Jennifer,

My best friend is due with her first baby, a boy, in May. She has chosen the name Alyksandr because her husband insists that has to be the name. If that wasn’t the only problem, his middle name was going to be Matthew until her dad passed away in December from cancer. Her husband would not let her get rid of Matthew as the middle name and use the middle name James (her fathers name) instead. So the baby’s full name will now be Alyksandr Matthew James. Is it just me or is this name A LOT for such a small person? What about the spelling, too much? Does Alyksandr have an origin or is just a made up spelling of the normal Alexander?

P.S. The baby will be called Alyk or AJ.

Thanks for the feedback!
Courtney

Dear Courtney,

I am not a big fan of two middle names, but it is not unusual. The real roblem I see with the name is the alternate spelling they are planning for Alyksandr. Because it is not a standard spelling here in the U.S., it puts a burden on the child to have to spell it for people the rest of his life.

Alyksandr is an Eastern European spelling of the name Alexander, but rare in the U.S. for American-born children. There is a particularly famous football (soccer) player from Russia named Aleksandr Kerzhakov.

Feel free to share this with the couple, but bottom line, it’s the parents’ decision.
Sincerely,
Jennifer