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Help[Opinions] Lev and Mira
Do Lev and Mira work as names for my characters?
They're Polish-American siblings, born in the 2000s; Mira is younger by about five years. The names are supposed to be somewhat ironic, as Mira ("peace") is more aggressive and sarcastic than Lev ("lion").
Also, would it be better to use the Polish spelling for Lev, which is Lew, or just have it be that their parents wanted to use a spelling that was more easily pronounced in the US?
Suggestions for other names are welcome!
They're Polish-American siblings, born in the 2000s; Mira is younger by about five years. The names are supposed to be somewhat ironic, as Mira ("peace") is more aggressive and sarcastic than Lev ("lion").
Also, would it be better to use the Polish spelling for Lev, which is Lew, or just have it be that their parents wanted to use a spelling that was more easily pronounced in the US?
Suggestions for other names are welcome!
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Replies
I like them. I have a second cousin named Mira, though her given name may be Miriam
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Depends on how Polish they're supposed to be, I guess. I like this set, I think these names go well together.
I think if you have Mira, then go with Lev, because these parents likely took English speakers into consideration when naming their kids. Let's look at some numbers: Mira was given to 6 baby girls in Poland in 2000, then nothing until 9 in 2004 and finally climbed to 25 in 2010, then it kept climbing and reached 82 last year. So not exactly one of the top choices for Polish parents in the 2000s. But it works as a more modern way of honouring a Mirosława for example.
And Lew is even less popular. There are only 450 alive in all of Poland. There were no Lews born in Poland between 2000-2009 (for contrast there were 142 Leos born during the same period). It also climbed slowly to reach 56 last year (contrasted with Lev - 107, and Leo - 545).
So I guess either way these parents are ahead of the curve. But I think if you're going for the more international Mira then I'd also go with Lev, probably. If I met Lew and Mira in Poland I'd think their parents were insufferable hipsters, Lew is so weirdly and in-your-face Polish and rare and Mira brings to mind the very dated Mirosława but it's like its cooler, westernised cousin, which is to an extent cohesive. But I think it looses that cohesiveness if they're supposed to be born in the US. Why do the simple, international Mira but saddle Lew with the weird spelling? Seems unfair.
I think if you have Mira, then go with Lev, because these parents likely took English speakers into consideration when naming their kids. Let's look at some numbers: Mira was given to 6 baby girls in Poland in 2000, then nothing until 9 in 2004 and finally climbed to 25 in 2010, then it kept climbing and reached 82 last year. So not exactly one of the top choices for Polish parents in the 2000s. But it works as a more modern way of honouring a Mirosława for example.
And Lew is even less popular. There are only 450 alive in all of Poland. There were no Lews born in Poland between 2000-2009 (for contrast there were 142 Leos born during the same period). It also climbed slowly to reach 56 last year (contrasted with Lev - 107, and Leo - 545).
So I guess either way these parents are ahead of the curve. But I think if you're going for the more international Mira then I'd also go with Lev, probably. If I met Lew and Mira in Poland I'd think their parents were insufferable hipsters, Lew is so weirdly and in-your-face Polish and rare and Mira brings to mind the very dated Mirosława but it's like its cooler, westernised cousin, which is to an extent cohesive. But I think it looses that cohesiveness if they're supposed to be born in the US. Why do the simple, international Mira but saddle Lew with the weird spelling? Seems unfair.
This message was edited 5/17/2023, 1:55 PM
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Thanks for your input! Based on what you said, I think I'll go with Lev - they are supposed to be a bit more mainstream-American culturally than Polish, so I think it'll work better.
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They’re great! I think Lev is nicer and works better.
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Yeah.
I prefer Lew more then Lev.
I prefer Lew more then Lev.
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