Unusual Names: Akuluev from Issyk-Kul Was Mistaken for a Man, Food, and Drink

Евгения Комарова • 11.01.2026, 17:03 • Society

32-year-old Akulueva from the village of Ottuk in the Ton district of the Issyk-Kul region has an unusual name, "Sypaiy."

Her parents divorced when she was 2.5 years old. She grew up with her maternal relatives in the village of Sary-Kamysh.

Currently, Sypaiy lives with her family in Moscow.

“After graduating from school No. 4 in the city of Balakchy, I enrolled in AUCA after passing the test. The contract amount was 30,000 soms. My mom said she couldn’t afford that amount. But I really wanted to study there. In the end, I got accepted on a budget to the Faculty of Kyrgyz Philology at KNU named after J. Balasagyn. I worked hard, studied, and received a scholarship. When I was in my third year, we students were forced to clean the teachers' offices. I was accused of not cleaning well and running away. A woman named Nuriza, who worked in the dean's office, reported my name to all the teachers. Exams and tests started, and I began to be treated with bias; they started to "fail" me. While others were asked 1-2 questions, I was asked 4-5 questions. As a result, I couldn’t finish my studies and became a labor migrant,” she shared.

Akulueva noted that her name was given to her at birth by her paternal grandfather.

“My grandfather decided to name me after his grandmother on his mother's side (tai ene). In general, 'sypaiy' means 'delicate, polite, courteous.' Until the age of 7-8, I was very obedient, quiet, and calm. After that, my character began to change gradually. When I was in school, I looked for people with the same name as mine on 'Agent.' Eventually, I found a girl named Sypaiy who lived in the Ak-Suu district of the Issyk-Kul region. We met and communicated for a long time. When I wrote to Russians in Moscow regarding work, they immediately thought I was a man. Even our compatriots cannot pronounce my name and just call me 'Sonya,'” she said.
Sypaiy added that for some time she was shy about her name.

“Once at the registry office, I was told that I could change my name. I considered different names, but none of them suited me. In the end, I decided to keep my name. It’s unique—rarely found among others,” she explained.

According to the Kyrgyz woman, she lives in the "Samolyot" microdistrict of Moscow, where there are many people from Kyrgyzstan.

“At first, I got to know one neighbor. She then told another neighbor about me. The latter thought it was about some food or drink. One day, we met with the neighbors and started talking. I said my name was Sypaiy. The second neighbor laughed and admitted that she had heard about me before but thought it was an unusual name for some dish or drink,” she said.

Akulueva added that she is interested in IT technologies and intends to undergo training in this field.

She is married and has a daughter, Sumaya, who has completed the 3rd grade, and a son, Aydar, who has moved to the 2nd grade this year.

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