View Message

[Opinions] Sasha
What do you think of naming a son/daughter Alexander / Alexandra, but calling them Sasha from day one? I like hardly any nicknames, and this is the only scenario in which I'd actually plan the first name around the desired pet form. I do like Alexander and Alexandra in their own right too, it's just that Sasha is the form I like best (on both genders, I love it). I could just use Sasha as the formal name, of course, but (and this might sound silly), I wouldn't like to think that'd make me look ignorant to someone Russian. I dislike names like Nadia and Natasha for that reason. So, anyways, WDYT?
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

i don't understand the ignorancy part...(m)but would your idea not lead to complicated situations? on the other hand, in the Netherlands there are many pet forms that don't even look like the name they came from (e.g Pim from Willem, or some people are babtized Willem Geert and called Wieger(t))p.s.: me likes Nadia and Natasha very much, but thats just me
vote up1
As a rule I dislike using Russian NNs as full given names, since no one there would have a name like Katya, Vanya, Sasha, or Lyuda on the birth certificate. Though there are a few I don't mind as full given names, like Natasha, Lara, and Raya, since they either don't look as nicknamey or they're used as full names in other cultures.
vote up1
sasha and katya used as full names too (in Holland that is)
vote up1
It's not uncommon for people of all cultures to give pet forms instead of formal names, so I doubt you'd be considered ignorant. I love Sasha - particularly for a boy - and don't think you should feel insecure about using it alone. There's always the Alexander/Alexandra route, but I don't see using the name on its own as a bad thing.
vote up1
I have to disagree there. In Spain it's now that we begin to name children with nicknames, and it's seen as a really weird thing, and yes, a bit ignorant. And I personally hate to hear that american people name their daughters Lola, or even Lolita. Here every Lola, Loli or Lolita is Dolores.
I can imagine russian people thinking the same.
But, you can decide if it bothers you or not. If I had a daughter I'd probably name her Nadia...
vote up1
Yeah, I guess I should have said its not uncommon in "many" cultures. Its quite in vogue in Britain right now to give straight nns like Ben and Jamie and Ellie, and I've seen it in articles about other countries as well. Guess I'm not sure how a Russian would view it, but unless the poster has a lot of interaction with Russian natives, I don't think the use of Sasha would be that bad.
vote up1
I think that you could use Sasha on its own if that's what you intend to call him/her from the start. Even though I do not normally like nicknames on their own, I think that this one could work.
By the way, I prefer Sasha on a boy (as with most unisex names), but since it is genuinely unisex, I am not against this one on a girl.
vote up1
Well i know brothers named Aleksander and Dejan and their parents call them Sasha and Dejan but at school they are called Alek & Dean!I love Alexander but the only way i would use it is to use Sasha as the full time nickname
vote up1
I love it...*SREAK*
vote up1
I love the name Sasha. I mentioned it to my DH for next baby but it was promptly vetoed. I think it's perfectly fine as a formal name.
vote up1