Sasha as nickname for a boy Alexander?

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks, all! We’re not Russian, but my husband has central-European Jewish ancestry, so not totally unrelated. This is our third boy and there are few names we both like, Alexander is one. I assume he’ll be called by whatever nickname he eventually prefers (and I wouldn’t try to make Alexander stick with a baby or little kid — it’s long!), but we’re trying to think of a nickname to promote at least at the outset. (With the intention to avoid the immediate default to Alex, which my husband doesn’t like. Zander would be fine, but it seems to me like a nickname that really has to suit the particular person).

[Anonymous]

Sasha (or Sacha in French/German spelling) is a standard nickname for Alexander in Russian and other Slavic languages the same way as Bob for Robert, Bill for William, or Peggy for Margaret, and others ion English.

And, yes, friends and family call Alexander Ovechkin Sasha, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only if you’re Russian.

Or Bulgarian or Ukrainian . ?mywhere in Eastern Europe you can meet men with this nickname

[Anonymous]

It is also legit in other Slavic countries. Also, unisex, I know boys and girls with nickname Sasha and Alexander or Alexandra(of course we put ks). Usually girl version might be Sashka, but Sasha it fine too. It is also used in Germany for as a male name. However, in Quebec, France and Belgium Sacha, not the spelling is almost exclusively male name.
From Wiki:
This name is especially common in Europe, where it is used by both females and males as a diminutive of Alexandra and Alexander, respectively. Despite its popularity in informal usage, the name is rarely recorded on birth certificates in countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine, as it is considered a diminutive, not a formal name. Exceptions are Croatia, Germany, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Switzerland.

In French-speaking regions (Belgium, France,[1] and Quebec[2]), Sacha is almost exclusively given to males.[3] In the United States the name is almost exclusively used for girls and ranked number 569 among U.S. baby names in 2014, although it didn't gain popularity until the 1970s.[4]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Zverev is German.

Yes, but his family is Russian in origin. His parents both played professionally for the Soviet Union and didn't move to Germany until later in life. While Sasha was born in Germany, his brother Misha (10 years older) was born in Moscow.

It is also pretty common in Germany unrelated to ethnicity.

[Anonymous]

I’m wondering why use the full name Alexander anymore if it gets reduced to a nickname. From a mom that named her kid Alexander and calls him Alex.

[Anonymous]

Sasha is a fine nickname. I don't get the folks who act like it is some obscure thing??? I've always known a Sasha or two.

[Anonymous]

If you want to call him Alexander, name him Alexander. If you want to call him Sacha, name him Sacha!
I think of spelled with a C people will assume it’s a boy. I know a very sweet 5-yo Sacha!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:how the heck is Sasha short for Alexander??

Same as Peggy is short for Margaret in this country. It’s the most common nickname for Alexander in Tusdia and Baltic’s.

I love it, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks, all! We’re not Russian, but my husband has central-European Jewish ancestry, so not totally unrelated. This is our third boy and there are few names we both like, Alexander is one. I assume he’ll be called by whatever nickname he eventually prefers (and I wouldn’t try to make Alexander stick with a baby or little kid — it’s long!), but we’re trying to think of a nickname to promote at least at the outset. (With the intention to avoid the immediate default to Alex, which my husband doesn’t like. Zander would be fine, but it seems to me like a nickname that really has to suit the particular person).

Sasha is a totally standard nickname for Alexander. You do not have to go to the Russian embassy to get an official sign-off for this (and just as well, too). If people think he's a girl - well, then they do. May nothing worse happen to him in his life.

Also, and completely unrelated, there was an Alexander, nickname Sasha, in my dorm in college, who was dreamy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to call him Alexander, name him Alexander. If you want to call him Sacha, name him Sacha!
I think of spelled with a C people will assume it’s a boy. I know a very sweet 5-yo Sacha!

Birth certificate or bust!

[Anonymous]

I think adding a C to the spelling makes Sasha less feminine sounding (i.e. Sascha or Sacha).