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Original poster

Alexandra - question for mummies who know Alexandras

45 replies

Kotek · 06/02/2009 18:16

Are your daughters happy with the name Alexandra? Does having a unisex name for a girl causes problems. Presumably if it is shortened to Allie or Lexi rather than Alex it is not a problem, and it is such a nice grand name for when a girl is grown up.

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lucasnorth · 06/02/2009 18:44

It's not unisex - only Alex is unisex
Options for diminutives (in addition to yours)

  • Sasha (also strictly speaking unisex, but q feminine-sounding in English)
  • Sandie
  • Sandra.
So as long as you use the full name or a diminutive other than Alex there's not an issue (not that we thought there was an issue at all, obviously). One of the attractions of the name for us was the number of possibilities there are once she is old enough to decide she hates her name

Only issue we've had is people deciding it's AlexandRIA. . Oh, and it is rather hard when they're learning to talk, and I assume when they're learning to read/write (although we've not got to the latter yet).

ContainsWildPerilousLuurve · 06/02/2009 19:10

It's my name and i love it. I usually shorten it to Alex (except for work) and i think it's quite nice to have an ambiguous name.

Boobz · 06/02/2009 19:58

Mine name too. Was Alex until I went to uni and then people started calling me Ali and it stuck. Like the long version for formal occasions but also like Ali (although lots of people think I am Alison)...

broodydoody · 06/02/2009 22:36

I know someone that shortens it to xanie I think that is lovely.

shirleybradshaw · 07/02/2009 01:20

My mate's Polish and called Aleksandra, but everyone calls her Ola which is lovely. Diminutives of Ola are Olenka, Olka and Olusia and probably countless others as they seem to have in Polish. All lovely but when she resorts to her professional persona she is Aleksandra again. Great to have so many personalities.

jasper · 07/02/2009 01:23

alexandra is such a beautiful name

Frasersmum123 · 07/02/2009 08:36

Its a lovely name, I know a grown-up and a child with that name and they are both lovely.

mumoverseas · 07/02/2009 09:10

My 12 year old DD is Alexandra and has always liked her name although she has varied it a few times over the years. For a while she was Lexie, then Allie and now Alex (going through a tomboy phase) I think its a lovely name still and is so flexible.

belgo · 07/02/2009 09:12

fab name.

TrillianAstra · 07/02/2009 09:15

My brother and I both have potentially unisex names, so sometimes people would think we were the wrong way round IYKWIM.

I wouldn't recommend calling a baby 'Alex' until she has grown into looking like a little girl (unless you like people calling her 'he') but that's the only thing.

Unisex names are great, Alexandra is wonderful because it has so many variations.

Oumasrusks · 07/02/2009 13:48

It's my name and I love it. If I wasn't called Alexandra, I would definitely have named one of my DDs Alexandra. I usually shorten it to Alex, unless I'm introducing myself to someone as often people think I'm saying 'Alice'.

Twims · 07/02/2009 13:51

My friend is Alexandra was known as Alex when growing up then Ali whilst at college etc - also know a little girl called Alexandra and they call her Lexie

Ponders · 07/02/2009 14:22

You can have Xandra (pron Zandra) too

Boobz · 07/02/2009 14:48

Are you my friend Twims? I'm Alexandra, Alex growing up and Ali at College (and still Ali now)...

MrsMattie · 07/02/2009 14:49

I know two grown up Alexandras who are always known as Alex. The only child I know called Alexandra is usually referred to by her full name, with 'Ally' as a pet name at home.

snickersnack · 07/02/2009 21:11

I love love love Alexandra. But my best friend is an Alex (girl) and dh's best friend is an Alex (boy) and we didn't fancy Lexie, so didn't name dd that. Ruled out Alexander for ds for similar reasons. I don't think Alex is a problem for girls - I would never assume an Alex was a man.

dizzyTHETARTANARMYdixies · 07/02/2009 21:16

DD2 is Alexandra but only known as Lexie and we love it

she very DFEINATELY knows her own mind though which is apparently a trait

ScottishMummy · 07/02/2009 21:29

the alexandra i know is called alex

ByThePowerOfGreyskull · 07/02/2009 21:33

we know and Alexandra - as far as her parents are concerned it won't be shortened.

dizzyTHETARTANARMYdixies · 07/02/2009 21:34

good luck to them! my parents apparently picked a name for my brother and I which couldn't be shortened, school and uni proved otherwise

AlexandraPeppernose · 08/02/2009 05:58

Its my name and I've hated it my whole life. I spent my primary school yrs being called Alexander and now I'm known as Allie I get called Alison the whole time.

I also think it depends where you live. When I was growing up it was just too posh for the area I grew up in.

Flightattendant12 · 08/02/2009 06:18

My oldest friend is Alexandra. She was my best mate when we were five

She's been Alex for a long time now, it used to have an exclamation mark afterwards when we were teens in the 80s

She's one of the cheeriest, nicest people I know.

bestfriendswithbenefits · 08/02/2009 07:44

I'm Alexandra, always been known as Alex. When I was five, I thought my middle name was Andra! To be honest, I didn't much like having a unisex name when I was growing up, and hated it even more when sometimes I was called Alexander, often by a teacher or similar. It's not THAT an unusual name, surely intelligent people should be able to know the difference between the male and female versions? Anyhow, I really like my name now, being a female Alex is a little bit quirky, whilst still being a normal traditional name, which I like. I did, however, name my daughter after a flower, so obviously felt strong enough about growing up with a unisex name to not go down that route again.

lizziemun · 08/02/2009 08:03

"dizzyTHETARTANARMYdixies on Sat 07-Feb-09 21:16:32

DD2 is Alexandra but only known as Lexie and we love it

she very DFEINATELY knows her own mind though which is apparently a trait ."

Dizzy are you me. You have describe my dd2 to a T .

And yes even at 17mth she know what she wants.

BTW dd2 is affectionly know as Lexie loons by the family.

vesela · 08/02/2009 09:31

I don't know what my daughter thinks of Alexandra, because she's not quite 2. Her nickname is Aia, though, because that's how she pronounces it.

It's funny - if you ask her who she is, she says 'Aia!' (or Aia-dra now). If you ask her what her name is, though, she tells you her second name.