Please help name our future son from Russia!

[foreverelectra]

Hello Nameberries!

After losing our sweet girl in March, my husband and I are headed down both the paths of adoption and TTC. Long story short, we want two kids (my older two are 10 and 8, so they wouldn't be close in age with any new siblings) and due to my health issues (which may or may not have contributed to my daughter's death), we're only comfortable having one more pregnancy. So for these reasons (and many more), we are headed down the path of Russian adoption, and are THRILLED to be doing so!

Realistically, we will meet our son next spring and bring him home by next summer. He will most likely be 12-18 months old and Caucasian. He will have a name, obviously, but it may or may not be one given to him by his birth mother. It very likely will be off of a list that they have at the orphanage to assign to new babies that come into their care. As a name lover, the idea that my child will have a name given off of a list with no meaning is heartbreaking! I like the idea of using his given name as a middle name, but would like to find the perfect first name to give him. It doesn't have to be Russian, but it would be nice if it had a similar feel and was easily pronounced in Russian.

Names my DH and I love for boys:

Dashiell
Oliver
Sterling
Spencer

Russian names I like but DH isn't fond of:

Leo/Lev
Maxim

I like names that are softer, but are still distinguished and have a sense of propriety, if that makes sense!

Of course, I would appreciate if it fit nicely with my other children. One of the reasons we most likely wouldn't use a Russian name uncommon in the U.S. is that this child will be 100% part of our family and even in name, I want him to feel that.

Siblings are:

Ethan Thomas Sebastian
Bianca Felicity
Ivy Electra (deceased)

Thanks in advance!!!

[custard]

My initial response would be Alexander. It's a well known name in Russia, but goes well with Ethan, Bianca & Ivy. You could even spell it Aleksander to be in-keeping with his Russian roots?

Alex/Alek is a lovely nickname too.

Adoption is a wonderful thing - I wish you and your family all the best with your new son and my condolences on the loss of your daughter.

[foreverelectra]

Thanks for your kind words. Alexander is the obvious choice to me too - it just seems so common. I like more unusual names (although I named Ethan nearly 11 years ago when I didn't pay as much attention to popularity!), so the idea of having an "Alex" with tons everywhere (boys and girls) is unappealing.

[erinlw]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I think it shows a lot of courage to continue trying for more children- I wish you the best of luck!

For your son, I think it woud be such a great idea to give him a Russian name, to remind him of his roots. It doesn't have to be obviously Russian, but maybe one with Russian origins or connections.

From your list, I really like Sterling, but I'm not entirely sure whether it fits with your other kids' names.

[agirlinred]

Sterling immediately clicked for me with your other children's names. Spencer is a good fit too.

Congratulations on your adoption! I wish you all of the best.

[spring13]

What about Alexei instead of Alexander?

I love the idea of giving him a name that works in both Russian and English, i think it's a special way to remember his roots without necessarily making him stand out too much. Or you could do a Russian name with an English nickname - like Nick for Nikolai. Or Ilya comes from Elijah - maybe you could use one as the given name and one as the nickname, or something along those lines.
For name that work decently in both places, what about:

Adam
Adrian
Andrei/Andre
Anton
Carl/Karl
Daniel
Denis
Dominic
Felix
Gregory
Ivan
Leon
Michael nn Misha
Marko/Marco
Philip
Roman
Viktor/Victor
Zachary

[miloowen]

Alexander, Alexei, Michael, Peter, Andrew, Constantine, Ivan, Theodore (Fyodor), Basil, Paul, Dmitri, George (Yuri), Nicholas, Stephen, are just a few of the classic names that have Russian roots and connections, especially through the Russian Orthodox Church, which shares the Greek patriarch names. Names that are from traditional Christianity -- such as the names of the apostles and early church founders -- are also common in Russia, especially now that the soviet influence in naming is gone. My sister's oldest two are half-Russian and they are Peter and Alexandra.

[bonbon]

Bianca is a very common name for girls in Russia!

Hubs is from Russia and so our children have to have a name that is easily transferable to his family there. There are lots of names I could give you but here a just a few that are just as easy on the America ear as they are to the Russian ear. Each of these is used in Russia frequently:

Roman
Victor
Dennis
Andre

a neat sounding name that you don't hear here much but isn't too foreign sounding is Vladik. Vladik also my nephews name. Never met him. Btw Andrei is also my nephew and Victor is my brother in law. The other is Alexander but he is called Sasha. I you want the 'nicknames' for the more exotic names (example Vasilly, Anton, Nicolai) just let me know.

Good Luck!

[jeska]

I think the name Lev is fantastic. Has shades of 'Levi', but not as trendy. Easy to say/spell. And just...cool.

[thetxbelle]

I like Roman and Alexei like other people have mentioned, especially Roman.