Hello again! I very very recently made a post regarding the name of our second son and overwhelmingly, the feedback was the same: love the name(s), don’t love how similar they are to our first son’s name (and we totally agree).
We have a son called Ender and were leaning towards Eden or Elden for our second. The similarities between the names seem to be quite off-putting to others and I really personally dislike matchy sibling names, so I hear you completely.
To be completely honest, we were planning on calling the baby Rome (middle name) but having a stronger first name, hence: Elden Rome.
When I found out I was having another boy, my heart soared to the name Romeo. I just adore it, and I think Ender and Romeo sounds SO good together. I’ve done a bit of research on people’s opinions of Romeo due to the obvious association with the play, but generally the feedback is good. What do you think?
My heart is absolutely set on Rome, so choosing something that fits with that is crucial. Our friends & family think Romeo is subject to bullying but they also said the same about Ender, which has only received overwhelmingly positive feedback from people.
Roman is not an option (we don’t like it, and it’s too similar to Rowan which is a cousins’ name). I don’t think Rome is strong enough on it’s own and would prefer something longer for the first name. Big no to other names that end in Rome (think Jerome for example).
Other names we like but don’t like enough to use:
Eames (have considered this as a middle name for Romeo)
Atlas
Elmore
Israel (obviously not usable now, but I love the sound & history of the name, biblically speaking)
Hjalmar (partner’s pick, not mine)
Rune
Asbjørn (this was the runner-up for Ender, but ultimately too many people in the Americas bullied it haha) We really liked the nn Bear, and now E is called “Teddy” so it worked out!
And our top girl names, just to give a broader idea of taste:
Eilish (this baby would’ve been Eilish if born a girl)
Willow
Elyria
Roma
Aurora
Rose
Elsa/Elle
The required checklist: name must be easy to pronounce and easy to spell, must be a legitimate name, not top 200/too common, not trendy, ages well. Elden checked all of these boxes for us so now I feel so lost being back at square one. This is HARD.
I’m not too hung up on the meaning of the name. “Ender” means “very rare” in Turkish, but it translates literally to “ducks” in Norwegian, and we are directly of Norwegian heritage. It was not intentional, but simply doesn’t bother us and our Norwegian friends & family think it’s a cute nickname.
Oh, I also wanted to add: a few people mentioned the name “Evren” which is one letter off from our surname. So any “ev” names don’t work for obvious reasons!
Thanks in advance! Sorry for the complexity of this. I find naming dogs and characters super easy, and then panic when it comes to naming a real human being!
EDIT: I appreciate the idea of just using Rome as a first name, but I despise one-syllable first names 
They feel incomplete and nicknamey which is exactly why I want to use Rome only as a middle/nickname. Finding a middle name for a one-syllable first name with a two-syllable last name is also a nightmare. I love Rome so much, but could never use it on its own!
[name_f][/name_f] and for what it’s worth, I find [name_m]Rome[/name_m] a strong and bold choice too.
[name_f][/name_f] Feels incomplete and I know I’d regret it a lot! Also the middle name ordeal… I think it would just add to the stress 