[name_m]Hi[/name_m] guys !
I would need your help to justify [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] as a nickname, NOT a formal name, but one that’s not [name_m]Alexander[/name_m].
Any suggestions would be appreciated 
Is there a particular reason you can’t use [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], or that you want to use the nickname [name_u]Sasha[/name_u]?
If [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] is out of the question, you could look at [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]'s variations—[name_m]Alexei[/name_m] or [name_m]Alistair[/name_m], perhaps, or [name_m]Sanders[/name_m] or [name_m]Saunders[/name_m]. Or something related in sound and meaning, like [name_m]Lysander[/name_m].
Purely on sound, [name_u]Elisha[/name_u] might work, but it’s rather a stretch. Maybe [name_m]Washington[/name_m] or [name_m]Asher[/name_m]? Especially if you used [name_m]Asher[/name_m] in the middle spot and paired it with an S first name—e.g., [name_m]Simon[/name_m] [name_m]Asher[/name_m].
Through a brief bout of research (I know nothing about Russian and related languages), I’ve found that [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] is a typical Russian diminutive construction—take part of the name and add -sha. [name_u]Misha[/name_u] is a similar product from [name_m]Mikhail[/name_m]/[name_u]Michael[/name_u]. (Though it’s more complicated than that, apparently.) With a bit more research, perhaps you could arrive at [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] via another Russian or Slavic first name. I don’t feel qualified to give further advice on that point
Might be a stretch, but how about [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]?
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] Ceryle and bellerose! I’m looking for a character name; somehow people in the character’s surroundings call him [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] as a nickname, yet I’m having a hard time with naming him [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] because I don’t feel like it fits the character.
Thank you for the great suggestions !
The only name other than [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] that comes to mind is [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]. I think you could get pretty creative though, and maybe find a name like Shadrach if that strikes your fancy.
I’ve actually been wondering this same thing lately. I like [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] but I like it better as a nickname. My solution so far is [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]. It has all the same sounds as [name_u]Sasha[/name_u], so I think it works!
[name_m]How[/name_m] about a variant of [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]? My first thought was [name_m]Aleksei[/name_m] or Skandar, perhaps [name_m]Alasdair[/name_m], but there are loads more.