Jack, Alexander, Thomas or William

[Imtryingmybest123]

Which do you like for a first name and why?

Jack was so popular for so long that it’s basically unusable now even if you didn’t already have a Jacob.

So
Alexander
William
Thomas

Jack

Thanks @NotAnotherHelen wpuld your list change if it was Alex as a nn? Just curious as some people are really negative about the nn which puts me off Alexander a little but I do like it

Alex is very much a unisex name in fact I know more female Alex(andra)s than males.

Yes same, I can’t decide if it puts me off or not, I feel like it sometimes does for some reason!

Personally I find Jack to be quite bland. Every movie/tv hero is either Jack or John. Feels like it's become the blandest name that anyone can identify with because it's got no character of its own anymore (sorry to any Jack out there, that's just how I feel). I find Jake vastly superior because much less common. But yeah anyway with a Jacob (and some people WILL call him Jake at some point) I'd avoid Jack regardless. Or if you're really keen maybe a longer name to bring out the difference between the names, for instance Jackson.

In your list I like Thomas and Alexander. They're not super original but they're not as ubiquitous as Jack and William.

Should add Alex is one of few names to be truly unisex and works equally well for boys and girls. I don't think there would be any issue for a boy Alex. Goes well with Jacob too.

I think Alex is a lovely nn, and I personally only know male Alexs - and they are all great guys so I have no negative associations with the name at all. (I do know a female Alix, not sure if that's short for anything).

Tom, Alex, Will are all great.

You can’t in all seriousness have Jacob and Jack.

Definitely not - my favourite diminutive of Alexander is Zander but Alex is lovely and certainly won’t cause any problems for a boy. It’s genuinely unisex, like Sam.

@marty13 I've got a Jack and its status as a "hero"/main character name is one of my favourite things about it.

(No offence taken BTW, name tastes are so subjective)

Jack is my favourite
but as you have a Jacob I would go for Thomas

I must admit Alexander and Samuel were on my list for DS (along with Thomas and William - we already have a Jack) and personally the thing that put me off slightly are that Alex and Sam are so unisex (I likely wouldn't consider Alexandra and Samantha for girls for the same reason). It's a shame as I love the sound of Sam otherwise, and if I could have guaranteed Xan/Xander instead of Alex...

Ah sounds like we have similar taste though! What did you go for in the end?

Jack was so popular for so long that it’s basically unusable now even if you didn’t already have a Jacob

'Basically unusable'

Would we say this was a slight exaggeration?

‘We’ might have used a touch of light hyperbole to make ‘our’ point but having had first-hand experience of being given a name twenty years after its peak ‘we’ would strongly recommend not naming a 2022 baby Jack.

Goodness, someone's feeling tetchy.

I vote for Alexander. I'm amazed at people saying some of them are over-used then voting for Thomas! Just about every 30-something man I know is called Tom and there are always at least two in every year at school. I'd say that's the most popular name on the list for sure.

DS2 has several Alexander friends.
They are Xander (definitely not posh/middle class), Alex and Al. Although Al is Alex at home.
I think you have to be prepared for all nicknames.
Dbro is Alexander and is know as Ali, Alexander (his parents and grandparents) or Alex depending who he is with.

My favourite is Thomas, shortened to Tom. I also like Alexander, shortened to Sasha.

Someone clearly has a kid named Jack 🤷🏻‍♀️

Alexander. Beautiful posh stylish name.
can be called Alex, Sasha..

Nope. No Jacks in my family!

I’ve got an adult son Tom. I was the only one who ever called him Thomas!
me and my friend have grandsons called William. Within a few weeks they had become Billy and Will respectively and are never called William.
my other sons have names which can’t be shortened and it was a bit tricky for me to get used to “ Tom” but it’s just as lovely as Thomas

I'm a female Alex, I've known both male and female Alexs in my life and I think it equally suits both sexes! I've never seen it as more female or male to be honest and I would definitely had considered it if I'd ever had a son were it not my own name!

Alexander. I like Alex as a NN for either gender.