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ArchivesRe: Russian diminutives in the Western world
in reply to a message by overtheclouds
I believe Dr. Evans is correct about the appearance of several of these names in Russian novels which have been widely read in the Western world.
He mentioned Sonya; another example is Natasha, who appears as a major character in "War and Peace." That name was probably boosted by a film version in the 1950s.
Nadia, however, first appeared on the SSA list in 1976 because of the fame of the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci in the Montreal Olympics.
I am curious about Tanya, because the most famous Tanyas did not appear until the early 1970s and yet the name was already becoming popular in the 1960s.
Sasha is also interesting because it is a male diminutive in Russian. I suppose it looks enough like a "typical" girl's name in English that parents thought it would be better for girls than boys.
I don't believe any of the other forms mentioned (Anya, Anoushka, Vanya, Katya) have had noticeable success in the US although they may be more popular in some European countries.
He mentioned Sonya; another example is Natasha, who appears as a major character in "War and Peace." That name was probably boosted by a film version in the 1950s.
Nadia, however, first appeared on the SSA list in 1976 because of the fame of the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci in the Montreal Olympics.
I am curious about Tanya, because the most famous Tanyas did not appear until the early 1970s and yet the name was already becoming popular in the 1960s.
Sasha is also interesting because it is a male diminutive in Russian. I suppose it looks enough like a "typical" girl's name in English that parents thought it would be better for girls than boys.
I don't believe any of the other forms mentioned (Anya, Anoushka, Vanya, Katya) have had noticeable success in the US although they may be more popular in some European countries.
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Replies
Thanks for your reply. From digging around, I found that there's a character in 'Eugene Onegin' by Pushkin called Tatiana, who is nicknamed Tanya. It's interesting that Tanya became popular in the English-speaking world decades before Tatiana gained any currency.
I believe Sasha is unisex in Russian. It can be a nickname for Aleksandr or Aleksandra.
I have come across Anya, Anoushka, Vanya (as a feminine name) and Katya being used in Western European countries, with various spellings. For example Anoushka as Anouchka in France, and Vanya as Vânia in Portugal, and Katya as Katja in Germany.
I believe Sasha is unisex in Russian. It can be a nickname for Aleksandr or Aleksandra.
I have come across Anya, Anoushka, Vanya (as a feminine name) and Katya being used in Western European countries, with various spellings. For example Anoushka as Anouchka in France, and Vanya as Vânia in Portugal, and Katya as Katja in Germany.
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The younger daughter of President Obama is indeed a Natasha who is called Sasha. However, that hasn't ever made sense to me, as I don't get how the T in Tasha would normally change to an S. All the other examples I know of American women called Sasha (when it's a pet form and not the full official name) have been Alexandra on the birth certificate.
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