicultural society and it is 2020 after all...
I've worked in a school and heard all sorts of names over the years.
My own name is so bland, must be nice to have an unusual name!

Stallion, as nicknames go, is pretty good!
Kids will make up nicknames whatever the name.

Love it.

completey agree @Asterion

Probably not a major consideration in choosing a name but if dad and son both have the same initial, post will become a pain when your DS is older as post generally comes addressed to Mr S Surname. (Unless your DH is a Dr, Prof, or something, in which case it won't be a problem!)

I like it a lot! Never heard it but it's easy to pronounce and spell. It's lovely to have a name from his heritage. I'm astonished by some of the negative replies tbh - there will be names from all backgrounds around throughout his life!

I like it, the pronounciation is pretty clear from the spelling (to me anyway) so I don't think people would struggle with it much.

I wouldn't worry about discrimination for jobs etc, every place I've worked has had people with non-British names. And by the time your child is looking for jobs, I think "unusual" names will be less of an issue as more and more people are giving them to their children now.

Also I think Yan would be a lovely shortening if he wanted one at school

Great name, and a great man, I hope you use it OP!

WIth your Bulgarian heritage I can't think of a reason not to use this name! I like it.

Also remember that a completely foreign sounding name puts a person at a disadvantage when job hunting etc. as employers subconsciously think there might be language difficulties

This made me laugh. What a sweeping generalisation! Also, the baby isn’t even born yet but , yeah, think about his job prospects!
OP..I really like it! And I’m an employer!

Yan is a lovely nn, I think. You certainly have options there.

I think people can deal with any name they can 'hear' accurately, so make enough sense of to repeat. I have been introduced to people who names I can't 'hear' or remember, because I've never heard a combination of sounds like them. Once I get them, they seem completely normal to me.

Stiliyan doesn't have difficult sounds, I think. Just looks a bit complicated written down.