I have loved [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] for awhile. [name_m]Nickelby[/name_m] honors a family member. [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] [name_m]Nickelby[/name_m] would be a maybe name, I am unsure if I have enough guts to use it. I am thinking that if I did use it and my son ended up not liking the name he would have some choices as a nickname - [name_m]Nickelby[/name_m], [name_u]Nick[/name_u], [name_m]Ace[/name_m].
[name_f]Love[/name_f] [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] and [name_m]Nickelby[/name_m] is a great name too! Really handsome combo! 
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m] Shrugged and [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m] [name_m]Nickleby[/name_m]? It’s a bit too English teacher/literary for me.
I will have to look up [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] Shrugged. Not sure who (?) he is. Honestly I do not find too English teacher and literary a bad thing.
Honestly, I think it’s a bit guilty pleasure for me. But Atlas isn’t really my style (I think of the whole Titan punished by Zeus first thing, so bad association)
[name_f]Ayn[/name_f] [name_m]Rand[/name_m]; [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Galt[/name_m]
Thank you. I am researching.
I think it’s actually a fantastic and catchy name. He’d be a memorable kid, and he’d have a name that could potentially set him up for a bright future.
I can see the appeal of both names even though they’re both nms.
I definitely wouldn’t use both together though. I’m not sure if it’s just my taste in names, but I always feel like an unusual name should be paired with a more “common” or “normal” name just to balance it a little - e.g. [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m] (although you don’t need to go for something as boring as [name_m]John[/name_m], hopefully you know what I mean).
I just think using both [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] and [name_m]Nickelby[/name_m] is a bit much.
As a combo, it’s pretty pretentious. By themselves, combined with other names, they’re interesting and unique.
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m] [name_m]Nickelby[/name_m] - love it!
The combo is very literary. That’s not a bad thing at all, more of an observation. I personally wouldn’t name a child with two names that belong to such prominent figures. I’d feel like the child doesn’t have a name of his own. One is fine, but two is a bit much for me. That’s just my thing though. The combo works fine, and I can picture it on a boy and a man.
I understand what you are saying. I thank you, and everyone else for sharing their opinions. I personally did not know anything about [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] Shrugged, so that literary side was not there for me and still isn’t. I asked other family members, friends, and neighbors about the combo and also about [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] Shrugged. Many knew about [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m] [name_m]Nickelby[/name_m] but some never even heard of this novel (some could not remember if this was just a character or if it was a novel). Most never heard of [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] Shrugged. - This is the first I have heard of it on a baby name forum, even when [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] was being discussed. - A good many thought of [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] as a nature name and many a mythological name. Some loved the combo, others did not.
[name_m]Nickelby[/name_m] personally is not honoring the novel or Dickens (even though nothing wrong if it were) it is honoring a close family member.
Now I am very interested how more people would view this combo.
Thank you all for your honest opinions so far. The combo definitely has more punch than I thought. In many ways this has made me love it even more, makes me less afraid to use it, but at the same time unsure.
The hiccup will be when you run into people who do know [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] Shrugged as plenty of them have strong opinions one way or the other. To be fair, a lot of rabidly anti-Randians have never actually read the book, but they are familiar enough with the title to assume a connection.
I’m really not sure how standard the book is for high school literature; I’m guessing it has fallen off the syllabus most places.
- To clarify, I’m not trying to be discouraging, just helpful.
And I am most thankful for all the help.
I am glad that we (meaning everyone) have been able to discuss the combo without insults and put-downs, which would not be helpful. Constructive opinions, whether they agree with mine or not, is what is helpful to me.
Is Atlas on it’s own a name that brings up Atlas Shrugged? Or is it when it is combined with the middle name Nickelby (which brings a literary sense)? This would make a big difference. If it is Nickelby I could find another way to honor this family member. For example Wolf honors this person and also other family members.
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m] is awesome, I love it! I like that [name_m]Nickelby[/name_m] is a family name for you, but to me, it clashes stylistically with [name_m]Atlas[/name_m]. [name_m]Wolf[/name_m] fits better, I think. Or something like [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] Wolfram
I think that for people who truly love/hate [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] Shrugged/[name_f]Ayn[/name_f] [name_m]Rand[/name_m], [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] alone will be enough. But for the majority, I would guess that won’t be their first thought. Unless libertarianism continues to increase in popularity! But that’s a different discussion…I do think that using [name_m]Nickleby[/name_m] as a mn for [name_m]Atlas[/name_m] highlights the literary connection and will make it more likely that people who don’t naturally have their [name_m]Rand[/name_m] antenna up will notice the reference.
Thank you. Thank you.