After struggling to find a name that was “ours”…I finally found it. This name stays with me and just feels right. I had originally had the middle name “Noir” picked out and it was a concrete decision. Now, I’m a little hesitant just because of the name Anakin and in SW him eventually turning into Darth Vader who wears all black. What are some good middle names for an Anakin Cook…and also, what are some NN possibilities?
My 8 year old would love to name our baby Anakin 
I’d look for a solid established middle name like [name]Thomas[/name] or [name]Henry[/name] but one you like. Are there any family names you could use? Nicknames…An, [name]Nik[/name]…those are hard.
The [name]Star[/name] Wars association is absolutely unavoidable, and I personally would hesitate to name my son after such a psychologically unstable character. Your son is going to get a [name]Star[/name] Wars comment every single time he introduces himself to someone; it’s the equivalent of naming a child Voldemort or Sauron. For the sake of your son’s social development, please save Anakin for a pet or put it in the middle spot at least.
It has a wonderful sound, very pleasing to the ear, so I can completely understand why you’re drawn to it. It sounds especially good with Cook. But I have to agree with southern_maple: [name]Star[/name] Wars isn’t arcane, it’s something nearly everyone has heard of and is reasonably familiar with, and Anakin/ Darth Vader is unequivocally a bad guy-- a psychopathic murderer. I could get behind something pop culture-y like Skywalker or [name]Leia[/name] or [name]Amidala[/name] or whatever, but not the heartless villain.
[name]Do[/name] you like names with similar sounds? I know you’re looking for something really unique:
[name]Larkin[/name] = medieval form of [name]Laurence[/name]
[name]Tarquin[/name] = [name]Roman[/name] prince, also a bit of a bad guy, recycled into [name]Shakespeare[/name]
[name]Breccan[/name] = Irish name of a saint, meaning ‘freckled’
Ripkin = [name]Cal[/name] Ripkin, baseball great
Anacleto = the Spanish form of Anacletus, the name of a pope, meaning “one who was called back” in Greek
Anastasio = “resurrection,” masculine form of [name]Anastasia[/name], and surname of [name]Trey[/name] Anastasio
Anaxander = cool ancient Greek king of Sparta (you get your X from [name]Pollux[/name])
Inaki = “fiery one” in Basque; the local form of [name]Ignatius[/name]
[name]Erskine[/name] = Scottish for “high moor,” name of an author ([name]Erskine[/name] Caldwell)
MacKinnon = Scottish surname, ‘son of [name]Kenneth[/name],’ sounds awesome with Cook
Viking = a real, legitimate, old Norse name, still given in Norway; means ‘bay/fjord dweller’ but of course refers to the Vikings. If you want something a bit more badass.
I like the sound, but couldn’t get past the [name]Star[/name] Wars association.
I would go for a two-syllable solidly masculine name with no “k” sounds (since Anakin is three syllables and Cook is one, and since there are a lot of k sounds in the mix already).
I think [name]Evan[/name] sounds good (okay, not so solidly masculine these days, but still, I like it: Anakin [name]Evan[/name] Cook, and the monogram is [name]ACE[/name]!).
Maybe [name]Jonas[/name]? Anakin [name]Jonas[/name] Cook. That gives you AJ as a nickname, if you’re into initials.
I rather like [name]Walter[/name], too. Anakin has a very modern feel, while [name]Walter[/name] still sounds like a grandpa name (at least to me).
As to all of the negative comments, I’m sure you’ve considered all of that. I got a [name]Star[/name] Wars vibe, but couldn’t place the character myself. It seems you already know you’re having a boy? [name]Annika[/name] (and its many variations) is a lovely name for a girl, without the pop culture drama.
THIS! southern.maple said it perfectly!
Ultimately it’s your decision, but I personally wouldn’t use it because it’s so synonymous with [name]Star[/name] Wars. I could see kids poking fun, asking him things like “[name]How[/name]'s the Dark Side” and what not. If there were others things associated with the name, then it could be usable in my opinion.
I hate everything [name]Star[/name] Wars, haven’t seen any of the movies except for Episode 4, and I still know who Anakin is. It is your choice, but it’s not as if Anakin was just a random name that happened to be used in [name]Star[/name] Wars. [name]George[/name] [name]Lucas[/name] made the name up for the specific character, therefore that’s literally our only cultural association. I’d not be able to meet a child with this name and not think of Darth Vader. It does have a fine sound to it, and I know how we latch on to certain guilty pleasures, but I ultimately think Anakin would not be an easy name to wear. It’s one thing for a self-affirmed geek to reclaim a name like Anakin on their own, but to choose it for a child seems a misstep. If you don’t mind made-up names, why not make up something you love yourself? Arakit or Vedakin or whatever sounds you like put together.
I am normally all for taking names from books, movies, comics etc. But you shouldn’t name your child after a villain! If the name had been established before [name]Star[/name] Wars it would be ok, but because it is [name]George[/name] [name]Lucas[/name]’ creation the name has no meaning or history, beyond the villain of sci-fi fiction.
[name]How[/name] about perfectly acceptable names that are similar: Anik, [name]Anika[/name], [name]Yannick[/name], [name]Nico[/name] etc?
Or if you are a huge [name]Star[/name] Wars fan I would stick to one of the names of the protagonist!
I really like Anakin. Anakin grows up and becomes Darth Vader. Before that he was a sweet kid so I think there are positive associations as well. If you love it, you should use it. First pairing that popped into my head was Anakin [name]Aaron[/name].
I wouldn’t use it personally for the same reasons as others have already stated.
Interesting comments on here. Yes, it has the [name]Star[/name] Wars connotation but I actually quite like the name. The only drawback I see is that, to me, it does have a feminine feel to it. [name]Anneke[/name] and [name]Annabelle[/name] and all ‘[name]Anna[/name]’ type names are very popular with girls where I live. If I announced our baby to have the name Anakin there would be a huge assumption that it was a girl and there would be little, if any, link to [name]Star[/name] Wars (despite those movies being from my era!).
NM is very hard that doesn’t have a girly feel though. And for a MN I would go with something strong and short. Like [name]Jack[/name], [name]Max[/name] or [name]Zac[/name]. Something of that feel.
I think it’s fine. I know a girl named Anakin, and she gets star wars jokes, but she wears it well.
I love [name]Star[/name] Wars, but I would not name my child Anakin. It’s not the same as naming your kid Voldemort or Sauron though, Anakin was a nice and sweet boy who was corrupted and made a lot of bad choices (kind of evil, but in a human way). He wasn’t pure evil.
I like Anakin. Its a cute name…and I am a fan of star wars and sci fi names.
I don’t really think of unstable personality or dark lord when I hear this name, just star wars in general. So I wouldnt be too worried about it.
As far as middle names, I normally like using the last letter of the first name as the first letter of the middle name. It usually flows pretty well, so try looking at names that start with N
I know a dog named Anakin so I think of it as a character/pet name 
Sorry.
Anakin is one of my favorites! My combo is Anakin [name]Jade[/name].
I’m not going to go into the reasons why not to use this name since everyone has already said them, but agree with the previous posters that the middle name should be pretty masculine. In the movies Anakin’s mother calls him [name]Ani[/name] which sounds super feminine ([name]Annie[/name]), so picking something masculine and normal is a must. Since you are naming your child Anakin and were originally going give your child the middle name Noir, I’ll say you have pretty gothic and creative style. Here are some names you might like:
[name]Jasper[/name]
[name]Amias[/name]
[name]Adair[/name]
[name]West[/name]
[name]Winslow[/name]
[name]Tobias[/name]
[name]Sebastian[/name]
[name]Hugo[/name]
[name]Leo[/name]
[name]Milo[/name]
[name]Avi[/name]
[name]Amon[/name]
[name]Orion[/name]
I would especially recommend a GOOD meaning or namesake for the middle name. [name]Avi[/name] and [name]Amon[/name] have lovely names, as do [name]Hugo[/name], [name]Amias[/name], [name]Milo[/name], and [name]Tobias[/name]. I didn’t take the time to look all of them up, but those are some good options.
It’s a rad name but I would personally never use it because of Anakin Skywalker (I know twins named [name]Luke[/name] and [name]Leia[/name], that’s bad enough).