Scottish name wobble for baby in England!

[CalaLilly]

Baby is due any day and I'm having name wobbles! We want a pretty Scottish name if it's a girl and an easy to spell modem Scottish name if it's a boy. The baby will be brought up in England so we don't want a name that's too confusing (for example, I love Struan but OH thinks he'd get called Stuart).

Our name choices are:
Ailsa Rose (for a girl)
Alexander ("Sandy") James (for a boy)

What do you think?

Think they are all lovely! If it were me I would probably lose the "Rose" - my husband is Scottish and when I suggested Rose for our baby, his response was "I'm not calling my daughter after the national flower of England....."! I think Ailsa stands up very nicely on its own.

Rose is after OH's late grandmother so it's a keeper :-) I'm a thorough bred Scot and OH has a Scottish parent. With baby being born in England it's seems a fitting tribute to have a Rose :-) we have a very Scottish surname too :-)

Struan is gorgeous.

It's not at all confusing.

I'd rather be a boy called Struan than a boy called Sandy in England.

I may have made this up but isn't Alexander Greek on origin?

Yeah, I think it is but it's commonly used in Scotland and the abbreviation is what makes it Scottish for us :-) I think we're having a girl anyway :-)

Both lovely

Ailsa is lovely and not much chance for it being got wrong - unlike my DD's name which my English SIL cannot for the life of her get right, saying a very similar English name instead ....ggrrr.

I love Struan too and wish we'd thought of that for DS!

I've used three very Scottish/gaelic names for my children and I live in England. People get them wrong once and then they get them right. The important people know them because that's their names if that makes sense! I really don't think you should worry, and Ailsa and Sandy are both gorgeous!

I like Aisla, I think with Sandy you'd have to really work hard to make that his name in England or he's end up called Alex, but I do like Sandy.

Love Ailsa.....what about Rory?

We may already have a Rory :-)

Both lovely.

Britain is very multicultural now. I wouldn't worry,they're great names. The only people who won't make the effort to pronounce them properly (once told,if they don't already know) are ignorant ones.

Lovely names you have chosen, just chucking a few into the mix.
Eilidh (pronounced Aylay)
Mirren (I love this)
Kirsty
Connor
Hamish

I love sandy. Dd was born in England and no one could pronounce her name. Then we moved back to Scotland and she is ten a penny common as muck!

Seriously, when she was born there was a good chance she would grow up in England and it was very important that she had a Scottish name to help her identify as Scottish.

Go for it

How about Fraser for a boy?
And Ishbel is a very pretty Scottish form of Isabel/Isabella.

sandy?no it's a lassies name
ailsa is lovely
I don't reckon folk will struggle with struan

Lovely names I am slightly biased as I am a Ailsa I grew up in England with a Scottish mum find people can either pronounce it or spell it not both!

EWAN

Struan is rubbish.

Stuart is better.

IMUO

I like Struan better than Sandy.

I have known male and female sandy's. I'm not too keen but like Alexander.

I think you would be fine with Struan I'm England if you love it go for it.

Ailsa rose is lovely

Rose doesn't have to be English - there's the white rose which was a Jacobite symbol. Ailsa Rose is a great name.

Choosing Alexander as a boys name shows that you are clearly parents with good taste and high intelligence. You cannot go wrong with Alexander, though you also can't pre-determine how it will be shortened once he gets to school.