mha_chan (mha_chan) wrote in linguaphiles,
2012-10-11 14:40:00
  • Mood: creative

Anastasia - German diminutive?

Yeah, like the title says. First of all, would Anastasia be really unusual as a German name? Wikipedia says it exists as a name in Germany but obvs, other sources necessary. I've googled the full name I want to use (Anastasia Adler) and it did actually bring up some results, yay, so that's a good start.

And secondarily, how would a German shorten that?

Thanks!
Tags: german, names
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  • 45 comments

lied_ohne_worte

October 11 2012, 14:07:27 UTC 7 months ago Edited:  October 11 2012, 14:07:50 UTC

I'd expect a person with that name to have come from Russia (either a Russian, or a Russian German, which means a person of German origin who immigrated here from Russia in recent decades). People from there may have old-fashioned names you don't really see much otherwise, such as Eugen etc. But I've never met a person named Anastasia ever. It is very dated nowadays.

I believe they used to shorten the name to "Stasi" in Bavaria in the past... which would not really work so well in recent times.

lied_ohne_worte

October 11 2012, 14:10:36 UTC 7 months ago

Oh, and from googling, it looks like at least one person named "Anastasia Adler" who is on the first Google page with what seem to be several entries is actually American.

iddewes

October 11 2012, 14:13:15 UTC 7 months ago

Those aren't old fashioned names in Russian ;) although Eugene would be Evgeny in Russian of course. Just thought I would mention that, sorry ;)

lied_ohne_worte

October 11 2012, 14:15:05 UTC 7 months ago

Yes, sorry, I was referring to German standards of course. I've known quite a few Russian Germans who had been living here for a while, and they tended to give their children more old-fashioned names, too.

iddewes

October 11 2012, 14:23:55 UTC 7 months ago

Are any old fashioned names coming back in Germany? I was just wondering, because now in the UK it is a bit of a trend and old names are coming back, eg Emily or Harry are quite fashionable names now. Not all - I don't think you would find too many baby Ethels or Edgars - but some are. Sorry, that is a bit off topic ;) I am just curious :D

lied_ohne_worte

7 months ago

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iddewes

7 months ago

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lied_ohne_worte

7 months ago

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imps85

7 months ago

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elle_apprend

7 months ago

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lied_ohne_worte

7 months ago

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elle_apprend

7 months ago

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di_glossia

7 months ago

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biascut

7 months ago

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quadratur

7 months ago

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oh_meow

7 months ago

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smartypantsnyc

7 months ago

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endlos_schleife

October 11 2012, 14:07:30 UTC 7 months ago

It would be unusual but not unheard of.

They would probably just shorten it to Ana. I am a native speaker and I know I would.

paralipomena

October 11 2012, 14:18:43 UTC 7 months ago

I agree.

'Ani' might also be a possibility.

undre

October 11 2012, 14:13:51 UTC 7 months ago

Stasi?

pgdudda

October 11 2012, 22:07:24 UTC 7 months ago

That was my temptation, except this is also the name of the East German secret police: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stasi

Ani and Ana did also come to mind, as others have suggested.

undre

October 12 2012, 04:45:34 UTC 7 months ago

I have got an aquaintance named Anastasia, who lived for 3-4 years in Germany, maybe a will ask her.

provencepuss

October 11 2012, 14:18:31 UTC 7 months ago

names are international these days.

lied_ohne_worte

October 11 2012, 14:24:12 UTC 7 months ago

But that doesn't mean that certain names aren't very uncommon in certain cultures/areas of the world, or that their use grows and declines over time. When I read texts about other countries, I encounter lots of names that I've never seen in my own country at all. Similarly, quite a few names that were used a lot when my grandmother was born would get a child snickered at if one gave it to them this year.

I appreciate people writing about my country trying to find out if a character name is likely - I've too often rolled my eyes reading about Germans my age called things like Siegfried or Brunhild.

iddewes

October 11 2012, 14:38:39 UTC 7 months ago

Names still have to go through the censor in Germany too don't they? so someone couldn't just call the kid any old name like they could in the UK for example - I don't think it is necessarily bad that there is some control, when you find people calling their kids things like Fat Bastard or Sex Fruit.

lied_ohne_worte

October 11 2012, 14:44:48 UTC 7 months ago

Well, not the censor per se, but there are indeed limitations. The registrar needs to allow a name, and there are criteria like at least the officially "first" name having to be recognisably gendered (which one can of course see critically), but also that it can't just be any random word, and that it can't be something that will invariably open the child up to attacks and insults later in life. If someone wants an unusual name and can show that it's common in another language, it will generally go through, though, but you can't just go and name a child after a city or a food item you like.

green_knight

October 11 2012, 17:46:20 UTC 7 months ago

Many years ago there were parents who went to court for the right to call their child 'Pumuckl' - IIRC it was accepted as a second name, and I've always wondered what became of the poor sob.

(Pumuckl is a cartoon character with bright red hair.)

carerica

7 months ago

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green_knight

7 months ago

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muckefuck

7 months ago

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green_knight

7 months ago

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annablume80

7 months ago

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quadratur

7 months ago

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provencepuss

October 11 2012, 14:54:10 UTC 7 months ago

I think it is actually unlikely that anyone would call a child 'fat bastard'....although when I was working in North London there was a local family with the name of 'Bottoms' (not related to the actor Timothy Bottoms) and their daughters were violet adn Rosie!

up until recently French names had to be either 'historic figures' (preferable French or known to the French!) or on the 'official calendar' - every day has a name - mostly those of catholic/christian saints (and some totally obscure!). but as the powers that be came to understand that the latter could be very offensive to those non-christians things have relaxed...and now there are many mis-spelled variations on names from US sitcoms appearing!
My 3 given names are a real source of confusion to French administrators. the first is taken to be German (i'm not and in view of my family's history that could even be offensive to me!):the second is 'Shakespearean' if nothing else...and the thrid is Marie - but as i'm English many ask if it should be 'Mary'! And my given name is shared with a saint (a woman who was lucky not to be burned as a witch for her knowledge of healing she was also a mystic and a composer) but her name does not appear on the calendar!

At least here and in Germany we don't get the nonsense that happened in England some years ago when someone wanted to give his child all the first names of his favourite soccer team...and the child was a girl!

iddewes

7 months ago

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di_glossia

7 months ago

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smartypantsnyc

October 12 2012, 22:02:11 UTC 7 months ago

Sounds to me like Richard Wagner's fan club is still alive and kicking.

lied_ohne_worte

October 13 2012, 10:41:05 UTC 7 months ago

Well, the characters in books that use those names also tend all to be blond and blue-eyed and speak English like zis, jawohl - so I think it's not necessarily Wagner they get it from.

majolika

October 11 2012, 15:07:28 UTC 7 months ago

It's not unheard of, no. Stasi or Nasti both work (traditionally); both sound old fashioned and slightly southern to me(also, "Stasi" was the abbreviation of the ministry for state security in eastern germany which is a strange association). Ana would be a more modern alternative. (Adler sounds decidedly Jewish for me, by the way, just in case you want to know.) I'm German.

acari

October 11 2012, 15:52:58 UTC 7 months ago

I don't know anyone German with that name but I wouldn't find it that unusual. It depends on her age but it's quite common for my generation (mid 30s) East Germans to have Russian first names. I knew tons of Katjas & Tatjanas growing up. If you make her East German do not abbreviate to "Stasi", that was our secret police.

Short versions: Ana, Nastja, Nasti.

arrowthroughme

October 11 2012, 16:49:51 UTC 7 months ago

I agree with what most people said, that here in Germany most people would immediately think Russian upon hearing Anastasia, whatever that means to the individual. Adler sounds perfectly normal to me as I know people called that. However, I must also say if it's a fictional name, the name of a fictional character, it might stop me from reading the story as the combination sounds very phony or pretentious to me. Sort of - cheap? But maybe that's just me.

sagestreet

October 12 2012, 23:42:56 UTC 7 months ago

I agree with what has been said: virtually everyone (with that name) that I've met here in Germany had a Russian background (whether immigrant or descendant of the so calles "Volga Germans").

Apart from "Nastja", I've often heard the following diminutives: "Stassja" and "Tassja", and of course "Nastenka" (but the latter is very Russian and not exactly something a German native speaker would say).

wilder_osten

October 13 2012, 09:27:21 UTC 7 months ago

Unlike the russian anastasia that stresses the i, a german pronounciation would stress the third a in the name and also pronounce the s as z. So - stasi seems likely for an abbreviation. I have never heard of a german/swiss/austrian anastasia, though - the few i know of all have russian background

lied_ohne_worte

October 13 2012, 10:42:18 UTC 7 months ago

Well, "Stasi" is pretty much out nowadays what with recent history - I can only see someone use it in order to annoy the character.

wilder_osten

October 13 2012, 11:07:49 UTC 7 months ago

.... as is Natzi. I had a friend in school, Bernhard, who we called Natz or Natze - or Natzi. The t in die middle and the very short a didn't make big diffenerence.