I love the funky, lively, exotic sound, the Russian connection (I’m a fluent Russian speaker), and the possibility of another favourite, [name_f]Anouk[/name_f], for short.
It had been regretfully removed from our list for being “too much” with our other kids’ short names ([name_f]Juno[/name_f] and [name_u]Kit[/name_u]) and our long surname (think Winterfield), but… are those things really the end of the world?
What do you think, Berries? [name_m]How[/name_m] much weight should I be putting on “fitting in” with the sibset, and how much on just plain loving the name? Would [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] stick out like a sore thumb here?
I have the same problem, most of mine are short and nicknamey but then I have a few longer more frilly names and I worry they won’t fit. I don’t think fitting into a sibset is all too important but it does ppayba role in deciding to use the name. I would not it it stop you though! You can always just use [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] as well.i would also try [name_f]Yana[/name_f], [name_f]Anya[/name_f], and [name_f]Katya[/name_f].
Thanks! [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] is also firmly on the list but I’m really feeling the pull of the Russian element to [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f], especially since my husband got his [name_m]Roman[/name_m] name with [name_f]Juno[/name_f] (he’s a Classicist).
I love your suggestions, especially [name_f]Katya[/name_f], but have sadly already discounted that one due to it being too close to [name_u]Kit[/name_u].
I think [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] fits really well with K & J , as it picks up sounds from both.
[name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] doesn’t ‘go’ quite as well, but the fit’s not too bad.
Personally, I’d go with [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] and call her [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] as a pet name (I’d probably use [name_f]Anke[/name_f]/[name_f]Anka[/name_f] and [name_f]Anneke[/name_f]/[name_f]Annika[/name_f] occasionally too). I know some people find it odd to have a diminutive that’s longer than the original formal name, but it’s common in a lot of cultures (and there are plenty of e.g.s in the English-speaking world too).
But I think [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] wouldn’t seem too out of place, if you decide to go with that. If her siblings were [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] and [name_m]Jack[/name_m] or [name_u]Madison[/name_u] and [name_u]Jayden[/name_u], [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] might seem odd. But your kids already have slightly ‘quirky’/unusual names with long histories of use, and [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] fits that pattern.
It’s a great name - a really great name… and yes I think it would work fine. Either [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] with [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] as a short version or [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] with [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] as a pet form. I like the idea of the 3rd child having a name that is strong and distinctive. And since you speak Russian even more reason and connection.
I’m in Australia and recently saw an episode of our children’s tv show Play School where one of the presenters brought her own little girl onto the set (the theme was babies and families). She is a gorgeous little [name_f]Anouk[/name_f], and, as always I feel when you see a real-life actual person with an unusual name that you may play around with in your mind, it reinforces how lovely and usable it is.
@onomastodon and @araminty [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] nn [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] is another option we’re seriously considering (our [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] would definitely be called the longer version at least sometimes, and vice versa), but I have this weird hang-up about the BC name being the child’s “real” name. It’s why [name_u]Kit[/name_u] is just [name_u]Kit[/name_u], and why a [name_f]Nell[/name_f] would just be [name_f]Nell[/name_f], rather than [name_f]Helena[/name_f], [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] or [name_f]Endellion[/name_f], even though we love those names too and my DH would probably rather use a longer form with nickname potential.
[name_f]Anouk[/name_f] definitely “goes” better, I agree, but I’m wondering if the unexpectedness and eclecticness of [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] with the others might actually be quite nice… More individual, as you say. And I do find [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] a bit easier to say, especially as the last in a set. I know she wouldn’t be forever, but I’ll be saying their names together a LOT for the next two decades at least!
Argh! I should have just stopped thinking about this once we thought we’d settled (not likely )
Any more thoughts and comments, good and bad, most welcome!
Is middle name set? I think it would be wonderful middle name, but I feel both [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] and [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] are both right in to fit with [name_f]Juno[/name_f] & [name_u]Kit[/name_u].
I personally would go with [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] over [name_f]Anouk[/name_f]. It’s fabulous to say and you can still have nn [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] - or [name_f]Anoush[/name_f] / Noush which might be a family fave. It has elements of both [name_f]Juno[/name_f] and [name_u]Kit[/name_u] in it so nicely rounds off the set. I really like it!
Middle name is not set, that will probably be another post! I’d go with something short and simple with [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f], though — kind of like a reversal of the other kids’ names.
I love it for you. My personal opinion is that our first priority is to choose a name we love for each individual child over what makes the perfect sibset. Yes, [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] is a different style from your other children but it is interesting, beautiful, and being that you speak Russian, is a meaningful name. Our children become adults in what seems like a short time making their names in relation to each almost unimportant, so I wouldn’t discard a name you love for that reason.
Thank you, @whitegardenia — that’s a lovely way of putting it.
A bit more detail on why I’m so keen on the Russian aspect: we met and married at university, where DH was studying Classics (Latin + Ancient Greek) and I was studying Russian + Polish. That was a factor in our choosing [name_f]Juno[/name_f]’s name, because she was born shortly after graduation and it felt like the whole pregnancy had been so closely connected to our studies, we felt the link was nicely symbolic. So I love the circularity of a Russian name for our final baby. If she had been a he, we were set on [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] for this very reason.
Being Canadian, I immediately think of Inukshuk (although they have a lovely meaning) so I have a hard time wrapping my head around this name if I’m honest. If it has special significance to you as a couple and you love it though then you should go for it!
So I agree [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] is the easy solution-a wonderful name on its own, and I have no problem with nicknames that build up rather than trim down
That said, I have the same feeling about wanting the “official” name to match. And [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] really doesn’t have the same feeling—more chic Parisian to me, whereas [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] is more regal Russian.
[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Anoush[/name_f]? I just heard this on a baby girl and I swooned HARD. That might be the middle ground you’re after? [name_f]Juno[/name_f], [name_u]Kit[/name_u], [name_f]Anoush[/name_f]—swooning again
[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Anoush[/name_f] [name_f]Katya[/name_f]? [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f]!
But when it comes down to it, if it’s [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] you love than [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] is simply the best choice. Pair with a single syllable middle and it will be lovely. Plus, you’d have three kids with one, two, and three syllable first names.
I think this is really good advice—something I’ll remember if I’m ever lucky enough to name another child I just replied as well, but I was really struck by the wisdom of this.
I knew an [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] and a Menushka growing up (both spelled differently though), neither of whom actually had any Russian connection, and I was always struck by how their names oozed so much character! So I think it’d be a fine choice, and it’s not too out of place in the subset even if you were initially intending to go with a different feel for the set altogether.
The more time I’ve spent thinking about baby names in earnest, the more I’ve become a proponent of going with the name you love. If it’s [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f], then that should be the official name! If you prefer [name_f]Anouk[/name_f], go with that one. Either one fits in lovely with her siblings and I’ll explain my thoughts on sibset naming too:
I strongly dislike overly restrictive matchy-matchy sibset naming strategies. The people I know who’ve used them usually end up regretting the chosen names. While I certainly see the appeal of a “theme”, I do think that we have a lot of freedom in how we interpret that theme we chose, or feel drawn to with regards to names.
I like the idea that each child’s name should stand on its own, and not be a kind of derivative of the children preceding him or her. I also like the idea of playing with an existing theme and letting each new child add in a little new facet to the theme, a little surprise, thus making it vibrant and dynamic rather than cagey and static.
This also reflects the thought that a family is made up of many elements which may want to be represented in the names. Too much matchiness gives a false impression of cohesion when there really is difference to be celebrated. One example is the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] name [name_f]Juno[/name_f] for your classicist husband, and [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] for your Slavicist background.
Stylewise, I think [name_f]Juno[/name_f], [name_u]Kit[/name_u] and [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] sound amazing together. They do share some dominant sounds too. BTW, I’m curious, Is [name_u]Kit[/name_u] short for something else or is it his full name?
I also think [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f]'s strength lies precisely in how big it is. Other names are brilliant by being short (like [name_f]Juno[/name_f]). I would not switch to another A- name or Russian name just to get more matchiness.
@halloween_jacqueline has it right: I’m so struck by the wisdom in all your words of advice. I know it’s only baby names but I’m genuinely feeling torn here, and I’m so grateful to you all for putting so much thought and time into your responses! This is what this website is all about.
This is fantastically put, and rings so true!
And I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] this description of [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f]! That’s exactly it: [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] is fabulous and flamboyant – that’s what I love so much about it, but also what gives me pause considering the simplicity of the older kids’ names (to answer your question, [name_u]Kit[/name_u] is just [name_u]Kit[/name_u]). But you’re right: difference is not necessarily bad and to be avoided, it can actually be more “authentic”, in some circumstances.
@halloween_jacqueline [name_f]Anoush[/name_f] is a lovely suggestion, thank you. I think my heart still belongs to [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] and [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f], but it’s a really beautiful name.
I love these comments. I just wanted to add that I have three brothers. Two of them have single-syllable names, and one has a three-syllable name, and I think our names sound perfect together. [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] would fit in perfectly with [name_f]Juno[/name_f] and [name_u]Kit[/name_u].
I can somewhat relate to that hesitation- I named my first one [name_u]Sage[/name_u] (so simple and beautiful). When I was pregnant with my 2nd (which ended in an MC), I was drawn to the exact opposite: ancient and long. [name_f]Seraphine[/name_f] and [name_m]Aurelian[/name_m] were my top choices!
In my head, they balanced each other out: one being modern and minimalist, the other one ancient and exuberant.
[name_m]How[/name_m] would you feel if you had had your children in another order - let’s say first [name_u]Kit[/name_u], then [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f], and then you had added [name_f]Juno[/name_f]. Would [name_f]Anoushka[/name_f] still give you pause? I’m wondering whether it is the “[name_u]Kit[/name_u] & [name_f]Juno[/name_f]” combo that creates a certain kind of cohesion feel that it might not have if the birth and name order were reversed. Does this make sense?
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I just replied as well, but I was really struck by the wisdom of this.