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[Opinions] Anastasia
What do you think of Anastasia? How do you pronounce it? I'm a bit worried people will associate it with the 50 Shades of Grey character. I have never read the books or seen the movies but I know that the main character is Anastasia nn Ana and from what I have heard this isn't exactly a good association.At the moment I like Lily Anastasia, opinions? I also like it as a first name and with the nickname Anya. Do you think this works? I know Anya is a nickname for Anna but I have heard Anastasia nn Anya before.
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Anastasia is lovely. It is among my favorites. I usually use the a-nə-stay-zhə pronunciation, but am also comfortable with the ah-nah-stah-SEE-yah pronunciation, which seems more common in eastern Europe. Anya would make a cute nick name as would Ana.Like other people have mentioned, Anastasia Romanov is the first association that comes to mind. Wasn't there also an Olympian or two named Anastasia? If you hadn't mentioned "50 Shades of Gray," I don't think it would automatically come to mind. The book's popularity was kind of flash in the pan. I think it was briefly popular due to the titillating shock factor, but it isn't the sort of book likely to become a classic. If you have the same last name as the character then people might make the association, but otherwise I wouldn't worry.

This message was edited 11/21/2016, 12:01 PM

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I think Anastasia is a gorgeous name. I pronounce it
a-nə-STAY-zhə. I would think of Anastasia Krupnik and Anastasia Romanov before the 50 Shades of Grey character.I dislike Lily and would rather see Anastasia used as a first name with Anya for short.
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I love Anastasia!! I didn't know the association with 50 Shades of Grey so that doesn't worry me too much. Anya is cute =) I like Annie and Star as NNs as well. I pronounce it an-na-STAY-jah.

This message was edited 11/21/2016, 1:00 AM

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Lily Anastasia is gorgeous!As for Anastasia nn "Anya," that would almost certainly be the case if the bearer lived in Russia, or elsewhere in Eastern Europe. "Ana" might be more common in the Anglophone world, but we've heard of Anya so it shouldn't be difficult to make that stick.And I wouldn't worry about the "50 Shades of Grey" association, since the pop culture fad already seems to be fading. Honestly, the most prolific association with the name Anastasia would have to be Princess Anastasia Romanoff, rumored for so long to have survived the massacre of her family (though she assuredly was killed).Edit: I see a bunch of other people have already mentioned the ill-fated Romanoff...

This message was edited 11/20/2016, 9:52 PM

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I've always liked Anastasia. I don't think I'd use it just because it's a little more fanciful than most of my top choices. I don't think most people care much about the names of the people in Fifty Shades. And my major association is the Russian one as well, as mentioned before.
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Love the name Anastasia, I pronounce it AH-NA-STAYS-IA.I wouldn't think of the 50 shades of Grey character if I heard this name.Lily Anastasia sounds lovely
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The fifty shades of Grey charecter is Anastacia.
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I pronounce it an-a-STAY-zha. I think it's a nice name. I highly doubt many people will associate it with 50 Shades of Gray. It's not a cultural phenomenon or anything to which names would be highly tied.Lily Anastasia is a gorgeous combo. Anya is an ok nickname, but it sounds forced to me unless maybe you had Russian or Eastern European ties. I have a friend Anastasia who goes by Stasi (prn. like Stacy). I like Stacy as a nickname the best.
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I like it and it's on my PNL but I don't like it enough to use. There are other names that I know I would use rather than Anastasia. I think it would have to be shortened to either Ana or Stacy and while I don't hate either one of those I'm not overly fond of them, either.I don't associate it with "50 Shades of Grey", because I also have neither read the books nor seen the movies, but then I'm out of touch with most pop culture anyway so that shouldn't be taken for much.Actually, as far as bad associations go, the bad association for me is the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, because she was murdered at age 17 along with her entire family. Her name lived on more than the rest of the family's because of the woman who claimed to be her, leading to books and movies about her. That's why the name Anastasia, to me, has a slightly tragic air to it.
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I absolutely loved those books. Although only the first three were translated into Swedish and now when I can read in English I think I'm a bit too old to read them. I loved A Summer to Die and Number the Stars, too. The Giver trilogy has recently been translated to Swedish, so they are on my "to read" list.
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mostly agreeBut my main association with the name is Anastasia Krupnik, the star of a series of books by Lois Lowry that were very popular in the eighties and early nineties. I read them all and loved those books. Anastasia was about twelve, very literate and smart but didn't always have the best judgment and tended to jump into things without really thinking all the way through. She had a really nice pair of parents and a little brother who was whip-smart and funny too.
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