I’m looking for something refreshing but rooted in history or literature. Big sis is [name]Violet[/name] and (silly me) it bothers me when I see and hear her name becoming so popular. I love quirky, but still want substance and unfortunately some close family members are pretty conservative namers. What will people really think of the name [name]Barnaby[/name]? I was thinking of the nickname [name]Barnes[/name].
Other favorites that I think would be much more widely accepted are:
I just don’t love seeing my children’s names in the Pottery [name]Barn[/name] Kids catalog. I grew up with a unique name and loved it, so maybe that’s why I feel that way. Suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Well I adore [name]Barnaby[/name]! I love it, it’s so cool and historical. Maybe if you’re too worried, try [name]Barnabas[/name]? Barnes is a pretty cool nickname that might make it easier for non-name nerds to deal with it until they get used to it
I locw [name]Barnaby[/name]! And [name]Barnes[/name] is super cute! I think it’s a handsome name. From your other options though, I must say that I [name]ADORE[/name] [name]Leander[/name]! I wish my hubby didn’t look at me like I had three heads every time I mention it!
I much prefer: [name]Leonard[/name] ([name]Leo[/name]), [name]Theodore[/name] ([name]Theo[/name]), [name]Leander[/name], and one of my all time favorites [name]Felix[/name].
I think [name]Barnaby[/name] is a great choice. It’s upbeat, quirky, and to me just sounds happy.
People might be taken aback at first because [name]Barnaby[/name] is so unusual, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. At this point most everyone is accustomed to hearing unusual names, which makes something like [name]Barnaby[/name] easier to get away with. [name]Barnaby[/name] [name]Felix[/name] or [name]Barnaby[/name] [name]Holden[/name] would be very nice.
I love both [name]Barnaby[/name] and [name]Barnabas[/name] (though I prefer the latter). If you don’t want a popular name, you should probably go with [name]Barnaby[/name]. Everything else on your list (except [name]Leander[/name]) seems very popular amongst the middle upper classes, especially in urban areas. [name]Theo[/name], [name]Leo[/name] and [name]Clio[/name] are to hipster bobos & yuppies what [name]Aiden[/name], [name]Jayden[/name], [name]Kaiden[/name], and [name]Hayden[/name] are to young/non-urban parents. (Of course these are just generalizations, but from my experience, seems pretty true).
I love [name]Barnaby[/name]! It was a favourite of mine a number of years ago, and the only nickname I could come up with was [name]Arnie[/name]… [name]Barnes[/name] is [name]WAY[/name] cooler!
I love [name]Barnaby[/name] and nn [name]Barnes[/name]. It’s got a great rhythm and is just plain fun to say. However, I don’t think it will be received very well by the general public (unless you live in a very hipster or unique-naming area.) I think it’s just too unusual and too much like [name]Barney[/name] the purple (or violet) Dinosaur and [name]Barney[/name] from the Flintstones. It’s very easy and tempting to say “ignore it, it doesn’t matter what other people think,” but in reality, naming is a big responsibility. You don’t want to stick your child with a name they’ll hate and other people will laugh at. At the same time, though, you only know how you’ll feel about a name; you can’t control how everyone else feels and your son may love his unique name.
So, if the real question is “will other people think it’s weird?” my answer is probably. If the question is “is [name]Barnaby[/name] a good name?” the answer is absolutely. I think you have a lot to consider with this name, but it really is a good one. I’d love to meet a little [name]Barnaby[/name]. And I suppose brave parents like you are the ones who get old names back in style, so go with what you love!
[name]One[/name] more note: don’t choose a name just because it’s uncommon. There’s a lot more to a name being “good” than just its uniqueness. ANY name can become suddenly popular, and there are benefits to having a common name. I always cheered in relief on the rare occasion someone spelled my uncommon name right on the first try!
I wanted to throw another thought out there, even though I’ve already commented. It just hit me that the show [name]How[/name] I Met Your Mother has a character named [name]Barnabus[/name] (goes by [name]Barney[/name]). I think this would help modernize the name, and would probably make it seem more approachable and familiar to the people who watch the show (I think it’s pretty popular with 20- and 30-somethings).
i am not really a fan of the sound of barnaby - and think of barny/ie. i like theodore, leo and felix from your list. i think they are also relatively uncommon (i know 1 theodore, 1 felix and 0 leo’s) although i think a couple US stars recently used theodore so it might become more popular. anyway, i agree to not choose something solely for its rarity as that could change.
[name]Barnaby[/name] just doesn’t sound appealing imo, it also sounds kind of dated. I can only imagine an old person with the name, not sure a baby could pull it off…
I think [name]Barnaby[/name] is adorable! [name]Barnes[/name] is a sweet way to tone it down a bit if the full name was a little much.
My first thought however was Hello [name]Dolly[/name]…“Close your eyes and see it glisten, [name]Barnaby[/name]…listen, [name]Barnaby[/name]…”
But I doubt that most people will go there immediately and it’s not a negative association for me or anything.
I really like Barnarby nn [name]Barnes[/name], and completely agree with pp about [name]Barnes[/name] being a very nice way to tone it down depending on his personality.
I also have a [name]Violet[/name] and had to laugh about your pbk comment since I think that’s the one with a full “happy first bday” spread with the name violet. I feel the same way, she probably has the most popular name of all my kids ([name]Seb[/name]'s name is higher on the SSA charts, however, i never hear it locally). [name]Barnaby[/name] is a great name, its actually crossed my mind a few times for this baby to tell you the truth. I think with any name, people will get used to it and love the child. I too have very concervative namers or trendy/kreatyve namers so my kids names are often times odd when standing next to [name]Kayleigh[/name], [name]Matthew[/name], and [name]Jessica[/name], kwim. But as far as what the world thinks, I know my style doesnt work for everyone but so far my kids names have not hindered them in the least. My name is [name]Jennifer[/name] and I was born in 1979, so while violet is climbing, I think it will never reach [name]Jennifer[/name] status.
A note of honesty here. While I don’t really mind the name [name]Barnaby[/name], actually I think it’s kind of cool… I honestly don’t think it will be widely embraced by non-Nameberry folks. The truth is, the majority of those who name their kids [name]Aidan[/name] and [name]Madison[/name] probably aren’t going to ‘get’ [name]Barnaby[/name] in the least. This may include your family members who are conservative baby namers!
That being said, I think [name]Barnes[/name] is a great nn that may just make [name]Barnaby[/name] doable. [name]Barnes[/name] is infinitely better than [name]Barney[/name]. Best of luck!
Not a fan of [name]Barnaby[/name] at all, but I can see how others would like it. [name]Barnes[/name] does make it very cool, though, much more so than [name]Barney[/name].
jemama,
I love the names of your little crew! I thought about [name]Linus[/name] too, but wasn’t sure about the repeating long i sound, but it looks and sounds great with all of your children’s names.
I just don’t know about [name]Barnaby[/name]. I’ll probably have a revised list soon. I think people who love names get sick of them too because we hear them so often, so maybe this is a case of trying too hard to find something refreshing. Btw, I [name]LOVE[/name] my daughter’s name despite its popularity. It’s a nature name (flower), color, historic, literary, and has personal family meaning to me. I just can’t find that in a boy’s name yet, and it makes me sad.
