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[Opinions] Re: Olga, Helga, Inga and Ingrid
i think it all depends on the country you live in. these are not North American names by any stretch of the imagination. Olga is Scandinavian and means holy. Helga is German and Scandinavian and means pious. Helge is the masculine version of Helga, and i know a man with that name. for me, i believe that certain names are not easily transportable to other countries. and then there's other ethnic names that are easy to take to other countries. for example, Helge is a good choice in Russia, but not so hot in Canada. Inga and Ingrid are similar types of Scandinavian names that are best suited to that country and the countries surrounding. then there are other ethnic names that transport easily...Lucia, Janina and Maria come to mind. these are names you can take to North America quite easily. you have to consider the language that is spoken in a country before taking another country's ethnic names. for example, Helge sounds nice to people who speak Russian, but doesn't have the same effect in an English speaking country. Ingrid sounds hot in Sweden or other Scandinavian countries, but it doesn't fly in North America.
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HelgeI have never heard of this name before. It is definitely not Russian.

This message was edited 11/26/2011, 11:00 AM

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well according to 100,000 Plus Baby Names book by Bruce Lansky, it says in there that Helge is a Russian name.
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Some of the baby names books are not accurate.
There was a topic on one Russian message board where people made fun of one of those books because 'Russian' names in it had nothing in common with the reality. I cannot find it right now, but I'll try to find it later.

This message was edited 11/26/2011, 12:50 PM

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i still think it's possible to use these in North America, these are all fine names in my opinion. you just have to remember that sometimes it is challenging for people to pronounce a name that is from another country. in North America you will have to help people pronounce these. Helge is a fine name and it has a great meaning. when i think of it, there are too many John's, Lynne's, Michelle's and James'. a variety of names is great and ethnic names are hot too!
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Why do you think people in North America would have a hard time pronouncing Olga, Helga, Inga, and Ingrid? They're so simple.Helga and Inga are uncommon, but they're not unheard of in the U.S. For instance, Helga is the wife from the Hagar the Horrible comic strip. Olga and Ingrid have been very well used here and are quite familiar; Olga was a Top 500 name until the 1970s and didn't drop out of the Top 1000 until the 90s. Ingrid is well known because of Ingrid Bergman and has been used steadily since the 50s. It's in the 700 range now.
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