Xander – Confessions Of Naming A Child
Xander is a cool name!
X is for Xander
As I “finally” near the end of the A to Z blog challenge, which has lasted me far longer than I realized it would when I started it, I come to the letter “X.” (you try doing a challenge with a 3-year-old nipping at your heels) The letter “X” and a parenting blog leaves you few choices. I really don’t want to write a post over the chemical element Xenon and it’s effects on children. Lucky for me I somehow must have realized many years ago that naming my son Xander would be beneficial` in the A to Z blog challenge.
What’s in a name?
Picking a child’s name is never an easy task. A name is something we give to a child that they will live with for the rest of their life (without court intervention.) Picking my son’s name, Xander, was even a more daunting task because we didn’t know when we were going to have a child. We first decided we wanted to have children when I was 30 and we didn’t have our son until I was 39.
When we began the process of choosing a name one of our top choices for a boy was, Alexander Christian. My wife and I quickly learned a valuable lesson, if you like a name never share it with any friends or family before you have a child. Amazingly, the name we had chosen was quickly taken and all the guilty party could say to us was, “Well, we really liked it and you didn’t have kids yet anyway!” In retrospect, we were good sports, we didn’t have children yet and we only wished a few minor curses on the family.
Names have meaning!
Many people would think naming a child isn’t difficult. They would tell you, ” just buy a book and pick a letter and go with it.” If only life and purchasing a book was that simple. If any man has ever gone to the bookstore with a woman who wants to have a child they will quickly learn it is an all day affair. I discovered there are more titles on baby names than I believe there are names in the books! Today alone, in Amazon, there are over 300 titles of books on baby names and meaning!
Picking out a name, like Xander, isn’t easy. You have to first think about the name and if it has any meaning to you. I knew that if we had a girl I couldn’t live with the name Kathy (no offense to any Kathy’s that might read this.) She was a former girlfriend and I didn’t want any daughter of mine doing those things. Names have different meaning to people so my wife and I did the next best thing and we went to television!!!
Buffy and the gang!
True Confessions
Making a confession isn’t easy but you should know that I like Buffy the Vampire Slayer!!! Yes, I think Sarah Michelle Gellar is hot!! In my house, my wife has told me I could say that Sarah is hot. She also told me that I had no chance in Hell that Sarah would ever call me so I could shout as loud as I wanted that SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR IS HOT!!! I feel that my wife was very generous in her offer.
My wife and I both enjoyed the character Xander Harris on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was easy for us to transition from Alexander to Xander. Xander was a different name that has character and it begins with the letter “X” (a much shorter chapter in the baby name books) We hope it is a name that our son comes to love as much as we have (hopefully he doesn’t slay vampires….although from a father’s perspective it would be a great job!)
Tips
1. If you like a name never share it. I guarantee if you share the name someone else will use it.
2. If you must buy a book to help pick a name be sure to pack breakfast, lunch, dinner and a portable toilet.
3. Remember that names have meaning. Michael or Mike is not the best choice for a boy if your last name is Tyson (no offense to any Mike Tyson’s or their parents)
4. Television can become a great source for naming a child! Just make sure you research the name of all possible celebrities with that name and variations of that name. When I was younger I wanted a son named Joe Montana (the football legend). I was a little disappointed when Hannah Montana came and destroyed my dreams (I didn’t want others thinking I named my son after a Disney pop star)
Choosing a name is never easy! Was choosing your child’s name hard? Is it a family name or something not common? Did everyone agree on it? Did you learn anything from naming your child that can help other parent’s still working on picking out a name? Make sure to tell me in the comments!
Be sure to check out Andi-Roo at TheWorld4Realz who is writing about a month of controversy in the A to Z +1 August blogging challenge with me! Today is the letter “X” for Xander – Confessions Of Naming A Child!
Tags: baby names, chemical element, choosing a name, court intervention, element xenon, guilty party
Cool blog. Xander is a cool name
Thanks Daniel! We tend to like it!
Aaron
Having got over what a kind wife you have allowing you to bellow the names of ‘hotties’ around the house (I bet she can’t do the same) I’ll say you made a great choice of name. Incidentally unless I missed it you didn’t even tell us what the name means and why it’s a good choice. If I may, it means ‘Man’s defender’ so possibly we have a new Lawyer or maybe a Football Star.
I’m inclined to think you had Xander specifically to get over the problems in your A-Z.
As always entirely entertaining.
David,
LOL….I tend to think it was most definitely for the A to Z blog challenge! I knew I would need an X someday and it’s not the most common letter so why not name a child Xander?
Aaron
I love the name Xander!
I would never, ever admit this around my kids (who are now teens) but I really feel like we settled too quickly on names and that I didn’t fight hard enough for the names I really wanted. Of course I love my kids’ names and they fit them perfectly, but, they now seem common and popular. I wish I would’ve went for names a little more unique or uncommon (does that make sense?) In a related note, we recently adopted a puppy, and I DID fight hard for the names I love, but didn’t get any support, LOL! I really wanted to name our puppy Eleanor or Vivian but my entire family shot me down.
LOL…you have to fight for what you believe in! I am sorry you didn’t get any support for Eleanor or Vivian! What did you finally name the puppy?
Aaron
Funny. Our oldest is 3. His name is Alexander, yet we call him Xander, and have since the day he was born. The thing we fought with was his middle name. We had an awesome name all picked out until we realized his initials were going to be ASS. Ooops! The funny part was, that was the FIRST name my wife and I came up with when we found out she was pregnant. Not wanting to just go with the first one, we tried on twenty different names and went back to the one that just felt natural.
LOL….I can see the initials A.S.S could be a serious problem for any kid. It could also be a major therapy issue for later in life for them….lol….We liked Alexander a lot until we shared it….lesson learned…but it was still a win/win we went with Xander so it is a variation of it!
Aaron
Also if the name is only a possibility and not a sure thing, don’t tell others. You will feel immense pressure after the baby shower because everyone embroidered the name into handmade blankets and paintings
LOL…without a doubt….I actually know someone that something like that happened too. They had an ultrasound and the doctors told them they were having a girl. They named their “daughter” and had a baby shower…..surprise….surprise….everyone was a little stunned at the birth of their new son….I guess they learned that lesson the hard way!
Aaron
That was great! This is something my husband and I have been discussing about…we actually decided to pick a name that we actually knew NO one with…not just that but as Asian American parents I think it’s important that we don’t pick an Asian name either….have you ever read the book Freakonomics? There was a section in there that mentioned about baby names…it’s been very helpful….
It’s funny my friend is also having a baby and haven’t shared her baby names yet…and I’ve had friends who’s told ALL her friends the names for their unborn child and said that no one else is allowed to use it! HA…great article thanks! ps…I ALSO picked the name of a TV/Show/Actor for my boy’s name…can’t agree on one yet for the girl =)
Xander came about more of as a fluke than anything else. We really had our heart set on Alexander. We had never even considered shortening it to Xander until we saw it on television. the one issue we have had with our son’s name is ability to say it. We didn’t really think about it at the time but the letter “X” is one of the harder letters for children to master. It has only been in the last month or so he states his name with conviction.
Aaron
P.S. keep posted on the baby name for the boy I am curious now!
and girl when you come to agreement 