Less than a month to go before our son [name]Oakley[/name] [name]Miles[/name]’ sibling is born. Our top name if it’s a boy is [name]Bennett[/name] [name]Ford[/name] and if it’s a girl, [name]Ada[/name] [name]Elise[/name]. The problem? I can’t shake the feeling that there are better names out there that might go better with [name]Oakley[/name]. [name]Bennett[/name] and [name]Ada[/name] don’t feel as unique or special to me and while I’m not looking for an intentionally wacky name, I want names that aren’t common.
We love strong but not overwhelming names that have history but not too many syllables. We like obtuse nature names (no [name]Rivers[/name] or Violets for us) and favor cowboy/girl names that aren’t too kitschy.
I [name]LOVE[/name] the name [name]Bennett[/name] (and that will be my 1st sons name no matter what!!:))
Not a fan of [name]Ada[/name] though… (When we were young we went to school with an [name]Ada[/name] who was always [name]Ada[/name] potato chip …If you know what I mean 
Lol
I love [name]AVA[/name] OR [name]AVAH[/name] though!!
Here are a few other names I like:
Girls:
[name]Anika[/name]
[name]Ava[/name]
Breyn
[name]Bryn[/name]
[name]Chesney[/name]
[name]Chloe[/name]
[name]Coraline[/name]
[name]Diantha[/name]
[name]Elise[/name]
[name]Havilah[/name]
[name]Juliet[/name]
[name]Libby[/name]
Makaia
[name]Paige[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name]
Pfifer
[name]Raine[/name]
[name]Samara[/name]
[name]Skye[/name]
[name]Sophie[/name]
Boy:
[name]Bennett[/name]
[name]Brady[/name]
[name]Carlisle[/name]
[name]Cody[/name]
[name]Cohen[/name]
[name]Collin[/name]
[name]Creed[/name]
Gabrian
[name]Graham[/name]
Jediah
[name]Juan[/name]
[name]Kai[/name]
[name]Kian[/name]
[name]Liam[/name]
[name]Peyton[/name]
[name]Reagan[/name]
[name]Ryker[/name]
[name]Sawyer[/name]
[name]Spencer[/name]
[name]Stuart[/name]
[name]Thomas[/name]
[name]Trace[/name]
Trek
GOOD [name]LUCK[/name]!!
I have a [name]Bennett[/name] so I love it. While [name]Ada[/name] is really cute, I don’t see it fitting with [name]Bennett[/name] or [name]Oakley[/name].
Here are a few boys names that have a cowboy or nature feel:
[name]Grady[/name]
[name]Cal[/name]/[name]Callan[/name]
[name]Lane[/name]
[name]Bodhi[/name]
[name]Stone[/name]
[name]Sterling[/name]
Girls:
[name]Ellie[/name]
[name]Annie[/name](perhaps not with [name]Oakley[/name])
[name]Stella[/name]
[name]Kate[/name]
Ok, maybe [name]Ada[/name] does fit with [name]Oakley[/name], haha. Not with [name]Bennett[/name] though.
My son’s name is [name]Benton[/name]. It’s similar to [name]Bennett[/name], but less popular. His full name is [name]Benton[/name] [name]Grover[/name]. It’s always sounded very vintage (cowboyish) to me and I’ve had several people tell me that the name sounds presidential. I’ve actually considered [name]Oakley[/name] for a second son. Some other names I’ve considered that I feel would go well with [name]Oakley[/name] are…
[name]Ransom[/name]
[name]Coleman[/name]
[name]Garland[/name]
[name]Milo[/name]
Clanton
[name]Everett[/name]
[name]Hugh[/name]
[name]Lemuel[/name]
[name]Vincent[/name]
[name]Flora[/name]
[name]Lena[/name]
[name]Hazel[/name]
[name]Coralie[/name]
[name]Opal[/name]
[name]Pearl[/name]
[name]Ester[/name]
[name]June[/name]
[name]Louise[/name]
Good [name]Luck[/name]!
Thanks for your input everyone!
As I appreciate the less common names I worry that [name]Bennett[/name] (pesky common nn [name]Ben[/name]) or [name]Ada[/name] (soooo close to [name]Ava[/name]) are simply too everyday though I like that they are both Old English names (like [name]Oakley[/name]) that will stand the test of time. Hard to bridge that divide perhaps…
[name]Benton[/name] [name]Grover[/name] DOES have a presidential ring to it. Does he go by [name]Ben[/name] at all?
When we told my parents what his name was going to be my dad said he was going to call him [name]Ben[/name] because he wasn’t too fond of [name]Benton[/name]. [name]Benton[/name] [name]Grover[/name] is 17 months old now and everyone either calls him [name]Benton[/name] or [name]Benton[/name] [name]Grover[/name] and occasionally Mr. [name]Grover[/name]. I’ve NEVER heard anyone call him [name]Ben[/name]. I’m sure when he gets older and he has buddies they will probably call him [name]Ben[/name], but I’m OK with that. [name]Benton[/name] hasn’t been in the top 1000 since 1968. It’s never been in the top 100. That’s what really sold me on the name. I’m obsessed with giving my kids unusual, but usable names.
And [name]Benton[/name] is also Old English. 
It means “town in the bent grass”.
I really like the name [name]Ada[/name], actually. I hope this won’t put you off, but we named our dog [name]Ada[/name], and I’m so glad we did. She’s [name]Ada[/name] [name]Augusta[/name], and the middle name makes a big difference: we call her [name]Ada[/name] or [name]Gus[/name] most of the time. I named her after my great-grandmother, who was [name]Ada[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name]. I really don’t think [name]Ava[/name] is a good choice, as it’s just been so incredibly overused the past few years that it’s starting to sound really tired. [name]Ada[/name] has that rhythm and sound, with a enough of a difference to make it pop, and a little less sex and a little more sweetness. You might consider a longer version, too, like [name]Adelaide[/name] or [name]Adelina[/name], for which [name]Ada[/name] would be a nice nickname.
I prefer [name]Bennett[/name] to [name]Benton[/name], honestly: that “bent” sound in there is just offputting, and I like the Pride and Prejudice association. There are other [name]Ben[/name] names, such as [name]Benedict[/name] or [name]Benoit[/name] or [name]Bentley[/name], though I guess [name]Bentley[/name] and [name]Oakley[/name] end too similarly to go together well. What about [name]Britton[/name], [name]Barrett[/name], [name]Bram[/name], [name]Branwell[/name], or [name]Breccan[/name]? Maybe [name]Barnett[/name], though that “barn” might be almost as bad as “bent.”
My son’s name is [name]Bennett[/name] and I love it. We call him [name]Benny[/name]. He is 2 1/2. No one has called him [name]Ben[/name] yet, but I will be okay with it when they do. The only problem I’ve had with [name]Bennett[/name] is that some people misspell it (we have frequently gotten Bennette and [name]Bennet[/name]) and also that it is becoming a girl’s name. I had no idea that [name]Bennett[/name] would be used as a girl’s name when we selected that name. Having said all that - I have really come to love the name [name]Benson[/name], which is much less common. I did see [name]Bennett[/name] on the top 100 on another website a few weeks ago…
My grandmother’s name was [name]Ada[/name] so we were considering [name]Ada[/name] for our next baby. I have the same problem as you, though, that I just don’t want a name so close to [name]Ava[/name]. [name]Adaline[/name] is also becoming very popular ([name]Adeline[/name], [name]Adelaide[/name]).
I don’t have too many ideas - but these are my thoughts
Carolinamom: since we have such similar tastes (and concerns) regarding these names I’d love to know what other names are on your list. Care to share?
I like [name]Benson[/name], unfortunately the last name is [name]Dickinson[/name] so they won’t really work together I think. You?
I love them both, honestly. [name]Bennett[/name] is great and a LOT of kids are being called by their full names these days, not so much NNs. Probably his friends will call him [name]Ben[/name] eventually but that’s not the end of the world.
And [name]Ada[/name] is fantastic.
Hello omama! I’ll be happy to share my list with you. Keep in mind, though, that our last name is Boumeester and it is always misspelled and mispronounced. I’ve been trying to find names that start with B because I think they sound better with our last name and I’ve also been trying to find names that are easy to spell/pronounce.
[name]Boston[/name]- nn [name]Boss[/name] - I am partial to this because I babysat an adorable little boy named [name]Boss[/name]. I have had people comment, though, that [name]Boss[/name] would be a horrible name
[name]Braxton[/name]
[name]Briggs[/name]
[name]Brigham[/name]
[name]Beckett[/name]
[name]Brooks[/name]
[name]Abraham[/name] or Bramley ” nn [name]Bram[/name]
[name]Belle[/name]
[name]Bree[/name]
[name]Brynn[/name]
[name]Ruby[/name]
[name]Anabel[/name]
[name]Mae[/name]
[name]Clara[/name]
I almost forgot my favorite at the moment- [name]Blake[/name]. I love [name]Blake[/name] for a boy. I also had a few people comment on my other thread that they liked the way [name]Griffin[/name] sounded with [name]Bennett[/name]. Something I hadn’t considered. The other thread suggested [name]Bellamy[/name] for a girl. We had actually thought about that before but others had posted it was too masculine - it was a male surname… Something we might reconsider. [name]Bellamy[/name] and [name]Oakley[/name] might be cute together.