Chapter 8

“I didn’t write about the name for Vasya and Natasha, because they didn’t ask me, and I don’t want to impose my opinion. It is very difficult to talk about this issue in general, not specifically. After all, a name in itself does not make a person good or bad; it is only a musical form from which one can write a work, both good and bad. The name can be compared with hria, that is, the method of distribution and correlation of the main parts and elements of an essay, but it is not the name that creates the theme of the essay or its quality. And then, it is necessary to reason, starting from the specific conditions of time, place, environment, wishes, etc., and draw a conclusion about the suitability or unsuitability of the name to these conditions. A positive name, that is, without internal breakdowns and complications, but also without inspiration - Andrey. A hot name, with temperament and some elementality - Peter. Of the short names, on the border with good simplicity - Ivan. Twisting and dialectical, with corresponding contradictions and dynamics - Pavel. Also, complex in its own way, but with a bias towards pretentiousness and an artificial, bloodless approach to life, hovering around random phenomena - Theodore. A fiery name if possible, and a very spiritual name by nature, but in unsuitable conditions it can give heaviness and clumsiness (like a fish on land or, more precisely, like a wet bird) - Michael. Alexander is the most harmonious name, the name of great people, but it becomes a pretension if there is no strength to fill it with the proper content. Alexey is close to Ivan, but with a somewhat cunning mind. A pleasant name, but not one of the highest - Roman. George gives activity, at best, objectively aimed at higher goals, at worst - at organizing one’s own life affairs. Nikolai – also active, but somewhat elementary-oriented; the name is good in relation to helping others, that is, helping the nearest. Sergei is a subtle name, but somewhat fragile, without a core, and Sergei needs some kind of pairing, without this he cannot develop the fullness of his energies. I love the name Isaac, but for us it is associated with associations that complicate the path of life. It seems to me that one should not take Slavic or Scandinavian names. They smell like something fictitious, some kind of masquerade as “truly Russian.” In addition, due to their youth, they are not sufficiently settled, are probably not stable and, in any case, are poorly studied and recognized - Vsevolod, Oleg, Igor, Svyatoslav, Yaroslav. I would prefer a name that is reliable, tried and true. There are very few female names at all. The best, of course, is Maria, the most feminine, balanced and internally harmonious, kind. In second place is Anna, also very good, but with imbalance, a predominance of emotions over the mind. Julia is a capricious and eccentric name, it is very difficult to work with. Elena - not bad, but cunning. (Anna corresponds to John.) Natalia is an honest name, but life is difficult. Varvara - eccentric nobility, demonstrative generosity, exaggerated directness, Varvara’s life is difficult due to her own fault. Nina is a light name, feminine, slightly frivolous, i.e., rather, not deep. Pelageya is a meek name. Daria has a managerial spirit that is not entirely feminine. Valentin has masculine traits that are very unsuitable for a woman. Praskovya - inner severity, a good name, but rather monastic. Sofia - management, organizational abilities and, in connection with this, the habit of standing above others around her. Faith is a tragic name, with impulses towards self-sacrifice, but usually unnecessary, invented from a heated imagination. Well, you can’t go through all the names. For a boy, if I don’t have any special conditions and desires in mind, I would choose Mikhail, or Peter, or Ivan; for a girl, Maria, Sofia or Anna. Yes, another of the male names is benign Adrian, a calm and respectable name, without breaks, but shallow. When choosing, it is difficult to decide what to want: a relatively calm, smooth existence, but without inner brilliance, or to take risks in depth and possible strength, but with possible breakdowns and failures. You might be interested in: