Is it Alec or Alex?

Alex Satin is really Alec Satin, PMP.

Alec is my name. I’m happy with it. But it can be a little confusing.

When people first meet me, they get that my name is Alec. This holds for the first, second and maybe third times. But then, something mysterious happens. They begin to call me Alex.

How Does This Happen?

It could be because Alex is a common name in the the US while Alec is not. According to Name Statistics, Alex is the 156th most common male first name in the United States. About 140,875 males (or .115%) are named Alex.

Alec, on the other hand, is the 930th most common male first name. There are only 7350 Alecs (or .006%) in the US.

For every 20 Alexs there is only one Alec!

There is no Alex Satin!

My family’s surname, Satin, is an Ellis Island modification of Zatinov. Our family is very small. To my knowledge, there is not another Alex Satin around. If you are looking for Alex Satin, you are probably looking for me, Alec Satin.

UPDATE 10/24/2008: There seems to be an Alex Satin who played hockey for Johns Hopkins. Alex, if you read this, please be in touch. Would be great to connect with you.

Hey Alec, are you a Smart Aleck?

Very funny! Actually, this is a funny story. According to Gerald Leonard Cohen, there was a real New Yorker in the 1840s by the name of Alec Hoag. Truly colorful, clever, and not a little bad, he was said to be a pimp, thief and confidence man. Together with his wife Melinda and his partner-accomplice “French Jack”, they invented the panel game con.

Well I am a consultant and PMP (Project Management Professional) – but no one has ever called me a pimp, con artist or thief. Maybe this is why my clients keep calling me Alex Satin. They don’t want me to think that they’re confusing me with Alec Hoag!

Other Famous Alecs

See that Alecs above. The c-s together sounds like Alex. More than one Alec is the same sound as Alex. Well, this is starting to get confusing again. Are you okay if we just keep moving along?

Here are some other Alecs you probably know. I wonder if their friends call them Alex too?

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin is not Alex Satin!

Alec Baldwin is a fantastic New York born actor, currently in the current 30 Rock television series and well known for his film work including She’s having a baby, Beetlejuice, and Glengarry Glen Ross.

He’s had some hard times lately. I send Alec good thoughts and wish happiness and healing for him and his family.

Alec Guinness

Sir Alec Guinness was a very funny man. You may remember him from Star Wars, or one of his many film roles. Here’s a trailer from the original Ladykillers.

Alec Guinness is not Alex Satin!