Traditional Russian Middle Name for American Girl? Thoughts?

I was hoping to ask for your opinions about a middle name for my baby girl due in [name_f]October[/name_f]. The way traditional Russian middle names work is they are paternal middle names. So since my husband’s name is [name_m]Maxim[/name_m], our daughters would have the middle name Maximovna, and our sons would have the middle name Maximovich. Paternal middle names is how most everyone does it over there.

So since our first born is a girl, she would be [name_f]Vera[/name_f] Maximovna.

My only problem stems from when I tell people her name. Its definitely unusual over here so I get some odd looks. I didn’t take my father’s surname as my middle name when I got married, and it does make me sad that I’ve lost that connection to him. And also, since her entire family on her father’s side lives in [name_f]Russia[/name_f], I like that she’ll have a direct relation to their traditions as well.

In [name_f]Russia[/name_f], this wouldn’t be an issue. But growing up in the US with [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] [name_u]Lee[/name_u]'s, [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_u]Lynn[/name_u]'s, and [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]'s, I don’t want her to feel embarrassed to reveal her middle name. I’m not so much concerned with what others will think, I just want her to love (or grow to love) her traditional Russian name.

Thoughts?

I think it will be fine. I think Maximovna is the best transcription for it too. [name_f]Vera[/name_f] will translate smoothly from English to Russian. I wouldn’t be embarrassed about it. I think the patronymic is a nice connection.

I don’t think it would be embarrassing for a girl to have Maximovna for a middle name. Not all girls have middle names like [name_u]Lee[/name_u], [name_u]Lynn[/name_u], and [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] (or more likely nowadays, [name_f]Rose[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f], or [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]). Some have their mother’s maiden name or another family surname. Some have honor names (which may or may not be currently in style). Some have quirky word names or unusual heritage/historic names. Some even have boys’ names for middles, like [name_u]James[/name_u] or [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]. There’s lots of variety nowadays when it comes to middle names.

That being said, it’s impossible to know how your daughter will feel about any middle name you give her. You could name her [name_f]Vera[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f], and she may hate that her middle name is usually just a filler shared by a lot of her classmates. You could name her [name_f]Vera[/name_f] MaidenName, and she may hate that she has a surname middle instead of a pretty, feminine name. And so on and so on… On the other hand, you could name her [name_f]Vera[/name_f] Maximovna, and she may love having a connection to her father and his heritage. It’ll also be a unique middle name for a girl in [name_u]America[/name_u], which could be a plus and make her feel special. You just never know!

A compromise could be to go with two middle names. She could be [name_f]Vera[/name_f] ______ Maximovna LastName, and if she hates the Maximovna part, she can just drop it most of the time. However, I still don’t think Maximovna is anything to be embarrassed about!

Middle names are not used very often and honestly if I met a girl with such an exotic, unique, meaningful middle name I would think it was SO cool!

My good friend was born in Russian and moved to [name_u]America[/name_u] later in life and her middle name is Vladimirovna. I can never pronounce it correctly but I’ve always thought it was a rich part of her heritage. She also loved it and thought it was a good ode to her father as well. The only think is she had issues with other people pronouncing her name at things like graduation. Maximovna seems a little easier to say and middle names aren’t used very often. I think you should go for it!

I think it would be an excellent nod to her family and heritage and can’t see any issues stemming from it besides uneducated and closed minded people giving you an odd look.

I feel like you can do no wrong with middle names, and they are a great place to honor someone important to the baby’s life!

Please go for it! If you teach her to be proud of her heritage she shouldn’t feel embarrassed by her middle name. And it’s a lot more interesting and meaningful than girls who have a filer middle like [name_f]Grace[/name_f] or [name_f]Anne[/name_f] (I have a filler middle, “[name_f]Rose[/name_f]”). I think it’s lovely and [name_f]Vera[/name_f] is so gorgeous. Good pick!

If you were thinking of using Maximovna as a first name for an American girl I’d be worried about how easy it would be to wear, but since the middle name doesn’t usually see the light of day, I don’t think it would be a major burden despite being unfamiliar to a lot of Americans. Also, there’s nothing phonetically difficult about Maximovna - while it’s a name a lot of people wouldn’t have seen before, its pronunciation is really straightforward when you see it written down, which I think makes it easier still.

Whether or not a child will like his or her name is impossible to predict, but for what it’s worth I really like this idea and tradition and I hope you go for it!

Maximovna is a lovely choice for your daughter’s middle name. More and more parents are starting to branch out with middle names, so I don’t think having an unusual middle will be an issue.

Maximovna is actually kind of awesome, I would definitely do it! On most documents her name will just be printed as [name_f]Vera[/name_f] M Lastname anyway. I think that middle is unique and meaningful and nothing to be embarrassed about, but [name_f]Maxine[/name_f] would also be a viable option if you prefer that and it still honors her dad.

[name_f]Do[/name_f] it! You won’t regret it and I’m sure your daughter will love the fact that her name honors her heritage!

I really like the sound of [name_f]Vera[/name_f] Maximovna. In case you’re still worried, I second @mega_muffin’s idea of giving her double middle names. :slight_smile:

I agree with this 100%! I would defintely use it. So much nicer than a “filler” middle name. I also live in the US.

Wow! This was really what I needed to hear.

I grew up with a difficult to pronounce and easy to tease last name, so I’m probably just being paranoid. I know there’s no way to tell whether or not she’ll approve, but these words of encouragement rather than confused blank stares has really silenced the doubt I was beginning to feel.

Thank you so much for your honest opinions!

I love the story and cultural significance behind her middle name. I wouldn’t change that for the world. I love [name_f]Vera[/name_f] Maximovna and if it were me, I’d be really proud to carry that middle name.

  • also - [name_f]Vera[/name_f] [name_u]Max[/name_u] is a cool nickname or alias! :slight_smile:

I think that your daughter would like having a connection to her Russian roots through her name. Unusual is more interesting!

Please know, that Maximovna is NOT a middle name. It is a patronymic name. Such are traditional in our culture and some others as well. All Russian children have one. But this is NOT a second name for your baby girl. Everyone understands in [name_f]Russia[/name_f] that it’s simply her father’s name. In the Old Russian tradition we used to choose two names. Same as in the west. And this tradition is coming back! So you are still free to choose a beautiful FEMININE middle name for your baby girl. It’s just she will ALSO have a patronymic. So FIRST NAME, MIDDLE NAME, Then PAYTONYMIC, then last name. I hope that I helped. I dealt with the same issue with my name :wink: longer names are in now. In [name_f]Russia[/name_f] as well. Have fun choosing :slight_smile: and blessings to you and your growing family!!

Maximovna is stunning. Use it!

I think you should do it. If you want to Americanize it though, there’s always the option of [name_u]Maxi[/name_u], [name_f]Maxine[/name_f], [name_u]Maxime[/name_u], etc.