Alex Aslan as a baby name

[GreenMerlin]

Hi all, We are a Turkish couple who have been living in London for almost 10 years. We are expecting a baby boy in August and finding it really hard to come up with a name. We would like to use both a British and a Turkish name so the child has a choice to use whichever he prefers. Can I hear you views? Would you think that's too pretentious?

How about Adam as that’s a multicultural name used in Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities.
Zakariah, Mikael, Idris, Leon, Sammy, Ezra, Rafi are al international names.

Stick with Aslan because it’s a lovely name and forget Alex.

Aslan is much nicer than Alex, much more memorable!

Admittedly my first thought was Narnia, but it’s a good connection and I think a lovely name so I’d use Aslan.

Aslan is a great name and no one is going to have a problem pronouncing it

Love the name Aslan. It's easy to say in English so will work well in the UK.

If you really want Aslan only then go for it, it's really not at all hard to pronounce in English and it's very simple to spell. It's unusual but not out there, and reflects your child's heritage. I reckon it would be pretty cool on a teen as well.

I think Aslan is fine, it’s well known because of Narnia.

It’s a good idea to give him Alexander as a middle name so he has a choice, but you probably won’t need it.

Aslan is a great name. I’d definitely use it if I had a Turkish connection!

I taught an Aslan (think was of Turkish origin) - love the name but maybe a bit alliterative for my taste

Another vote for Aslan OP- it’s a lovely name 😊

It's a cool name 😊
Honestly, if you're in London, you'll be surrounded by many, many Turkish families with a whole range of names from the very traditional to very modern. Go for Aslan!

Aslan the lion that gets tied to a table and killed?

It’s a great name.

CS Lewis was aware of the meaning of Aslan when he wrote the Narnia books.

plus Aslan is a much loved character.

cant think of anything negative about having a cool name that reflects your cultural heritage.

I didn’t know Aslan was a Turkish name. To me - and probably most people in UK - it is the lion in Narnia that represents Jesus and is tied to a table and executed. For that reason I’d think it a bit silly if I met a child called that.

If you educated me I then wouldn’t but it depends whether you want a name you’re always explaining or on which people might judge the child.

Both names lovely but, together, I'm just reminded of Alex the lion from Madagascar films and then Aslan from Narnia etc. It's a very liony name IMO.

If you educated me I then wouldn’t but it depends whether you want a name you’re always explaining

I think you'll find that most people do not need 'educating' about Aslan being a Turkish name. It's a great name, op.

Gorgeous name!

Well I’m educated, live in London, have friends of many ethnicities. Had no idea. Pretty sure I’m more multicultural than a small town or village in the British countryside

I too prefer Aslan alone. Already sounds like a legend.

@Wonderpoo the name Aslan existed before the Narnia books! And it means lion which presumably is why CS Lewis chose it.

I like it, OP. I know an Aslan and it's a great name.

Use just Aslan! Love the name and considered it for Ds but have no Turkish connection so ruled it out in the end.

I'd also just stick with Aslan - it's a beautiful name. Congratulations, OP!

Hey OP, I lived in Turkey for several years and one of my favourite turkish names is Aydin - works great in English too.

Ender would sound epic in english too (yes, I'm thinking of the Orson Scott Card novels).

And I really like Rüzgar, but I appreciate it doesn't work as well in english.

Anyway, Alex Aslan is fine but if you prefer Aslan then I'd just call him Aslan, with maybe the british name in the middle to give him the option. So Aslan Alex. Though I actually think Aslan Alexander flows even better.

Go for Aslan then. Unless the narnia thing bothers you.