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Linden & Alasdair
I'm starting to like Linden for a boy and wanted your thoughts on it. Good first name? Better as a middle name? Do you prefer it spelt Lyndon?
Also, what do you think about Alasdair? We had a pet snake for a short time named Alistair, would it be in poor taste to reuse the name for a son? Which spelling do you prefer? I tend to pronounce all the spellings like "AL-eh-stir", thats the pronunciation that sounds most natural imo.
Thanks in advance.

This message was edited 4/17/2011, 1:17 PM

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We have a pet snake named Alastair, too, and I am now considering it for a human child, lol. How funny. But I think its a very human name to begin with, so I think its more weird on the snake XD
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I think Linden and Alasdair would make an awesome brother set! Linden is a fine first name for a boy, but it also works as a middle name. Alasdair is my favorite spelling. It's one of my top favorite names for a boy. I don't think it would be in poor taste to reuse it if you really like the name. I pronounce it two ways. It depends on my mood. The "proper" pronunciation is the way you say it...AL-eh-stir. However, when I'm feeling extravagant I like to pronounce it al-ehs-DARE.
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I don't really like Linden or Lyndon ... Neither are my style.I *love* Alistair. For the longest time, that was my favourite spelling, but Alasdair is really growing on me in the last year or so. I do pronounce them a little different (I'm starting to wonder if it's because of the way I was taught to read!). With Alistair, I almost make it sound like -stair. Alasdair is a similar sound, but I emphasize the d a little more - which, now that I'm thinking about it - may have something to do with why I'm leaning to it more.As for the snake connection, I don't think it's a big deal. I used to be really against the idea, until very recently, when hubby decided he loved the name Delilah, if this baby is a girl. Delilah was my dog's name when I was a tween, but because he feels so strongly about it, I'm starting to give up on not using it.As a side note, I want to use Alistair / Alasdair to honour my dad (Alexander) if we have another boy. My dad prefers the spelling Alistair, and my grandmother prefers Alasdair ... I just absolutely love it.
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I've always seen Linden as, in the world of usage if not etymology, a version of Linda and therefore very firmly fem. Lyndon is no longer aggressively presidential, but at least it's strongly gender-marked.I'd like Linden and Alasdair as a girl-boy sibset, actually!No problem with a former snake! Quite a cool tribute, actually. I know a woman who was named Josie after a dog, and my DH always wanted a daughter named Catherine but known as Kate, but the furthest I would go was to name a cat Katie. He was happy; so was I; and the cat purred for 19 years.My son's second mn is Alastair, after two good friends. I would probably have chosen Alistair, which is or certainly was the most used form in Scotland, but they're all good.
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I like both names. I would keep Linden spelled as it is because I don't really care for Lyndon. Part of the appeal is the nature connection. I prefer Alistair to Alasdair. I don't think it would be in bad taste to use the name- you aren't naming your child after the snake, after all.
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I like Linden; it makes me think of an evergreen forest for some reason, and I like evergreen forests! Lyndon, on the other hand, makes me think of an old man -- probably because of the American president.I don't think it's in poor taste to use Alistair/Alasdair for a son. However, I'm unsure how to pronounce the name correctly, as I've never heard it spoken before. (I've always thought it was pronounced ah-luh-STYRE, which now seems incorrect!) For spelling, I prefer Alasdair.
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I love both of those names, especially Alasdair!Linden I would keep spelled just like that. That's how the tree is spelled, and that way it won't be so closely associated with LBJ. I think it's a great first name because you could call him Lyn/Lin, which I love.Alasdair is the spelling I most prefer, but in some instances I think Alistair looks better. Alastar is my least favorite just because the word star sticks out strangely.
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Linden is really nice and would make a great first name. I like that it's not overly common - I've only ever met or heard of one and he's in his 30s. And yet straightforward and easy to pronounce. Linden is my favorite spelling. I've never actually heard Alasdair/Alistair said out loud. I'm imagining it to be something like AL-is-ter (rhymes with ballister). If that's right, I don't mind it at all, but is there a way to shorten it without it becoming Alice? I don't really think the snake thing is a big deal unless everyone knows your had him and would remember.
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I love Linden! I don't really like Lyndon. The whole reason I like Linden is that it's naturey, and Lyndon has a completely different vibe.
I love Alistair, and I think it's actually cool that it was the name of your pet snake. I like Alastair and Alastor best.
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