Lysander pronunciation?

[tessdurbyfield]

We really like Lysander, possibly nickname Xander.

However, perplexed as to how it should be pronounced and wondered whether it's regional like bath or barth.

I thought it would be Ly-saRn-der, then Xander pronounced with a similar 'ah' sound as this is how we would pronounce Alexander where we're from (South)

Seems online like many pronounce it Ly-Sand-er, in which case presumably Xander would be a short 'a' sound which doesn't sound right with our accent.

Thoughts?

It’s the ‘R’ that some posters have mentioned I don’t understand.

Surely its Alex - and (like the word) - er

I don’t understand where the R is.

The ‘r’ comes from some accents using a long a and some a short. I’m Scottish so the r wouldn’t exist in a long a in my accent but that’s what they mean.
I would also be conscious that the Z in Xander should really be a soft S from Lysander but maybe that’s nit-picking. I like the full name - he maybe we’ll end up with a nickname you hadn’t intended but isn’t that quite nice?

Lysander, Alexander, and Xander all with a short a here.

Ly-sander would be my southern pronunciation.

Strangely, I am southern and pronounce the fish with a short a. As did most of my sailing club. Also southern.

Lie sand er

Picked up from watching some Shakespeare plays on tv and live

Ly-sarn-der sounds pretentious to my ear. I would expect people in posh parts of London to say it that way. I'm from the SW and would say Ly-sand-er.

I am English, and would pronounce it Ly-SAN-der.

I would pronounce Lysander with SAND and Xander with ZAND.
Both sound distinctly different in my accent, one wouldn’t be a natural shortening of the other.

I'm Scottish, Ly - sander and Xander sound the same to me.

No one would pronounce it Liz-and- er then?

never even occurred to me anyone would use lie-sarn-der

Ly-sand-er here, and Z-and-er for Xander. Sarn in the middle sounds like someone trying desperately to be posh.

Lysander road is a main road in my town and here it’s pronounced lie-sander. we’re in the south of England.

Yes this for me too.

Famous old (c 1710) song:

"Some talk of Alexander and some of Hercules
Of Hector and Lysander and such great names as these
But of all the world's great heroes, there's none that can compare
With a tow-row-row-row-row-row to the British Grenadiers"

This suggests that in the past, Alexander and Lysander at least sort of rhymed. Both with a short 'a'.

In history, the real Spartan 'hero' Lysander was a rather ambiguous figure. Successful, yes, but even in those times said to have been unnecessarily brutal. Etc etc.

Definitely Lie-sander. I'm in SE. Long A in Alexander, short A in Lysander.

Lee san da

Exactly what was going though my mind, @nameXname - but I couldn’t identify the ear worm - thank you!

Lie-sand-uh
i would also always say xander, flat a. I’m from Yorkshire

My dad used to sing that song! He sang ‘Some talk of AlexARNder and some of Hercules,
Of Hector and LieSANder…etc’
In fact, that’s where I first heard the name!

There is a Lysander in DSs class and everyone calls him lasagna.

I'm NE and it's all short a sounds here.
Z-and-er
Ly-sand-er etc

East Midlands here and I would say Ly-sand-er & Zander

Hate to say it but nicknames will not be your decision as soon as he hits school! He could be Sand, Sander, Sandy, Ly....

I do like the name
My Dad is Alexander and that's pronounced Alex-and-er with a short 'a' by all who know him, nn Alec

The two I’ve known pronounced it to rhyme with ‘bystander’.

Liz-ander

South east here. I’d use a short ‘a’ for Lysander but a long ‘a’ for Alexander.