Most Popular Baby Names in (pick your country, si man)

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

There are various diminutives and they mean different things. Pashinka is best left to Moms and girlfriends and Pavlik is probably a little boy but some of the diminutives are more like Rob, Bill, or Tom. It's something you have to be careful with. If you are friends with a guy named Andrey, it's fine to call him Andryukha but Andryusha is what his girlfriend probably calls him.

Are you sure that she calls him Selozha and not Seryozha? Seryozha is actually almost okay but if you want to be a little more manly calling him Seryoga would be safer.

Yeah, Raisa is definitely an old lady name.

Defintiely Selozha.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Are there accepted variations for these 'short' names? My step-daughter Valeria goes by Lera, not Valya.

There are common ones but I do not think there is any "rules". These are basically nicknames or "pet names". My brother's name is "Kurt" but he has forever been known as "Bud" Go figure. And some people will not like the short names

Some names are OK for a man to call a man. A good friend in Ukraine is Ivan and I call him "Vanya", his wife calls him "Vanka" and when he gained some weight I called him "Vanka Stanka" The Russian equivilent of a "Rolly Poly" (it means, roughly, Johnny Standup) He didn't like that so much.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Seryozha isn't "little boy" at all. I have a friend Andrei and we all call him Andrusha and not Andrukha. Whether you call someone a diminuitive with "kh" or "sh" tends to be personal preference of the person you're addressing and not that one is :lol:manlier. If you are good friends with someone, you can get quite affectionate. I have guy friends who call one another pupsik.

Are they "blue"? What about "Selozha"? To me I always considered it something Momma would call her little boy. Just my opinion though. Sergey is working at a grocery store for the summer and he has a name tag which they mis-spelled "Sertii" They still have not changed it. Seems like it takes some corporate act of congress to change a name tag and now he says he will be going back soon, so he doesn't care.

[eekee 182]

Are they "blue"? What about "Selozha"? To me I always considered it something Momma would call her little boy. Just my opinion though. Sergey is working at a grocery store for the summer and he has a name tag which they mis-spelled "Sertii" They still have not changed it. Seems like it takes some corporate act of congress to change a name tag and now he says he will be going back soon, so he doesn't care.

Selozha isn't an "official" nickname; I've never heard it and it doesn't come up on google. Maybe Sergei mispronounced his name as a very small child and that's where it comes from. Seryozha is a totally normal thing to call a friend or acquaintance named Sergei. There isn't a real difference between Vanya and Vanka in terms of affection, either. It's not like Vanechka or something. Vanka-vstanka, however, is slang for "erect #######" so I can understand why your friend doesn't it like it when you call him that.

Russian friendship is just... closer and there isn't so much "can a man call another man that" but rather "how close friends are we." I have a friend who I sometimes call the equivalent of "little marshmallow," which is his mother's nickname for him. His close guy friends will too and it's not perceived as gay or anything.

Bottom line, call people what they introduce themselves to you as. How affectionate you can get with what you call them will depend on how deep your friendship gets. But there are no hard and fast rules like "this form can only be used by women you have had sex with and your mom." Basically the only way to be "gay" in Russia involves actually having sex with men.

Edited August 12, 2011 by eekee

[TBoneTX 44,674]

I really wanted to name our son "Pigfetish," but Mrs. T-B. objected, so we settled on "Mini-Bone," si man.

[slim 1,514]

the truth is that Oxana is a Ukrainian variant of the name Ksenia, and what people call you also depends on personal preference.

I once knew a woman who was quite upset when we spelled her name Oxana. She corrected us, "It is O K S ana. I am not Ox like zis animal." And that was really funny because we always referred to her as "the Ox" whenever we'd talk about her or whom we'd hang out with that evening. "What do you want to do tonight, man?" "Oh, I don't know, let's call the Ox."

She was Soviet by birth, citizen of Ukraine, long-time resident of Kyrgyzstan yet always told us she was "really Russian." No wonder she was so sensitive about her name! To this day my buddy and I still joke about Ox Oksana.

From what I've experienced, Oksana is the proper Romanization of the name for Ukrainians and Oxana is acceptable (although it could be either, or both!) for Russians. Honestly I could care less because it's all the same in Cyrillic letters.

I've long thought about what to name kids if we had them so their names would be the same in both English and Russian. We have a relative "Alexander" whom I thought could be spelled, "Aleksandr" and it could be transliterated approximately although the kindergarten teacher would frown upon us much in the same way she looked at the parents of the young girl named Shampaine.

Perhaps we'll simply go back to Roman days. Primus, secondus, tertius. Easy peezy, lemon squeezy!

My MIL is named Raisa which I consider a classic "older" women's name. I do not think it is used so much anymore, I could be wrong but I have met very few women under 50 years old name Raisa

I've met one. Also from Kyrgyzstan.

Really easy in our house: we just call each other "Cariño" ("sweetheart"), si man. Nicknames can be standard and logical (e.g., "Mari" for Maria, or "Cris" for Cristina) or completely illogical ("Pancho" or "Paco" for Francisco, or "Lacho" for Horacio, or "Chuy" for Jesus). Girls named Maria de Jesus are always called Marichuy, si man.

Since my name is Brad, my nickname has always been Pan when dealing with the darkhaired cuties. Well, either that or El Guapo. (Sometimes sounds like El Gordo for some reason.)

Basically the only way to be "gay" in Russia involves actually having sex with men.

I've never understood the European DP. Eiffel Tower, sure. But, two in one? (Anyway, that's another topic for another thread.)

In many cultures around the world holding hands, kissing on the cheek, etc., isn't gay at all. I know Russians are "big strong men" but they don't mind getting all cuddled up and close when they sing together while drunk. We're about the most homophobic of all dudes, the world over. I think part of that comes from our personal space but also the old "you're gay. No I'm not. Yes you are."

Which leads us to American men's "pet names" for one another. We don't use dimunitive forms, we have classics. Things like sh!tstain, or potty head, Mr. Peabody, or something along those lines that comes from childhood. Very mature. But not gay!

I really wanted to name our son "Pigfetish," but Mrs. T-B. objected, so we settled on "Mini-Bone," si man.

Mini-Bone is great!

[TBoneTX 44,674]

the kindergarten teacher would frown upon us much in the same way she looked at the parents of the young girl named Shampaine.

In college, my Singer's Diction teacher cited an example of a child who was named Psyche (supposedly with accompanying French pronunciation, oui man). However, the mother called it "Pishuh," wee man.

Perhaps we'll simply go back to Roman days. Primus, secondus, tertius.

Some Latin Americans are still named "Octavio." Would someone of my age be called Quinquagenarius, huh man?

my nickname has always been Pan when dealing with the darkhaired cuties. Well, either that or El Guapo. (Sometimes sounds like El Gordo for some reason.)

I wonder how many gringos named Gordon are able to sustain relationships with Latinas?

Mini-Bone is great!

Gracias, si man, and he FINALLY fell asleep. His beyond-exhausted immediate maternal ancestress was about ready to strangle me (or anyone).

[ONA 133]

As far as Ksenya and Oksana, I had never even suspected that they were the same name. I frequently met people with both names and didn't ever hear about people interchanging them. It seems that in Russia the names are separate.

People do. They also use Ksyusha/Ksyu/Ksyuha as a 'nickname'/'pet-name' or whatever for both Oxana and Ksenia.

Are there accepted variations for these 'short' names? My step-daughter Valeria goes by Lera, not Valya.

Lera is a short variant for Valeria (also for Kaleria), Valya is a short variant for Valentina.

I once knew a woman who was quite upset when we spelled her name Oxana. She corrected us, "It is O K S ana. I am not Ox like zis animal." And that was really funny because we always referred to her as "the Ox" whenever we'd talk about her or whom we'd hang out with that evening. "What do you want to do tonight, man?" "Oh, I don't know, let's call the Ox."

She was Soviet by birth, citizen of Ukraine, long-time resident of Kyrgyzstan yet always told us she was "really Russian." No wonder she was so sensitive about her name! To this day my buddy and I still joke about Ox Oksana.

From what I've experienced, Oksana is the proper Romanization of the name for Ukrainians and Oxana is acceptable (although it could be either, or both!) for Russians. Honestly I could care less because it's all the same in Cyrillic letters.

Yep, I never knew that my name can be spelled as Oxana, until I got my travel passport actually... It says Oksana on my driver's license, but they say that it is this way, cause they use English in the passport and French in the license.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

So waht does your SO call you? (when she isn't mad) Alla calls me "Solnyshko" or "garik" or "Garozha" I call her Aloechka

[eekee 182]

So waht does your SO call you? (when she isn't mad) Alla calls me "Solnyshko" or "garik" or "Garozha" I call her Aloechka

malysh, detka, my name with -ochka.

[visaveteran1 33]

See this, see man: http://www.babynamefacts.com/popularnames/countries.php?country=BRS

They also have a link for Ukraine, and for several of the former Soviet states, but not for Russia itself, no man.

Very interesting, and a great way to kill time while surf-Webbing, si man.

How many UB beneficiaries' names are on the most-popular lists, among participants here, huh man?

I don't see "T-Bone" anywhere, no man.

Sidebar observation in regard to picking one's country: You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't wipe your friends on the furniture, nose man... er, no man.

In Britain the most popular name is Mohammed. That's no joke...but it is scary. The "British Empire" has hit new lows s a society and country.

And we can see how great their gun laws and legal system work. But in England it's not just guns...all weapons are outlawed. The subjects of England are reduced to sheep. Now the wolves are eating the sheep. And where is the great Royal family? Hiding in Windsor Castle. What an utter joke they are. What a sad pathetic joke England is..and now a deadly joke.

And I totally understand calling their cops "Bobbies." They act bobbies for sure...scared little girls. Henry the 5th is rolling over in his grave.

[eekee 182]

During the riots, I was thinking about how no way would this happen in Russia because the cops/army would squash that in an hour flat.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

malysh, detka, my name with -ochka.

eekeeochka?

During the riots, I was thinking about how no way would this happen in Russia because the cops/army would squash that in an hour flat.

They would hit them on the head with sticks. Job done.

[slim 1,514]

So waht does your SO call you?

Durak is by far the most common name I'm called. Followed closely by ideeeeeeeot, yobony rot, idi na hui suka blat and a few others. Her new favorite is imbecile although it sounds funny the way she pronounces it so it's more like a cute little pet name.

... then there's always worthless hillbilly redneck - when she feels like speaking English.

I'm in her phone as simply, "muzh."

(when she isn't mad)

Oh. When we're amongst polite company she'll call me Kant. (Can't.) Which is a quick and short form of "candy man" because I'm so sweet. One of her buddies thought my name was Kent and called me such. My wife corrected her. "No, his name stupid but I sometimes call him can't because he can do nothing and is short from candy man cause he eat so much candy and he so fat and greasy worthless redneck. Just call him idiot."

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Durak is by far the most common name I'm called. Followed closely by ideeeeeeeot, yobony rot, idi na hui suka blat and a few others. Her new favorite is imbecile although it sounds funny the way she pronounces it so it's more like a cute little pet name.

... then there's always worthless hillbilly redneck - when she feels like speaking English.

I'm in her phone as simply, "muzh."

Oh. When we're amongst polite company she'll call me Kant. (Can't.) Which is a quick and short form of "candy man" because I'm so sweet. One of her buddies thought my name was Kent and called me such. My wife corrected her. "No, his name stupid but I sometimes call him can't because he can do nothing and is short from candy man cause he eat so much candy and he so fat and greasy worthless redneck. Just call him idiot."

what scares me more than those names is when she calls me and says "Solneeshko, My sooooollllllllneeesko, Garozha......" OH NO!!!!!!!!!

Seriously she has never called me a bad name (at least not that I know of ) and rarely argues or "makes a scandal", very rare.