Thoughts on these boy names?

[deliwoman1]

Levin, Lev, or Liev (pronounced Lee-ev, like Liev Schreiber)?

We're very stuck for boys names and wondering if one or more of these should make it onto the shortlist? We've got a really long surname for the little guy, so only after short-ish names. Possibly going for something like James as a middle name.

Levin is 100% nicked from Anna Karenina, but we mostly just like how it sounds and would likely NN Lev (probably would with Liev too)! Is it corny to give him a name of a literary character? We're both arty farty literary types also so... 🙄😂

We're not Jewish or Russian, either, so really not sure.

Levin was a Konstantin or Kostya. I'd associate the name more with Bernard Levin. I liked Levin and Kitty, far more interesting that Anna and Vronsky. Dolly even more.
Lev - again I would think Jewish
Liev - I think people will say it to rhyme with chicken kiev.

Kevin, Kev or Kiev?

Liev

I like all of those, don’t know any.

Ooh @EoinMahoney, Kevin, Kev, and Kiev have made me seriously rethink all three. 😂I suppose they could be misheard as these (though I think there's quite a difference between the L sound and the K sound). I wouldn't like that at all!

I agree re. Levin & Kitty :-)

There is a difference between K and L, and all the names are fine apart from Kiev. They are close in the alphabet.
Levin might get mixed up with Lenin.

Would someone be familiar with Levin if they hadn't read the book?

Dolly, Varya and Agafya are good names. I like Anna but know a few and wouldn't think Karenina/of the Five Towns.

I know a few parents of Rebeccas who said it was their favourite book.

Lev is gorgeous and underused with a great meaning- although I’ve always pronounced it with a short “e” as “Lehv” .

Liev - I want to pronounce with a long “ee” like “Leev” for some reason, I had no idea it was supposed to be 2 syllables! I’ve never met one in RL.

Less keen on Levin - it looks like a surname to me.

I like Lev the best. When I had my youngest I watched a documentary with Levison Wood who I thought was gorgeous and considered Levison as a name for about a week but it didn't go with our other children's names.