In Russia they have an interesting diminutive form for names. While in England, Katherine becomes Kat and Alexander becomes Alex, in Russian the names your family and friends call you can often be longer. With me it's Ninotchka.
My Daddy says, "are you hungry my little Ninotchka"?
Great Granddad Oleg Andronov wanted to to have a baby girl called Nina, but he didn't get to have a girl, instead he had two boys George and Igor.
George had Michael, and Michael had Finley.
And Igor had Alexander and Peter.
All boys.
By this time the name Nina hadn't been mentioned for a long time. Sadly Oleg had died before Alexander was born.
Alexander and Katherine had wanted to give their child a Russian name and had kept things very quiet as to what it would be. A boys name had come to mind early, but the girls name was undecided. The name Nina suddenly came, just a week before Nina came herself.
It was only after the name was announced to everyone that George and Igor mentioned that Oleg had always wanted a baby girl called Nina.
