# Forum Learning Russian Language Resources for Studying Russian Russian Names  I Am Very Confused And Need Help Please

## iosifbakhvalov

After being in russia recently i get allot of undevoted attention on my name and i have no idea why.
my father is russian and my mum is from the united kingdom.
when i tell people my name i get very strange looks and they say its very unique and im very confused.
maybe i should change it? i do not want undevoted attention.
my name what appears on my passport is: 
Iosif vissarionovich bakhvalova
Иосиф Виссарионовича ьакхвалова 
I may change it.

----------


## Оля

Сегодня вроде не первое апреля.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

what? its february not april? what mae you say that

----------


## Leof

Оль, но, ведь, нам с тобой такое имя ровным счётом ничего не говорит - имя как имя. Ведь, это так, Оль? 
iosifbakhvalova
I don't know why do people think you have a unique name.  
Оль, твои две запятые: *, ,*

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

so you do not think my name is strange?
thank god my friend olga says she has never heard it before? as ive not been in russia for a long stay of time i have not came across anyone with the same name.

----------


## Leof

Tell me, what's your father's first name?

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

моего отца зовут Виссарион.

----------


## Оля

> my father is russian

 1. Why can't you ask your father about your name?
2. I would never believe that a Russian could give such a name to his child, especially to a girl (the given surname is female).
3. Your spelling doesn't look like a native's one.
4. As I said above, today is not the 1st April, so stop fooling us.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

i am not fooling you and my writing is like that as i cannot write in russian 
hand on my heart that is my name which is why it is strange

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

i am not a girl , it is your opionion to believe what i am saying to you but i guarantee you it is the truth
my fathers name is vissarion
my name is iosif vissarionovich bakhvalova as it is on my passport maybe i have read the end bit wrong

----------


## Leof

However now, after I googled Иосиф Виссарионович, I found the article in Wiki. Seems lke he was something like a Soviet leader. But me or Оля can hardly know him. He died long before our birth.  http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Сталин_Иосиф_Виссарионович 
Why didn't you try to google it yourself?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

i did not think of google i cannot read the cyrillic on my passport properly , would it be ok to scan it and upload a picture so you could help read the last name?
like you said its female form have i read it wrong?

----------


## Leof

You may scan your passport or credit card number if you wish.
But Iosif Vissarionovich is a name of this old man with mustaches. 
Just follow the links above.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

yes and i am telling you i have that same name so if i scanned my passport you would see i am not "fooling" you
i just wanted help not links to other websites.

----------


## delog

Я чето понять не могу, кто над кем прикалывается?  ::  *Leof*, что значит "я погуглил" и "похоже, что он был предводителем"? Ты это серьезно?

----------


## Leof

Doesn't the article help you to know why your name may astonish some Russian people?
Then I do not know how to help you.
Make a labor - read the article. I would read it and repeat what was said in it for you, but it is you who lives in England, not me - read in English, it will help. 
delog, я действительно погуглил и обнаружил сходство между этими именами, я старался лишь бть столь же правдивым, что и OP.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

this man who you have given links to i do not know,but i can assure you that my name is iosif i just need help with the surname which you say is femine how do i read it ?

----------


## Оля

> i just wanted help not links to other websites.

 Okay, I'll try to ask again:
Why can't you ask your father about your name? If he's Russian he can answer your questions.

----------


## Leof

If you read these our notes, read the article.
Your name should be Iosif Vissarionovich Bakhvalov_, no a in the end.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

becuase my father is not around in the united kingdom. i see why it is shocking to have the name of this man you gave the link for should i change my name?
like i said you have my word that i am not fooling you and i will scan my passport if you need proof

----------


## Leof

You must decide yourself should you change your name or not.
If you are going to live in Russia - perhaps you should change your father's name in your pasport, if you about to move to Georgya, yo ubetter change your last name.
But if you prefer to stay in England - leave your good name as it is.
If you are worried about the Russians who are surprized by hearing your name - change your name.
If you don;'t care about Russians who are astonished - do not change your name. 
I think I have answered fully.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

i do want to permanently move to moscow in a few years but i am worried i do not want to get into fight or trouble.
so i would have to look into changing it. thanks for your help anyway  ::

----------


## Leof

::

----------


## delog

*Leof*, I had been thinking you are Russian, because your Russian is perfect!

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

can i just ask , i read the article you posted but it does not explain anything 
why is it such a shock to a russian guy or girl ?
ive allot of russian friends who say its weird but dont take offence, should they?

----------


## delog

> why is it such a shock to a russian guy or girl ?

 All Russians, ABSOLUTELY ALL knows Joseph Stalin as ruthless person who had annihilated millions peoples.

----------


## Leof

They should not, Iosif, would you be offenced if anyone introduced himself as Oliver Cromwell or George Bush or Napoleon or Faust?

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

no i would not id think oh you have the same name as this guy or women , but like you said i should think about changing it if i go back russia but then again if someone has a problem with my name then that is there problem yes?

----------


## Leof

Say, if you would look very like prime minister of England, or had a scary keenship with Hugh Grant. People would stare at you on the streets and finger you and ask you leave thema sign or a photo. Once you'd find it annoing you would try to change your appearance to look not quite like these people. 
Same with your name.
If you want not to be always been asked about your name - change it.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

good point  ::  well thanks anyway

----------


## Оля

If you are a guy, and your surname really is Bakhvalov*a*, it sounds very strange, ridiculous and stupid because it's a feminine surname. As Leof said, the masculine one is Bakhvalov. If Bakhvalov*a* is what stands in your passport, it is... really very stupid, SORRY. It makes the whole your name VERY weird.   

> my writing is like that as i cannot write in russian

 By the way, I didn't mean your writing in Russian, I meant your "allot" and "mae" instead of "a lot" and "may".

----------


## Lampada

> If you are a guy, and your surname really is Bakhvalov*a*, it sounds very strange, ridiculous and stupid because it's a feminine surname. As Leof said, the masculine one is Bakhvalov. If Bakhvalov*a* is what stands in your passport, it is... really very stupid, SORRY. It makes the whole your name VERY weird. ...

 What if it's one of the names from the Georgian region?  E.g.  Zurab Sotkilava. http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D1% ... 0%B2%D0%B0

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

like i said my russian reading is very bad so i may have made the mistake which is now seeming more likely , as like you say its feminine and im a guy

----------


## Оля

> What if it's one of the names from the Georgian region?  E.g.  Zurab Sotkilava.

 Bakhvalov(a) sounds completely Russian. Moreover, I don't think there are feminine Russian surnames that end on "-*a*va". Only "-ova", "-eva" (if we are talking about names that end on "-*v*-"). So Sotkilava is not a good example. Even the stress is different.

----------


## Оля

> like i said my russian reading is very bad so i may have made the mistake

 Which mistake do you mean? You mean you don't know / remember your name (written in English) quite well and don't remember if it's bakhvalov or bakhvalova? Or that your UK passport is written in Russian? 
Listen, I really think you should wait a bit, about one month, till the 1st of April.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

im just gonna go with what Leof  said, if my name starts to cause unwanted attention then its up to me to change it or its the other persons problem not mine  ::

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

right again dude ive told you i am not fooling you , its up to you to believe what im saying,
i do not know the cyrillic alphabet well, and i aslways thought my last name was bakhvalova untill someone on here pointed out that it was femine and could not be correct thus i must have read it wrong. would you like me to scan it so you can have disclosure on you "april " obsession
oh and my passport is russian NOT english

----------


## Оля

> right again dude ive told you i am not fooling you , its up to you to believe what im saying,
> i do not know the cyrillic alphabet well, and i aslways thought my last name was bakhvalova

 I am sorry, but I don't understand how someone can say "I *thought* my last name was XXX" if he has a passport. Your last name is what is in your passport. How can you not know what stands there? You cannot _think_ that your name is bla bla bla, you should _know_ what it is. Otherwise you sound very strange.

----------


## Оля

> oh and my passport is russian NOT english

 OoooooooOOooH   ::  How's that? How could you come to be abroad without any passport in English??? I thought it's impossible. Please scan your fantastic document for us.

----------


## Lampada

> Originally Posted by Lampada  What if it's one of the names from the Georgian region?  E.g.  Zurab Sotkilava.   Bakhvalov(a) sounds completely Russian. Moreover, I don't think there are feminine Russian surnames that end on "-*a*va". Only "-ova", "-eva" (if we are talking about names that end on "-*v*-"). So Sotkilava is not a good example. Even the stress is different.

 You know that there is a lot of different ways to spell last names.

----------


## Оля

> You know that there is a lot of different ways to spell last names.

 Please give me an example of a Russian feminine surname that ends on "-ava" (with the stress on the first "a"... Well, or just with such ending).

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

i am going to scan my passport although i should not but i am just to wipe this smuggness that you have.
the name on my passport is in cyrillic yes? i cannot read cyrillic well so i always thought it was bakhvalova

----------


## it-ogo

> Originally Posted by Lampada  What if it's one of the names from the Georgian region?  E.g.  Zurab Sotkilava.   Bakhvalov(a) sounds completely Russian. Moreover, I don't think there are feminine Russian surnames that end on "-*a*va". Only "-ova", "-eva" (if we are talking about names that end on "-*v*-"). So Sotkilava is not a good example. Even the stress is different.

 I always thought that the last name of Casanova's husband should be Kazanov.   ::   
On the topic: I think the name is virtually possible though the very person is rather questionable.  ::

----------


## Leof

> Originally Posted by Lampada  You know that there is a lot of different ways to spell last names.   Please give me an example of a Russian feminine surname that ends on "-ava" (with the stress on the first "a"... Well, or just with such ending).

 Оль, у меня сразу два варианта футуристических женских фамилий: 
Балаклава и Казан*о*ва.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

virtual person?
i came on this site for help
not NARROW minded people who carnt open there mind for a second and accept what im trying to say.
i have no reason to lie about my name i clearly made a mistake with the A at the end of bakhvalova
if you add me on msn i shall send you a photo scan of my passport.

----------


## Оля

> virtual person?

 I wonder where you've seen this word combination. It-ogo didn't write it. Maybe you open your mind and read posts more carefully?   

> Оль, у меня сразу два варианта футуристических женских фамилий: 
> Балаклава и Казанова.

 Good joke.  ::

----------


## alexB

Кошмар, да и только, тема для анекдота. Пять томов уголовного дела, но я так и не понял, есть  *а* в конце или нет? Если всё-таки есть, то может ударение на о? Тогда не так уж всё и безнадёжно. А насчёт странных фамилий – у белорусов, например, такие чудотворные образцы встречаются, что волосы дыбором встают. Карака, Казмалы – те, кого я лично знаю. Хотя Казмалы может и не белорусы.  ::  
P.S.Есть оказывается люди, которые Сталина не знают. Чудно!

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

what do you mean there are people stalin did not know ))
and i apologise again i read it wrong   ::

----------


## Lampada

> what do you mean there are people stalin did not know ))
> and i apologise again i read it wrong

 Так ты ещё и русский неплохо знаешь!  Добро пожаловать на MasterRussian!   ::

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

::  thanks on to the topic in hand im still debating to change my name as i do plan to go to moscow in the near future for permant stay and i dont want people to be shocked when they ask my name as people on this site where.

----------


## translationsnmru

> Хотя Казмалы может и не белорусы.

 В Белоруссии (и в Литовском княжестве, в которое долгое время входила почти вся Белоруссия) чуть ли не со времён Орды жила довольно многочисленная группа татар, многие из которых со временем забыли свой язык и перешли на тогдашний белорусский, оставаясь мусульманами. Существуют образцы текстов, написанных татарами на старобелорусском арабским шрифтом. В общем, там до сих пор живут потомки тех, старых татар, и многие из них выглядят совершенно как славяне, говорят по-белорусски (или по русски с белорусским акцентом), но при этом имеют татарские фамилии. Я сам был знаком с одним из них. Казмалы, скорее всего, одна из таких фамилий.

----------


## translationsnmru

> what do you mean there are people stalin did not know ))

 He meant that there are people who still don't know Stalin. Those people don't know Stalin, not the other way around  ::

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

oh i see thanks for clearing that up haha

----------


## gRomoZeka

> when i tell people my name i get very strange looks and they say its very unique and im very confused.
> ....
> Iosif vissarionovich bakhvalova
> Иосиф Виссарионовича ьакхвалова
> I may change it.

 I still think that you're having us on...   ::  
But here's an answer to your question. Your name is extremely weird, because:
1) both Iosif and Vvissarion are rather rare names, and their combination is even more unique, as this is a name of a questionable Soviet leader Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin (and it's strange that you don't realize how weird it is).
2) what's more important, you have a MALE name and a FEMALE surname, so I wonder if you are a female with a male name, or a male with a female surname. Either way it's crazy. 
So.. better get used to the strange looks.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

honestly i am not having you on i cannot keep saying it enough times
its up to you to believe me i guess right?
as for what you just said im male lol 18 years old and i believe i did read it wrong as i said in before posts it should acutually be "bakhvalov"
but you have my 100% word that im not fooling you , the A on the end of bakhvalova is my fault for reading cyrillic in-correctly  :fool"

----------


## Оля

> 1) both Iosif and Vvissarion are rather rare names, and their combination is even more unique, as this is a name of a questionable Soviet leader Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin (and it's strange that you don't realize how weird it is).
> 2) what's more important, you have a MALE name and a FEMALE surname, so I wonder if you are a female with a male name, or a male with a female surname. Either way it's crazy.

 3) How can someone live in the UK with a passport in Russian? Even Russians can't go abroad with their Russian documents and have to make an international passport where one can read all info in English and the name in English letters.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

i lived in russia until i was about 8 years,i wont go into detail but i was sent to my mother who is of orgin to the united kingdom the passport i had from a child in russia is the one im refering to  with the name in cyrillic, like i said if you want to see a photocopy add me on MSN and il gladly show it you, surely then you would believe me?

----------


## gRomoZeka

> as for what you just said im male lol 18 years old and i believe i did read it wrong as i said in before posts it should acutually be "bakhvalov"

 Sorry, I missed that part. So it's just Stalin's name that causes such a reaction. People probably wonder what person would name a child that way (like you may wonder after meeting young guy, whose name is Adolf Hitler or Lee Harvey Oswald, or something like that). 
I don't think you need to change it, though. In most informal and semi-formal situations you'll be using your first name, which is a bit outdated, but not enough to make people stare at you. But if it does bother you change your patronymic a little (to Vladimirovich, for example), and you'll be fine.

----------


## Оля

> i lived in russia until i was about 8 years,i wont go into detail but i was sent to my mother who is of orgin to the united kingdom the passport i had from a child in russia is the one im refering to  with the name in cyrillic, like i said if you want to see a photocopy add me on MSN and il gladly show it you, surely then you would believe me?

 Okay, so you don't have any passport in English? If you were 8 years old, it's okay, but you're adult so you should have some document of the country where you live, right? I don't say I don't believe you, but what you're saying is strange. 
P.S. I don't have MSN, I don't use it.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

the only documentation i have is my birth certificate which is again in russian,
it is strange even for me as i've applied for jobs with the name bakhvalova thinking that was correct its just a huge error on my behalf

----------


## Оля

Well, the English equivalent for Iosif is Joseph. So be Joseph Bakhvalov. And forget about your patronymic, just leave it out. Just Joseph Bakhvalov would be okay, both in the UK and in Russia. 
P.S. Anyway, it was cruel and stupid, to give a kid such name being a father named Vissarion.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

so do i just get rid off the middle name or i can change it right?
after reading that article it does make me want to change it.

----------


## Оля

> so do i just get rid off the middle name or i can change it right?

 Why do you need _any_ middle name? Just get rid of it, of course.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

yeah i guess so , well i will leave  at that .this post has been going all day i thank you for your help.
спасибо

----------


## Funanori

wow- i cant believe you people dont know who is joseph stalin, that is like saying you dont know who is adolf hitler.

----------


## Оля

> wow- i cant believe you people dont know who is joseph stalin

 "We people"? Or maybe the topic starter?

----------


## TATY

This is a load of rubbish. 
1. Russian passports have the name written in both Russian and English, so that when the person travels to a country that doesn't use Cyrillic, the immigration people / police, whatever, can read the person's details.
2. Even if you can't read Russian, you must know what your surname is, or if you don't your mother/father will know what it is. 
3. I don't know how old you are but I expect your Russian passport from when you were a child must have expired by now, so you must have another passport with your surname on...  
The only explanation I can find is that when arriving in England (if that's where you live now), because your mother's surname was Bakhvalova, it was just assumed that you'd have the same surname as her, because in English we don't distinguish between male and female surnames. 
But I still think this is a big joke.

----------


## Ramil

We have two kinds of passports here. One (for internal use) is a main identification document. It has no latin letters whatsoever. The second one (so called 'foreign passport') is only used when you travel abroad and it has latin transliteration of names.

----------


## gRomoZeka

Anyway a kid can't have a passport. The only inner document a child has is his/her birth certificate (and it's only in Russian of course).

----------


## Оля

TATY просто, как всегда, не прочел всю тему.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

i still cannot believe there are some who think i am fooling you , but that is of your own mind.
i am giving you the full truth and i agree with "TATY" i clearly assumed my name was the same untill learning from the help of some on this site to distinguish between male and female surnames.
again thanks to those who helped me. i have decided NOT to change my name as a friend told me if a person has a problem with it then they can not talk to me or walk away. im happy with it now and i have removed the A from bakhvalov.

----------


## Leof

Good point, Iosif! Eventually it's you and your name, no matter who tells what.

----------


## TATY

> We have two kinds of passports here. One (for internal use) is a main identification document. It has no latin letters whatsoever. The second one (so called 'foreign passport') is only used when you travel abroad and it has latin transliteration of names.

 I know, but as mentioned below, kids don't have their own passports, and also if this guy has left Russia he must have had a zagran. passport (with the name transliterated in Latin) and/or some other kind of immigration documents for whatever country he arrived in. 
And Olya, I have read the whole thread, thank you very much. 
BTW, I do actually know of someone at my university called Joseph Stalin Bermudez, but I think his parents were Communists or something and possibly Cuban: http://mercury.soas.ac.uk/unison/slwc/video.htm

----------


## gRomoZeka

> BTW, I do actually know of someone at my university called Joseph Stalin Bermudez, but I think his parents were Communists or something and possibly Cuban

 Yeah, some Cubans have funny "Communistic" names, like Carlos Lenin and such.. 
I 've just remembered an interview I'd seen on TV when I was a kid (in early 90s or so). It was cool enough so I remembered it for years. Some foreigner (which was unusial in itself and piqued my interest) was sitting in the dark room, so we could see only his outline. The TV host said that that guy asked them "not to show his face" which seemed weird... but foreigners were supposed to be weird, right? )))
He spoke very good, but slightly accented Russian, and talked about various interesting topics: his view of Russia (USSR at the time), his family, his time as a student in Moscow University, some funny episodes from his student life.. etc. I enjoyed it. 
Among other things he told that his parents were strong believers in the Communist course, so they named their three sons after V.I.Lenin (or rather gave every boy a corresponding name - Vladimir, Illich or Lenin). This man was the second son so he was Ilich Ramírez Sánchez.  I laughed my head off... Does it ring the bell yet?   ::   
Yeah... ))) i*t seems that "the funny guy" was Ilich Ramírez Carlos ("The Jackal")* (I realised this much later, of course)  ::   I wish we had VCRs then, I'd love to watch that interview again.
For those who doesn't know whom I'm talking about here are the links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_the_Jackal http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Рамирес_Санчес,_Ильич 
Or maybe you've seen a movie about him: " The Jackal" ("Шакал"), starring Bruce Willis & Richard Gere, or "The Assignment" ("Двойник"), with Aidan Quinn & Donald Sutherland (I love this one).

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

i see allot of this )) all the time am i correct in saying it is a smile face or? :fool"

----------


## gRomoZeka

> i see allot of this )) all the time am i correct in saying it is a smile face or? :fool"

 Yeah, it 's a smile or a laugh.
We discussed it at length here: viewtopic.php?p=177915#p177915

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

thank you ))
and now does anyone knoq , you see my username before i came to this site it was assumed that bakhvalova was my second name but i have been corrected and it is infact bakhvalov can i change it on my profile?

----------


## translationsnmru

You can't change your username yourself, but if you ask Masteradmin nicely (by sending him a private message), he may change it for you.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

thank you   ::

----------


## Basil77

This whole topic still looks like a joke.  

> After being in russia recently

  How can one travel betwen UK and Russia having only one document written in cyrillic  ::  ?  

> i lived in russia until i was about 8 years

  I simply can't believe that a person who lived in Russia until 8 y.o. can make such a mistake in his surname. Even if he completely forgot the language.

----------


## iosifbakhvalov

it may look like a joke but it is not , ive stated that many times, my questions have been answer'd. 
i dont see why one would think i would lie about my name and/or who i am ?  ::

----------

