Differences:

Most people in Britain have three names: a first name, a middle name (not patronymic) and a surname.

First names in Russia mostly originate from two sources: Orthodox church tradition (which is itself of Greek origin) and native pre-Christian Slavic lexicons, although some also come from Turkic languages.

1. All the first names in Russia and Bashkortostan are single, non-doubled. Doubled first names (to a French style) are a very rare foreign-influenced instance (e.g., Mariya-Tereza). Under the common Western naming convention, people generally have one or more forenames (either given or acquired). If more than one, there is usually a main forename (for everyday use) and one or more supplementary forenames; but sometimes two or more carry equal weight. Beyond preceding the surname there is no particular ordering rule for forenames. Often the main forename is at the beginning, resulting in a first name and one or more middle names, but other arrangements are quite common.

2. In Britain, Russia and Bashkortostan people have both a family name and a given name. In Britain the given name comes before the family name, and is also known as a forename or first name; but the family name traditionally comes first in Russia and Bashkortostan.

3. The term Christian name is often used as a general synonym for given name. Strictly speaking, the term applies to a name formally given to a child at an infant baptismor "christening".

4. Given names are often used in a familiar and friendly manner in informal situations. In more formal situations the surname is more commonly used in Britain, unless it is necessary to distinguish between people with the same surname. In Russia a patronymic name is usually used in formal situations. The idioms "on a first-name basis" and "being on first-name terms" allude to the familiarity of addressing another by a given name.

5. Most names in Britain, Russia and Bashkortostan are specifically masculine or feminine, but there are many unisex names as well. Often, one gender is predominant. Also, a particular spelling is often more common for each of the two genders. In Russian and Bashkir, but not in English, gender is inherent in the grammar.

6. Places, for example, English examples include Brittany and Lorraine; Bashkir examples are Urman "forest", Aran "lowland", Agish “highland”, Ural, Irendek, Asiya, Dunai, Elbrus, Madina, Mayka ‘Mecca” etc.

7. Names, reflecting attitude toward child, whether she was longed for (for example, Shatlyk (Шатлык) "joy", Bakhet (Бэхет) ‘happiness’, Ilshat (Илшат) "nation’s joy", Morat (Морат) " awaited one ", Iotkilde/ Yrydnilde (Иоткилде, Ырыднилде) "happiness came", Fazhiga (Фажигэ) "unluck", Bulyakbika “present” (this name is usually given to the newborn who was born after the father’s death), etc.

Богдан (gift of God) и Богдана, Бажен (желанный), Голуба, Любава (loved one), Ждан (awaited one) и Неждан (unexpected one), Хотен, Чаян и Нечай.

• Greek names can be derived from the Greco-Roman gods, or may have other meanings. Some may be derived from the New Testament and early Christian traditions. Such names are often, but not always, anglicised. Examples: Eleanor, Stephen, Alexander, Andrew, Peter, Gregory, George, Christopher, Melissa,Margaret, Nicholas, Jason, Timothy, Chloe, Zoë, Katherine and Theodore.

English first names – sometimes called “Christian names”, forenames” or “given names” – are often taken from the Bible or ancient languages, such as Greek and Latin. For example: John, Michael, Mary, Helen, Alexander, etc. All of these names have equivalents in Russian: Иван, Михаил, Мария, Елена, etc.

Rare first names like Oswald, Wilfred and Hilda have Old English (Anglo-Saxon) origins but are not popular nowadays. Most people have a first name of Latin or Greek origin. For instance, the name “Alex” is from the Greek proper name “Alexander”, which literally means “defender of men”. Alexander is often shortened to the diminutive form “Alex” just as “Александр” is shortened to “Саша” in Russian. This process is common to both languages, although Russian has far more diminutive forms.

Here are some examples of English first names and their short forms: Jonathon (Jon/John), Christopher (Chris), Elizabeth (Beth, Liz), Robert (Bob), Michael (Mike), Samuel (Sam), Alfred (Fred), Anthony (Tony), etc.

An ending like “-y” softens the name further. This often happens with children’s names. Examples of this might be: Johnny, Lizzy, Mickey, Sammy.