After losing our sweet girl in [name]March[/name], my husband and I are headed down both the paths of adoption and TTC. [name]Long[/name] story short, we want two kids (my older two are 10 and 8, so they wouldn't be close in age with any new siblings) and due to my health issues (which may or may not have contributed to my daughter's death), we're only comfortable having one more pregnancy. So for these reasons (and many more), we are headed down the path of Russian adoption, and are THRILLED to be doing so!
Realistically, we will meet our son next spring and bring him home by next summer. He will most likely be 12-18 months old and Caucasian. He will have a name, obviously, but it may or may not be one given to him by his birth mother. It very likely will be off of a list that they have at the orphanage to assign to new babies that come into their care. As a name lover, the idea that my child will have a name given off of a list with no meaning is heartbreaking! I like the idea of using his given name as a middle name, but would like to find the perfect first name to give him. It doesn't have to be Russian, but it would be nice if it had a similar feel and was easily pronounced in Russian.
I like names that are softer, but are still distinguished and have a sense of propriety, if that makes sense!
Of course, I would appreciate if it fit nicely with my other children. [name]One[/name] of the reasons we most likely wouldn’t use a Russian name uncommon in the U.S. is that this child will be 100% part of our family and even in name, I want him to feel that.
My initial response would be [name]Alexander[/name]. It’s a well known name in [name]Russia[/name], but goes well with [name]Ethan[/name], [name]Bianca[/name] & [name]Ivy[/name]. You could even spell it Aleksander to be in-keeping with his Russian roots?
[name]Alex[/name]/[name]Alek[/name] is a lovely nickname too.
Adoption is a wonderful thing - I wish you and your family all the best with your new son and my condolences on the loss of your daughter.
Thanks for your kind words. [name]Alexander[/name] is the obvious choice to me too - it just seems so common. I like more unusual names (although I named [name]Ethan[/name] nearly 11 years ago when I didn’t pay as much attention to popularity!), so the idea of having an “[name]Alex[/name]” with tons everywhere (boys and girls) is unappealing.
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. I think it shows a lot of courage to continue trying for more children- I wish you the best of luck!
For your son, I think it woud be such a great idea to give him a Russian name, to remind him of his roots. It doesn’t have to be obviously Russian, but maybe one with Russian origins or connections.
From your list, I really like [name]Sterling[/name], but I’m not entirely sure whether it fits with your other kids’ names.
What about [name]Alexei[/name] instead of [name]Alexander[/name]?
I love the idea of giving him a name that works in both Russian and English, i think it’s a special way to remember his roots without necessarily making him stand out too much. Or you could do a Russian name with an English nickname - like [name]Nick[/name] for [name]Nikolai[/name]. Or [name]Ilya[/name] comes from [name]Elijah[/name] - maybe you could use one as the given name and one as the nickname, or something along those lines.
For name that work decently in both places, what about:
[name]Alexander[/name], [name]Alexei[/name], [name]Michael[/name], [name]Peter[/name], [name]Andrew[/name], [name]Constantine[/name], [name]Ivan[/name], [name]Theodore[/name] ([name]Fyodor[/name]), [name]Basil[/name], [name]Paul[/name], [name]Dmitri[/name], [name]George[/name] ([name]Yuri[/name]), [name]Nicholas[/name], [name]Stephen[/name], are just a few of the classic names that have Russian roots and connections, especially through the Russian Orthodox Church, which shares the Greek patriarch names. Names that are from traditional Christianity – such as the names of the apostles and early church founders – are also common in [name]Russia[/name], especially now that the soviet influence in naming is gone. My sister’s oldest two are half-Russian and they are [name]Peter[/name] and [name]Alexandra[/name].
[name]Bianca[/name] is a very common name for girls in [name]Russia[/name]!
Hubs is from [name]Russia[/name] and so our children have to have a name that is easily transferable to his family there. There are lots of names I could give you but here a just a few that are just as easy on the [name]America[/name] ear as they are to the Russian ear. Each of these is used in [name]Russia[/name] frequently:
a neat sounding name that you don’t hear here much but isn’t too foreign sounding is [name]Vladik[/name]. [name]Vladik[/name] also my nephews name. Never met him. Btw [name]Andrei[/name] is also my nephew and [name]Victor[/name] is my brother in law. The other is [name]Alexander[/name] but he is called [name]Sasha[/name]. I you want the ‘nicknames’ for the more exotic names (example Vasilly, [name]Anton[/name], [name]Nicolai[/name]) just let me know.
If you used [name]Alexander[/name]/Aleksander, he wouldn’t have to go by [name]Alex[/name]. I know quite a few [name]Alexander[/name]'s that go by [name]Xander[/name] or [name]Xan[/name]. Much less common, but still using a traditional Russian name
I’m loving [name]Roman[/name] too! And [name]Felix[/name] is a favorite of mine… Thanks for suggesting it - it does have a Russian sound to it! I’ll keep you posted on what we decide.
I have a friend who married a Russian guy named [name]Ilya[/name]. Their son is [name]Nikolai[/name]. Fresh take on [name]Nicholas[/name] if you ask me. [name]Nicholas[/name] could work as well though.
I think you will be absolutely over the moon with your Russian child. I have spent time with orphans in [name]Russia[/name] and they are the most beautiful children.
[name]Maxim[/name] and I think it is a really terrific name and would be second on my list. My top choice would be [name]Alexander[/name] nn of [name]Alexi[/name] or [name]Sacha[/name] because it is the most popular name in [name]Russia[/name] and I think one of the best boy’s names in existence, and it never dates.
I think that [name]Oscar[/name] would also be a good name.
Although I think [name]Alexander[/name] is too common, I love the nn [name]Sacha[/name]. Also love [name]Paul[/name] nn [name]Pasha[/name] and [name]Michael[/name] nn [name]Misha[/name], but I know some aren’t comfortable with “girly” boy names
I think a Russian name would fit right in because of [name]Bianca[/name]
[name]Luka[/name]
[name]Feliks[/name]
[name]Ilya[/name]- [name]Elijah[/name], could call him [name]Eli[/name]
[name]Anatoli[/name]
Kir
[name]Viktor[/name]
[name]Kliment[/name]
[name]Rolan[/name]
[name]Dmitri[/name]
[name]Maksim[/name]/[name]Maks[/name]- prefer over [name]Maxim[/name], I just think of the men’s magazine
[name]Oleg[/name]- similar feel to [name]Oliver[/name]
My faves: [name]Feliks[/name] & [name]Oleg[/name]
[name]Ivan[/name] would be a great mn with any of the names on your list. Also [name]Yevgeny[/name] ([name]Eugene[/name])
[name]Spencer[/name] [name]Ivan[/name] is my favorite
I love the name [name]Spencer[/name] and [name]Oliver[/name]. [name]Oliver[/name] you could call him “[name]Ollie[/name]” for short when he’s little. Try also the name “[name]Nathan[/name]” ([name]Nate[/name]).
