# Baby boy's name dilemma **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 31, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189 "2010-08-31T22:16:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/41 "2010-09-01T07:23:29Z")
But on the flip side, you can always use the LONGER name and officially name him Alex. I’m Mark but I’ve rebelled at times calling myself, Marc, Marcus, Marco. I have had credit cards under Marc and Marcus. If you can shorten Alexander to Alex you can also lengthen Alex into Alexus or Alexi or Alexander just as well. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/42 "2010-09-01T07:26:14Z")
Alexander Armstrong is a great name! Another vote for Alexander. I go by a nickname, but the full name is on all my documents, it’s really not an issue and gives the kid more options. Irishbaby has a 4 letter first name and 2 middle names- there is scope for much teenage rebellion there. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/43 "2010-09-01T10:22:04Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Hmm…Alexander is a great name, but do you really wanna call your son “AA”? > > Good nick name, but playing the acronym game not so fun for him. As an advantage, you can guarantee he will always be the first name on the teachers attendance roll For whatever reason, people with surnames that start with A are very commonly given first names that start with A. I see this same pattern with surnames that start with S. I am an AA myself and have never been made fun of over it, and when I’ve made a joke about it people have given me blank stares. Trust me, there will be 5 other AA’s in his graduating class and no one will make a big deal about it. ---
**Author:** ![Valerieblaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@Valerieblaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valerieblaise)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/44 "2010-09-01T10:34:34Z")
Yet another vote for “Alexander, but for the love of all that’s holy not Alexandor.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/45 "2010-09-01T11:51:44Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Alexander Armstrong is a great name! [This guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Armstrong_(comedian)) probably thinks so. I wouldn’t recommend “Fenwick” as a middle name though. Go for the full name, properly spelled. “Alexandor” is just asking to get your kid punched at school (and/or forever known as “Alexandork”). ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/46 "2010-09-01T12:36:42Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > But on the flip side, you can always use the LONGER name and officially name him Alex. Not sure of this. For an Alexander to always go by Alex would seem quite normal. For someone officially named Alex to start using Alexander might seem pretentious, or resentful of one’s own name. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/47 "2010-09-01T12:44:26Z")
I agree with your wife. Nah, just kidding. Another vote for Alexander. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/48 "2010-09-01T13:05:54Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Just don’t make the mistake some of our friends did. They named their daughter “Sasha Alexandria”. Oops … . 😕 > [@notfrommensa](#): > > If you have a common last name, I would also recommend a variation of the spelling of the first name. Like **Alexandor**. Another “hell no” on this, but “yes” to “Alexander.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/49 "2010-09-01T13:11:53Z")
If your wife wants to call him Alex, that’s fine. Everyone will _call_ him Alex regardless of whether the birth certificate says Alex or Alexander, and having the longer version has several advantages that others have described. Why does your wife want to make the shorter version his legal name? I’m curious about her reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/50 "2010-09-01T13:14:51Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > > > Just don’t make the mistake some of our friends did. They named their daughter “Sasha Alexandria”. Oops … . > > 😕 In Russia, Sasha is the nickname for Alexander. It’s the equivalent of naming a girl Tom Tomasina. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/51 "2010-09-01T13:15:58Z")
Yeah, I’ve spent the whole thread trying to figure out what’s wrong with Sasha Alexandria too. Another vote for Alexander. My daughter’s full name is Josephine, but we all call her Josie, and I have a somewhat less-common nickname for a very common name as well. It’s nice to be able to use the full name on legal documents, though. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/52 "2010-09-01T13:20:35Z")
Alexander Armstrong flows off the tongue a lot easier than Alex Armstrong. Vote team Alexander! ---
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/53 "2010-09-01T13:23:21Z")
AA… poor little tyke will always have to go first in school activities when they tell the class to line up alphabetically. Unless he’s got a classmate called Aaron Adamson or something.😃 Kidding. Another vote for Alexander. Whatever he’s called, friends will want to shorten it or change it into a nickname anyway. Alex can only be shortened to Lex (yuck) or Al (weird for a kid, good for a middle-aged guy.) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/54 "2010-09-01T13:36:42Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Go for the full name, properly spelled. “Alexandor” is just asking to get your kid punched at school (and/or forever known as “Alexandork”). Agreed. Kids will make fun of each other no matter what, but why give such easy ammunition? Giving a kid a name with a spelling mistake in it means that he’ll spend the rest of his life correcting people on how to spell his name. It could also be counter-producutive in the area of credit - if a bank or a credit card company starts misspelling his name, by using the traditional spelling, it could be difficult to correct all the different records. But getting back to the OP - a full name is always better. You’ve got no idea what the tyke will turn into. Maybe he’ll be an “Alex” kind of guy, but maybe he’ll turn into a full-name guy. Give him the option. I’ve got a formal name with a common nickname, and I’m always called by the nickname, except when people are trying to be humourous. I guess that’s just the kind of guy I am. My brother, on the other hand, also has a formal name with a common nickname, and is never called by the nickname. He’s just a formal guy. Give the kid options. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/55 "2010-09-01T14:30:03Z")
Name 'im Poops! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/56 "2010-09-01T14:33:58Z")
Alexander – for all the reasons mentioned above. Men should have proper names. I hate it when a guy’s legal name is “Jack” or “Ted.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/57 "2010-09-01T14:40:05Z")
> [@The\_Weird\_One](#): > > In Russia, Sasha is the nickname for Alexander. It’s the equivalent of naming a girl Tom Tomasina. Exactly. They could have just named her “Alexandria” and called her “Sasha”. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/58 "2010-09-01T15:35:54Z")
As the father of a Nathaniel (not Nate or Nat or Nathan, which he can choose to go by if he wants) I vote for Alexander. ---
**Author:** ![Hrududu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Hrududu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hrududu)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/59 "2010-09-01T16:13:16Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@irishgirl](#): > > > > Alexander Armstrong is a great name! > > [This guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Armstrong_(comedian)) probably thinks so. I wouldn’t recommend “Fenwick” as a middle name though. > > Go for the full name, properly spelled. “Alexandor” is just asking to get your kid punched at school (and/or forever known as “Alexandork”). Aw I love Alexander Armstrong, he’s so twinkly. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189/60 "2010-09-01T16:28:04Z")
Yup, that famous Alexander Armstrong isn’t a bad namesake to have. It sounds like a classy name - it immediately makes me think of a high-powered lawyer or something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-boys-name-dilemma/552189.md?page=4)