Thread: Names

Well, many questions...

Amira Yasmine El Haloui - Амира Ясмин Эль-Халуи (most probably)

Tanya - Таня. Actually it is diminutive from the name Татьяна (Tatiana). There is no tradition in Russia to use diminutives instead original names so you hardly can find name "Tanya" in official documents. According to the most accepted nowadays transliteration system Таня is Tanya. Though people can use different ways of transliteration.

No ideas why Czechs decided to use j for "short i" consonant sound. Poles apparently did that because they use letter "y" for another sound, which is equivalent to Russian "Ы".

Standard English James is normally transliterated as Джеймс. Not sure if I understood you correctly about your husband's name pronunciation.

Daniel - Дэниел or Дэниэл. There are Russian names of the same origin "Даниил"(Daniil) and "Данила"(Danila), both male, but they are considered not the same name as English Daniel.

Саша (Sasha) is the diminutive of either Александр (Aleksandr, male) or Александра (Aleksandra, female). If you like to transliterate "Xander", it should be Зандер or Сандер.

Миша (Misha) is the diminutive of Михаил (Mikhail, male only).

Originally Posted by it-ogo

No ideas why Czechs decided to use j for "short i" consonant sound. Poles apparently did that because they use letter "y" for another sound, which is equivalent to Russian "Ы".

Yes! I know this because one of my good friends is Polish. I can actually understand some Polish and she can understand some Czech. I think it is a similar language... being neighbors and all it is kind of understandable. I met a lady at work and she was Croatian and she understoons some Czech and Polish too.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Standard English James is normally transliterated as Джеймс. Not sure if I understood you correctly about your husband's name pronunciation.

Daniel - Дэниел or Дэниэл. There are Russian names of the same origin "Даниил"(Daniil) and "Данила"(Danila), both male, but they are considered not the same name as English Daniel.

James: Forget that one... I don't know what I was trying to say either. I guess I was thinking if his name would be pronounced like "Yames"? I guess that was a question more for thinking about the Polish/Czech J=Y kind of thing... I don't know why I asked that here.

Daniel is actually a Hebrew/Biblical name. So is James (Both are very popluar names in the United States).

You know how you use the fathers name as the child's second name? Like Father = Vladimir then daughter's 2nd name = Valdimirovna (or something like this)? If my son or daughter's father name is James, how would you write it as their second name? (This is just a random question that I was just now wondering.)

Originally Posted by MrsKlug

You know how you use the fathers name as the child's second name? Like Father = Vladimir then daughter's 2nd name = Valdimirovna (or something like this)? If my son or daughter's father name is James, how would you write it as their second name? (This is just a random question that I was just now wondering.)

While placed after the first name and before the last name the patronymic name is not a second name in any way.
You can read some earlier discussions on this topic:
1. I Need help With My Name :(
2. Russian Names
3. Using a patronymic in the United States

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Миша (Misha) is the diminutive of Михаил (Mikhail, male only).

Ha! Ha! So my kids and husband gave our girl dog a boy's name. I knew it! I told them Masha would be cuter, but they didn't believe me. She is a very huge furry dog. Like a bear. She is part labador retriever and part chow! Very fluffy and strong! So, Sasha is boy or girl. I was kind of thinking that it probably was. Thank-You! Your answers are great!

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Tanya - Таня. Actually it is diminutive from the name Татьяна (Tatiana). There is no tradition in Russia to use diminutives instead original names so you hardly can find name "Tanya" in official documents.

I knew my name was a nickname. My mother (being the daughter of a Russian/Czech) actually wanted me to have an American name. She was going to give me the name "Nicole." My father (an Irish guy) wanted my name to be Tanya. He actually chose it. I do know "Tanya" in Czech Republic is used as a common first name though.

In Biblical context James would be Иаков. More common version of the name would be Яков, so a second name would be Яковлевич (male)/Яковлевна (female)

Names of the Kings and other monarchs are usually translated as opposed to common people in which case they are transliterated.
James I - Яков I, Charles I - Карл I, Henry VIII - Генрих VIII. Usual persons with that names would have been Джеймс, Чарльз and Генри.

Thank-you that was very interesting. I didn't know that.