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[Opinions] Alleyn
Alleyn is a family name on my husbands side. Recently he told me that if we ever have a son, his middle name should be Alleyn. I suggested using Allen or Alan as I prefer them but he is insistent upon Alleyn. I really dislike the spelling, what do you guys think? Am I being too unfair?
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I would like a good reason (like family) to use Alleyn. The associations of Elizabethan drama and 20th century detective fiction are wonderful, and it's not as if it was a kre8iv spelling at all. And you wouldn't exactly use it daily. Why not?
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If it meant a lot to my husband I would not hesitate to use it. It's just a middle name, and I personally would rather have a middle name that was meaningful but had a funny spelling, than one that was spelled pleasingly but meant rather less.
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I don't know what the etymology of Alleyn is, but there is the boy's name Alain, which appears like it might be pronounced the same way. You could go with that spelling instead. I kind of like Alleyn. It's unusual but it's a family name, not "made up", and as a middle name it won't affect much overall.
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If it's a family name and it's going in the middle name spot, then I could give on that. It has the added benefit of giving you the upper hand on the first name. (Oh, I'm thinking evil thoughts today.)
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If it was JUST a kre8tyv spelling I would have said no.But it's a family name and it's "just" the middle name, so I say go for it. I don't really think it's honoring if you change the spelling, so in this case I would prefer Alleyn over Allen or Alan.
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