My wife and I have finished our adoption paperwork and are now awaiting the call to go to Russian and pick up our children.
In the information we received on this next step in the adoption process, we have been told that we will need names for the two children we are getting by the time our trip is over. These names will go on all the official paperwork, so they will be legally binding.
We are adopting from Russia, so I was thinking of letting the kids keep their Russian names, as a way of keeping their Russian heritage.
This has been contra-indicated. At some point in their young lives the kids will want to be as American as possible, and not to be reminded of the adoption every time they sign their name. So we will keep their Russian names as their middle names.
But what of thier first names? What goes good with Davis?
We don't know if they are going to be two girls or two boys or one of each, so give me anything good that goes with Davis.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Give them Russian Middle names. Or American-sounding middle names. Then they can adopt one or the other.
Russian novels always have like 12 names for each character so this shouldn't be a problem, right?
I was thinking Haven and Maven Raven. Since you've changed your last name to Davis, however, I'm sort of at a loss. Except I've always like Bette Davis.
Mavis?
By the way...congrats on getting all the paperwork done. I hope the call comes soon!!!
posted
They just had a big feature story in the local paper about a local parent support group, of parents who all adopt babies from other countries. It mentioned that almost all keep the child's native birth name as middle name. And also that they teach them their native heritage.
(I'll see if I can find link)EDIT: I found article, but they want me to pay $2.59 to retrieve online version. sorry.
Wouldn't you need to know the current first (soon to be middle) name in order to pick a first name? I mean to have proper rhythm and all?
posted
I agree that American first names and Russian middle names are good. I really like the romanization of slavic names. My daughter's name is Annika which should sound like Anitchka but is too hard to say. It's Czech.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Charles Davis was the first name to come to mind...
BTW, baby name websites suck. I just got a random selection of 15 from one site and they gave me: Sanjula, Jocosa, Zenobio, Raksha, Vazsony, Roscoe, Storm, Vlau, Pythia, Ames, Cilantha, Varden, Angus, Babette, and Eden. Eew! (Sorry, Storm). I mean, Pythia?? Babette?? Angus-steak??
Wrong, so wrong.
Okay how about.. Emily Davis Michaela Davis Kelsey Davis Samuel Davis?
this site will give you the top 1000 names for each decase from the 1900's onwards. That's prob much more helpful than choosing between Yardley or Sherwood.
Posts: 1892 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Do you want the names to be common American names (which means they'll have tons of friends with the same name, and never know when someone's addressing them) or uncommon names (in which case they won't fit in)?
In Jewish tradition we name kids after relatives. Do you have any relatives whose names you like and think might work?
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This name site has a lot of names, including their meanings and origins (if you thought about giving them Russian-oriented names).
Posts: 873 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I do agree with you that it would be a good idea to keep their current name (once you know what it as) as either their first or middle name.
As for their other/American name, what are you looking for - traditional? unusual? trendy? long or short? with built in nicknames or no (ie. Robert = Rob, Bob, etc.)?
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posted
I say you randomly pick from the top ten most popular baby names chosen by white suburbia. Justin Davis! Alicia! There's nothing like a designer name to commit legal child abuse...
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Just as a side note, one of my neighbors adopted a russian boy several years ago and let him keep his russian name. He's about as happy and well adjusted as you could wish for. His name is Nikita.
As for you, I think Hugo, Jasper, Martin, and Patrick are all really cool boy names.
For Girls, Rose, Anne, Lisa, and one of my favorites, Anastasia. But if you want to talk child abuse, try Rachel or *shudder* Ashley.
posted
Hehe, go figure, Rachel and Ashley are two of my favourite names... Anyway, when paired with Davis, I'm partial to Kristen, Kelly, Birttany, and Evan for girls - Kristen being my top choice. For boys, the names Paul, Christian, and Brian seem to roll off my tongue nicely - Brian being the one I like best
Posts: 26 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I like names that are heard, but rarely used. How about Bethany Davis or Ruth Davis. I really like the name Hannah too, but it's getting more and more popular. Greg is nice for a guy. My mom's name is Wendy, but there don't seem to be any kids named Wendy anymore. Deborah is nice, one of mu favorite people is a Deborah.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
blacwolve, your taste in names is frighteningly close to mine.
And Dan, is there any way you can see and play with your babies before you give them names? In my experience, babies often give you their names in their faces and behavior.
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We will be meeting with the kids a few hours each day for a week or so. My thought is to have a nice long list to help decide which name fits each child.
I love Mrs. M's list, except, I'm sorry, but I think naming a girl Allegra is just cruel.
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posted
Yeah, Andrew doesn't like Allegra either. Maybe it's a guy thing - almost every woman I know thinks it's a striking and lovely name.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Don't name her Jessica. That name is becoming way too popular. In one day, I met four of them.
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posted
Forgive me for skipping most of the posts, but I'm not sure if you really do need to avoid Russian names altogether. My husband and I decided to give our girls names that worked well in both languages.
Natalia (more english: Natalie) Alexandra (more english: Alexis, Lexi) Maria (obviously, Mary)
try also
Elena Kathrine (anglicized form of Ekatarina, or Katarina) Kristina (or Kristine)
For boys names that would work
Michael Nicholas Peter John (Ivan)
Tasha is a nick name for Natalia from Russia, but has been fairly popular in America recently. That is what my daughter chooses to have us call her.
Your children may go through a phase where they want to reject everything Russian, where it will remind them of being adopted but they will be adults far longer than they will be children. If you are being advised about adoption from the Russians, or your agency is heavily influenced by the Russian agency, consider that Russians have a much greater stigma against adoption than Americans do. Your children will view their adoption based on your own attitudes toward it.
When I first met my husband, I was proud to say that my youngest sister was adopted. After a while, he voiced his discomfort with this, saying that when I said that, what I really meant was that she wasn't my real sister. I was astonished. I had never looked at it that way. What I had meant when I said she was adopted was that there was a much longer and in some ways more painful process of getting her than if she'd simply been born. I told him the whole story, and he realized that when I said adopted I meant: And this is the sister that God took extra measures to get to our family, by which we experienced many miracles.
Yes, there are extra issues and problems that come up with adoption, but be careful about stigmatizing it yourself by avoiding any reference to it.
quote: After a while, he voiced his discomfort with this, saying that when I said that, what I really meant was that she wasn't my real sister. I was astonished. I had never looked at it that way. What I had meant when I said she was adopted was that there was a much longer and in some ways more painful process of getting her than if she'd simply been born. I told him the whole story, and he realized that when I said adopted I meant: And this is the sister that God took extra measures to get to our family, by which we experienced many miracles.
posted
Alexander, Sasha and Anna are some more american sounding names that are popular in Russia.
I would bring a list of names with you. I think seeing your children will definitely have an effect on the names you choose, especially the older they are. I like the idea of keeping their names as their middle names.
Edit: Oh, you're already ahead of me, Dan, I didn't see your post. Good idea to bring a list!
posted
Thank you Amkha. Actually the advice came from some grown folks who happened to have been adopted. They told of times, from a few months to many years, to some of their sibblings who continue to want to separate themselves from the label of adoptee.
Times have changed, and I doubt this will be more than a phase.
And Yes, Allegra reminds me of the dopey allergy commercials.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Dan, speaking from personal experience, my English name and all my Russian friend's English names are just the American versions of our Russian names.
My Russian name is Grisha. In English that's Greg. I have a friend Sasha(a boy) and in English he's Alex, though i guess it'd be the same for a girl. Misha, Michael. My mothers name is Lena, short for Yelena, and in English it's Ellen. And then other names can stay pretty much the same and are just pronounced differently.
So anyway, you could just use the English equivalent of their names.
My grandmother's name is Valentina, in english, Valentine. I'm pretty sure OSC based the character on her.
Though if it's a matter of changing their names to not remind them of adoption then that may not be the best option.
posted
Strangely, too, a lot of the Russian names that I found are from Greek or Latin origins. Still, they have a European flare to them, but there are still some that wouldn't stand out here.
Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
Natasha is yet another nick name for Natalia.
Russians are famous for their affectionate forms. Taking Natalia as an example, we get
Natasha Natashka Natashinshka Tasha Tashka
etc.
Sasha is actually the nick name for Alexandra or Alexander. A Russian might also call the person Sashka, Sashinchka, Alexandrichka, etc.
Russians will do this to any name. My own name is Ami. My husband calls me, you guessed it: Amka. It is a short 'a' rather than the long 'a' of my given name. He also calls me Ama, Amishka and more.
Want more confusion? His name is Vladimir. There are two common nicks for that: Volodya and Vovka. A common rule with applying nicks is that the longer they are, the more affectionate they are. So, I might call my husband Vovuschka, but no one else but his mother would.
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