I have my boys names narrowed down to four: [name]Joseph[/name] ([name]Joe[/name]), [name]George[/name], [name]Frank[/name], and [name]Edward[/name] ([name]Ed[/name] or [name]Ted[/name]). All of those names fit my criteria (listed below), but I really want to know which of those names fits the best and I’m looking for opinions.
Criteria:
“[name]Man[/name] of the People.” Nothing fancy, pretentious, new, or creative. I’m looking for a name that would fit an average, likable, community-minded guy; think [name]Jimmy[/name] [name]Stewart[/name]'s [name]George[/name] [name]Bailey[/name].
Vintage feel. I’m an American history buff, and I always test out the names in the context of a handful of old archetypes. I want a name that could have been signed on the Declaration of Independence, could fit a radical farmer in the late 19th century, a disheveled early 20th century newspaperman or a U.S Senator in LBJ’s mid-century cloak room.
The “diner/bar” test. Would the name naturally fit as the name of one of these establishments? For instance, “[name]Charlie[/name]'s” works, but “[name]Alex[/name]'s” not so much.
“All-American.” I’m not much of an Anglophile, and prefer a name that would fit an American farmer rather than an English sophisticate (yes, I’m playing with a lot of stereotypes here).
*One more consideration: the middle names for each.
[name]Joseph[/name] [name]Jennings[/name] ("[name]Jennings[/name]" for [name]William[/name] [name]Jennings[/name] [name]Bryan[/name])
[name]Edward[/name] [name]Jennings[/name] ([name]Jennings[/name] would be the mn for either choice)
[name]George[/name] Renfro (Renfro is a family name)
[name]Frank[/name] [name]Edward[/name]
**Last name begins with K.
Any thoughts on how the 4 names match up with the criteria or any other general opinions on the names would be appreciated. Thanks.
[name]Frank[/name] is not my taste, but I think [name]Franklin[/name] could meet your criteria. [name]Frank[/name] could still be a nn, and it has a great historical background.
[name]George[/name] strikes me as a little more “uppity” than the rest.
[name]Edward[/name] also gets my stamp of approval.
You put your finger on my concern about [name]George[/name]. Yes, it literally translates to farmer, and yes, there”s always [name]George[/name] [name]Bailey[/name], but I can”t over-rely on those facts to compensate for a perceived ”uppity-ness” of the name. I”m glad to know other people see it too.
I like your suggestion regarding [name]Franklin[/name]; great historical association, and exactly along the lines of my thinking. I just wish I liked the sound of ”[name]Franklin[/name]” more than I do. Eh, it could always grow on me.
Good ol” [name]Joe[/name]. That”s been my on-again, off-again favorite for a long time. Sometimes I get bored with it ” and it”s certainly the least interesting of the choices - but it never really falls off the list.
I like [name]Joseph[/name] the best. Before I even got to the choices, I was thinking of [name]Joseph[/name] based on your criteria. I think it’s a great name for you.
Hmm… just to consider one of the options that hasn’t been commented on, what about [name]Ted[/name] for [name]Edward[/name]? Fits all the same criteria, plus gets to [name]Teddy[/name], which is better than [name]Joey[/name] (if the nns were elongated). Also, I’ve never met a little boy named [name]Ted[/name]. It’s adorably understated and unpretentious, with plenty of history attached.
Its between [name]Edward[/name] and [name]Joesph[/name]. [name]Both[/name] timeless handsome names with a rich background. [name]Both[/name] of these names i belive hold your criteria to a T. But i can understand where [name]Joesph[/name] is slightly on the boring side, but its a classic never fail name. However i Like [name]Edward[/name] [name]Jennings[/name] K_______ miles more then [name]Joesph[/name] [name]Jennings[/name] K______. So i vote [name]Edward[/name]! that is unless your willing to make [name]Joesph[/name] [name]Edward[/name] K_______ cause that one is my over all favorite:)
I’m English, so my opinions may be different from others
“[name]Man[/name] of the People.” - As you said, all fit your criteria well, but I think [name]Joseph[/name] (Average [name]Joe[/name] ) and [name]Frank[/name] work best for a “man of the people”, and [name]Edward[/name] the list well.
Vintage feel. - I can see [name]George[/name] on all of those people, while some of the others are more subjective.
The “diner/bar” test. - Are you planning on opening a diner? Hmm … [name]Joe[/name]'s works excellently, [name]Frank[/name]'s and [name]Ed[/name]'s/[name]Ted[/name]'s are good, too. [name]George[/name]'s is not as good.
“All-American.” - I am English, and would probably qualify for being stereotypically All-English, if such a phrase existed; both my husband and I went to fee-paying boarding schools et cetera. Almost every other person from my husband’s school was named [name]George[/name] or [name]Edward[/name]. For that reason, [name]Joseph[/name] and especially [name]Frank[/name] seem more “All-American” to me.
I think you should go for either [name]Joseph[/name] or [name]Frank[/name]. Purely because I like the flow of [name]Joseph[/name] [name]Jennings[/name] more than I do that of [name]Frank[/name] [name]Edward[/name], [name]Joseph[/name] gets my vote.
Heh… unlikely :). I just always notice that the diner/bar names are generally laid back, old-timey, and familiar. I mentioned [name]Charlie[/name] as an example, but [name]Ruthie[/name], [name]Rosie[/name], [name]Hank[/name], etc… all have a certain trait that I can best sum up with the diner/bar test.
“All-American.” - I am English, and would probably qualify for being stereotypically All-English, if such a phrase existed; both my husband and I went to fee-paying boarding schools et cetera. Almost every other person from my husband’s school was named [name]George[/name] or [name]Edward[/name]. For that reason, [name]Joseph[/name] and especially [name]Frank[/name] seem more “All-American” to me.
I always get caught up in this problem: I love traditional and vintage names, and find a lot of my favorites are more common on [name]England[/name]'s most popular list than the U.S.'s. But it also strikes me that for a lot of Americans, choosing a popular English name for their child is a conscious class choice and an attempt to distinguish themselves from the American “masses” which are seen as rube-ish. My desire is not to avoid names that are popular in [name]England[/name], as much as names that sound like they’re names Americans use when they’re trying to sound English. Make sense?
Usually, use of a nickname “Americanizes” a name in image (at least over here), even as it makes it more English in a reality that has [name]Jack[/name], [name]Charlie[/name], [name]Jake[/name], [name]Max[/name], and [name]Ben[/name] in [name]England[/name]'s top 25.
You mentioned that half of your husband’s class was named either [name]George[/name] or [name]Edward[/name]. Out of curiosity, what is the image of those names over there? Numbers only tell part of the story. Also, what is the image/popularity of [name]Ted[/name] as a nn for [name]Edward[/name]?
I think you should go for either [name]Joseph[/name] or [name]Frank[/name]. Purely because I like the flow of [name]Joseph[/name] [name]Jennings[/name] more than I do that of [name]Frank[/name] [name]Edward[/name], [name]Joseph[/name] gets my vote.
Good luck!
Thanks for the insight. Like I said, [name]Joe[/name] is always at or near the top for me, so he wins the consistency battle [name]Don[/name]'t know if he’s on top at this moment, but he’s never far from it.
[name]Don[/name]'t know if he’s on top at this moment, but he’s never far from it.