{Original Topic}
(Quick summary, it’s for a character in an HP fanfic)
I was so sure her name was [name]Andrea[/name] ([name]Valentina[/name] Sergeievna) Belyakova, but then I remembered the name [name]Anastasia[/name], which is both Greek (half of her mother’s heritage) and Russian (her father’s).
I also planned on having [name]Anya[/name] be her father’s nickname for [name]Andrea[/name] prn Awn-draya.
And I realized I could apply that to [name]Anastasia[/name] as well. [name]Anastasia[/name] fits her mother’s elaborate tastes well, but I feel it’s not as fitting for her character as [name]Andrea[/name] is. But then [name]Andrea[/name] doesn’t fit her mother’s tastes much. (Which I consider an important factor)
Ideally I’d do [name]Anastasia[/name] nn [name]Ana[/name], but that’s way too Fifty Shades for my tastes.
Andrea has the depth and drama I like for her, but Anastasia fits the naming tastes of her mother, however lacks the feel the character has. And it’s rather mary sue to me.
Added note: Mother is UK born and raised, father is about an 8 year immigrant to the UK from Russia at the time of the character’s birth.
Any advice?
[name]Andrea[/name] [name]Valentina[/name] Sergeievna Belyakova
or
[name]Anastasia[/name] [name]Valentina[/name] Sergeievna Belyakova
I MUCH prefer [name]Anastasia[/name] to [name]Andrea[/name], but I prefer the flow of [name]Andrea[/name] [name]Valentina[/name]. I’d still probably opt for [name]Anastasia[/name].
I would go with [name]Anastasia[/name] nn [name]Anya[/name]. [name]Anya[/name] is a common nickname for someone whose name is [name]Anastasia[/name]. I can’t really see [name]Anya[/name] from [name]Andrea[/name].
[name]Andrea[/name] doesn’t really sound remotely Russian to me so I would choose [name]Anastasia[/name]. [name]Anastasia[/name] is a long established name so I wouldn’t automatically think of “Fifty Shades of [name]Gray[/name]”. I think a Greek and Russian couple would be more apt to choose [name]Anastasia[/name] over [name]Andrea[/name]. [name]Andrea[/name] isn’t normally used in [name]Russia[/name]. [name]Anna[/name] nn [name]Anoushka[/name] and [name]Antonina[/name] nn [name]Nina[/name] would be legitimate options.
I should’ve clarified more in the beginning, the mother is UK born, but the father is more recently from [name]Russia[/name]. At the time of their daughter’s birth he’d have been in the country for around 8 years.
Not sure if that alters your input a bit or not.
You’re right about [name]Anastasia[/name], and I do like [name]Antonina[/name] a lot, but it’s too fine for the character. Thank you for the suggestion though!
I agree that [name]Andrea[/name] doesn’t feel Russian at all, BUT 1) [name]Andrea[/name] is the better fit for your character, 2) her father calls her [name]Anya[/name] (Russian nickname), and 3) the rest of her name is very Russian. [name]Anastasia[/name] feels too frilly and, like you said, [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Sue[/name]. For some reason [name]Anastasia[/name] almost seems cliche to me. Definitely stick with [name]Andrea[/name].
Also, even though you aren’t considering it, I wanted to point out that [name]Antonina[/name] is one letter away from Antonin (Dolohov).
Yes, I totally agree with you. [name]Anastasia[/name]'s out. Maybe I’ll work it into her background story that her mother was so adamant on [name]Anastasia[/name], but her father felt it too frilly, and over the top, and some how [name]Andrea[/name] came about.
And that’s a good point with Antonin Dolohov!
