Message: "Is Mikhail too Russian?"

Is Mikhail too Russian?

by MelH (guest)

12/7/2004, 2:40 PM

I really love the name Mikhail (pron. “me-KY-el”, it sort of sounds like ‘denial’) but I don’t know if I could get away with using it on a non-Russian kid. I do have Russian roots on my mom’s side, but I don’t think it’s enough to actually be considered Russian. I wasn’t looking to name my kid something Russian and I’ve never even visited Russia. I don’t want to seem ignorant by using a Russian name, and feel like a hypocrite because I normally don't like it when people use names that are way out of their cultural experience. But then if you look at popular names like Mikayla, how many of those parents are actually Ukrainian?

#Russian

Replies

- Daddysdancer

12/7/2004, 5:44 PM

I don't think that it's too Russian. But that's just because I know a Mikhail who is not Russian at all. I have a friend from Russia named Dmitri...that's very Russian to me...

- iris (guest)

12/7/2004, 5:25 PM

I don't think it's too odd. One of my junior high school friends with no Eastern European blood had a younger brother named Ivan. At first I thought it was odd but I got used to it.

As for the name Mikhail it's nms.

- Lissa Hannah (Lissa)

12/7/2004, 2:56 PM

I don't have a problem with people using names that do not coincide with their nationality. So, I see no problem using it. Anyway, Mikhail is not my style.

- Ciarda Rayne (Ciarda)

12/7/2004, 2:45 PM

I don't think it would be too bad. I've definitely seen worse.

I saw a woman on Fear Factor the other day named Mychale, pronounced just like Michael.

I also have a friend who has a son in Norway named Meckel

- Elinor (guest)

12/7/2004, 2:45 PM

It's not so much the sound but the spelling that makes it look so foreign to English speakers. But if it works with your surname, I think Mikhail is fine :-) And I love its sound. Also Mikhaila (mih-KYLE-a) for a girl. Apparently Michaela can be pronounced that way - which makes more sense to me anyway - but you'd always get the wrong pronunciation :-(

I realise that Mikayla is a Ukrainian name, but honestly I think that's incidental in the US, where it'll just be another take on Makayla, Mackayla etc.

So yes, go ahead and use Mikhail. But there might be other forms of Michael that are pronounced the same way, so it's worth a bit of research.

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