That post on Yuri Gagarin reminded me of something. In 1982, Soviet newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that the most popular baby names in U.S.S.R. were Yelena* and Sergei. Other names registered that year (and translated into English) included:
- Genius
- Electron
- Grace the Unwashed
- Hooray for Yuri Gagarin
*Yelena happens to be the name of Yuri Gagarin’s firstborn daughter. His younger daughter is Galina.
Source: Camilli, Doug. “Names in the News.” Montreal Gazette 18 Dec. 1982: C-3.