My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Baby names

Thoughts on Xander - not Alexander.

78 replies

WishYouWereMine · 12/02/2014 15:00

DP and I both love Xander for our imaginary son.

We have a Persephone who is never ever called by her full name, but I like to see a proper name on birth certificate for some reason.

I wouldn't want to use Alexander as really dislike the nn Alex.

Thoughts please ;) Would you think 'yuck'?

OP posts:
Report
TheSurgeonsMate · 12/02/2014 15:02

Thoughts are - great name; Buffy's sidekick; SHORT FOR ALEXANDER.

Report
kentishgirl · 12/02/2014 15:02

I think Buffy!

I like it though.

Report
Dappydongle · 12/02/2014 15:05

Pretentious

Report
TheRaniOfYawn · 12/02/2014 15:08

Lovely name. It's very popular where I am. There are 2 Xanders in her class and one in her swimming class. I'd go for Alexander though. Or even Iskander although that doesn't shorten to Xander as easily.

Report
DrankSangriaInThePark · 12/02/2014 15:10

Pretentious.

And yes, everyone will assume it's Alexander anyway.

Report
WishYouWereMine · 12/02/2014 15:12

dappydongle I have a Persephone already so not bothered about pretentiousness Wink

I was never in to Buffy... although DP was. Maybe that's why he likes it? He also likes the thought of 'Professor X' in the future.

Don't think there's too many around here - every baby boy born seems to be called Thomas!

OP posts:
Report
WishYouWereMine · 12/02/2014 15:13

So is Alexander and then just use Xander less pretentious?

OP posts:
Report
Rainingmenandrain · 12/02/2014 15:18

Alexander is lovely but Xander is really really pretentious and horrible, sorry.

As an aside, one of my colleagues called her kid Xander but spells it Zander. She's a bit thick, I don't think she realised it's meant to be with an 'X'. concerns me that shes a teacher

Report
nethunsreject · 12/02/2014 15:21

Xander is pretentious, Alexander is lovely.

Report
UriGeller · 12/02/2014 15:25

Its short for Alexander.

Report
Beachballfamily · 12/02/2014 15:26

Alexander is a nice, serious name for a birth certificate. Xander is a lovely, cool, relatively unusual nickname. Maybe I'm showing my age, but I have never seen Buffy (although I've heard of it) and wouldn't let some teen fantasy crap put me off a name.

Report
noodlebum · 12/02/2014 15:27

Wow what's everyone's problem with the name Xander? Well I think it's fine as a stand-alone name and not pretentious Smile

Report
Only1scoop · 12/02/2014 15:27

Have relative Alexander always 'xan' or 'xander'
I always think it sounds a little feminine

Report
DawnOfTheDee · 12/02/2014 15:28

I think Xander is fine and not pretentious. I have a friend called Xander - always thought it was a cool name. Goes well with Persephone too.

Report
GreenShadow · 12/02/2014 15:35

I have an Alexander. I also dislike 'Alex' and he's never called that at home, but I'm afraid once they get to secondary school level, it becomes standard - no one ( and there are 6 in his year) is called Alexander.

I quite like Zander (for some reason I think of it with a Z not an X), and do occasionally call him either that or similar (Zandy), but it is more like a cutesy, pet name.

Much as I prefer it to Alex/Alexander (DH's choice), I wouldn't have put it on his birth certificate as it doesn't give him the flexibility later in life.

Report
Paintyfingers · 12/02/2014 15:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dementedma · 12/02/2014 16:00

Xander fairly common here in Central Scotland along with Sandy as diminutives of Alexander.

Report
TheSurgeonsMate · 12/02/2014 16:12

That's interesting, demented, it's my grandfather's name and I'm Scottish.

Report
Leeds2 · 12/02/2014 16:14

I think Xander is lovely. Only ever met one, and he would be in his forties now.

Report
RighteousSausage · 12/02/2014 16:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bridgetsmum · 12/02/2014 16:17

I don't like it as a name on its own,
But I quite like it a a nn for Alexander, esp Alexander Armstrong on pointless who I think I have a little crush onSmileSmile

Report
WishYouWereMine · 12/02/2014 16:20

bridgetsmum Think that may be why I love it so much too ;)

Thank you everyone for your thoughts good and bad.

OP posts:
Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Paintyfingers · 12/02/2014 16:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DisneyAddict88 · 12/02/2014 16:27

I like it alone and also as a nn for Alexander Smile

and if its on birtb cert as Alexander u can always introduce him as xander so u dont get the 'alex' nn Grin

Report
lastnightopenedmyeyes · 12/02/2014 16:33

I have an Alexander. I personally don't like Xander.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.