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Baby names

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

Original poster

Be brutal - Alex Joseph

43 replies

Pootles2010 · 11/05/2010 11:45

Need complete honesty, promise not to be offended!

But Alexander (Alex for short) Joseph is our favourite at the moment. Not too in love with it so won't be offended! Surname begins with P, two syllables.

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pointydog · 11/05/2010 18:50

Common for scottish alexanders to be Sandy. I like it as a nickname. Depends how it's viewed in your area, I suppose

Mutt · 11/05/2010 18:49

This reply has been deleted

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pointydog · 11/05/2010 18:48

good strong name

Lovethesea · 11/05/2010 18:43

I love it. Here in Scotland I've known Alexander's known as Alex and plenty of Sandy's too. Alec is often intermingled with Alex as others have said - seems to depend on area/age of the person.

It's on our shortlist for DC2 due in 4 weeks - if a boy as the scan seemed to think!

I like Alex as a shortform - if my DH was set on Sandy I would think again as Sandy is my aunt's name and not growing up in Scotland it still sounds more a girls name to me!

CheerfulYank · 11/05/2010 18:31

I like Alexander with either Alex of Xander for a nn. Sandy is ok but it's a girl's name here. (I have heard of it for Alexander though.)

DH really liked Alexander when I was preg with DS, but I used to have a horrid little Alex when I taught preschool, so that was out.

lovechoc · 11/05/2010 18:24

I think Eck is more a Scottish NN for Alexander. Been a while since I read Oor Wullie annual at Christmas time, but I think there is a character in it called 'wee Eck'. Probably more a west coast thing than anything else.

Sandy is a common NN for Alexander in Scotland. I don't think I've come across a young Sandy though, only elderly men called Sandy so far..

And yes, Scottish folk do tend to call Alexanders 'Alec' (my MIL does this with her other GS). I think it may be a generation thing.

Hulababy · 11/05/2010 17:28

It sounds fine, nthing wrong with it really

I actually much prefer Joseph to Alexander though. Love the name Joseph.

I like the nn Xander more than Alex I think. Alex is very popular round here for girls especially, but also boys.

Runoutofideas · 11/05/2010 17:23

If either of my girls had been boys they probably would have been Alexander Joseph or Alexander James...

MisSalLaneous · 11/05/2010 16:52

I love it.

Angela82 · 11/05/2010 16:50

Really really nice name - you can't go wrong there

ihearthuckabees · 11/05/2010 16:46

mathanxiety, Sandy is not the Scottish equivalent of Paddy. Scots caricatures are more likely to be Jimmy.

But Sandy is very common NN for Alexander in Scotland. My Alexander is called Alex (DH is English and couldn't get used to Sandy for a boy) although Scots people tend to use Alec more than Alex. DS used to get called Sasha by the Georgian staff at the nursery he attended when he was little (I thought it was cute).

Alexander is such a versatile name - so many options for shortening/personalising.

BTW, isn't there a 'wee Eck' in the Oor Wullie cartoon strips?

Original poster
Pootles2010 · 11/05/2010 16:31

lovechoc - is that a Scottish thing too? Thanks for all feedback, has cemented it as favourite i think! So long as he actually is a he, of course...

OP posts:
yellowflowers · 11/05/2010 16:24

lovely. we want it if we have a boy. Am hoping he has fair hair so we can call him Sandy.

ooosabeauta · 11/05/2010 15:47

Beautiful, timeless and elegant names! And they give the boy a chance to choose his shortened name if he wants.

mathanxiety · 11/05/2010 15:40

Very nice names -- I think Sandy is almost the equivalent of Paddy, a caricature name for a Scot as Paddy is for someone Irish. So unless you're Scottish I would steer clear of it and choose any other nn.

An Alexandra I knew of called herself Xan.

lovechoc · 11/05/2010 15:37

Eck is a shortened version of Alexander - DH has a work colleague who gets called Eck all the time.

OrmRenewed · 11/05/2010 15:36

I have an Alex and a Joseph but they are 2 people! Like 'em both. Obviously.

Original poster
Pootles2010 · 11/05/2010 15:36

Eck? really? I think Sandy sounds better said with a strong scots accent (my brummie isn't quite up to the job)

OP posts:
Shodan · 11/05/2010 14:32

I also know a Scottish Alexander who's known as Sandy, but my Alexander is known as Alex (occasionally Alexander).

You can probably gather that I think Alexander is a fabulous name. I quite like Joseph too.

lovechoc · 11/05/2010 14:19

You can call him Eck as a NN.

carrotsarenottheonlyvegetable · 11/05/2010 14:05

Sandy is a Scottish NN for Alexander, and I know a lovely elderly Scottish man who goes by it.

scarymutha · 11/05/2010 13:53

Am having an Alexander myself next week (unless they have it all wrong and he's a she) and going to shorten it to Al or Alex or Xander depending on my mood, and whether or not DS needs telling off or not (so important to have lots of syllables available for emphasis). My mum wants to shorten it to Sasha (something to do with Russian names), but have heard of the Sandy option too but mostly as Scottish.

RedZora · 11/05/2010 13:32

Both lovely. Especially Alexander

mumoftoomany · 11/05/2010 13:22

Personally, I'm not keen on Alex. It is a very common (as in popular) name round here for both girls and boys.

NorkyButNice · 11/05/2010 13:19

Love Alexander - it's on the list for DC2 in July.

Goes very nicely with Joseph too!