Before we traveled to meet New Kid, I wrote about potential issues with names. Since New Kid comes "complete with name" we needed to decide if that name would "work" in the US.
As it turns out, his given name is Sergei. Not a bad name. It would work in the US with no problems. However, here's the rub: the kid does NOT look like a "Sergei".
I imagine a "Sergei" as a dark, swarthy, handsome and mysterious dude. New Kid is not that, even accounting for the fact that it's hard to be dark and mysterious when you're only two years old.
He is blonde. He has blue eyes. I just can't channel "Sergei" from that.
So the Name Chase has begun. We have a few potentials, but not many. Most the names we like are now attached to one of Alex's schoolmates. And typically not in a good way, if you get my drift.
Before we knew his name, we discussed coming up with something that sounds similar, since he knows his name currently. This would confuse him less. Hopefully.
Two problems with this:
(1) What in the hell sounds like "Sergei"?
Fergie? Surrey? Suri?!
(2) Russians don't typically use their kids' given names in everyday conversations. They are very big on nicknames.
I didn't hear anyone in the baby home ever call him "Sergei". That's too formal for kids. Sergei's nickname is "Seregozha". Huh? It took us two days to get the proununciation right. I'm not even trying to match that with another name.
I'm thinking "Bob" sounds about right at this point...
5 comments:
Ah, I LOVE the name Sergei.
However, I have always imagined a Sergei as a blonde, not a swarthy type. Interesting!
I gotta say that I like the name Sergei, too. Sadly, any kid with something that sounds like "gay" in his name is going to be tortured mercilessly in a U.S. school. An alternative would spare him a lot of stress.
I think the correct nickname is Seryozha. My cousin with the same name goes by Serge or something like that.Also Sergei is not pronounced Ser-GAY,and hardly sounds like it is you say it right.Sergio may be Italian sounding alternative.
I did a Google image search to try to dispell your dark hair/dark eye stereotype of Sergei, but the hot blonde/blue eyed hockey player that comes up first is from the Crime & Punishment section of About. Maybe not the best image to decide a name for your son.
Sergei seems like a pretty good choice though!
A few options:
-Gorgeous Steve
-Ronny Lovemaker
-Hammerfist
-Sprint Mobility (big bucks in baby sponsorship these days)
-Batman
Actually, don't steal Gorgeous Steve, I'm saving that one for my kid. Boy or girl.
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