So my husband and I are expecting a baby and it looks as if its going to be a boy we both really like the name [name_m]Alec[/name_m] (as a variation on [name_u]Alex[/name_u]) but we want a fairly gender neutral name and we dont want to use [name_u]Alex[/name_u]. His name was going to be [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and [name_m]Alec[/name_m] for short but using [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] doesnt seem gender neutral so we might just call him [name_m]Alec[/name_m] and I was wondering if it could be slightly gender neutral even though it is commonly a boys name we are really keen on this name so I dont want to change it. Also do you have any gender neutral/unisex middle names that would go with [name_m]Alec[/name_m]/[name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and also our last name makes names difficult as it is [name_m]Scott[/name_m]. I would love to hear your opinion on [name_m]Alec[/name_m] or other variations of it as unisex and would appreciate any advice picking a middle name to match first and last name.
[name_u]Alex[/name_u] is gender neutral, but [name_m]Alec[/name_m] is definitely not. Almost everyone will know he’s a boy from that name.
Another thing you might want to consider is that [name_m]Alec[/name_m] can occasionally be confused for [name_u]Alex[/name_u] and having an S surname would make that worse - [name_m]Alec[/name_m] [name_m]Scott[/name_m] could be easily misheard for [name_u]Alex[/name_u] Cott or [name_u]Alex[/name_u] Gott.
I think [name_m]Alec[/name_m] is a great name but maybe it’s not quite right for you.
As far as diminutives of [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] go, I think [name_u]Lex[/name_u], [name_u]Sandy[/name_u], [name_f]Ally[/name_f] and [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] are all pretty gender neutral.
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there! I agree with previous posters that [name_u]Alex[/name_u] is a little more gender neutral than [name_m]Alec[/name_m].
[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_u]Frankie[/name_u], [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], [name_u]Rue[/name_u], [name_u]Harper[/name_u] and [name_m]Miller[/name_m]?
I would assume an [name_m]Alec[/name_m] was a boy and I agree the [name_m]Alec[/name_m] [name_m]Scott[/name_m] could run together and be mistaken for [name_u]Alex[/name_u] Cott. It’s a nice name but maybe not perfect for you. According to NameBerry, [name_u]Alek[/name_u] is the Russian variation and that’s unisex having been used on a female supermodel before! Maybe that’s a way to go? There’s also [name_u]Ari[/name_u], [name_u]Asa[/name_u], [name_u]Alva[/name_u] or [name_u]Avery[/name_u], maybe?
[name_m]Alec[/name_m] is not gender neutral. I would look at popularity statistics in your country and select a name that appears on both the boy’s and girl’s charts. Something like [name_u]Avery[/name_u], [name_u]Riley[/name_u], [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], or [name_u]Emerson[/name_u]?
[name_m]Alec[/name_m] is not neutral. However, you seem to love [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and [name_m]Alec[/name_m]. Sometimes a perfect name doesn’t fit all of the rules we set for ourselves. If you love [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] or [name_m]Alec[/name_m], I am a proponent of using it regardless of gender neutrality.
If you don’t love any truly gender neutral names as much, I do not think you should force yourself to settle for something you don’t love because it fits into a category, style, or theme you idealistically like.
I agree with the previous posters about [name_m]Alec[/name_m] not being gender neutral. Here are some additional suggestions:
[name_m]Alexander[/name_m] nn. [name_m]Al[/name_m] or [name_u]Ali[/name_u], maybe even [name_u]Alexi[/name_u]
[name_u]Riley[/name_u]
[name_u]Aiden[/name_u]
[name_m]Andrew[/name_m] nn. [name_u]Andy[/name_u]
[name_m]Kerrigan[/name_m] nn. [name_f]Kerri[/name_f]
[name_u]Finley[/name_u]
[name_u]Blake[/name_u]
[name_u]Reed[/name_u]
As others have said, [name_u]Alex[/name_u] is an all-male name. If you want a gender-neutral variation of [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], then might I suggest [name_u]Alexis[/name_u]? Originally all-boy, but in more recent years its swayed over to the girl side of the spectrum. Or perhaps [name_m]Alexei[/name_m] - an entirely male name that a lot of people see as being on the more effeminate side? There are also the unisex nicknames of [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]: [name_u]Lexi[/name_u], [name_u]Sandy[/name_u], [name_u]Allie[/name_u] and [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] to consider.
[name_m]Alec[/name_m] is a lovely boys name, I don’t think it’s gender neutral though. What about [name_u]Sander[/name_u]/[name_m]Zander[/name_m]/[name_m]Xander[/name_m] or [name_m]Aleph[/name_m]/[name_m]Alef[/name_m] ? I think they all seem pretty gender neutral?
actually quite like the [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] as a diminutive but I always assumed it was a girls name up until recently I am worried that people will assume and always see it as a girls name.
I quite like [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] but im worried it will be seen as almost all female as I have always assumed [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] to be a girls name and that it wouldnt be seen as unisex. If I cant pick a completely unisex name I would prefer it to be on the masculine side.
Not to play devil’s advocate, but I have met a girl [name_m]Alec[/name_m] before, though only once. While some names would definitely be harder to cross over than others, neutrality has more to do with naming trends than the names themselves. Go back 15+ years and ask if [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] is gender neutral and people would say no, it’s a boys name. Go back 60+ and the same is true of [name_u]Ashley[/name_u].
It’s not easy to find a form of [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] that is as neutral as [name_u]Alex[/name_u] without leaning towards feminine. Working off the “xander” part, I found [name_u]Andy[/name_u] and [name_u]Sander[/name_u]. ([name_m]Xander[/name_m] could even work too, and I think of [name_m]Xan[/name_m] as being very neutral although nameberry does not seem to agree.) Working from the start of the name, I really think [name_u]Alex[/name_u] is the most neutral form you’ll find, and if you prefer [name_m]Alec[/name_m] to [name_u]Alexi[/name_u] or [name_u]Ali[/name_u], then you should probably stick with it. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though it is a historically masculine name, it’s so similar to [name_u]Alex[/name_u] that I can also easily see it as another nickname for [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]. Besides, nameberry has already recognized [name_u]Alek[/name_u] as a neutral name (it belongs to a female supermodel), so why not [name_m]Alec[/name_m] too?
I would think [name_m]Alec[/name_m] is 100% boy but look at how [name_u]James[/name_u] is heading, particularly in the middle position! Any name can become gender neutral.
I’m all about choosing the name you love. [name_m]Alec[/name_m] [name_u]Riley[/name_u] or [name_m]Alec[/name_m] [name_u]Finn[/name_u] would be cute but if you are choosing it for a girl I think you need a specific female name in the middle spot to balance it. Perhaps [name_m]Alec[/name_m] [name_u]Lou[/name_u]?