Adopt a Name (and other things)

Boy Names
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Hi lovelies!

Lately I have been feeling rather meh about my boys’ names, which is lowkey breaking my heart, since there’s so much about them that I have loved for years. I’ll leave a list of the names below—I would love if you would recommend names you think I might like? [name_m]The[/name_m] eclectic nature of my taste I love, the ties to the names I love… I just sort of feel like I’ve seen them a million times and they’ve lost their lustre. Also if you’d like to adopt one of my boys names and convince me why he is worthy and lovely, I would very much love that too. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

my boys

(in alphabetical order, any names in parentheses would be nicknames for the name before it)

[name_m]Amias[/name_m], [name_f]Aquila[/name_f] (Quill), [name_m]Asa[/name_m], [name_m]Augustine[/name_m] (Auggie), [name_f]Avery[/name_f], [name_m]Barnabas[/name_m] (Barnes), [name_m]Bartholomew[/name_m] (Bear), Ben-Ami, [name_m]Boaz[/name_m] (Bo), [name_m]Bram[/name_m], [name_m]Breccan[/name_m] (Beck), [name_m]Calder[/name_m], [name_m]Caspar[/name_m], [name_m]Cedar[/name_m], [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m], [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] (Dash), [name_m]Declan[/name_m], [name_m]Dexter[/name_m], [name_m]Drake[/name_m], [name_m]Eoghan[/name_m], [name_m]Finley[/name_m], [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] (Gale), [name_m]Judah[/name_m], [name_m]Jules[/name_m], [name_m]Lazarus[/name_m], [name_m]Lorcan[/name_m], [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m] (Pippin), [name_m]Rafe[/name_m], [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] (Roo), [name_m]Rhys[/name_m], [name_m]Rowan[/name_m] (or Ronan), [name_f]Sasha[/name_f], [name_m]Seamus[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] (Seb), [name_m]Soren[/name_m], [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] (Bo), [name_m]Vale[/name_m], [name_m]Watson[/name_m] (Whit), [name_m]Zephan[/name_m]

Thanks, berries!

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I think (and hope) you might like …

  • [name_m]Averett[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Corbett[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Edmund[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Enoch[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Fraser[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Harlem[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Harlan[/name_m]
  • Ingall
  • [name_m]Keaton[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Lonan[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Lowell[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Lyall[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Lowen[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Swithin[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Torin[/name_m]
  • Tolston
  • [name_m]Virgil[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Whitten[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Wyeth[/name_m]

And I’d love to try to convince you of [name_m]Caspar[/name_m] (how dare you make me pick just one). He’s so charming! Cute on a little boy, and handsome on a grown man. He’s straightforward to pronounce, easy to spell, and comes prepacked with a friendly association. He also has the luxury of feeling fairly diverse style-wise, meaning you could pair a variety of names with him, and they wouldn’t feel unbalanced. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] that helps!

-Kit

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Your list is very eclectic, but I see a lot of historically rich, quirky, gentle choices that still veer strongly masculine. With that idea in mind:

[name_m]Westley[/name_m]
[name_m]Barnaby[/name_m]
[name_m]Rafferty[/name_m]
[name_m]Cecil[/name_m]
[name_m]Rufus[/name_m]
[name_m]Silas[/name_m]
[name_m]Willem[/name_m]
[name_m]Willoughby[/name_m]
[name_m]Dorian[/name_m]
[name_m]Rhett[/name_m]
[name_m]Finnick[/name_m]

As for my adoptee: I’ve only recently come around to [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] and I can’t talk enough about how gorgeous he is.

My first argument is [name_m]The[/name_m] Incredibles - obviously the rowdy but loving character in the film is a big association. But it’s not an overwhelming association - there’s also writer and antifascist activist [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] [name_m]Hammett[/name_m]. And in [name_m]The[/name_m] Incredibles think about his sibling’s names. [name_f]Violet[/name_f] and [name_m]Jack[/name_m] are both mega hits that combine literary heft with a bright, modern sound. [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] has all that same charm, but flies completely under the radar.

Nickname [name_m]Dash[/name_m] is so fun and cute, but [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] is handsome and debonair. [name_m]The[/name_m] sh gives the name a softer sound, which helps ground the peppy nickname. [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] is a real chameleon. I could see a little [name_m]Dash[/name_m] fitting in with [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and [name_m]Alfie[/name_m], a [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] with [name_m]Gareth[/name_m], [name_m]Gilbert[/name_m], or [name_f]Alexandria[/name_f].

I’m also usually very intrigued by meanings and while [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] doesn’t have a clear cut meaning per se, it’s associated with towns whose names come from old roots for “water” “spearman” or even the [name_m]French[/name_m] word for heaven (probably folk etymology, but still a nice link). And the name conjures up the idea of dashing heroes and principled creatives, which is a lovely legacy. Overall, I just think [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] is amazing and would heartily recommend it.

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[name_m]You[/name_m] might like:
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m], [name_m]Benedict[/name_m] (Benny), [name_m]Leander[/name_m] (Lee), [name_m]Alaric[/name_m] (Ricky), [name_m]Isidore[/name_m] (Izzy/Dory), [name_m]Gideon[/name_m], [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] (Mal/Kai), [name_m]Phineas[/name_m], [name_m]Florian[/name_m], [name_m]Ansel[/name_m], [name_m]Leopold[/name_m] (Leo), [name_m]Solomon[/name_m], [name_m]Zephyr[/name_m], [name_m]Cassius[/name_m] (Cass)

I love so many on your list, but if I had to try and convince you of just one, I’ll go with [name_m]Reuben[/name_m].

It has a really warm, grounded feel without being heavy or overused. I like that it feels familiar and easy to wear, but still not something you hear all the time on little boys right now. It has a bit of a classic, old-soul feel without being stuffy. It’s the kind of name that’s been around for a long time, so it feels stable and grounded rather than trendy or made-up. I think it has a soft, friendly sound that feels really approachable. In everyday use, it’s not strongly tied to one stereotype or “type” of person, which makes it feel pretty flexible. It can suit someone sporty, creative, quiet, outgoing, it doesn’t lock them into a vibe.

And [name_m]Roo[/name_m] is such a naturally sweet nickname It’s short, warm, and very memorable. It also has a playful energy that grows with the person, like cute when they’re a kid, but still cool and unique when they’re older. And if he preferred he could use the nicknames [name_m]Ben[/name_m] or [name_m]Benny[/name_m] as well.

[name_m]The[/name_m] only slightly funny association is the [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] sandwich, but it’s not really strong enough to matter, it’s just one of those names people recognise in different contexts. It also has a really simple, classic biblical meaning, “behold, a son”, and comes from [name_m]Reuben[/name_m], the firstborn son of [name_m]Jacob[/name_m], which gives it this sense of being grounded, established, and quietly timeless without any heavy or negative associations.

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Suggestions:

  • [name_m]Hamish[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Logan[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Oisín[/name_m] (o-SHEEN, o like in ‘hot’) / [name_m]Ossian[/name_m] (OSH-an, osh like ‘gosh’) - I recently met an [name_m]Ossian[/name_m] who goes by [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m], if that sweetens it for you!
  • [name_m]Raphael[/name_m] / [name_m]Rafael[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Vinson[/name_m]

Adoption:

I would like to gush about the name [name_m]Augustine[/name_m] because I love him but I can’t use him as our last name is a form of [name_m]Augustine[/name_m] and that would be a Very Silly combo.

I think he’s very grand sounding but without diminishing his wearable-ness. I love that he has multiple pronunciations (are you more of an aw-GUS-tin or August-teen?) and I love his varied nicknames which sort of age with the child. [name_m]Like[/name_m] you could use [name_m]Auggie[/name_m] as a baby or toddler, and then be [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m], [name_m]August[/name_m], [name_m]Austin[/name_m], [name_m]Gus[/name_m] at different points later in life. I love that [name_m]Augustine[/name_m] is a name with multiple identities inside it, all without needing a legal name change.

On a personal note, I appreciate [name_m]Augustine[/name_m] for being a [name_f]British[/name_f] saint name from before the year 1000 (this is important to DH and me bc he’s Eastern Orthodox and I’m [name_m]Church[/name_m] of [name_m]England[/name_m] so we like saints from [name_m]Britain[/name_m] we can both agree on :joy:) but he doesn’t sound out of place in contemporary UK society in the way that other [name_m]Roman[/name_m] or Anglo-Saxon saint names like Werburgh, [name_m]Cuthbert[/name_m], Plegmund would. Obviously this is a very personal reason for loving [name_m]Augustine[/name_m] so your mileage may vary.

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Oh I do love [name_m]Torin[/name_m]! He’s so sweet. And girl. [name_m]You[/name_m] can adopt all of these and try to make me love him if you want :joy::joy:. Hearing everyone’s love for my favorites is definitely what I needed. These responses have been reminding me why I love these names so much! Maybe I need to step away from the [name_m]Baby[/name_m] a [name_f]Day[/name_f] thread—I’m looking at so many new names every day that my current loves started to feel lackluster.

Ironically [name_m]Caspar[/name_m] is the one I wasn’t doubting—it was one of my best friend’s choices for her triplets if she’d had all boys—she had 2 girls and a boy and passed a couple years later, so she never got to use it. He’s so special to me because of her! He is definitely still very near and dear to my heart. Thank you for your response!

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Thank you, lady! I love [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] especially! [name_m]Rhett[/name_m] too though a close friend has one so I don’t think I’d use him. [name_m]Everett[/name_m] maybe, though, and I do dearly love him!

Thank you for talking up Dashiell—so true, and he’s such a dashing and lovely choice! I also love that my combo (Dashiell [name_m]Drury[/name_m]) has a family name—I’m not obsessed with alliteration but I do so love [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] [name_m]Drury[/name_m]! (Side note, thank you for the reminder to actually read [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] [name_m]Hammett[/name_m] so I can justify having him on my list :joy::joy:)

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Thanks lady! I love [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m], [name_m]Ansel[/name_m], [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m], [name_m]Malachi[/name_m], [name_m]Leopold[/name_m], and I like [name_m]Florian[/name_m] (prefer florin!) and [name_m]Leander[/name_m] too!

Thank you for your love for Reuben—those exact reasons are why I love him too! Plus my mom loves the sandwiches, so I don’t even hate that tie :joy::joy: in a way, it feels like an honor name! Maybe I just needed you berries to remind me why these names mean so much to me :heart:

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Oh thank you! [name_m]The[/name_m] suggestions didn’t really click with me, I’m picky on Gaelic names, but I’m reading a novel with a [name_m]Hamish[/name_m] who might change my mind!

Thank you for sharing your love for [name_m]Augustine[/name_m] with me—I am not in a denomination that venerates saints, but I love some of the beautiful words St. [name_m]Augustine[/name_m] wrote about the love of [name_m]God[/name_m]. I say it with a teen ending. [name_m]August[/name_m] never fully felt like me, but [name_m]Augustine[/name_m] is so dear to me. :heart:. I think I just needed the berries to remind me of my love for these adorable little men :heart:

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Well in that case, I have a few more I’ll try to sell you on.

[name_m]Bram[/name_m], he’s got such a gorgeous gothic charm, easy to say and spell, but not so overused that everyone’s heard him. I know it’s because of [name_m]Bram[/name_m] [name_m]Stoker[/name_m] that I love him, but I feel like he’s also pretty enough that you don’t have to love spooky stuff to love him!

[name_m]Cyrus[/name_m], such a sunny name, even before I knew the meaning. Familiar because of [name_f]Miley[/name_f] [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m], but I don’t personally think it’s a one woman name. He could totally work as a sweet little boy, or a grown man with a house and a job.

[name_m]Dexter[/name_m], I know he gets a bad rep because of the show, but honestly, who doesn’t love a sliver of villain vibes? He’s got the cute nickname, [name_m]Dex[/name_m], and if you want something slightly smoother, [name_m]Terry[/name_m]!

[name_m]Lazarus[/name_m], I love the idea of [name_m]Lazarus[/name_m] nn [name_m]Laszlo[/name_m] and it’s one of the few biblical names that I really love. It’s so so cool, which I think about most names that include Z. There’s such a shortage of Z’s in the [name_f]English[/name_f] language, so I really appreciate this one.

[name_m]Lorcan[/name_m] is special to me, because I have a character named [name_m]Lorcan[/name_m], but I know that doesn’t fix anything for you. He’s super versatile I think. Plausible for a wide range of personalities. From an ecstatic wild child to a little bookish boy, it could work for anyone.

[name_m]Tobias[/name_m], this one is also meaningful to me because of [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] [name_m]Forge[/name_m], but again, that doesn’t help you. [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] is one of those classics that everyone can pronounce, but you don’t actually hear much, and it affords the cute nickname [name_m]Toby[/name_m]!

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[name_m]The[/name_m] ones I’d adopt (or already have on my list)…

[name_m]Barnabas[/name_m] → clunky cool and lovely (also love [name_m]Bear[/name_m] as a nn too :person_shrugging: )
[name_m]Bram[/name_m] → handsome, literary, and dsitinctive
[name_m]Cyrus[/name_m] → sunny, warm, and magical
[name_m]Lorcan[/name_m] → warm, earthy and lovely
[name_m]Peregrine[/name_m] → elegant but free spirited
[name_m]Rowan[/name_m] → gentle and lovely
[name_m]Seamus[/name_m] → clunky cool and rugged
[name_m]Tobias[/name_m] → gorgeous, friendly and bright (love Bo as a nickname)

Also [name_m]Soren[/name_m], [name_f]Sasha[/name_f], and [name_m]Rafe[/name_m]! I’ve recently met someone with a son called [name_m]Rafe[/name_m] :slight_smile:

If I were to suggest some…

[name_m]Amadeus[/name_m] (Asa, [name_m]Dash[/name_m], [name_m]Mads[/name_m])
[name_m]Adler[/name_m]
[name_m]Yannick[/name_m]
[name_m]Jago[/name_m]
[name_m]Nevan[/name_m]
[name_m]Cormac[/name_m]
[name_m]Floris[/name_m]
[name_m]Fabian[/name_m]
[name_m]Ivo[/name_m]
[name_m]Jacoby[/name_m]
[name_m]Ludo[/name_m]
[name_m]Orson[/name_m]
[name_m]Gethin[/name_m]
[name_m]Kyffin[/name_m]
[name_f]Micha[/name_f]
[name_m]Locke[/name_m]
[name_m]Noaz[/name_m]
[name_m]Pascal[/name_m]
[name_m]Vernon[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m]
[name_m]Jonty[/name_m]
[name_m]Cornelius[/name_m]
[name_m]Balthazar[/name_m]
[name_m]Tor[/name_m]
[name_m]Benaiah[/name_m]
[name_m]Cobalt[/name_m]
[name_m]Adair[/name_m]
[name_m]Amaury[/name_m]
[name_m]Vincent[/name_m]
[name_m]Shore[/name_m]
[name_m]Macsen[/name_m]

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Thanks lady :heart:

I love [name_m]Adler[/name_m], and I’ve been thinking about [name_m]Cormac[/name_m]! You’ve really made me appreciate him. :heart: Also love [name_m]Floris[/name_m], [name_m]Ivo[/name_m], [name_m]Cornelius[/name_m], and [name_m]Vincent[/name_m] as middles. And [name_m]Tor[/name_m]! I love both [name_m]Tor[/name_m] and [name_m]Torin[/name_m], this must be a sign to add him back to my list :joy::joy:

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Séamus [name_m]Eoghan[/name_m] is so unbelievably dreamy to me. Séamus gets such a bad rap and I honestly have no idea why. It’s soft and cuddly, it’s impossibly adorable. Paired with [name_m]Eoghan[/name_m] as the middle name I think it’s the most elite name and I will be presenting this to my wife to try and convince her that Séamus is handsome and deserves love too! :sob:

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Good luck! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts::smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

I love my [name_m]Eoghan[/name_m] combo (Eoghan [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] [name_f]Fife[/name_f]) so incredibly much so it seems odd to pair them together, but I love him for you! Good luck! :four_leaf_clover:

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[name_m]Eoghan[/name_m] [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] [name_f]Fife[/name_f] is such a strong name! [name_m]Great[/name_m] combo!

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Firstly, my favourites from your list are [name_m]Asa[/name_m], [name_m]Cedar[/name_m], [name_m]Declan[/name_m], [name_m]Jules[/name_m], [name_m]Rowan[/name_m], and [name_m]Soren[/name_m] !! All your names are gorgeous and eclectic, I love them!!

some suggestions you may like…

  • [name_m]Abel[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Alden[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Ames[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Anders[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Ansel[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Archibald[/name_m]
  • [name_f]Arden[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Auberon[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Beckett[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Birch[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Callum[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Casimir[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Cecil[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Clarence[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Claude[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Clement[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Conrad[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Cornelius[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Crispin[/name_m]
  • [name_f]Darcy[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Darwin[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Edmond[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Elias[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Elio[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Emerson[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Emrys[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Enoch[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Everett[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Ewan[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Ezra[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Fergus[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Finnick[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Flynn[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Forest[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Fraser[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Griffin[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Griffith[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Heath[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Holden[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Ira[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Iver[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Jem[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Jethro[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Julian[/name_m]
  • [name_f]Juniper[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Kieran[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Lachlan[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Lars[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Leon[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Leopold[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Linden[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Luca[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Lucian[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Lyle[/name_m]
  • [name_f]Marlowe[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Oberon[/name_m]
  • [name_f]October[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Odin[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Pascal[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Percy[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Quincy[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Rex[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Robin[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Rory[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Roscoe[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Samson[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Silas[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Solomon[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Stellan[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Sylvester[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Valentine[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Vincent[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Virgil[/name_m]
  • [name_f]Winter[/name_f]
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Thanks lovely! I love [name_m]Emerson[/name_m], [name_m]Everett[/name_m], [name_m]Ewan[/name_m], [name_m]Lachlan[/name_m], Leon/Leopold, [name_m]Odin[/name_m], [name_m]Percy[/name_m], [name_m]Rex[/name_m], and [name_m]Sampson[/name_m]! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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