Questions related to the correct name selection as well as about name spelling.
Questions tagged [выбор-имени]
61 questions
21
votes
4 answers
Does Russian have patronymics of foreign names?
Can foreign names be used as a basis for patronymics?
If, for example, an Englishman whose first name is Donald becomes a citizen of Russia and has a son there, will that son have the patronymic Доналдович? And does François' son become…
oz1cz
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13
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As a non-native speaker, is it more normal to call myself "Эндрю" or "Андрей"?
I'm a non-native speaker of Russian, and my given name is Andrew. Is it more normal to call myself "Эндрю", which according to Wiktionary is the transliteration of my name, or "Андрей", which is a cognate (ie an etymologically related word)?
Golden Cuy
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12
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Affectionate Name for Girlfriend
I am writing a story (set in the modern day) involving a Russian man who has an American girlfriend named Anna.
I'm trying to figure out what affectionate name he might use for her. Specifically:
Is there an appropriate diminutive form for…
Lynn
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9
votes
6 answers
In Russian is it more appropriate to refer to someone by their full name?
I've been watching a television show with scenes in Russian and I notice that several of the characters keep calling each other by their full names (first name and middle or surname), where in English they would've just used first names, title, or…
Hack-R
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6
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4 answers
How do you address a university teacher whose father's name you don't know?
There is this Russian language teacher I knew way back, and took his classes. He's a bit of a stickler about forms of address. I expect to meet him again in person in a few months.
How do I address him - in Russian?
I know his first and last names,…
Abu Dhabi
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6
votes
3 answers
What's the relationship between the names "Alekséi" and "Aliosha"?
Is Aliosha a name by itself or just a way the relatives and friends of a child or boy whose name is Alekséi may refer to him?
While we are at it, where can I find a list of Russian names and the typical variations of the names that apply when the…
Iosiv
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4
votes
4 answers
Form of address when you don't know patronymic
If you don't know someone's отчество, how should you address them at the beginning of a letter/email? As господин/госпожа?
Zach
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3
votes
2 answers
Is "Ilana" a Russian name? And does it have nicknames?
My name is Ilana, and over the years, many Russians have told me I have a Russian name. I am not Russian. Is Ilana a Russian name? I couldn't find it as a Russian name on Google. (I did find that "Ilona" is a Hungarian name, maybe that's related?…
codi6
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3
votes
2 answers
Equivalents of the name Danila
My Russian friend is teasing with his name. He says friends call him Danila, but it is not his real name.
He told me to substitute one letter in the name Danila to get it right, but I have no idea how and which.
I tried to Google similar names, but…
guestI
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3
votes
3 answers
Nickname for person you don't like
Talking with a russian friend of mine about russian nicknames she said that if you add a letter 'к' to the persons official nickname it means you don't like that person.
For example for Александр the nickname is Саша and if you don't happen to like…
Apogee
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2
votes
2 answers
What is the Russian diminutive of mouse?
Just a simple question as I am not sure of the right form.
What is the Russian diminutive of mouse? мышонок ?
Oliver
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2
votes
4 answers
What is the correct diminutive for Inna?
Would it be "Innusha or Innushka?
On the one hand, the diminutive of Katya is Katyusha. I'm writing a poem to the tune of that song, likening her to the "rocket launchers" of the same name that won World War II for Russia.
On the other hand, I see…
Tom Au
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1
vote
5 answers
1
vote
1 answer
Why are some Russian names not used by Jews, and others are?
A (Hebrew) article at https://he.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2096985 mentions, incidentally, this detail (translation mine):
“What's with this name Vasily?” he thought to himself.
Now, there are a lot of Russian names that come from Jewish…
Meir
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1
vote
1 answer
Is there a database/list of names, with their associated common diminutives?
I'm looking for large lists of diminutives in Russian in a format such as this:
Base Name | [Diminutive1, Diminutive2, ...]
TomSchober
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