we have the same family name….
he is the most famous football player in Bulgaria, he plays and lives in the UK. Before that he played for 8 years in Italy. He is a member of the Bulgarian National Team.

Bozhinov is not of russian heritage. he is bulgarian. bulgarians and russians have the same ancestors – the slavs. that’s why their names sound alike, but are also different. you can always tell whether it’s a bulgarian or a russian name.

I assume that Mr. Bozhinov is of Russian heritage. Many non-English mens names have become popular as girls names in North America. As for the teasing, what a sad commentary on our society that fear is part of the process of naming our children. Our choices should be based on something other than fear of those without personal ethics or children lacking responsible parenting. When choosing a name for our baby, my husband and I repeatedly heard the old “they’ll get teased” line. Sorry, but I got teased and my name is super-common. I’m not cowering. Stand against social control and give children names that are personally meaningful, not what is currently acceptable to random, hypothetical bullies. There’s my rant for the day, but the topic is very upsetting to me- on so many levels.

I’ve never heard the name Valeri for a boy before. What a nice name, wish I could add it to my list, but an American boy named Valeri would be teased mercilessly.