Here everybody seems to like Alexander…

[Tkoko]

Here everybody seems to like Alexander… are there other favourites? So strong? But which are less common?

I know so many boys/men and girls/women called Alex that I find it dull and overused. And not very memorable. I’m not keen.

I feel the same way… what are your favourite names?

Everyone seems to like Alexander because it is a really good name.

1. There is one spelling.
2. There is one pronunciation.
3. There are lots of options to shorten it, so it gives your son some flexibility with his own name once he's older.
4. It's an international name which travels well.

I think there are several other names which tick all those boxes.
Henry, Thomas, Peter, David and John tick boxes 1,2 and 4, and they all have nickname options, although not as many as Alexander.

Alternatives with the same feel to me include Julian, Maximus and Jason.

Alternatives with the same feel to me include Julian, Maximus and Jason.

It’s a great name. I have the female version and agree with pp about spelling and “travelling well”
It also has loads of diminutives.
Xan
Sandy
Sasha
Alex
Al, Ali etc.

Maxim

There are two pronunciations in the UK, depending on the location in relation to the 'bath - trap' split.

What i also don’t like is the ambiguity about the gender of an Alex Jones or an Alex Smith.

Personally I prefer more underused classics, names outside the top 100 or even top 250 but that are still well known and easy to spell/pronounce with nickname options - have a look at the ONS list of ALL boys names - some wonderful underused classics there!

My DS1 has a name that meets your "underused classics" criteria, and DS2 is an Alexander. We actually know more children with DS1's name than DS2's.

It is tricky trying to pick a name based on popularity, because you don't know what's suddenly going to get really popular, or what will be popular in your particular child's school or neighbourhood.

what are your DS1 namee if i can ask?

I hate that name!

I’m also interested what your DS1 is called?

Martin is another with similar vibes to me.

Which ones do you like?

We have an Alexander, and we know more boys with "Alexander" as a middle name than as a first name. He was the only Alexander in his nursery and in his class in primary school, and one of only two Alexanders in the whole, fairly large, primary school. I think there are other Alexanders in his secondary school, but he's the only one in his year.

Agree with those that say the reason Alexander is so popular on here is that it is a timeless classic so won’t give away age or social background; is very international so has few spelling or pronunciation problems and has lots of diminutive options so he can make it his own (and has lots of interesting historical namesakes as a bonus).

Names like William, Joseph and Thomas come very close, except that there are not as many diminutives for some of those; as do Edward or James nearly but they are not quite as international. Other timeless names in the UK include George, Daniel, David, Michael etc but again they might not tick as many of the boxes as Alexander.

The problem is that a name that has all these great attributes by its very nature is going to be popular - because it makes them can’t-go-wrong options and an easier choice for parents.

Luckily even a “popular” name is used far less than it used to be even 30 years ago - you may know plenty of adult Alexanders and there may be others over the whole school but yours would still likely be the only one in a class these days.

Or if popularity really bothers you that much then there are plenty of similar style name to Alexander, they just won’t necessarily have every one of the other benefits (such as timelessness etc). I would say Nicholas, Laurence, Maximilian and Benedict immediately sprang to mind to have similar style to Alexander imo - as all are well known, longer length names with classical origins.

ETA: You could also always use an unusual nickname for Alexander too rather the usual Alex - personally I like Lex, Xand or even Sasha.

I agree, I just feel like it is very “generic”, there is very little “anima” to it. This is my greatest concern. And feeling. Was wondering If it’s like that with others? Or if the parents of Alexander feel that….

Honestly it’s fine. But I don’t love Alex, and every Alexander and Alexandria I know gets shortened to Alex.

In real life I only know 2 Alex's. One a 53 year old lady, one a 13 year old boy, so it isn't very common any more. Suits both equally.

Why so much thought? If it doesn't have enough 'anima' for you, choose something else?

Arthur
lysander
evander
leander
cassander
albert
alfred
xander
spencer
dexter

I know several people called Alex, male and female ranging from primary school age to 50+ yrs old. I am British and in the UK, as are they.

I have no idea if the name is "generic" in Italy, or if it lacks "anima" in Ukrainian, but you have opened several threads about the name within a few days.

Is the name for a baby that is due soon or is he already here?

Names which I think are in a similar vein to Alexander are:
Alistair (though there are multiple spellings)
Michael
Patrick
Christopher

I can’t find anything that suits! That I like 100%… to tell the truth I don’t like anything.. so was working with the concept of the name that sounds both Slavic and international… and it’s the only one that fits and doesn’t feel old… like victor mikhail etc… but I don’t like it as well… I am struggling