Page 3 | Should I name my daughter Alpha?

paulinesmithson · 2023-01-09T17:09:45+00:00

first time poster, bit new to all this! Recently my beloved grandfather Alfie passed and the entire family were devastated. About a month later we found out we were expecting our second child and I new right away that I wanted to name it after him. A few weeks ago we discovered that I am having a darling baby girl and after researching some names, I fell in love with the name Alpha. It's a greek name meaning new beginnings and it's so similar to my grandfather's name that it seemed perfect to me. However my DH and a few other friends disagree and think that she will be bullied for this unconventional name and that I should consider something else. I want a name my husband and I can agree on but I can't think of any more fitting name than Alpha. I came on here to ask for other opinions on this?

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inappropriateraspberry · 09/01/2023 21:32

Just give her Alfie as a middle name.

BadlyArrangedToasties · 09/01/2023 21:06

How about alfreda or aphra as pp said.

WandaWomblesaurus · 09/01/2023 20:47

MissHavishamsMouldyOldCake · 09/01/2023 20:18

I'd be miffed if I was a woman called Alfie because my great-grandfather Alfie happened to die a few months before I was born. I could cope with it as a middle name (just about) but as a first name? No ta.

There are other ways to honour your beloved grandad. Give your daughter her own lovely name, not one associated with a recent sadness.

Yep and seriously - who would want to be called Alfie as a little girl? It's going to make her teachers think you are trying to gender neutralise your infant.

ElizaSkye · 09/01/2023 20:43

I do agree with other comments that directly naming after a relative can be a heavy burden to bear, particularly when it’s not a common name or not common to that gender.

Is there another subtle reference you could use as an honour to him perhaps as a middle name? It doesn’t have to be derived from Alfie. It could be a name with a special meaning for another reason. Alfie means wise counsel or similar, so maybe a nice female name with the same meaning?

WandaWomblesaurus · 09/01/2023 20:42

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 09/01/2023 19:54

Oh God don't call her Alfie. It's such a bloke's name. And a very popular one at that. She'll face a lifetime of people being baffled and confused by her name. Having to add in brackets under her email signature Alfie Johnson (Ms). And still people will assume she's a man.

Yep this and it will just mean she gets told she's a boy all the time.

Just give her her own name.

ElizaSkye · 09/01/2023 20:41

I do agree with other comments that directly naming after a relative can be a heavy burden to bear, particularly when it’s not a common name or not common to that gender.

Is there another subtle reference you could use as an honour to him perhaps as a middle name? It doesn’t have to be derived from Alfie. It could be a name with a special meaning for another reason. Alfie means wise counsel or similar, so maybe a nice female name with the same meaning?

Cinnamonandcoal · 09/01/2023 20:32

I quite like it although personally might go for Aphra or Elfrida. I met a child Elfrida the other day and thought that was pretty cool.

Stravaig · 09/01/2023 20:31

No. 6 July 1988. Never forgotten.

Original poster

paulinesmithson · 09/01/2023 20:30

KirstenBlest · 09/01/2023 19:42

Alpha is a man's name.

I think it's unisex, either way I have decided to rethink it

OP posts:

Enko · 09/01/2023 20:25

I like Alpha but I prefer Alfia

I am another one who feels your dh has to like it.

MissHavishamsMouldyOldCake · 09/01/2023 20:18

I'd be miffed if I was a woman called Alfie because my great-grandfather Alfie happened to die a few months before I was born. I could cope with it as a middle name (just about) but as a first name? No ta.

There are other ways to honour your beloved grandad. Give your daughter her own lovely name, not one associated with a recent sadness.

Twoblueboots · 09/01/2023 20:12

I don't know if it's been suggested but Alfreda with Alfie as a nickname. Or just Alfie? I think that's nice on a girl.

Hellno44 · 09/01/2023 20:03

What about Alifia. It means the one everyone loves or one in a million.

I don't like Alpha

jem899 · 09/01/2023 20:02

It's not a very pretty name.

The first thing I think of is Alpha Male, that's not very girly..

amonsteronthehill · 09/01/2023 19:57

If your DH is opposed, you need to come up with another name anyway. You both need to like your child's proposed name.

That said, Alpha will result in all kinds of teasing. It's not a great name for a girl, really, Worse for a boy with all the potential 'alpha male' jokes.

Bestcatmum · 09/01/2023 19:56

Why not Freda? Pronounced Freeda. Alpha is a bit much.

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 09/01/2023 19:54

Oh God don't call her Alfie. It's such a bloke's name. And a very popular one at that. She'll face a lifetime of people being baffled and confused by her name. Having to add in brackets under her email signature Alfie Johnson (Ms). And still people will assume she's a man.

DoesItMakeYouFeelBetter · 09/01/2023 19:54

As a teacher I’ve come across a few boys called Alpha over the years.

ScrappyMoggy · 09/01/2023 19:45

I know an adult Alpha (male). The name really suits him and he can pull it off. I wouldn’t think of it as a female name.

KirstenBlest · 09/01/2023 19:42

Alpha is a man's name.

Ladyoftheprom · 09/01/2023 19:39

Catswhisky · 09/01/2023 19:35

I agree with pp saying give her her own name, not the name of someone she’ll never know. If all your GP had died recently would you use all their names?
She is a person in her own right, not something to remember your gp by, much as you loved him, find another way to honour him, don’t use your dd.

This

Notellinganyone · 09/01/2023 19:37

OP it’s absolutely not a Greek name. It’s like calling your child Doubleyou.

Catswhisky · 09/01/2023 19:35

I agree with pp saying give her her own name, not the name of someone she’ll never know. If all your GP had died recently would you use all their names?
She is a person in her own right, not something to remember your gp by, much as you loved him, find another way to honour him, don’t use your dd.

Livingbyariver · 09/01/2023 19:31

Alfaye

BunchHarman · 09/01/2023 19:26

Isn’t it the name of one of the velociraptors in Jurassic World?