I’d love to hear your honest opinions on [name_m]Anatole[/name_m]. Is it too tied to [name_m]Anatole[/name_m] Kuragin? Are [name_m]Anatole[/name_m] and [name_m]Reginald[/name_m] too stylistically different? Are the nicknames [name_f]Annie[/name_f]/[name_f]Ana[/name_f] inevitable?
[name_m]Anatole[/name_m] is interesting. I can’t decide if I like the name or not, actually, although I do like its meaning of “sunrise.” I did think of [name_m]Anatole[/name_m] Kuragin, but I think that association depends on whether you keep company with a lot of people who’ve read Tolstoy - I think about half my circle would have no idea who [name_m]Anatole[/name_m] Kuragin is. I also thought of the poet [name_m]Anatole[/name_m] [name_f]France[/name_f], but neither association is overwhelming to me.
I would not be surprised to see [name_m]Anatole[/name_m] and [name_m]Reginald[/name_m] together, no. Both are quite old-fashioned and proper-sounding in their respective languages to me. You could avoid [name_f]Annie[/name_f] with the nickname [name_u]Nat[/name_u] - I think that also freshens the name up quite a bit.
I’m unsure about the name… But [name_u]Nat[/name_u] would be a nice nickname, as would [name_m]Nate[/name_m].
I like [name_m]Anatole[/name_m], it’s a handsome choice!
While everyone knows of War and [name_u]Peace[/name_u], few people your son would socialize with in real life would have read the book, therefore the association is not a problem.
I don’t think it’s too different from [name_m]Reginald[/name_m], they both have a quirky and a bit grandpa-ish vibe to them. I doubt he’d get called [name_f]Anna[/name_f]/[name_f]Annie[/name_f]. [name_m]Tollie[/name_m] maybe, but that one is cute and reminds me of the popular [name_u]Ollie[/name_u]. [name_m]Nate[/name_m] is a cool nickname too! Honeslty if he gets made fun of for having “[name_f]Ana[/name_f]” in the beginning of his name he could just bring up [name_m]Anakin[/name_m] Skywalker.
My first thought was [name_m]Anatole[/name_m] Kuragin, vile and loathsome man he is, but I’m very into period movies/shows and have watched War and [name_u]Peace[/name_u], though I haven’t read the book. I don’t think most people in my circle would recognize the reference, other than people who are particularly into literature, and I imagine some may not even have heard of the name.
I don’t think anyone would think to call a boy [name_f]Annie[/name_f] or [name_f]Ana[/name_f] as a nickname. [name_u]Andy[/name_u] is more likely, if anything.