Alexander is a world famous name ever since a certain Greek Alexander the Great conquered half of the then-known world and became infamous. Nowadays, there are many Alexanders, if not all great, as well as many Alex’s, Alexey’s and even Xanders.

Everyone wants a pet (name)

Everyone knows that you may cuddle an Alexander with pet names such as Alexey, Alex or Lexy and the same goes for the female form of Alexandra, creating such diminutives as Alexa, Lexa or Ally.
The list is standard and pretty much international, unless, of course, you’re Russian.
Russian identity and the names Alexander have a very special and exceptional relationship. A Russian Alexander will very rarely become simply Alex. That, for them, would be appalling and not in accordance with the logic of the lovely Slavic languages, of which Russian is the most noteworthy. The reason is simple: why limit yourself to such standard and dull pet names when you have an endless possibility to make your own personal, original, mix and match, ridiculous and adorable diminutive calling.
So be prepared to be amazed, bewildered and even revolted about how the Russians are calling Alexander.

Pet Names for a Russian lover

The first thing anyone who approaches pet names in Russian must understand is how this language creates its diminutives and how much it loves them. There are very few other tongues who love the small, tiny, minuscule things more than this Slavic speech. A diminutive can be created from anything, especially living things and especially humans. It doesn’t matter if you’re a huge blond Norse god look alike called Boris, you will end up being called Borechik or Borichika by anyone who calls themselves your friend or twice removed aunt.

Now, considering you meet a tough looking guy called Alexander from Siberia, you might immediately think of maybe remote descendants of the Great Alexander but might also soon be surprised to find out that such a name is rarely used and instead, our hero will answer the calling: Shurik or even Shurochka. The first and most logical question that arises is, of course, how in the name of all that is holy did we get from Alexander to Shurochka?

So let’s take a look. The first way to create a diminutive in Russian is to add a suffix, the cuter, the better:

Alexander – Aleksandrushka, Aleksanya, Aleksaha, Aleksasha, Aleksyuha, Aleksiusha, Aleksya.
Anything that might end in sh, ch, ya is considered to be quite adorable indeed.
Then there is the possibility of shortening the name, keeping only the beginning and trying to make it sound pretty, like: Alya or Asya.

Another favourite and famous short for Alexander is Sasha, created from the second part of the name, the Xander or Sander. This is where things start to become interesting, because Sasha will be given its own diminutives:

Sasha – Sashulya, Sashunya, Sashura, Sashuta, Sashuha, Shura, Shurunya, Shurik, Shulik, Shurochka
or Sasha – Sanya, Sanyura, Sanyuta, Sanyuha, Sanyusha

The possibilities are endless, the only thing that matters is how much you like cuteness.

Another dilemma for non Russian speakers is taking the name Aleksey as a pet name for Alexander. It is a trap, for ever since Aleksey became a given name, it received its own network of diminutives.

Aleksey – Aleka, Alyoka, Alekseyka, Alyonya, Alyoha, Alyosha, Alyunya, Alya
or  Leka, Lyoka, Lyolya, Lyonya, Lyoha, Lyosha, Lyunya

Pet Names for a Russian mistress

Don’t forget either that these famous names also have a feminine form in Alexandra and Aleksa. But not to worry, they make very similar diminutives.

Alexandra – Aleksandrushka, Aleksanya, Aleksaha, Aleksasha, Aleksyuha, Aleksiusha, Aleksya, Alya or Asya

Sasha – Sashulya, Sashunya, Sashura, Sashuta, Sashuha, Shura, Shurunya

Aleksa – Alyunya, Alya, Lexa, Lyolya, Lyoha, Lyosha, Lyunya, Lola
So next time you meet any sort of Alexander, just think about the very likely possibility that this person will be called something that sounds completely different from their name.
Whether you find this cute and adorable or merely insane is a question of taste.

How fluffy and sugary would you like to call your loved ones?