One of the most frequent questions Lex faced when he was young was what his name meant, or was short for. Depending on his age or mood, Lex would give different answers, ranging from it meant absolutely nothing, to that it was an acronym for 'laudably exquisite xebec', to the name of a famous hero or villain. Many people often assumed it was short for Alexander, though that was not the case.
The truth of the matter was too embarrassing to be spread. When he was born, his parents were having a discussion about what to name him, only to find out that their firstborn, Belle, had somehow managed to fill out the paperwork and had his birth certificate issued with the name Lex.
As absurd as it sounded considering Belle's young age at the time, she had been a little different from birth. She could not be compared to others her age. When they asked her why she chose the name Lex, she claimed that he had been named after her favorite wrestling move: the suplex!