Classic names more Home Counties than Hollywood

LIKE all new parents, no doubt George and Amal Clooney spent many hours agonising over what to call their twins.

I approve wholeheartedly of their choices – which is perhaps no surprise, because they are also the names of my own children: Ella, nine, and Alexander, six.

On social media the couple have been applauded for their ‘classy’, ‘traditional’ choices, assessments I must admit I agree with. The appeal of both names is that they sound solidly English, yet neither stuffy nor common.

They’re certainly not the painfully ‘unique’ names celebrities so often choose. I suspect they reflect Amal’s influence – like me, she was brought up in the Home Counties – rather than George’s. They also rather suggest that the family anticipates a future in Britain rather than Hollywood.

My husband Sam and I were drawn to Ella and Alexander because they are names that stand the test of time. Ella was the name of his grandmother, a woman born in the early decades of the 20th century, but unlike Edith or Elsie it doesn’t sound dated in the 21st century.

There were no personal connections to Alexander but, like Ella, it’s a name that will never hold you back in life – or sound too pretentious.

It’s a name that you can either use in full – think of the noble connotations of Alexander the Great – or shorten so that you can be Al or Alex or Sandy or Xander. Our Alexander is most often called Alex these days, though I like to think he’ll get to use his full first name in future.

Unfortunately, the downside of having the same taste as one of the world’s most famous couples is these are about to become two of the world’s most popular names.

Still, I wish George and Amal all the best with their very own Ella and Alexander. After all, our thoughtful, creative Ella and bright, cheeky Alex have made us extremely happy.