35 weeks along, still no boy name

Boy Names
1

He can bruise my ribs badly (!) but we still don’t know what to call him. Our taste runs to the traditional but under-used, but nothing is leaping off the page as the right name.

I’d love suggestions of something new, here’s the list of names that made the cut to full consideration and the thoughts on them:

[name]Alexander[/name]: a longstanding family name, including my father’s name, in a vacuum this would be the name, but it’s #4 in [name]America[/name] - boo! Parents have been divorced for decades so my mom is not a fan anyway.
[name]Andrew[/name]: my husband’s name - he hates the nickname [name]Drew[/name], two Andys would be too many
[name]Linus[/name]: ok, love [name]Linus[/name] Pauling and [name]Linus[/name] Torvalds, but in French it’s too close to l’anus
[name]Paul[/name]: grandfather’s name, ok, but doesn’t make our hearts sing, hard to move on to first letter of last name
[name]Charles[/name]: honors just about everyone in the family, just used by the most recent boy in the family [name]Charlie[/name] (age 2) - any other nicknames out there? [name]Chase[/name] = a bank, [name]Chuck[/name] is not an option, [name]Chip[/name] is kinda meh. My mother in law is pushing HARD for [name]Charles[/name], my mother is on board and likes “[name]Charles[/name] [name]Walter[/name]” which doesn’t have enough adventure for me, plus the nickname problem.
[name]Eric[/name]: honors my sister, slightly boring to those of us who lived through the 80s, nicely Scandinavian with our last name, but only google hit out there with our last name is an abusive murderer. If he stays locked up we’ll be ok. Sigh.
[name]Jasper[/name]: no family connection, just like the old and naturalistic elements
[name]Felix[/name]: probably my husband’s favorite, certainly old, I’m just scared it will be too much name, family hates it (of course!)
[name]Carl[/name] and [name]John[/name] were my late father in law’s given names, [name]MIL[/name] has one request - no [name]Carl[/name]. [name]John[/name] is a name I don’t even hear…
Husband likes [name]Zeke[/name] and [name]Jack[/name], Mom likes [name]Greg[/name] and [name]Doug[/name], and [name]MIL[/name] likes [name]Sam[/name] and [name]Teddy[/name], but none of these have me excited.

Middle name possibilities we haven’t excluded include the family names:
[name]Curtis[/name]
[name]Pearce[/name]
Joyet (love the connotations of this one)
and we could salvage [name]Linus[/name] here, but we’d need a killer first name.

Sigh. I thought this would be more fun. I’d be so happy if we could find something we could really love, which flows, and which is timeless and not ordinary. I’m feeling very disheartened.

2

We also considered [name]Finn[/name] and [name]Garett[/name] (to honor two Margarets) but husband says [name]Finn[/name] is too obvious (he’s Finnish) and [name]Garett[/name] just isn’t that great with our last name.

3

From your list, I like [name]Charles[/name], [name]Alexander[/name], [name]Jasper[/name], [name]Felix[/name] and [name]Carl[/name]. I also like plain and simple [name]John[/name]. [name]John[/name] [name]Curtis[/name] has a nice ring to it! Here are some other suggestions. All the best!
[name]Oliver[/name] / [name]Olivier[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name]
[name]Silas[/name]
[name]Nolan[/name]
[name]Tobias[/name]
[name]Conrad[/name]
[name]Solomon[/name]
[name]Eli[/name] / [name]Elias[/name]
[name]Edmund[/name]
[name]Jude[/name]
[name]Nathaniel[/name]
[name]Benjamin[/name]
[name]Everett[/name]
[name]Laurence[/name]
[name]Maxwell[/name]
[name]Thomas[/name]
[name]Samuel[/name]
[name]Philip[/name]
[name]Julian[/name]
[name]Reuben[/name]
[name]Stuart[/name]
[name]Patrick[/name]
[name]Joseph[/name]
[name]Noel[/name]
[name]Isaac[/name]
[name]Marcus[/name]
[name]Lincoln[/name]
[name]Calvin[/name]
[name]Peter[/name]

4

I like [name]Charles[/name]. [name]Do[/name] you? If you did [name]Charles[/name] [name]Jasper[/name], his nn could be CJ. I love initials as nicknames.

I’d skip on [name]Paul[/name], [name]Eric[/name], [name]Andrew[/name], and [name]Carl[/name], for the reasons you listed. [name]Just[/name] not worth it.

[name]Alexander[/name] is another favorite of mine from your list. What do you think about nn [name]Xander[/name]? I have always liked that. If your husband likes [name]Felix[/name], [name]Zeke[/name], etc. he might like [name]Xander[/name] (or [name]Zander[/name]).

I’d focus on the names that you and your husband like. Your mom and [name]MIL[/name] don’t need to contribute their opinions. :slight_smile: It’s hard enough to get two people to agree! Good luck!

5

Thank you both for your comments!

I do like [name]Charles[/name], just have had a hard time with the nicknames. I’ve also felt like it leaned towards square, so I like your pairing with [name]Jasper[/name] to liven it up a bit.

[name]Zander[/name] and [name]Xander[/name] are ok, but we’d have to give [name]Alexander[/name] as the given name, it’s gone back for so many generations. My dad is [name]Zan[/name] so that’s the direction my mother objects to. She’s reluctantly ok with [name]Alec[/name] or [name]Lex[/name] and I’ve lately been wondering about [name]Anders[/name] (but there could be an [name]Andy[/name] problem).

[name]Amen[/name] on the bit about getting even two people to agree! Family politics end up so very fraught!

[name]Misha[/name], from your list perhaps we should resurrect [name]Oliver[/name] - my husband liked that but I nixed it due to two Olivias born a month apart (one friend, one cousin). I would normally like [name]Nathaniel[/name], but that’s my boss’s name and it would be weird.

6

A more in-depth reply in case it helps with more ideas.

[name]Oliver[/name] / [name]Olivier[/name] - should be reconsidered, could certainly work
[name]Theodore[/name] - full name is ok, and [name]Teddy[/name] is darling, but any adult nn get tick-tocky with our T last name
[name]Silas[/name] - Other than my [name]North[/name] [name]Dakota[/name] step-dad calling him Grain [name]Silo[/name] this would work. But I know it will happen.
[name]Nolan[/name] - I loved A Tree Grows In [name]Brooklyn[/name], which is what this makes me think of, kinda rhymes with our last name
[name]Tobias[/name] - [name]Toby[/name] would be so darling! But again the adult T question would make it tough to wear
[name]Conrad[/name] - This is the beauty of Nameberry, a name I’d never considered. We’ll have to think about this one
[name]Solomon[/name] - awfully close to a rhyme with our name, otherwise just the right level of ancient and known but not common - I would have loved this name!
[name]Eli[/name] / [name]Elias[/name] - trouble with 6 sisters, we’ve all dated a bad example of most names, including an [name]Eli[/name] who won’t be soon forgotten
[name]Edmund[/name] - As a childhood CS [name]Lewis[/name] fan I like this name.
[name]Jude[/name] - Always thought of prude, so [name]Jude[/name] hasn’t been a favorite
[name]Nathaniel[/name] - my boss’s name, awkward, but otherwise just my style
[name]Benjamin[/name] - near perfect rhyme with our last name, boo.
[name]Everett[/name]
[name]Laurence[/name] - [name]Everett[/name] and [name]Lawrence[/name] are cities outside [name]Boston[/name] so we wouldn’t use them or [name]Boston[/name] or [name]Logan[/name] as a name
[name]Maxwell[/name] - [name]Love[/name] the idea of [name]Max[/name], feel like it’s awfully popular though
[name]Thomas[/name] - [name]Tom[/name] with out last name would be terrible, too bad because it’s a family name on both sides
[name]Samuel[/name] - my direct report’s name, awkward at work
[name]Philip[/name] - as a horsewoman I love this name
[name]Julian[/name] - close family friend, but not someone we’d have our son emulate
[name]Reuben[/name] - all I can think of is sandwich.
[name]Stuart[/name] - like this, have to reflect on this one
[name]Patrick[/name] - like [name]Eli[/name] above, ruined by a particular example
[name]Joseph[/name] - I adore my uncle [name]Joe[/name], we can put this one on the table
[name]Noel[/name] - too British I fear
[name]Isaac[/name] - not for us
[name]Marcus[/name] - not for us
[name]Lincoln[/name] - has a bit of a rhyming problem for us
[name]Calvin[/name] - surprise intrigue here, lots of connotations I like, this one will definitely get discussed
[name]Peter[/name] - in the same pile as [name]Patrick[/name] and [name]Eli[/name] I’m afraid.

7

My favorites on your list are [name]John[/name], [name]Felix[/name], and [name]Charles[/name] (no nn or maybe nn [name]Cal[/name]). I think those are all great options. Here are some other ideas:

[name]Edward[/name]
[name]Edwin[/name]
[name]Henry[/name] nn [name]Hank[/name]
[name]Calvin[/name] nn [name]Cal[/name]
[name]Arthur[/name]
[name]Ambrose[/name]
[name]Emmett[/name]
[name]Everett[/name]
[name]Franklin[/name]
[name]Hugh[/name]
[name]Hugo[/name]
[name]Miles[/name]
[name]Milo[/name]
[name]Isaac[/name] nn [name]Ike[/name]
[name]Justus[/name]
[name]Malcolm[/name] nn [name]Mac[/name]
[name]Victor[/name]

8

[name]Just[/name] responding to say I like that you’re nixing [name]Everett[/name] and [name]Lawrence[/name] b/c they are outside [name]Boston[/name]. :slight_smile: (I am from Foxboro.)

Your reasons also seem to resonate with me. Our last name has that en/on ending so all the lovely names that end in the same, sound rhyme-y. [name]Harrison[/name], [name]Mason[/name], [name]Carson[/name], all these I liked.

Here are some names on our list:
[name]Theodore[/name] nn [name]Theo[/name]
[name]Thaddeus[/name] nn [name]Tad[/name] (you could do nn [name]Thad[/name] to prevent the T-T?)
[name]Miles[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]August[/name] nn [name]Gus[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Charles[/name]
[name]Simon[/name] (my maiden name, we’d use this for a mn)
[name]Maverick[/name] nn Mav
[name]Wyatt[/name] (your stepdad might have a field day with this one though!)
[name]Cormac[/name]

Good luck!

9

Grey56,
That’s funny! There are some good suburb/place names, but they sure sound funny here!

I like your list! I wish my maiden name were something that could be a first name with our last, that would make this a done deal.

[name]Theodore[/name] nn [name]Theo[/name] - I love this, and for a little guy I also adore [name]Teddy[/name]. [name]Theo[/name] as an adult could work, or he could come up with his own nn by then.
[name]Thaddeus[/name] nn [name]Tad[/name] (you could do nn [name]Thad[/name] to prevent the T-T?) - I am a big fan of the -us ending (liked [name]Cassius[/name]) but was scared off of the T-T thing. We can roll this around for a while and see if it could work.
[name]Miles[/name] - I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Miles[/name]. [name]Both[/name] [name]Miles[/name] and [name]Cole[/name]. Simple. [name]Jazzy[/name]. Sophisticated.
[name]Henry[/name] - I do like [name]Henry[/name] nn [name]Hank[/name]. [name]Hank[/name] and [name]Andy[/name] seem to have a lot in common
[name]August[/name] nn [name]Gus[/name] - Such a big name for a little guy! Seems like he should be [name]Octavian[/name] to begin with… :slight_smile:
[name]Oliver[/name] - I just have to get past the musical on this one, don’t I?
[name]Charles[/name] - husband just proposed [name]Charles[/name] [name]Alexander[/name] T___, so [name]CAT[/name] nn [name]Felix[/name] (hah!), as a way of keeping everyone happy.
[name]Simon[/name] (my maiden name, we’d use this for a mn) - Jealous! Would totally use this if it were my maiden name.
[name]Maverick[/name] nn Mav - I didn’t know this was a boy’s name when I gave it to our dog. Whooops! He is named for the surf spot near [name]Santa[/name] [name]Cruz[/name].
[name]Wyatt[/name] (your stepdad might have a field day with this one though!) - Yes, you’re right. My cousin (on the other side) has a baby [name]Wyatt[/name] and my stepdad calls him “[name]Wyatt[/name] Burp”
[name]Cormac[/name] - Never considered this one, thank you!

10

Sorry for repeats:

[name]Callum[/name]
[name]Declan[/name]
[name]Holden[/name]
[name]Quinton[/name]
[name]Ian[/name]
[name]Conrad[/name]
[name]Ronan[/name]
[name]Graham[/name]
[name]Sullivan[/name]
[name]Grant[/name]
[name]Thatcher[/name]
[name]Leon[/name]
[name]Vincent[/name]
[name]Isaac[/name]
[name]Dominic[/name]
[name]Julian[/name]

11

Thank you! Some good thoughts.

[name]Callum[/name] - this one has potential, need to do more research
[name]Declan[/name] - love the sound here
[name]Holden[/name] - anticipating too much tease potential here
[name]Quinton[/name] - not sure what nn would work?
[name]Ian[/name] - won’t work with our last name, too many -an sounds
[name]Conrad[/name] - don’t like the nn “con” but rad is of course rad!
[name]Ronan[/name] - same problem as [name]Ian[/name]
[name]Graham[/name] - possibility. Could work with [name]Curtis[/name] as mn
[name]Sullivan[/name] - possibly the most rhyming, unfortunately
[name]Grant[/name] - not sure how I feel about the T ending (though my name ends in T) with our last name
[name]Thatcher[/name] - probably won’t do an occupational name
[name]Leon[/name] - don’t know why I’m not feeling [name]Leon[/name], doesn’t feel like us I guess
[name]Vincent[/name] - don’t care for [name]Vin[/name], would probably choose [name]Victor[/name] first
[name]Isaac[/name] - husband was perplexed by this last night - we see [name]Isaac[/name] everywhere now!
[name]Dominic[/name] - I actually love this name, but it has a lot of rules in my family - must be born to a family of Italian descent, the first-born son, born on a [name]Sunday[/name] - does anyone else know about these rules? The Italian side of my family informed me of this.
[name]Julian[/name] - not an option due to social reasons

12

have you considered [name]Gordon[/name]?

13

I too apologize for any repeats - here are my suggestions:
[name]Gregory[/name]
[name]Jamison[/name]
[name]Davis[/name]
[name]Craig[/name]
[name]Zachariah[/name]
[name]Samuel[/name]
[name]Maxwell[/name]
[name]Rupert[/name]
[name]Timothy[/name]
[name]Geoffrey[/name]
[name]Sinclair[/name]
[name]Richard[/name]
[name]Montgomery[/name]
[name]Louis[/name]

[name]Curtis[/name]
[name]Pearce[/name]
Joyet (love the connotations of this one)
and we could salvage [name]Linus[/name] here, but we’d need a killer first name.

14

[name]Ah[/name] [name]Gordon[/name] - he was the dorkiest boy in my high school. The associations just won’t work on that one. I suppose that’s the challenge with name suggestions, so much of an individual’s personal associations are unknown.

[name]Gregory[/name] - too common in my mind, though my mother loves it
[name]Jamison[/name] - too trendy in my mind, makes me think of whiskey
[name]Davis[/name] - my father grew up outside [name]Davis[/name], [name]CA[/name] so I have specific associations there
[name]Craig[/name] - hadn’t considered this one, it could be possible
[name]Zachariah[/name] - I’m more into [name]Zachary[/name], I think, and it’s a family name. Cousin [name]Zac[/name] [name]Jr[/name]. is about to marry though, might want to have [name]Zac[/name] III.
[name]Samuel[/name] - [name]MIL[/name]'s favorite before I nixed it, it would be very awkward at work
[name]Maxwell[/name] - in the trendy category, I think I’d go [name]Alexander[/name] before [name]Maxwell[/name]
[name]Rupert[/name] - I can only think of that [name]Steve[/name] [name]Martin[/name] movie, but I think he was [name]Ruprecht[/name]
[name]Timothy[/name] - lovely lovely name. Terrible with our last name.
[name]Geoffrey[/name] - neither love nor dislike this name.
[name]Sinclair[/name] - hadn’t considered, my grandpa [name]Paul[/name], and his dad [name]Alexander[/name] both had middle name [name]Sidney[/name]. What do you think of [name]Sidney[/name]?
[name]Richard[/name] - my sister’s husband, not an option
[name]Montgomery[/name] - somehow this seems very southern to me, am I making that up
[name]Louis[/name] - my top favorite from your list - family name, important connotations, international options - escalating this one back up, though I vastly prefer “[name]Lou[/name]-y” to “[name]Lew[/name]-is”, and [name]Louise[/name] is the middle name planned for a girl. Still, maybe we try to make this work.