This is my first time linking up with Toddle Along Tuesday. And this week's segment is all about baby names. Which is funny because I have posted a few times in my blogging career about how we chose our daughter's name. And now, I get to share the story yet again!
My daughter's name is Natalya Elise. And at first when I heard the name, it was not a name I ever heard before. Not common, Russian {which I'm obsessed with Russian names} and overall cute. Now that this is my daughter's name, everywhere we go, someone is named Natalya. It's crazy how common this name actually is around here. Here I thought I'd have a daughter with a creative, unique name. Not the case. I swear I hear someone say her name everywhere we go only to see they are talking to someone else. But you know, that's ok. I mean, someone somewhere is going to have your name no matter what. Unless it's just so over the top ya know.
So how we came up with the name....actually how I came up with the name.
Back in 1997, I was in tenth grade and me and my brother's favorite video game at the time to play was Nintendo 64's GoldenEye. It was an obsession. I played so long he actually started charging me money to play the game. But James Bond's sidekick was a girl named Natalya and I fell in love with the name always keeping it in the back of my head. So once I became pregnant with my daughter, I had a few names in my head I was considering. Almost all of them Russian names. I love Russian names. Not to mention some of my heritage is Russian and I've always had a fascination as a child with Russian things. So I know I would name my first child with a Russian name.
But which one? I had about five I played around with. But starting to narrow down the names, I kept going back to Natalya. And everyone I talked to always agreed they liked the name Natalya.
And of course, her father {my husband now} did not care. He said as long as he could pronounce it and spell it, that was good enough for him. Which I loved because I wanted full freedom without the arguments of agreeing on a name.
So in the end, Natalya it was. I love the name and am glad I chose it for her. I think it fits her perfectly. As for a nickname, we call her Natty. But it's funny that I can say my child was named after a video game. I think that really constitutes me as a nerd...hahaha oh well. It's true.
Now that we are pregnant again, I do have a boy and a girl name already in my mind, but still it is all up in the air. Especially if it is a boy.... I think my husband wants to name it after him and that is out of the question. I don't do Jr's or anything like that. So this time around depending on the gender, may be war.
Congrats on being preggies again and remember not to share the name in the Blogsphere as someone will steal it!!!
ReplyDeleteI think Natalya is a seriously awesome name and I love the story about why you gave her the name too. Best of luck when it comes to picking a name for baby number two as well!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard the name Natalya before I came across your blog. I think it's beautiful! And being a geek myself, I think the origin of it is pretty awesome. :) We're considering naming our next kid out of the show Firefly, to keep up the trend because our daughter is Kaylee. I wish my husband was as lenient as you, he is picky as heck when it comes to baby names!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous name, I love it!
ReplyDeleteIndeed an informative article. I have collection of Russian baby names. I develop this liking after visiting suggestbabynames.com and have found ideas like this.
ReplyDeleteI love the name Natalya! I was obsessed with that James Bond game too! My brother and I played it all the time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote fiction in school it always had a Russian bad guy because I love it ... I speak a little Russian too.
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(¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
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