Billiard No. 13 by nemosocke via Flickr

First, an edit.  A few weeks ago, I said something along these lines: “If the kid is good looking a clunky name doesn’t matter.”  What I should have said was “if the person is confident …”  Beauty is a lottery over which we have no control.  (Though Seal and Heidi Klum’s kids are probably set.)  But confidence is something we can influence and develop.

Elsewhere online:

• This NameCandy article on favorite MomBlogger baby names is great!  She included a few of my favorites, like Girls Gone Child’s Rebecca Woolf’s Archer Sage and Fable Luella;
• I was tickled to see Krickit at For Real Baby Names. My friend C. often says that if she had a late-in-life child, she’d name the baby Cricket.  Based on the names of her (nearly grown) kids, I’m sure she’s joking.  But Cricket has become a favorite of mine anyhow.  This spelling takes a cutesy name and makes it look more like the opening cry of a Beastie Boys song – Kick it!  I can’t say it is an improvement;
• Spotted in Iowa BAs – they’re not my style, but I think Gage and Cooper make for a good sibset;
• Could you really name a child Kabuki? Despite the appealing sound, comic book character, I think it probably crosses a line.  Kateri, on the other hand, I can understand;
• Speaking of crossing lines, Nancy tells us about marathoner Susan Olsen.  She crossed a finish line – then delivered the appropriately-named John Miles;
• I spotted Carmindy again. Is she catching on?  Can it be stopped?
• Will Louella, Calix, and Imre have to share their names?  They’re among those on the rise at Nameberry;
• I first stumbled across Libba Bray when I wrote about Philippa, and finally had a minute to devour A Great and Terrible Beauty.  It’s packed with great girl names: Pippa, Felicity, Gemma. In another book, she named a punk rock angel with spray painted wings Dulcie.

After last week’s trip to the Big Easy to source Mardi Gras names, I’m fishing for something different at Nameberry tomorrow.

It was a quiet week for celeb births.  The big news?  Martha Stewart is a grandmother.  Daughter Alexis welcomed a daughter of her own, named Jude.  The best comment on the Appellation Mountain Facebook page goes to C., who pointed out that Alexis “isn’t exactly a frilly traditional girl’s name, either.”

If you have yet to vote in the March Madness Quarter Finals, Girls and Boys, there’s still time.  Polls will stay open until Friday morning.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thanks for reading!

And yet, Charlotte recently mentioned Lecandro – surely the invention of a creative mama – and I found myself liking it quite a bit.

Maybe it is that I’ve found there’s a backstory for nearly any name.  Or possibly I’m far more aware that my own opinions have changed over the years.  Two decades ago, Finn would’ve been a shark reference, destined to hear the low strings of Jaws.  Today he’s among the most fashionable of names, even before Glee ricocheted him to wider notice.

And the name news:

• I’ve been meaning to post this ever since Kim sent it my way: Wee Decor posts lists of names parents have ordered on nursery wall art.  Check out their Summer 2010 list here. Dario, Allica, and Juddefrey are all gracing the name of a nursery somewhere.  But hey, if you love it enough to put it on a birth certificate, why not put it on a wall;
• Or chisel it on a stone(age) wall.  Nancy tells us that in the 1960s, some parents went prehistoric and named their daughters Pebbles shortly after the animated series adding a daughter;
• Check out For Real’s list of baby names featuring alliteration – though some of these go too far.  Alexis Alexandra and Coleton Cole both feel repetitive.  Ava Autumn is lovely, and I kind of like Elijah Ezra, too;
• Speaking of how close is too close, I’m intrigued by this post at You Can’t Call It “It” about twins named Claire Emerson and Ellis Catherine … or maybe something else entirely;
• Even if you read zero Dutch, you can pick out the names Emma posted from Benelux’s Next Top Model. I ran the page through Google Translate to confirm – there apparently is a contestant named Epiphany;
• Here’s a quick check at the box office.  Besides the animated owl sibset I mentioned on Facebook – Soren and Eglantine – there are a few other intriguing choices.  Renee Zellweger’s just-in-time-for-Halloween horror flick Case 39 includes a little girl named Lillith.  In Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, we learn that Gordon Gekko named his daughter Winnie.  And Ben Affleck’s The Town is generating buzz for other reasons, but also gives us two to consider – a criminal named James who answers to Jem, and Jem’s niece, a little girl called Shyne.

As for the starbaby round up – it’s a girl.  And a girl, and a girl …:

• This is an interesting choice: Yul Kwon, the winner of 2006′s Survivor: Cook Islands is a new dad to daughter Genevie;
• Here’s a truly lovely choice: Esai Morales and his girlfriend have welcomed a daughter, Mariana Oliveira;
• What percentage of girls called Madeline (or Madison, Madelyn, Madasyn, etc.) answered to Maddie?  And how many are Maddy?  Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus has announced his daughter-on-the-way will be called Madeline Leigh, answering to Maddy-with-a-y;
• James Van Der Beek bucked the Hollywood embrace of unusual names to choose Olivia for his newborn daughter.

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That’s all for this week.  As always, thank you for reading!

Thanks to JNE for suggesting Andrea as Baby Name of the Day.

You’d be surprised to meet a little American boy answering to Andrea.  But just like Alexis and Angel, he’s one of those names that is typically masculine in certain languages.  Princess Caroline of Monaco gave the name to her firstborn son, Grace Kelly’s eldest grandchild, Andrea Albert Pierre.  Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli scored an unlikely hit with “Con te partirò,” a song heard in movies, television, at sporting events, funerals and as part of the Bellagio Hotel’s Fountains of Bellagio water show.

But in the US, Andrea is a girl’s name, one that has ranked in the Top 1000 most years since 1880.  Andrea entered the US Top 200 in 1943 and has been in the Top 100 since 1962.  She’s surprisingly steady, staying in use while Janice, Annette and Cheryl, Tiffany, Denise and Misty all fade out of use.

While many names have multiple spellings, meaning that they’re more popular than we might think at first glance, Andrea is notable for her many alternate pronunciations.  There’s ANN dree ah, AHN dree ah, ahn DRAY ah and awn DRAY ah to start.  Just like parents sometimes spell Olivia with an A in an attempt to ensure their child’s name is always said correctly, I’ve even met a woman called Ondrea.  Variant spelling Andria charted from the 1960s into the early 90s, too.

Andrea comes from the Greek element andros – man.  A quick trip back through the word’s origins suggests that it means not mankind, but male.  Still, you’ll sometimes see Andrea defined as meaning “womanly” in a baby name book.

But parents probably aren’t finding Andrea in a bay name book.  She’s been very current in pop culture for decades:

• Andrea McArdle played Annie on Broadway in the 1970s, becoming the youngest performer ever nominated for a Tony Award as Best Lead Actress in a Musical;
• Molly Ringwald’s turn as Andie in 1986′s Pretty in Pink was unforgettable;
• Andrea Zuckerman was a student at West Beverly in the original Beverly Hills, 90210;
• Sopranos alum turned Desperate Housewife Drea DiMatteo suggested another appealing short form;
• Andrea Sachs was long-suffering assistant to Miranda Priestly in the 2003 novel and 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada.  Another generation of parents will remember Anne Hathaway as the big screen version of Andy.

She’s also popular throughout Europe.  Andrea appears in the Top 25 of Spain, Norway and Iceland, and charts in the Top 100 of the Czech Republic, Denmark and Hungary.

For parents seeking a normal name, one instantly recognized but rarely shared, Andrea could be a great choice.  Andi makes for a darling nickname, and Andrea sounds perfectly appropriate on a grown woman.  Like Jennifer or Mary, she’s instantly recognizable but still stands out in an elementary school packed with girls called Maddie and Emma.  But you do need to be either zen about the pronunciation headaches, or ready to insist upon one version again and again.  And again.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting the surprisingly gender-neutral Sasha as Name of the Day.

Head to Moscow, and you’ll find plenty of men answers to diminutives that end in sha and ya, including:

• Mischa, short for Mikhail, the Russian Michael;
• Petya, short for Pyotr, the Russian Peter;
• Pasha, short for Pavel, the Russian Paul.

They’re not the only nickname options, of course.  And I’m not sure if some of these are subject to fashion.  (Ever notice how a 60-something Robert is usually Bob, but a baby Robert is often Robbie?)  They’re not just masculine, either.  Girls answer to Anya, Katya and Tasha, and plenty of the diminutives do double-duty, akin to the American Chris or Pat.

Aleksandra and Aleksandr both shorten to Sasha.  You’ll find some sites that prefer to list Sacha or Sascha as the masculine spelling, but that’s wishful thinking.  After all, Russian isn’t just a different language – it’s written in a different alphabet.

Sasha will sound girly to the average English-speaker.  Thanks to Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts’ firstborn, Alexander Pete, wearing the diminutive, the number of us recognizing Sasha as a viable option for boys is growing.

All of the Alex names have been at the heights of popularity in recent years.  TV’s Dynasty catapulted Alexis to the girls’ Top 100 back in the early 1980s.  But it isn’t quite clear how Sasha became a girls’ name.

Sasha debuted in US Top 1000 in 1972, peaked at #147 in 1988 and today comes in at #363.  It would be easy to imagine parents landing on Sasha as an alternative to Alexandra – except Alexandra was still comfortably in the 300s as Sasha climbed the charts.

I have a few theories, but they’re all a little bit out there:

• Could it be a doll-inspired appellation?  Swiss artist and dollmaker Sasha Morgenthaler turned her one-of-a-kind creations into a line of mass-produced dolls in the late 1960s.  Collectors are known as Sashaphiles;
• Alexandra “Sasha” Bruce was the daughter of Ambassador David Bruce and his wife Evangeline.  She died tragically in the 1970s and the family funded Washington DC’s Sasha Bruce Youthwork in her memory.  But her death came after the name first charted;
• Barbara Corcoran wrote Sasha, My Friend, a story about a child and a wolf back in 1973.  Sasha was the wolf;
• Actress Sasha Von Scherler – born Alexandra-Xenia – had been active in the New York theater since the 1950s.

None of the explanations fit the facts very well, and it isn’t as if other Russian names were in vogue for girls in the 1970s.

Today it is easy to imagine Sasha catching on, thanks to the high-profile female Sashas:

• Megastar Beyoncé uses the alter-ego Sasha Fierce;
• First Daughter Natasha Obama wears Sasha as a nickname;
• Figure skater Sasha Cohen won silver at the 2006 Turin Olympics;
• Vanessa Williams of Ugly Betty fame is mom to Sasha Gabriella.

At the same time, masculine bearers of the name are more prominent, from comedian Sacha Baron Cohen to many a fictional character.

My best guess is this: American parents might cautiously call their boys Sasha, but will continue to play it safe by putting Alexander on the birth certificate.  For girls, the White House/Beyoncé connection could give this name a bump back up in the rankings.

Or did we?

For every family that decides Maya and Milo are too similar, another embraces the sound-alike names.  Or insists that Alicia and Alina are totally different names.  Perhaps it never even occurs to them that Joanna and Jackson are both related to John.  Or maybe the first time you think of the famous actress is when you introduce your daughter Grace, little sister to Kelly and others ask if you’re a fan.

Siblings’ names will be said together countless times.  The names we like often have much in common.  So how can you tell if your choices make for a compatible sibset, or if they’re much too close?  Here are ten factors to consider.

10.  The names share the same meaning. This can be a subtle way to link siblings’ names.  Think Lucy and Claire.  One means light; the other, clear.  Felix and Asher both mean happy.

Trouble comes when your family of two ends up a family of four or five or more.  Your first two are the nicely paired Hazel and Ivy, but after using Olive and Jade, your choices for #5 narrow to Loden, Fern and Moss.

9.  The names share the same origins. Name aficionados know that Jacob and James are related.  I’ve groused that naming your twin daughters Isabella and Elizabeth is like naming them Mary Anne and Marianne.  Except that it’s not really so.

Origins aside, Jack and Sean make for a compatible pair of brothers’ names.  And Charles and Caroline seem different enough to be worn without incident.   Daniel and Danielle, however, don’t work.

8. You’ve neglected 25 letters of the alphabet. Sometimes this is unintentional.  You’re naming your sons after their grandfathers – Michael and Matthew.  Or you just happen to like the names Julia and Jason.

But let’s say you choose a letter with fewer options.  I remember hearing about a family with four sons – Henry, Heath, Hugo and Hatrick.  Are they hockey fans, or was Harvey not their style?  And if you’re on the second generation sharing the same syllable, your options might be very limited.

7. The names are linked in history or pop culture. If the movie was a bust, or we’re talking minor comic book characters, this matters not at all.  (You can safely ignore “But Sami named her twins John and Alice on Days of Our Lives.”)  Some combinations might appeal – think of daughters named for two Jane Austen heroines, as in Emma and Elinor.

But then there’s Gillian Anderson’s threesome – Piper, Oscar and Felix.  Her kids might not know The Odd Couple, but it is hard to imagine that it didn’t occur to mom.  Or the truly unthinkable – siblings named Romeo and Juliet, or even, in our Twilight era, Edward and Bella.  (Though it can happen after the fact – in which case, all you can do is laugh.)

6. Your choices can lead to same nickname. Sure, you never intend to call Kathryn or Katelyn by the nickname Katie.  But it could easily happen.  And how will their sister Annie feel about having an unrelated name?

This usually occurs because of #9 or #3.  But not always – Amelia and Marianna could both shorten to Mia.  Alexander and Natasha could both go by Sasha.  The harder you have to think about it, the less it becomes a concern.

5. Your favorites share the same ending. If you like Isabel, you might also like Annabel.  Ditto names like Parker, Carter and Harper.  But sharing the same ending is another sign that your favorites might be too close for comfort.

4. They nest like a Russian matryoshka. Does one name fit neatly inside the other?  Annika and Julian share an “an” but it isn’t glaringly obvious.

But Ella and Kellen seem like too much of a set.  And, in cases like Anna and Susanna, it feels as if one sibling’s name is just an elaboration, rather than an original choice.

3. They share the same first syllable. With #10 through #4, it is easy enough to come up with examples that work, despite being close in some ways.

But #3 takes us deep into the danger zone – can you imagine sisters called Madeline and Madison or Allison and Alexis?  (Photoquilty knows of a Madeline/Madison set – plus the dog answers to Maddie!)  How ’bout Jordan and Georgia?  A Supernanny episode featured twin girls Maile and Maila – pronounced Miley and Myla.

2. The names rhyme. Yes, there have surely been twin sisters called Cara and Tara.  But most parents – and siblings – would find it a bit too matched.

And yet, this is trickier than it sounds.   Timothy and James, Jeffrey and Stephanie and, of course, Benjamin and Jennifer all end up rhyming if you use the most common diminutives.

1. A combination of the above. Jackson and Jonathan are close, but probably on the right side of the line, while Jack and John don’t pass the test.

Jeffrey and Stephanie seem less troubling than the Hollywood power couple Benjamin and Jennifer.

Sarah and Laura are pretty close, but Laura and Maura would work only on fictional characters.

And so I’d love to know:  what choices have you had to reject because they’re just too close to your an older child’s name?

With a mere 19 days ’til Christmas, I finally settled down to watch last season’s romantic-comedy-just-in-time-for-the-holidays, Four Christmases.  Vince Vaughn’s character, Brad, finally takes his girlfriend home and, in the midst of yuletide merriment, she discovers that Brad legally changed his name – from Orlando.  Brothers Denver and Dallas were introduced, and Brad explained that they were all named in a very Brooklyn Beckham-esque way.  You’re forgiven, Brad.  Posh, are you listening?

Speaking of the holidays, on my recent travels I heard tots answering to Lyle, Hugo, Mara and Cecily – or I suppose Sicily, but let’s hope it was the former.

As for movies, I’m dying to see Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie.  While other girls were reading Anne of Green Gables, I was off in Victorian England, solving crimes with Holmes and Watson.  There are already hints of franchise potential, not unlike Pirates of the Caribbean, which got me thinking – if Sparrow could pop as a boy’s name in the wake of Captain Jack, will this film have a similar impact?  Sherlock and Holmes are out, and John is evergreen.  But how ’bout Watson?  I’ll be watching the boards!

Elsewhere in the blogosphere:

• Sebastiane has been featuring classics with all of their international variations included.  Think Andrew is a bit obvious?  Try Dreves.  Cathy and Cate don’t appeal?  Call your daughter Catherine by the unusual short form Trine – or opt for the variant Cathereau;
• My new favorite name of the week has to be Lillemor - also from Sebastiane’s site.  I’ve been puzzled by the so-fashionable Moa in Sweden.  Turns out Moa is a nickname for Lillemor, one that has eclipsed the original.  Apparently Lillemor is considered stodgy by modern Swedes, but in the US?  I think she’d offer an unexpected way to get to Lily – and fit just right with names like Eleanor, too;
• Over at Names from Adam to Eve, Laura wrote of her love for Hester, nn Hettie.  I’m a fan, too, so it is nice to see Hester get some love;
• Bewildertrix spotted a newborn girl named Montanna Skye.  It was an Aussie birth announcement, so maybe the parents don’t get the joke?  Or did they vacation in Big Sky Country and … cancel that thought;
• For Real Baby Names spotted a tot christened Basil Leif.  I suspect he’ll be one of those guys who refuses to hand over his driver’s license for fear his friends will discover the L isn’t for Leon or Lawrence;
• You’ve heard about New York’s just-released baby names of 2008 list, right?And Sophia and Jayden coming out on top?  Check out the Nameberry post for details and discussion;
• It’s that time again - Nymbler has released November’s Top 10 favorite names.  They’re  the usual suspects: Charlotte, Ava, Ella, Finn, Jack, Amelia, Claire, Henry, Grace and Benjamin.  
• But then there’s the far more interesting Top 5 Brand New Names: 
  • A twist on Brianna and Riley, Briley;
  • The lovely Cosima;
  • Word name Fable, a choice almost single-handedly launched by blogger Girls Gone Child; 
  • The literary Bronte;
  • Starbaby-inspired Nahla.

Speaking of starbabies, it was a busy week.  Thanks to Celebrity Baby Blog for the heads up on the following:

• Maya Rudolph welcomed Lucille, a little sister for Pearl - what a great sibset.  Please leave a comment if you hear about the girls’ middle names;
• Scrubs’ Judy Reyes welcomed Leila Rey.  Leila is the new Hailey – it is impossible to say how many there really are thanks to Layla, Lailah, Leyla, Laila …  But Rey is a clever nod towards mom’s surname;
• Singer Lisa Loeb welcomed daughter Lyla Rose;
• Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils welcomed his fifth child – son Maxime Phillipe.  For those of you who don’t follow hockey, it’s mahr TAN.  He’s from Montreal.  Older siblings are Anthony, William, Jeremy and Anabelle Antoinette; 
• Also in the Wide World of Sports, Chunky soup pitchman/Philadelphia Eagle Donovan McNabb welcomed his fourth child.  Son Devin James joins sisters Alexis and Sariah and brother Donovan;
• Heavenly Joy!  It’s a girl for music producer Rodney Jenkins and his wife, Joy Enriquez.  It’s not only an exclamation, it’s her name.

That’s all for this week.  Thanks for reading!

Thanks to Laney McDonald for suggesting the elusive Alina as Name of the Day.

In past posts, readers have (mostly) agreed: despite their roots as short forms, Nina and Lena wear well independently, too.  If that’s the case, the three-syllable Alina ought to feel even more substantial.

Plenty of names lend themselves to Alina:

• Rarities covered here, like Evelina and Sumarlina;
• Popular picks like Angelina (#69 in 2008) as well as up-and-comers like Carolina (#355) and imports like Magdalena (#903).
• It’s a stretch, but virtually any name ending in -line, from Madeline (#56) and Caroline (#94) to Evangeline (#450) might adopt Alina, too.

In the midst of these choices, you’ll find Alina herself, ranked #245, as well as variant Alena at #686.  Depending on the guide, you’ll find both versions listed as nicknames for Adelina, Helena, Maddalena and more.

But there’s also a long list of similar choices that are current – and viewed by many as modern, even original.  Think of:

• Alaina - sometimes listed as a variant of Elena or Elaine;
• Alana – usually linked to the male Alan;
• Alyssa – now fading, she was once as popular as can be, while fairytale Alice languished.

And that’s without considering names like Allison, Alexis or yet another version of one of the above.

There are nearly as many possible meanings for Alina and company as there are origins.  (A few include Romanian for soothing; Germanic or Arabic for noble; Greek for light.)  On the one hand, if you’re looking for a name with a positive meaning, take your pick.  But if you hope to have a rock-solid explanation for your chosen name’s meaning?  Look elsewhere.

Given all of her possible origins, you’ll hear multiple pronunciations, too.

Most bearers of the name are Eastern European – a Ukrainian gymnast, a Romanian ballerina, a Russian violinist, a member of the Polish parliament.

I’m guessing, but I imagine that many Eastern European Alinas answer to Alinka or Alenka.  In the US, she’d probably be Ali – choose your spelling.

You can find the name in use globally and throughout history:

• Alina Fernández is the illegitimate daughter of Cuba’s Fidel Castro, and an outspoken critic of her father’s regime – her memoir has been optioned for a movie;
• There was a seventh century Belgian saint named Alena;
• The Normans bestowed Aline as an independent given name, and brought her to England.  You’ll find Aline, Alina, Adelina, Adela and more in use through the fifteenth century;
• She’s currently popular in Germany – Melina, Celina, Helena and Annalena are all heard, too.

Does this make her pan-global, or just plain rootless?  That depends on your perspective.  If Alina appeals as a means to honor your Romanian roots  without choosing something decidedly Slavic, then she’s probably just international enough.  But if you’re looking for a name that is definitively Celtic or Arabic or Russian?  Alina isn’t quite the one.

Still, she’s a nice compromise between the antique and the modern – feminine but not frilly and current but not trendy.

• First, there’s the surprisingly restrained Sarah Brianna from KISS’ Paul Stanley; 
• Then there’s the nickname-named Charlie Axel from Tiger Woods.  Since his daughter is Sam Alexis, I suppose they pair together well.  But I just can’t imagine not putting Charles and Samantha (or Samara) on the birth certificates;
• Kevin Costner and his wife welcomed another cowboy-in-training, Hayes Logan.  Big brother is Cayden Wyatt.  Apparently, Hayes comes from an upcoming movie role for Kevin.  That seems a bit risky.  What if it flops like Waterworld?  He hasn’t named any of his kids Mariner;
• M.I.A. delivered a healthy baby B.O.Y.  Sorry.  Couldn’t resist – nor could anyone else online!  No name has been released yet.

In other news:

• If you haven’t already checked it out, go review the Valentine-themed names at Nameberry.  I thought they might be joking when they mentioned Jetadore.
• Then I checked out Nancy’s Baby Names and her list from Alberta, Canada.  Sure enough, there’s a Jetaime!  Also a (male) Gonzo and a (female) Harloquinn.  Shudder.
• Speaking of shuddering, the six older Suleman kids names are:  Elijah Makai, Amerah Yasmeen, Joshua Jacob, Aiden, Calyssa Arielle and Caleb Kai.  Elisabeth did a nice job explaining the octuplets’ names, but Bek gets points for being the first to post them in a comment – thank you!  The six boys are Jonah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Makai (or is it McCai?), Isaiah and Noah; the two girls are Nariah and Maliah.  I’m not sure, but the girls’ names might be spelled NaRiah and MaLiah.  (I’ve been squinting at the website.)  Guess we’ll know for sure when they get a book deal;
• A piece of site news – I’ll continue to post Names of the Day seven days a week through April 30.  After that, I’m cutting back to Monday through Friday.  As the site grows, keeping up with comments and email takes up more and more time – and frankly, it’s the most fun!  I hate looking at comments and realizing that I’ve missed out on great conversations.  :)  Plus, this will give me more space to work on some draft articles that are gathering dust.

Speaking of other articles, visit Nameberry on Friday.  (As if you don’t visit all the time anyhow.)  I’m scheduled to guest blog!

Now you’re expecting and it’s a girl. Only it feels like every other parent has stolen your top pick, including your old roommate AND your sister-in-law.

It’s true.  While the name has always been in use, since 1988, it has been in the Top 50 – that’s two solid decades where more than 6,000 newborns were dubbed Alexandra every single year.  Some quick back-of-the-envelope math shows that more than 90,000 Alexandras joined our ranks in that time frame.

Should you barrel forward and call your daughter Alexandra anyway?  It’s a tough call.

On the one hand, Alexandra is a classic.  Years ago, parents didn’t fret about having so many Marys, Janes and Mary Janes on the same block.  In fact, if you look at my mother’s Italian family, there are multiple cousins with variations of the name Maria, all honoring one grandmother of the same name.  It was tradition.

It was also confusing.  So you understand why Mary and Maria and Anna Maria all grew up and tried to find slightly less popular choices for their children.  (Of course, many of them ended up with Linda and Pamela, Amy and Jennifer – but that’s another post.)

Our forebearers had a valid point: sharing a name is just that.  You don’t share anything else, and if the name has meaning, then it feels almost superficial to abandon it simply for fashion.

On the other hand, it is easier to change your hair color than it is to change your name.  So it’s worth sweating what we’re going to call our kids – and worth wondering if you really want your child to be one of many.

Here are a few alternatives to consider:

1. Choose another, similar, but less common Al- name.  The musical Allegra comes to mind.  It has yet to hit the Top 1000, though I suspect it will break through by 2010.
2. Choose a similar name that starts with a different letter.  Cassandra is perhaps the most obvious substitute.  (It was a mere #219 last year.)  Cordelia and Marianna might also appeal.
3. Choose a globe-trotting variant of Alexandra.  Now this is where the fun begins!  If you take a global view of this classic name, there’s Alix, Alejandra and Alessandra, as well as Alessia and Alastrina (related to Alastair), plus the French-fried Alexiane.
4. Choose a modern variant of Alexandra.  The fun never stops!  On our own shores, I’ve heard Alexa, Alexine, Alexane and Alexia.  While Alexia is often dismissed as a) a brain disorder and b) a brand of frozen potatoes, it was also #164 on the Social Security most popular baby names list for 2006.  I’d say that makes it c) a valid choice for your child.
5. Elaborate on Alexandra.  There’s the place name Alexandria, which is both exotic and genteely Southern; the graceful Alexandrine, the mouthful Alexandrina or even something new.  Alixandrie, anyone?
6. Stick with Alexandra, but choose an unexpected nickname.  Lots of little girl Alexandras are known as Lexi, and – surprise – plenty of them go by Alex, too.  But probably just a handful are called by the Russian diminutive Sasha.  And fewer still are Zandra or Zandie, Zara or Sadie.  And while Ali is a popular nickname for plenty of Al- names, it’s a valid choice for Alexandra, too.

The one name I haven’t listed as an alternative to Alexandra is Alexis.  Why?  If Alexandra has been Top 50 in recent years, Alexis has been Top 10 – from 1996 to 2003, in fact, and it remains Top 15.  It has even spawned monstrous variant spellings like the part-baby, part-luxury brand moniker Alexus.

Shiver.

So while Alexandra retains a classic, regal dignity no matter how many times it is repeated, Alexis simply sounds worn out.   The original remains a valid choice for modern parents – though one that requires some reflection.

Incidentally, my own firstborn is Alexander, called Alexei – named after his grandfather.  If I were faced with naming a girl Alexandra?  I’d stick with the original and call her Sasha.

But the choices are nearly infinite.