The bearers of these fairy-tale names seem to have stepped right out of the pages of Andersen's world-famous The Snow Queen. Gerda is a loyal and brave protector. Kai means “keeper of the keys” in Scandinavian languages. And though they are still peacefully snuggling in their cradles under the loving care of their parents, both embody loyalty, friendship, and love. Over the past five years, four boys in Gomel Oblast have been named Kai: one was born in 2021, two in 2023, and one in 2025. As for Gerda, she remains the only bearer of this fairy-tale name during this period. What are the personalities of the babies Kai and Gerda from Gomel, and why were the little ones given such extraordinary names? Their parents shared the story.
Story of young Kai
The charming baby boy was born on 5 October. He is the first child of Yana and Vladislav.
There were no heated debates in the family about choosing a name for the future child. As soon as Yana and Vladislav found out they were going to be parents to a son, they started considering options. More precisely, the expectant mother had one suggestion - Kai. She proposed it to her husband. She had once known a person with that name, and it had stayed in her memory. Her husband didn’t understand the choice at first. He wouldn’t have minded becoming a father to a Mark or Miron. However, there are quite a few boys with those names these days. After a day, the couple reached a consensus: Kai is a beautiful and rare name. Both agreed they wanted something unusual for their son.
Story of young Kai
The charming baby boy was born on 5 October. He is the first child of Yana and Vladislav.
There were no heated debates in the family about choosing a name for the future child. As soon as Yana and Vladislav found out they were going to be parents to a son, they started considering options. More precisely, the expectant mother had one suggestion - Kai. She proposed it to her husband. She had once known a person with that name, and it had stayed in her memory. Her husband didn’t understand the choice at first. He wouldn’t have minded becoming a father to a Mark or Miron. However, there are quite a few boys with those names these days. After a day, the couple reached a consensus: Kai is a beautiful and rare name. Both agreed they wanted something unusual for their son.
Thus, the parents made a preliminary choice in favor of Kai, and during the months of waiting, there were no second thoughts. However, they kept their son’s name a secret almost until the day he was born. The soon-to-be grandparents learned about it not long before the baby came into the world.
The first association for the parents and acquaintances was with the character from the fairy tale The Snow Queen. However, the choice of name is not linked to literary heritage. The parents believe the name is beautiful and liked its meaning. It is believed that those named Kai possess strong energy, radiate calmness, strength, and independence, and also have a thirst for adventure.
The first association for the parents and acquaintances was with the character from the fairy tale The Snow Queen. However, the choice of name is not linked to literary heritage. The parents believe the name is beautiful and liked its meaning. It is believed that those named Kai possess strong energy, radiate calmness, strength, and independence, and also have a thirst for adventure.
“We didn’t set out to surprise anyone with this name. It simply resonated with us. But, most likely, in the future the name will surprise others and be associated with a fairy tale,” the parents shared.
Still, it’s impossible to avoid parallels with a fairy-tale character. In Yana’s imagination, a vivid image of the boy Kai from The Snow Queen appeared: a blond with big blue eyes. And their son bears some resemblance to that image: he is fair-haired.
The little boy is an active child who is developing according to his age and has a calm temperament. At home, he is lovingly referred to as Kayushka.
Story of little Gerda
The bearer of this majestic name was born on 13 May. She is the first child of Yevgeniya and Dmitry from Gomel.
It so happened that until the sixth month of pregnancy, the parents were unsure of the baby's gender. However, this did not prevent them from actively searching for the perfect name. They agreed that if it was a boy, the father would choose the name, and if it was a girl, the mother would choose. Given the creativity of both parents, the child had no chance of having an ordinary or average name, regardless of their gender.
The future father, fascinated by Scandinavian mythology, suggested choosing a name from that tradition, for example, Gediminas. Yevgeniya, meanwhile, studied lists of girls’ names. “Gerda immediately touched my heart. I also liked the name Yeva, but it’s very popular now: in our yard’s playground there are five little Yevas. So we settled on Gerda and never regretted it,” the mother shared.
They didn’t tell anyone about their choice in advance and didn’t discuss it with others. Relatives only learned the name after the baby was born. The grandparents had assumed the first daughter would be named Yeva, after the biblical motif of the first woman, and were slightly surprised. But they warmly welcomed the name Gerda.
Gerda’s parents often receive compliments about their daughter’s original name. People always greet it with a smile and note the uniqueness of the choice, whether at the clinic or elsewhere.
At home, mom and dad lovingly call their daughter Gerdochka. “The name suits her: she is affectionate, curious, calm, and loves picture books,” said Yevgenia. By the way, there is already a gift for Gerda’s first birthday: her parents have bought her a copy of The Snow Queen book with large, bright pictures.
The parents of Kay and Gerda live in different parts of the oblast capital and are open to meeting each other and letting their children become friends.
Naming trends
According to the Central Office of Justice of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee, in 2025 the region’s civil registry offices registered names that seemed to have come straight out of history books, mythology, and collections of legends. Thus, Gomel Oblast now has its own Adam and Eve, Avigeya and Abraham, Fevronia and Methodius, Aristarchus and Thea, Esmeralda and Ibrahim, Virsavia and Luke, Madonna and Tamerlane, Virsavia and Amir, Euphrosyne and Simeon.
Parents increasingly sought inspiration from the names of ancient deities. Thus, the southeastern region is now home to Hades, Themis, Aurora, Athena, Agnia, Aria, Lada, Deya, and Rada. Other rare names include Matryona, Tala, Rusalina, Apollinaria, Gerda, Luna, Samira. Rare names for boys include Cosmos, Nil, Sultan, Red, Kai, Graf, Franz, Teon, and Ayub.
Parents are often drawn to short, international names that sound the same in different languages. These include Leia and Lia, Mia and Maya, Teya and Aya as well as laconic male names such as Yan, Aus, Lev, Ali, Tao, Tim, and Isa.
On the other hand, some moms and dads prefer long names, sometimes even double names. Last year ten children in the region were given compound names. Among them are Chloe-Avona, Eola-Erika, Lisanna-Raphael, Bilal-Amir, and Andrzej-Lukasz.
There is a noticeable trend toward giving babies foreign names. In populated localities in Gomel Oblast there are now children named Albert, David, Tengiz, Eric, Sam, Michael, Said, Dyord, Beatrice, Valencia, Monica, Samantha, and Sabrina.
In every family parents hope that their children’s lives will be a real fairy tale where victory always belongs to the good and honest.
By BelTA.
Photos have been borrowed from family archives of the main characters.
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