Anybody got a daughter called Alexa

[Chriss82]

I know I asked this before Christmas but we are getting more pressure about this. Our daughter is called Alexa before the amazon thing came our and we were thinking about changing her name for obvious reasons but we stayed firm with it as it is. However we have come under pressure from other parents and friends to consider changing it, which if we had to it would be Alexandra as its close to what it is now. We have even been called cruel for not doing it! We have had one parent apologise for the way her son might speak to our daughter as he is very rude to Alexa at home....Has this world gone mad?? Our daughter will be 3 in a few weeks and this is causing us so much worry at home as the next years are crucial to her finding her identity.

Has anyone with a daughter called Alexa really finding it so much of an issue? So sorry to ask again but if we have to act it will have to be soon, thanks again.

How about calling her Alex etc. as a nickname, and then waiting to see how things go?

If the device continues to go from strength to strength and you are getting really fed up, you could consider changing the BC to Alexandra etc.

WTF? Wouldn't even cross my mind that Alexa is out now due to some Google tech. It's a great name.

Have friends who called their daughter, "Alexa", but she must be late thirties now. I've not known anyone called that, apart from her. There was a character in an American soap called Alexa which gave them the idea :-). However it is a nice name though nowadays one of those robot things that does things for you and speaks is called an Alexa, so I don't think I'd choose it. What's wrong with Alexandra, Alex for short? Classic.

You need to mix with different people - maybe some with more manners and a higher IQ.

I am staggered by this.

Yes it’s not ideal and probably to a child calling out “Alexa! Turn the heating on!” Is quite funny the first few times and then will get very old, very quickly. But the fact that you have fallen out with friends about this? And that a parent uses that as an excuse for his child to be rude? (How about you know, teach your child that children and electrical objects are not the same even if they have the same name?!) This is just crazy and so unfair on you.

The people who have felt the need to discuss it with you sound horrendous.

Thanks for all your replies, as you can probably tell this is driving us crazy! We have been defending our little girl's name now for the past few months and we have been made to feel we have done something wrong. But seeing as this big company now has ownership of the name Alexa we feel pressured to take action which we really don't want to. It feels like we are being bullied into changing it and it's ridiculous that we should even be having these conversations. However we have been told to not be selfish and think what's best for our little girl and as parents that's of course what we are trying to do. The fear seems to be that our little girl's identity now means this virtual person you have control over, I understand that no one wants that for their child but we named our girl first!

Alexa is such a gorgeous name! Of course if it's causing her issues later in life you can make a decision together as to alternatives but until then, leave as is. Such a lovely name.

You can ask the Dorset cottage owners to change the name that their listening device repaonds to.

3 does seem too old do change her name - it's hers now.

You / she could shorten it to Alex or Ali dad to day as someone said.

The parent pretending it means his son his licence to be rude is an arsehole though. Why's he countenancing his son being rude at all? Even when instructing an electrical device there's no advantage in being "very rude" and anyone encouraging their child to be "very rude" in any context what do ever is almost certainly an absolutely unpleasant type of person.

I work with an Alexa in her early 20s and have never heard anyone liken her to a gadget The worst thing about her name is that it's too close to Alicia and Alissa, and we have similar aged colleagues with those names too, which makes the potential for a mix up too high!

The people who are calling you selfish and implying you would be bad parents if you didn't change your three year old's name are trying to manipulate you - please don't let them!

Personally, I'd give short shrift to anybody who tried that shit with me. It's her name, she was named before the device and anybody who can't tell the difference between a child and a computer is not somebody I want to be around.

It's a lovely name.

I grew up with a surname that meant I got teased a lot. I got over it, so did everybody else.

She might well decide she wants to shorten to Lexie or Allie, Alex or whatever in time - if the Amazon device is still popular in future, the "issue" would self-resolve. In the meantime, call her whatever you as her parents have decided to name her and everybody who is a twat about out it can fuck off.

Why are they telling you these things??? Why is someone else so invested in your daughters name that they keep talking to you about this?

I have friends who have used names I don’t like for their children. Never in a million years would I let on - it’s only on anonymous Internet forums I would say which names I don’t like

Honestly OP you need to assert yourself and tell your 'concerned' friends to go jump in a lake. Your child's name is absolutely none of their business. It's really not that big of a deal.

I honestly don’t think it’s that much of a big deal. I can think of a few names which are associated with products (Henry the Hoover is very popular, Felix the cat food etc) and when used on a child it just becomes their name. I think you might be overthinking it-just tell people to shove off and enjoy your little girl. I don’t think I’ve even come into contact with an Alexa device recently🤔

Wtf. It is no one else's business what you and your partner chose to name your child. Disgustingly rude and so weird to pressure someone to change their child's name. And the comment about the boy being rude because she's called Alexa...yep, he needs teaching some manners not to be rude.

Alexa is a lovely name. Strong, classic and feminine.

Hi, thanks all for the replies. It really is interesting to see so much support to keep the name as we seem to have had a mixed response around us. This is why we wanted to find out from any parents with daughters called Alexa if it really is an issue? From the 'well mannered' people saying change it I think they are trying to say that unlike products with the human names it's the fact you engage with it as though it a person in the corner of the name but one you shout commands though, like a servant and you have to say Alexa every time you want it. Which if we were choosing names now we wouldn't choose it now. It feels that our little girl's name is no longer socially acceptable for her generation. We have had many an argument with people who refer to her name in a negative way.........such a bizarre situation

Alexa is not going to be ubiquitous in a decade's time. Don't make a long term decision about your daughter's name on the basis of a gadget that will be superseded in a few years. Alexa isn't even the only version of that kind of gadget.

As soon as the next gadget comes out this will be soon forgotten, call her Lexie in the meantime?

Speaking to Alexa the device like a servant is fine, speaking to your DD isn't.

If people can't grasp that the problem is with them, not your DD's name.

I think people you know are thick. And I have no words for the parent of the child who apparently would be confused how to speak to your daughter as he’s rude to the Amazon device. Tbh I woyld bot let me child be rude even to the stupid computer as why engrave bad behaviour at all.

There was a similar thread about the name Elsa and apparently a lot of people have changed their child's name as a result of the Disney thing. I know 2 Elsas and never think of Frozen in relation to them. Once you know a person their name just becomes them so it's bizarre that people you know well think that your dad's name should be changed.

I agree with a lot of previous posts. I would keep her name Alexa as its her name but call her a nickname day to day. Alex, Allow or Lexi would work. It is a horrible situation for you and your DD but agree that it is an issue given how popular the stupid device is x

Sorry my last message was a bit jumbled! We see it as amazon now own the name Alexa and they have the money and power to do what they like with name...... and this seems to be the case as we have read it will be in cars later this year. They want to humanise their version of AI as people accept it more, as though it's a person hence calling it a persons name Alexa. What we don't like is the fact you have command over it and our DD's generation are growing up immersed in technology and will see Alexa as their electronic servant and it will do what you tell it. We've heard there's a toddlers dance class which have one so how will our daughter feel if she was stood there and they are shouting Alexa do this do that, very confusing for her. It feels as though her identity has been taking.

This is why are asking on here to see if any girls called Alexa are finding it an issue, as it's not ideal but changing her name at 3 might be kinder for her in the long run. Do you remember what happened at the age of 3..... probably not a lot but you do remember any bullying or horrible things in your school life. Trust me we really don't want to do this through choice but having had these stupid comments and confrontations with people where we can speak up for ourselves, is this fair on our little girl for the next few years of her life where she is establishing herself in the world?

If you really feel you need to change her name then why not Alexis? Easy enough to change the a to is but sounds very similar as far as your DD. Is concerned. Alternatively there is Alexia. If you change it to Alexandra on the birth certificate then you will need to call her that or use a nn everyday.
I understand your anxiety about the future — this year one lot of technology, next year another lot etc and who knows where it might end.
Basically, at the end of the day it’s up to you to do what you think best. I feel that it’s too early days to be able to tell what the ramifications will be so you’d need a crystal ball.
Good luck and bless little Alexa

@Ngaio2 thank you for your understanding reply. Trust us we don't want to change it but seeing what has happened in the last few months with the name and how it is now socially received we just don't want to make our DD's anymore difficult than life need be. If only we had a crystal ball!

I'm 36 weeks pregnant and Alexa has always been a favourite for us... we can't have Alexis or similar as our surname ends in -cis which makes everything sound too long.

Not sure if we will end up calling our little girl Alexa due to the stigma attached to it now :( OH does like Lexie though so she may be Alexa on her birth certificate but nn. Lexie