Is the gender of this name obvious to Americans? Would people generally know how to say it?
I think the pronunciation is intuitive, but many Americans would probably assume that it is a girl. I think it is nice, though!
I love [name_m]Ilya[/name_m] but I do think a lot of Americans are unfamiliar with the name
I don’t know how it’s perceived in [name_u]America[/name_u]. I imagine most people would pronounce it with an emphasis on the first syllable rather than the second.
as an american i think americans would either find it feminine or gender neutral, and would pronounce it ILL-ya. not outlandish though definitely usable!
Absolutely lovely! I prefer it as a nickname, myself. I’m American and do know the pronunciation and traditional gender association. I’m sure some wouldn’t, but I’m also sure a lot would!
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Im American, not a teen and Id guess girl maybe as a variation of [name_f]Isla[/name_f]. Im pretty sure this is wrong. Thinking more maybe its said ill-ya?
I’m not sure if people would always say it right, I’m not sure if it’s ill-ee-ya , eye-lee-ah , or ill-ya but most people would probably hear his name before reading it and it’s a simple correction if they do get it wrong
I’ve always liked this name! I imagine him being misgendered though. Maybe an eye-lah pronunciation situation… I adore the nn ill! The hockey association is also great! Generally speaking, Americans seem to find names that end in A feminine, sooooo.
Is it possible he’ll be misgendered? Yes. Is it likely? Probably not. it depends on the audience/population you’re in. It is certainly a gorgeous international classic.
It mighr get misread as [name_f]Isla[/name_f] sometimes perhaps, but it’s a great name
I say it as ill-ee-ya, and if it wasn’t in the “boy name” category, I’d assume female or unisex. Great name, though!
I’m American and recognize it as the name of the main character from the old TV series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, pronounced ILL-ee-uh. I’ve always thought it was a cool name.
Older Americans (like myself) would remember it from the TV show [name_u]Man[/name_u] From U.N.C.L.E.
It’s also literary. There are so many kids today with made-up names that it matters little anymore. Rarely does anyone get teased for their name, and as a teacher, I always ask first before I pronounce anything.
[name_m]Prior[/name_m] to reading the post I thought this was a feminine name. Pronunciation I’m unsure about—I read it as Eye-ya (like what they say in karate movies)
lol in case you are curious, the pronunciation is eel-YA ! It’s a Russian name really only used for boys, but it seems to sound very feminine to a lot of americans
I agree most Americans would think it was a feminine name. I went to school with an [name_m]Ilie[/name_m], pronounced [name_m]Ilya[/name_m]. That could be less likely to be misgendered…
[name_m]Ilya[/name_m] isn’t exactly my fave name but I don’t dislike it either. Seeing that most Americans don’t even know what the pacific ocean even is and would have no idea that [name_m]Ilya[/name_m] is Russian then idk if it would go down too well. They would probably associate it with [name_f]Anya[/name_f] or something which is feminine. Not intending to be mean about Americans, most of youse aren’t like that ik and are reasonably cultured.
I love [name_m]Ilya[/name_m]! I’m only familiar with the name and that it’s a male name because I happen to know one, though. (For reference, I’m from the Southeastern United States). It would face some mispronunciation, especially concerning the emphasis on the syllables, but I don’t think it would be a huge deal.
I’m not American, but I doubt Americans would pronounce this name exactly like Russians do, if that makes sense.
[name_u]Will[/name_u] it get mistaken for a girl’s name? Possibly; I’m not sure I would recommend it if you live in a very monocultural region. But in a multicultural area, kids will be exposed to a wide variety of names from different backgrounds.
Coincidentally, in [name_u]French[/name_u], il y a means “there is…” or “there are…” and that’s my first thought.