Sharing Alexa name can be fun, frustrating

SEATTLE — Since Amazon introduced the Alexaenabled Echo device in 2014, the jokes have become so omnipresent that Alexa Philbeck, 29, briefly considered changing, or at least obscuring, her name.

“I work in the service industry, so my name is printed on receipts that people see all the time,” said Philbeck, a Seattle bartender. “I get comments constantly and people trying to make jokes or order me around.”

It’s become a chore for Philbeck to acknowledge the near-constant barrage of remarks.

“When you hear it so often, it’s hard to respond in a way that is actually nice,” she said.

Being named “Alexa” in a landscape dotted with an estimated 11 million-plus Echo devices can be funny and, just as often, frustrating. This year it’s forecast that 35.6 million Americans will use a stand-alone, voiceactivated assistant device at least once a month, up 130 percent from 2016 — and Amazon’s Echo dominates that market.

Alexa, however, is far from an uncommon name. Since 1998, Alexa has consistently ranked among the top 100 female baby names in the United States, according to the Social Security Administration.

This means, for a sizable population, Amazon’s choice for the name of the voice behind their gadgets has not gone unnoticed.

“One of the kids I’ve been babysitting forever — they love talking to the Echo. ‘Alexa, Alexa, Alexa, Alexa,’ and I’m like ‘What?’ They’re like, ‘Not you,’ ” Alexa Sorensen said.