Thoughts on Vanya?

For a boy, of course. I think it’s a very elegant name but I’m worried it’s too feminine.

I think it’s beautiful, but as a Russian speaker it feels a bit odd as a standalone name instead of as a nickname for [name_m]Ivan[/name_m].

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I had never heard this name before! I think that while it does have a somewhat “feminine” sound, mainly due to the -a ending, it is still seems like a boys’ name. Seeing as it is a diminutive/short form of [name_m]John[/name_m]/Ivan, I don’t think it is too “girly.”

I don’t think it’s feminine at all. Like [name_u]Misha[/name_u], [name_f]Alyosha[/name_f], [name_u]Nikita[/name_u] etc it’s hard to picture them as stand-alone female names, because in Eastern Europe these are decisively masculine nicknames. The only one I’ve come to like on girls is [name_u]Sasha[/name_u], but I still think of it as a “boyish” name.

I would love it if the formal name was [name_m]Ivan[/name_m]. Pronounced in the Slavic form, it’s a jewel of a name.

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I LOVE [name_m]Vanya[/name_m]! I don’t find it feminine whatsoever.

I do find it feminine only because I’m American and the only time I’ve heard the name was on a female character on the Netflix show Umbrella Academy.
However I know it has a history of being a male name so I wouldn’t let that stop you.

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Sounds like a Russian woman.

[name_m]Vanya[/name_m] is an interesting name. It is a great nickname for [name_m]Ivan[/name_m].
Wheter it sounds feminine or not, it will definitely depend on where you live or where you’re from. For Russian speakers and Eastern Europeans, [name_m]Vanya[/name_m] is a very masculine name. In other countries, that perspective may be a little different. For example, in my country, [name_f]Vania[/name_f] (originated by the Russian nickname [name_m]Vanya[/name_m]) is a very popular name among women between their late 20’s and 40’s.
That being said, if I saw the name [name_f]Vania[/name_f] somewhere I would be 95% sure that that person was a female. However, if I saw [name_m]Vanya[/name_m], I would wonder if that person was a female or a male for a while. I would assume [name_m]Vanya[/name_m] was a male (probably named [name_m]Ivan[/name_m]) if the person was from the [name_u]East[/name_u] of Europe, and a female if the person was from somewhere else.

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This exactly!

I wouldn’t be entirely sure at first whether a young [name_m]Vanya[/name_m] was a girl whose parents were inspired by TUA or if it was being used on a boy as is its history. But I honestly don’t think that’s a problem at all, I’d use it anyway! Plus I like the character lol.

It sounds feminine to me

I like it! It does make me think of Uncle [name_m]Vanya[/name_m] though.

Ooh, I like it! Bold and sweet

I dont think it sounds too feminine, because it is a common nickname to the very masculine ‘[name_m]Ivan[/name_m]’.
I think its quite nice too! I think I prefer [name_m]Ivan[/name_m] just a little bit more, but [name_m]Vanya[/name_m] is still great all on its own!