Thread: Russian Equivalent name for the English name John

Originally Posted by jimita

My actual name would be Ivana or Ivanka. SOmehow I can't quite see myself as either of these, so I'd just go with the French pronounciation and be Zhanette.

It's funny...there are lots of Mexicans and Nicaraguans around here. THey dont understand "Janet" but when I tell them it's the same as Juanita then they get it.

Um... Janet != Ивана, which to my knowledge isn't even a name.

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Um... Janet != Ивана, which to my knowledge isn't even a name.

There is a name Ивана but it's not a russian name...it has bulgarian roots. But it is very similar to a russian name Иоанна.

Я знаю массу девушек, которые называются "Ивана". Они все из стран, которые составляли Югославию.

-у которых имя Ивана-

Можно сказать "которых зовут Иванами", так лучше, но можно перепутать с особями мужского полу.

Originally Posted by TATY

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Джон - plain and simple. I don't like how people equate certain common American names to certain common Russian names. If you'd like to be called by a Russian name, just pick any old one. Certainly Иван isn't any closer to John than Василий, despite what online translators might tell you. Moreover, Ivan is at least somewhat common in America.

Excuse me, but John existed for hundreds of years before any John ever set foot in what is now America.

They are called English names, because they belong to the English language.

And names do translate. Yes John ---> Иван is much much more ambiguous than Gregory ---> Григорий or Katherine ----> Екатерина, but they do derive from the same name.

The Biblical Hebrew name Yonochan (Йонохан) [short for a phrase meaning "Whom Jehovah gave"] entered Septuagint Greek as Ioannis. It then entered Old Church Slavonic as Iоan which then became Иван in Russian.

To get to English it went to Septuagint Greek Ioannis, then to Latin Ioannes/Joannes, then to old Germanic Johannes, Johan, then to English John.
The name Jonathan came from Yonochan much more directly.

I agree, if your name is John, when you go to Russian you don't call yourself Ivan. But the guy did ask how to translate his name. And this is why Ivan is closer to John, than Vasiliy is.

BTW Vasiliy is the Russian equivalent of the English name Basil (from Greek βασιλευς (Basileus).

There is more to etymology than words sounding or looking the same.

Almost all biblical names exist in all languages where people read bible. Back in old times,new born children were brought to a church for christening so the holy father (or parents) had just picked some biblical name. Those names are traditional and exist in all languages (even Arabs and Jews do have them).

What do you mean "even ... Jews do have them"?
Since they are bibical, they came from Jewish, aren't they?

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Originally Posted by jimita

My actual name would be Ivana or Ivanka. SOmehow I can't quite see myself as either of these, so I'd just go with the French pronounciation and be Zhanette.

It's funny...there are lots of Mexicans and Nicaraguans around here. THey dont understand "Janet" but when I tell them it's the same as Juanita then they get it.

Um... Janet != Ивана, which to my knowledge isn't even a name.

I'm guessing this will be a huge surprise to both Ivana Trump and her daughter Ivanka.....

but of course they are Czech, not Russian......

Originally Posted by Propp

What do you mean "even ... Jews do have them"?
Since they are bibical, they came from Jewish, aren't they?

That's what I was thinking.

It's like saying, "nowadays McDonald's is everywhere, you can even find it in America" :P

Can anyone tell me what the Russian equivalent of the name Paul is? Thanks.

Originally Posted by РусскаяДевушка

Can anyone tell me what the Russian equivalent of the name Paul is? Thanks.

Павел - Pavel

And your sig should read:

Я люблю Юлию Волкову

Originally Posted by TATY

Originally Posted by РусскаяДевушка

Can anyone tell me what the Russian equivalent of the name Paul is? Thanks.

Павел - Pavel

And your sig should read:

Я люблю Юлию Волкову

Thanks! Oops, lol. I'll change that.. thanks for pointing that out!

Originally Posted by Leof

Eventually there is the row of English/German names which were taken in Russian and were not translated in Russian at all - like Robert, Edward, Henry, even Charles - yes like English monarchs as well! They are Russian Роберт, Эдуард, Генри, Чарлз and there exist some other as well!

In Russian tradition, there is more common to call English kings as Генрих for Henry and Карл for Charles (Генрих Восьмой и Карл Первый)...

t r u e

Скорее всего это будет имя Женя в мужском и женском роде.

Originally Posted by Pawlo

Скорее всего это будет имя Женя в мужском и женском роде.

Евгений - это Юджин (Eugene).
А вообще-то хорошо бы все три страницы темы прочитать, прежде чем что-то писать в нее.

Парень из Украины, а не с.

начинается...

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Парень из Украины, а не с.

Ну если так сам украинец пишет.....

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Парень из Украины, а не с.

Ну если так сам украинец пишет.....

Если он коренной, то русский язык является ему неродным.

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Парень из Украины, а не с.

Ну если так сам украинец пишет.....

Если он коренной, то русский язык является ему неродным.

ну-ну... как же, как же. Как раз на украинском языке преподавались все предметы в школе. Ну я конечно не могу сказать, что украинский язык употребляется мной, да и большинством украинцев в повседневной жизни, нет, преобладает русский, хотя это еще зависит и от областного центра и от того, насколько человек любит тот или иной язык. А пишу я далеко не литературным текстом, но это не значит, что я его не употребляю совсем. А родным для меня являються два языка - русский и украинский, и конечно же надеюсь, что в недалеком будущем, английский станет мне хоть немножечко ближе.