She’s here - rhymey?

[christmascracker772]

Previously posted about our name list for our 3rd, and she is now here!

Siblings are Kristina and Nikolai, and just to clarify as it was a question on my last thread we are Russian.

Our options were Irina, Alexandra and Maria.

Now she’s here Maria definitely doesn’t suit her! DH and myself are leaning towards Irina, but Alexandra as a close second.

Is Kristina and Irina too rhymey? For clarification Irina is Ee-ree-na. There is 9 years between them both, so they won’t be in the same school etc.

People always make too big a deal out of things like rhyming names, alliteration, number of syllables in each name etc. In reality, no one will notice or care that the sisters' names rhyme. Or at best they'll say "Kristina and Irina, just noticed that rhymes" and then think about something else. And sibling names really don't need to "go" together at all - they'll be spending the majority of their lives apart anyway.

Alexandra is gorgeous and goes well with the other two. You won’t get Alex as a nickname if you get in first with Sasha (which is lovely also!)
I know an Aleksandra who has the nickname Ola, which is lovely too and has never been called Alex

Alexandra / Sascha 👍

Both lovely options. I don't think pronunciation would be a problem for Irina, not once she's been introduced. Not do I think Alex would be a problem. As others have said you'd just introduce her as Sasha wouldn't you. My dd has an uncommon diminutive and was never called anything else until secondary school and was given a new diminutive by her school friends. She now has several different names depending on who she's speaking to!

I always think of a shame that we have such fixed ideas about shortenings/diminutives in England, I much prefer the Russian way of there being a hundred different diminutives for every name, half of which have no resemblance to the name at all!

I remember your post and I would still say Irina is the best option.

Alexandra definitely.. Irina is a bit awful old ladyish...

Alexandra nn Sasha is lovely. You could have the former on the birth certificate and inform school they are "known as" Sasha.

I’m an Alexandra, known as Sasha. I’ve grown up in the UK and find the name a hassle tbh… Despite, I’d have thought, not being that unusual where I live / work (relatively cosmopolitan areas) I always ends up giving my life story as Brits don’t tend to have heard the diminutive before.

I’d go with Irina, which is gorgeous and on my list for DC3!

The same happens for Nikolai, as he’s known as Kolya, it’s always a question. It’s understandable though!

We do like Natalia but neither of us can imagine her as Natalia, but it’s definitely on our list if we ever have a 4th.

After my first two I didn’t think naming could be so hard! Their names came easy! I think if it weren’t for the slight rhyme this would’ve been easy too, but I have been thrown off.

Irina is lovely, not too rhymey in my opinion.

If you start Sasha as a used name early on they it should stick so Alex won’t be used. If you just use Alexandra then then there is a good chance it may become Alex.

I hope so if we choose it! This is harder than I expected. DH has changed his mind on Alex as before he didn’t mind but now he does, which is off putting. I think we are starting to lean towards Irina, but I don’t want her name to feel impersonal if she grows up to think they are too similar!

Alexandra is my favourite!
Congratulations!

Alexandra nn Sasha is absolutely gorgeous ❤️ and I think easier for Brits to understand.

The only thing I'm not sure about is that Sasha is a male name in Russia/Eastern Europe, I thought? I prefer it for a girl as I think it's quite a soft sound but will people think she's a boy? Not that it is a major concern, Alex is also unisex.

I love it, but it is too rhymey

Alexandra nn Sasha?

Irina is fine with your other girl's names, I don't think the slight rhyme is too twee or gimmicky at all. Especially with the differences in their ages etc. The meaning of Irina is beautiful. Go with what your heart is telling you!

It does rhyme but it seems to be the name you love the best, so in this instance, I'd say go for it :)

I think it might be worth considering whether the two names are easily confused when called from a distance. It sounds slightly random, but we had neighbours, two of whose children were called Jude and Luke, and they said they’d never have chosen names that sounded so similar when shouted up the stairs, because all the kids heard was a vague ‘oo’ sound, and both always claimed they thought the other one was being called and ignored the summons!

I don't think it's a given that she'll get called Alex. These days she's more likely to get Lex/Lexi/Lexia I think, based on girls at the school where I work. I think if you call her Sasha from the beginning that also means she's more likely to stay a Sasha.

Kristina and Irina do sound quite rhymey to me, but not sure it's a total deal breaker.

Sadly you'll get Eye-reena even from teachers. I have several Ukrainian friends who have come over as refugees and almost all now respond to a UK pronunciation as it's just not worth the hassle, even from teachers, employers, homes for Ukraine host families... I know an Irina, Ivan, Denis, Natalya (who gets Natalie), Ecaterina (Katy) - people are rubbish!

Sasha is used for Alexander and Alexandra as a diminutive in Russia 😊

That is a good point about calling for both of them with the similar sounds, I didn’t think of that nor did DH

@christmascracker772 , Kristina and Irina sound more different than Jude and Luke.

You could test it out by calling the wrong name - if you call "Irina" up the stairs and Kristina answers then maybe they're too similar?

We call Kristina Kristya at home mostly, so I suppose it may be a non issue but for the times we so! DH says they do not sound so similar. Irina would likely be Ira and Alexandra Sasha. I think Kolya and Kristya sound more similar and they do not mix up.