Will Aleksander cause too many problems?

[Emotionsss]

Hi

We are expecting a son. Our favourite name is Aleksander. Will it cause too many problems?

We're Danish.

Thanks!

[awfulpersonme]

I don't see why it would :)

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

People might think he's named after the meerkat from the comparethemarket.com adverts.

[ToffeeForEveryone]

And that would be awesome

[Lorelei76]

I know an English couple who named their son Aleksander.
I can't see why it would cause any issues.

[Dontlaugh]

Spelling will be an issue if you are in the UK. Expect him to spend his life spelling out his name. If you're ok with that, carry on.

[katemess12]

I know an Aleksandra and an Aleksandr (no e) and it hasn't caused them any problems, but they are both Russian.

For a girl, I actually prefer the Aleksandra spelling. I don't see an issue with Aleksander

[dontcrynow]

Spelling will be a problem if he is raised in the UK. Is there any readon why ypu dpn't want to use the UK spelling. Its a very nice name

[dontcrynow]

Sorry for the typos-Im typing in the dark

[Kitchenaide]

No, it will be fine. I would think it strange for you to use the British spelling to be honest if you are Danish and prefer it!

[RiverTam]

It'll be fine, I should think the number of non-Alexander spelt Alexanders is rising every year.

[TeaRexit]

I thought of the meerkat too, Im afraid.

[BurnTheBlackSuit]

My first thought was Meercat.

[BertrandRussell]

I am amazed that people think having to spell your name every single time and correct it every time you haven't would not be a problem. It would become incredibly boring over 80 years of life!

[allegretto]

You never know where you ate going to end up. I have a very ordinary "properly " spelt English name. I moved to Italy 20 years ago and have to spell it all the time. Op's son might end up back in Denmark!

[BertrandRussell]

Yes, he might. But he will have spent his school days spelling his name and correcting it. Beyond tedious.

[RhinestoneCowgirl]

I might think you were Ukrainian, but if you like the spelling, it's up to you.

[YABVVU]

Love the name but the spelling . . .not so much. In answer to your question, yes the spelling will cause all sorts of problems. Your Son will spend his whole life correcting spelling if he continues to live in the UK.

[wigglesrock]

You don't meet, say and spell your name every day of your school days. My kids went in on their first day, stayed with the same class for the first seven years (4-11), my 5 year old knows how to spell one of her friends names correctly and it was one we hadn't heard of before.

You'll be fine with Aleksander, it's on the same par as Lukas, Sofia all of which are in my kids primary school classes.

[Bin85]

Will he be known as Alek?That's easy enough.

[Lorelei76]

Bertrand I know what you mean because I have to spell out both names but it's not like OP wants to call her son something stupid, it's just a different spelling to the one usually seen in the UK, like Sofia.

Btw I've never known the meerkats names, I must ask my Aleksander if he knows that.

[isittimeforcoffee]

I have an Alexander (spelt the English way). His nickname is Meerkat :)

There is an Aleksander in his class at school (Polish child). As far as I know, that doesn't cause many issues. My son is called Alex, and the other boy is called by his first name. Yes, he will have to spell it out as he gets older, but then again, most people end up having to spell their names out these days. I have a really common first name and I spell it out automatically now.

[alltouchedout]

My sons have Polish names (the kind that there is an English version of too, so not Jaroslaw or Zbigniew or anything that will completely throw English speakers) and our only issue has been gently reminding schools etc about the correct spelling. I'm so used to saying "with an f not ph/ with ks not an x" that it just comes out automatically when I have to tell anyone who might need to write down their names.

[alltouchedout]

And there is such a huge range of cultures and ethnicities at their school that needing to ask how to spell a child's name is perfectly normal and common for all of us.

[Lorelei76]

Bertrand, I'm honestly amazed - is this really you? - that you think the Danish OP should spell her son's name the English way to save him hassle. I see your point, I'm sick of spelling my name out after 40 years. But is it really you? Or is that thing of "similar poster names" doing the rounds?

[Zhabr]

Ukranian version will be Oleksandr. I quite like Aleksander. I used traditional English spelling for DS2's name but people still manage to misspell it, replacing "ch" for "c" or "k".