Alexander is a chart-topping choice, so popular many parents are seeking an alternative.
Here’s one option.
Baby Name of the Day: Lysander
on Jun 08, 2010, Updated Dec 27, 2013
on Jun 08, 2010, Updated Dec 27, 2013
Alexander is a chart-topping choice, so popular many parents are seeking an alternative.
Here’s one option.
Well, I can’t use Lysander, as it doesn’t work with my husband’s surname and I already have a nephew named Andrew, but I love it anyways. I would be delighted to meet a real-life Lysander (or Leander.) I think Sandy would be a handsome nickname and Sasha would work as well.
LOL – Julie, I tried to call my husband Sandy as a nn – our last name is Sandel. He put his foot down.
Ooh, but Sasha would be fun.
I really love Lysander, especially with the Shakespeare and Harry Potter connections. I don’t think it’s very usable as a first name, though. Evander and Leander are great too!
I agree – the connections are stellar.
I absolutely LOVE the name Lysander! Lysander and Coriander have both been favourite names of mine for quite a lot time.
Coriander? Not Cilantro?
One of those names I do really like even if I’d never have the nerve to use it. Especially as A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the first Shakespeare play I ever read and when played well, the Hermia/Lysander romance can be hilarious.
Ooo I love Lysander, Evander and Leander.
I would most likely use Lysander in the middle and I think Evander is passable as a first name.
Jude Lysander Gabriel is a combo that I adore.
Jude Lysander Gabriel is amazing!
I absolutely love Lysander and Lysandra. I only wish I had the guts to use it. Around here, it would seem too weird and too out there. Which is a shame, because I really like it. I like the idea of Anders as a nickname.
A part of me really, really likes Lysander. Like many, I’m a fan of Alexander, but not quite so keen on Alex. I once tried to convince my husband to agree on Skandar, which is (I think) a Turkish variant of the name. Lysander would fit our background much better than Skandar, but I doubt Mark would be any more impressed with Lysander than he was with Skandar. Oh well, maybe I should just go and re-read A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
I totally didn’t think of Lysol until JNE and Wrenn mentioned it – that is a downside!
My first thought is “Shakespeare” – though I wasn’t even familiar with which play the name was in.
I think it’s pretty wearable, with the similarity to Alexander – that would be my first “sounds like” association.
Sander would probably be my nickname of choice – though it’s not a name I’d really choose either.
Interesting history! I don’t love the sound though, it made me think of Lysol as well. I much prefer the sound of Evander and Leander. But Evander is all Holyfield and I’m afraid Leander might be too feminine sounding these days.
I could see a Lysander being called Lyle or maybe even Zander.
Zander would be a good option.
Lysander is alright, but then I quite like Evander, too. I don’t love the slightly antiseptic feel of the Lys- part (it does evoke a Lysol-esque feel for me), but it’s not so strong that I couldn’t get past it. I don’t see why it wouldn’t wear well. Nns are mostly of the Anders/Andy variety, though, which are not my favorite (Anders is preferable of the two). I guess you could go with Ly, but that sounds like ‘lie’ which isn’t great. Other nn constructions that pull out easily are too feminine (Lysa, Sandy, Ysa). Overall, I’m luke-warm on it, but I think if I met a mom on the playground who introduced her son as Lysander, I would be pleasantly surprised…. yep, it’s not for me, but very nice for someone else.