If someone told you about a sibling set that consisted of [name]Mischa[/name] and [name]Anja[/name], what impressions would the names give you?
Would you assume the parents had Russian/Slavic ancestry? Having no other information, would you assume that [name]Mischa[/name] is a son or a daughter?
Would it be unexpected/weird for the parents to not have Russian/Slavic ancestry?
Help me answer these questions
Also, what do you think of the names [name]Mischa[/name] (for a boy) and [name]Anja[/name]?
I like the name [name]Anja[/name], although I personally like the spelling [name]Anya[/name] better. For [name]Mischa[/name] I think a lot of people would associate the name with [name]Mischa[/name] [name]Barton[/name] and assume it to be feminine, not to mention, names ending in -a are most commonly feminine. Not to say you canāt use it, but that would be something you would have to think about.
I donāt think thereās anything wrong with using a name from a different country or ethnic group, in fact I think its so common these days that most people wouldnāt think much about it, or maybe they would ask if you were Russian/Slavic, but not be too surprised if you said you werenāt and you just liked how the name sounded.
If I was told about that sibset, Iād assume they were two girls, and I wouldnāt assume they had and Russian/Slavic ancestry. I donāt think itās weird for parents to use names from countries when they have no connection to the country. It might be unexpected, but not weird.
I really like both names, but I do not like [name]Mischa[/name] for a boy. It sounds way too feminine for a boy to me, but I do love it for a girl. I like [name]Anja[/name] as well, but I do prefer the spelling [name]Anya[/name] more.
If I heard the set [name]Mischa[/name] and [name]Anja[/name] here, Iād probably assume they were two girls. [name]Just[/name] because outside of Slavic countries, [name]Mischa[/name] would probably be considered a mainly female name (like [name]Mischa[/name] [name]Barton[/name]). I do like [name]Mischa[/name] way more on a girl.
I donāt know if Iād assume that they were Russian or Slavic, some people maybe just like those names. If [name]Mischa[/name] was a boy, Iād definitely assume they were Eastern European, just because itās not common on a boy here at all.
If I saw it spelled [name]Anja[/name] and [name]Mischa[/name] Iād assume that the parents were indeed of slavic heritage and Iād assume that they had two girls.
However, if they used a nn version of [name]Anja[/name] Iād assume that [name]Mischa[/name] was the diminutive form of [name]Mikhail[/name] or [name]Michael[/name] - and therefore girl and boy.
Neither [name]Anja[/name] or [name]Mischa[/name] are really my style but I think they can both work on girls without the slavic connection, however, Iād be hesitant to use them together. The connection in origin seems to perpetuate the slavic-ness. If that makes sense.
Thanks for the input, guys. You have really confirmed my suspicions, but Iām glad I asked.
My husband and I both love [name]Mischa[/name], but it has been knocked down by everyone weāve suggested it to. It seems everyone in [name]America[/name] sees it as a feminine name. I had never heard of [name]Mischa[/name] [name]Barton[/name] before, but several people have mentioned it, so I guess itās a bigger connection than I thought. I think [name]Mischa[/name] really loses its appeal and spunk for me when used on a girl or in the middle name spot for a boy, so I guess Iāll just keep it on my āwishful thinkingā list.
Now that [name]Mischa[/name] is pretty much off the table, I think it makes [name]Anja[/name] completely usable. The spelling will stay [name]Anja[/name], as my husband is [name]German[/name] and prefers the Germanic spelling of names.
[name]Will[/name] [name]Anja[/name] face pronunciation issues in the United States?
[name]Anja[/name] will be very easy to pronounce once corrected, but I think many peopleās first instinct wil be āan-jah.ā I think, outside the Spanish community with names like [name]Jose[/name], the only recognized āj is yā name is [name]Sonja[/name].
[HR][/HR]Hm, I will dissent and say that I assume [name]Misha[/name]/[name]Mischa[/name] is a boy of Russian/Slavic heritage whose given name is [name]Mikhail[/name]. I prefer the spelling [name]Anya[/name], but I would assume she had ancestry in [name]Russia[/name] as well.
Eta I would be very surprised to meet a male Mischa with no Russian/Slavic heritage though.
I know someone whose daughter is [name]Anja[/name], spelled that way. They do have the heritage connection, though. You might have to correct some people, but I donāt think itās a name that would be a problem for everyone you meet like some names might be. I do agree that youād probably run into gender confusion issues with [name]Mischa[/name]. We named our male dog [name]Sasha[/name], which is a perfectly acceptable name for a Russian boy, but people give us a hard time over it. A dog doesnāt care, but a teenage boy would be more likely to.
I also think using the two together would be more indicative of ancestral ties than using one or the other. I donāt think itās a bad thing, though. Lots of people use names outside their own heritage or have such diverse heritage that they couldnāt even tell you what it is. Some family friends form [name]Georgia[/name] (the country) named their daughter [name]Casey[/name]. She was born in the U.S. and they wanted to give her a name that would make it easier to fit in.
I would definitely think that [name]Mischa[/name] and [name]Anja[/name] have some sort of ties to [name]Russia[/name]/Eastern Europe.
I would assume that [name]Mischa[/name] and [name]Anja[/name] were both girls, because you donāt really hear of many little boy [name]Mischa[/name]'s these days.
[name]Mischa[/name] is NMS as a given name (although I do like it better as a nickname for [name]Mikhail[/name]), but I do have a soft spot for [name]Anja[/name]/[name]Anya[/name].
Great names. Very pretty, refreshing, yet traditional. Ethnic, but not over-the-top.
Without question, absolutely.
While it may be a male name possibility in its country of origin, I would most definitely assume [name]Mischa[/name] born in [name]America[/name] is a girl. A boy [name]Mischa[/name] would be endlessly teased, unless he were a foreign exchange student.
Yes. Very much so.
I do not see [name]Mischa[/name] as appropriate for a boy, ESPECIALLY if the family does not have Russian/Slavic ancestry. Completely inappropriate if they do not.
However, I do find it acceptable for a girl if there is no connection to that culture. [name]Anja[/name] is pushing it for me. If there is no Russian heritage, I think it should be [name]Anya[/name]. Which is also a lovely name.
My assumption on hearing it would be that they were a male & a female & Russian.
Upon seeing the [name]Anja[/name] spelling I would think 2 American girls could be a possibility. Russian people would just use [name]Anna[/name] & pronounce it Ahn-ya as far as I know. So with the spelling I think it could be boy/girl or girl/girl, Russian or not, young or elderlyā¦I know a lot of old Eastern European people with these names!
Personally I love it boy/girl and the [name]Anja[/name] spelling feels more youthful t me.
@littlemrsb: As far as I know, [name]Anja[/name] is not actually the Russian spelling. We actually selected it because it is the Germanic spelling, but I think we have since moved on.
Thanks again for the input. You all helped with our decision.
And I donāt think a male [name]Mischa[/name] would have any more trouble than a male [name]Morgan[/name]!
I think unique names are not such a teasable offense these days. [name]Mischa[/name] sounds just ss ātoughā as [name]Eli[/name] or [name]Elliot[/name] or [name]Jayden[/name] or [name]Ira[/name] imoā¦
Youāre right, my mistake. [name]Anja[/name] could actually be Germanic or Norwegian or Danish, Swedish, Slovenian, etc. [name]Anya[/name] would actually be the Russian version. I still donāt think someone who is not of those ancestries should spell it with the J. And even [name]Anya[/name] is a little blatantly ethnic for my taste, but like with [name]Mischa[/name], still acceptable for a girl as people would probably just assume you had at least a sliver of heritage from those namesā countries of origin.
I think the names in your signature are great. Iād much rather see a boy named [name]Frederick[/name] [name]James[/name] than [name]Mischa[/name]! Best of luck in your decision.
I guess I grew up with more diversity than others because upon seeing [name]Mischa[/name] & [name]Anja[/name] I thought b/g twins or sibs. My childhood best friend was Swedish and went by āme-sheā (real name [name]Michelle[/name]). She said āme-shaā was a boy name so Iāve always considered [name]Mischa[/name] totally masculine.
I say go with [name]Mischa[/name]. Softer boy names get a lot of negativity on these forums but the toughest and most charming guys I know have āgirlyā names and teasing was never an issue.
And yes Iād assume [name]Mischa[/name] & [name]Anja[/name] were of Northern/Eastern Euro descent
