These are on my longer list, but have never quite made it to the top. I’m looking for honesty so don’t hold back! Go on, try to sway me! (And thank you!)
[name]Olivier[/name]
[name]Zeke[/name]
[name]Byron[/name]
[name]Gregor[/name]
[name]Soren[/name]
[QUOTE=neuilly;1473704]These are on my longer list, but have never quite made it to the top. I’m looking for honesty so don’t hold back! Go on, try to sway me! (And thank you!)
[name]Olivier[/name] - how will you pronounce this? Like “[name]Oliver[/name]” or “oh-liv-ee-ay”? I prefer [name]Oliver[/name]. [name]Olivier[/name] is a surname to me, and not one that makes a good first name.
[name]Zeke[/name] - Nice. Prefer full name [name]Ezekiel[/name], with [name]Zeke[/name] for a nickname.
[name]Byron[/name] - Eh. Too stuffy for my taste.
[name]Gregor[/name] - Yuck.
[name]Soren[/name] - [name]Love[/name] this one.
[name]Olivier[/name] - I love the spunky [name]Oliver[/name] so the French version [name]Olivier[/name] is right up my alley! I think [name]Olivier[/name] sounds a little more sophisticated.
[name]Zeke[/name] - It’s ok for a nickname. I would use a longer first name like [name]Ezekiel[/name], [name]Hezekiah[/name], [name]Zechariah[/name] or even [name]Isaac[/name].
[name]Byron[/name] - I like the literary association even though [name]Lord[/name] [name]Byron[/name] was a strange fellow!
[name]Gregor[/name] - This version really spices up [name]Gregory[/name] a notch! [name]Love[/name] it!
[name]Soren[/name] - It’s not my favourite Scandinavian boys name. It may be the trendy sound and the word “sore”.
Faves: [name]Olivier[/name] and [name]Gregor[/name].
[name]Olivier[/name] - Such a cool name! Reminds me of the musical, which is good. It just sounds so English. Classic and cute.
[name]Zeke[/name] - Not one of my favorites. [name]Just[/name] don’t like the sound.
[name]Byron[/name] - A cool name, but not one of my favorites. A good alternative to [name]Brian[/name].
[name]Gregor[/name] - Fresher than [name]Gregory[/name], but not crazy about nn [name]Greg[/name]
[name]Soren[/name] - Recently added this to my small list! It’s just so cool to me. I love the way it sounds and looks.
[name]Olivier[/name]: Not sure how you say this but I love [name]Oliver[/name].
[name]Zeke[/name]: I really can’t stand names that start with harsh letters like Z’s, V’s, or X’s. Sorry
[name]Byron[/name]: I don’t know why but this name never sits well with me. I have bad associations with it & again, it sounds harsh. I also think of an old man when I think of a [name]Byron[/name]. I can’t see it on a baby or a teenager.
[name]Gregor[/name]: I like this!
[name]Soren[/name]: It’s okay. Not really for or against it.
[name]Olivier[/name] - I like the idea behind this spelling, but I think it’s easier to spell it [name]Oliver[/name]. I like it!
[name]Zeke[/name] - I really like this as a nn for [name]Ezekiel[/name].
[name]Byron[/name] - It’s ok.
[name]Gregor[/name] - It’s ok.
[name]Soren[/name] - [name]Love[/name]!
I’d really only use [name]Zeke[/name] as a stand alone. I really dislike the longer versions.
[name]Olivier[/name] is not a spelling choice, it’s the French version (and I have French citizenship). It’s pronounced the way an earlier poster mentioned: oh-liv-ee-ay. It’s fine if you don’t like it, but I want to make sure that people know it’s not a fancy spelling choice.
[name]Carry[/name] on!
I really love [name]Soren[/name].
Olivier - Like. Oli is nice. Good solid traditional name but not too common.
Zeke - Nice for the right parents/kid. [name]Unique[/name] but with a solid base name.
Byron - nms, pretentious and a bit silly
Gregor - no, sounds like a medieval king - [name]Gregor[/name] the [name]Just[/name], [name]Gregor[/name] the Barbarian
Soren - Sounds like a bad guy in a fantasy novel, also like sore (puss oozing ouchy)
The only one I like is [name]Soren[/name]. [name]Olivier[/name] is too much name for me, but I like [name]Oliver[/name]. [name]Zeke[/name] is okay as a nn for [name]Ezekiel[/name] but I prefer the full name. [name]Byron[/name] is ew. [name]Gregor[/name] is blah, but [name]Gregory[/name] is okay.
[name]Olivier[/name] - interesting. All I can think of is Sir [name]Laurence[/name] [name]Olivier[/name], but I don’t know that it’s that bad of an association. I like the classic [name]Oliver[/name] a bit more, but I do like it.
[name]Zeke[/name] - I love [name]Zeke[/name]! I would only use [name]Ezekiel[/name] nn [name]Zeke[/name], though–[name]Zeke[/name] just seems too spunky and nicknamey on its own.
[name]Byron[/name] - I’m not sure how I feel about [name]Byron[/name]. It’s my cousin’s name, so it’s just always been there, but if he wasn’t my cousin, I’m not sure it’s something I would really like on its own. I do like the association to [name]Lord[/name] [name]Byron[/name], though. 
The only weird thing is that when I mention my cousin’s name to someone in another state, they always ask if we’re from Pennsylvania. Which we are, but I’ve always wondered if there was some association between Pennsylvania and [name]Byron[/name] that I really have never understood, haha.
[name]Gregor[/name] - eh. Very European, okay, a bit too harsh for me. I like the more classic [name]Gregory[/name] more, especially because I could use the nn [name]Rory[/name] for it. I suppose you could do [name]Gregor[/name] nn [name]Rory[/name], too, but it seems more intuitive for [name]Gregory[/name].
[name]Soren[/name] - lovelovelove it. I have come across it several times in children’s WWII novels, and the Sorens were always really great guys who always saved the day, so I have a very positive attitude toward it, haha. I think it’s a great modern name, though–I would love to meet a [name]Soren[/name]!
Good luck!