My name has multiple meanings, all completely different from each other. Stupid, arrogant (unfortunately my name is part of a phrase to describe those types of people), a radish made from herring (not sure why my parents would name me after that), and finally, in Scottish, a defender of mankind. I like that one the most. Alec: Defender of Mankind.

My name has a dull color to it. My name is like a pencil that has been sharpened too many times, dull and short. It is also a confusing name. At this point, a good 90% of people probably had the idea that I spelled “Alex” wrong. I get that a lot. Too short to be shortened, just a simple name that people will mispronounce 9 times out of 10.

Alec would be written in a font as basic as Arial. Nothing special, doesn’t stand out in a crowd, not formal by any means. Why did my parents give me this name? That has a simple answer. A baby name book, like most people. Not nearly as interesting as my brothers given name all the way in St. Petersburg. Not the one in the south, but the one that resides near the border of Russia. Dmitri. But I like the simplicity of my name in comparison to his.

My middle name is just as simple. I know that when my parents yell “Alec Thomas” I have dug myself into a hole. When my teachers look at me and say “Alex” in an angry tone, even though that is not my name, I still know I’m in trouble.

I would not change my name. It is a simple name to describe a simple person. My name is simple yet unique, not a lot of people have the name Alec. If I changed it to Alex, I would be a conformist now wouldn’t I?