Barrett and Otto - Let's compare

[kelchristmas]

My husband briefly glanced at the name list I made last night and said his favorite name right now is [name_u]Barrett[/name_u]. I’m still in the [name_m]Otto[/name_m] camp and my husband likes [name_u]Barrett[/name_u]. Trying to break down the positives and any concerns with each name:

[name_u]Barrett[/name_u] - pros: Honors a family surname on my side. Has the cute nn option of [name_m]Bear[/name_m]. Sounds strong yet down to earth, which I love. Length-wise I think it looks good with the girls’ names. Germanic etymology and good meaning, “brave as a bear”. My husband is into hunting, and Barrett is a firearms company, which gains points for my husband. Along the hunting line (not that he hunts bears), but the bear reference is certainly woodsy and manly, which is appealing.

cons: [name_m]Don[/name_m]‘t love that it is more popular and seems slightly trendy with the -ett ending. Doesn’t match the girls’ names as much style-wise. Our friends have a son named “[name_m]Bennett[/name_m]”, but we don’t see each other more than a couple times a year. I don’t think spelling and pronunciation will be a huge concern, but it is similar to the word barrette.

[name_m]Otto[/name_m] - pros: Our “boy name” for the last 5 years or more. Honors two indirect relatives, some Great-Great Uncles on my husband’s side. Means 8 in Italian, we’ll be celebrating our 8th anniversary this summer before baby is born (I just love that connection, it’s subtle but seems very serendipitous to me ). I also think [name_m]Otto[/name_m] sounds strong yet down to earth. Matches the girls’ names better style-wise. Germanic etymology and good meaning, “wealthy” (I always take that as wealthy in our blessings from the Lord rather than material “riches”). Easy to spell and say.

cons: Husband’s concern that is looks “incomplete” when written. Looks short in length compared to our girls’ names. [name_m]Otto[/name_m] is also quickly rising in popularity although I personally don’t think it will climb much past the top 500. No obvious nn (but Ottie or Otter could be cute when he’s little). From what I’ve seen on nameberry forums, Otto is what trash bins are called in Australia, but we’re American and unfortunately will probably never get the chance to visit Australia (although I would love to!). I am also aware of the Otto character on the Simpsons. My husband grew up watching that show and the association doesn’t bother him.

[name_f]Rosamund[/name_f], [name_f]Elowen[/name_f], & [name_m]Otto[/name_m]

or

[name_f]Rosamund[/name_f], [name_f]Elowen[/name_f], & [name_u]Barrett[/name_u]

Another consideration, our girl name is [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] and I almost positive we will stick with that if we have a 4th child and it’s a girl. Also, I think both names flow well with our last name, so that’s not a concern with either of them.

Let me know any other positives or concerns with each name and which one you prefer. I would be OK with either one but I know I will always feel some regret if we don’t end up using [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and I’m hoping that my husband will come around to that realization too. Barrett is certainly growing on me though. Even if we don’t agree on one name right now (I’m only 22 weeks) and end up waiting to meet our son first, I just thought it would help to see them compared. Thanks so much!

[cyoung325]

I never really liked [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] although I do really love the nickname [name_m]Bear[/name_m] and it’s meaning is also pretty neat especially because it somewhat relates to your husband’s hobby of hunting. I feel like the association with the gun company might deter me though. Are there stores near you or any way that non hunters will make the association? I wouldn’t use it if I myself drove past the company every now and then or even read about or talked about it much. Kind of like how [name_f]Macy[/name_f]'s ruins the name [name_f]Macy[/name_f] for me. I’m still loving [name_m]Otto[/name_m] though and see no issue with it looking incomplete. I love that it would be subtly linked to your 8th anniversary too. To me it sounds best with your girls and [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] as well. Have you talked to DH about your pros for [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and why it’s so special to you? Maybe he just needs a reminder of why he loved it in the first place. I find my my hubby tends to change his mind on names even more than I do until I remind him of why he liked a name originally. Other than that I wouldn’t push the name on him simply because he may grow to dislike it even more with the added pressure. I think it would be a good idea to take a short list with you to the hospital if you can’t completely agree on a name beforehand. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps

[kelchristmas]

@cyoung325 - Thanks for your reply! The gun brand is fairly unheard of unless you’re into guns, in which case it wouldn’t be a negative. It’s certainly not as well known or as old as [name_m]Remington[/name_m] or Winchester. There are no stores near us, so it’s probably a non-issue. I agree that I don’t want to push the name, and I am fine with waiting until he is born to make our decision if that is what it takes to really feel good and certain about the name. I really wanted to get some personalized stuff for his nursery, but that may just have to wait I guess! Thanks again for your thoughts!

[meyera4]

Two great options, in my opinion!

I really don’t think [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] is trendy and I don’t think it is too close to [name_m]Bennett[/name_m] especially if he will mostly go by [name_m]Bear[/name_m]. The imagery is great, and could definitely be cute and inspiring for a little boy. While I don’t think it’s a stylistic match with [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f] and [name_f]Elowen[/name_f], I do think [name_f]Rosie[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] and [name_m]Bear[/name_m] make a cute set.

Aw, I didn’t know about the “8” connection. [name_m]How[/name_m] sweet! Of course I’ve always been a fan of [name_m]Otto[/name_m] for your family, so I won’t say anything else about it except that I think it’s awesome and it sounds so great with your girls I think what you said about regretting not using it really hits the nail on the head. I think it’s definitely a point you should bring up to DH if you haven’t already. It really puts things into perspective; I know, because we had to ask ourselves the same question. And maybe his answer is that he won’t regret not using it, and that’s ok. But I think it will at least get his wheels turning.

I do think bringing a short list to the hospital is a good idea if you can’t come to a decision. But of course you’ve got some time

[handsallover]

I love [name_m]Otto[/name_m] for you, it is incredibly handsome and that 8 connection is just too sweet. [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] is not bad, but it reminds me of ill-fated [name_u]Syd[/name_u] [name_u]Barrett[/name_u], and I like [name_m]Otto[/name_m] with [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f] and [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] much better. Your naming style is so lovely, by the way.

[kelchristmas]

@meyera4 - Thanks as always for your reply and your input. It is greatly appreciated and valued!

@handsallover - Thanks so much for your reply and your compliments!

[Pseudonymous]

[name_m]Just[/name_m] putting it out there that I am Australian, and I have never ever heard anyone call a bin ‘[name_m]Otto[/name_m].’ At least where I am from, we call bins ‘bin’ :).

[name_m]Otto[/name_m] is gorgeous- I know both a young [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and a young [name_u]Barrett[/name_u], and they both wear it really well. My vote goes to [name_m]Otto[/name_m] though, especially with [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f] and [name_f]Elowen[/name_f]. The repeated ‘o’ works really nicely and it fits so beautifully with your girls’ names. The [name_m]Otto[/name_m] I know used to be called Toto as a pet name sometimes, which I thought was very cute for a baby. [name_m]Otto[/name_m] is such a strong name too- easy to spell and say, but fun as well.

[name_u]Barrett[/name_u] is very sweet too- I don’t think it is overly trendy, but yes, it is a bit trendy. It is a nice name, don’t get me wrong, but I personally think that [name_m]Otto[/name_m] really shines out of the two.

[Saracita00]

[name_u]Barrett[/name_u] would be a very fashionable choice, in consideration of [name_m]Bennett[/name_m] (#194), [name_m]Beckett[/name_m] (#279), and [name_u]Everett[/name_u] (189), all of which have shot several hundred levels up the popularity charts in the last five (or so) years. But if a trendy name is not what you’re looking for, then this one might not be the one.

Personally, I think [name_m]Otto[/name_m] is more compelling and interesting, just because it isn’t heard as much. That said – I did go look it up at the SSA and it would seem that [name_m]Otto[/name_m] is having his own little popularity surge! [name_m]Otto[/name_m] came onto the Top 1000 chart in 2011 at #933, and in just two years it now stands at #696!

Since each parent seems to be cheering for a different name, is there any chance you might just put both of these on hold and see if you can agree on another name?

[kelchristmas]

@nooshi - I’m glad “[name_m]Otto[/name_m]” isn’t exclusively known as a trash bin in Australia! But I have seen it mentioned on a few threads, so maybe it’s just a regional thing rather than country-wide. Thanks so much for your thoughts on [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and [name_u]Barrett[/name_u]. Toto is an adorable nn for a baby boy!

@saracita00 -Yes, the -ett trend is definitely popular and probably still on the rise for several more years. But, as you said [name_m]Otto[/name_m] is quickly climbing the charts too! I think we have agreed on a name, and it’s my husband’s choice, I’ll explain below! Thanks so much for your reply!

We went over our list this weekend and the only name left besides [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] (hubby even cut [name_m]Otto[/name_m]) was [name_m]Konrad[/name_m]. He likes [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] more than [name_m]Konrad[/name_m] and so do I. [name_m]Konrad[/name_m] is a very strong name and probably less trendy than both [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] and [name_m]Otto[/name_m], but it doesn’t really have any personal/special meaning to us and it doesn’t go very well with our surname. I did ask my husband if he is 100% over [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and if he will regret not using it and he said he is pretty sure he is 100% over it. He thinks the only reason I’m hanging onto [name_m]Otto[/name_m] is because of the “eight” meaning, and I think he’s probably right. I do love that [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] begins and ends in a strong consonant sound. It sounds much more defined when pronounced. My husband’s only reservation about [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] is that is doesn’t match as well with our girls, but we both agree since he’s a boy and not a girl, that matching names isn’t quite as important. My reservation is that it’s more popular and somewhat trendy, but we’re not using the name for either of those reasons. This name has always been around on my long list because of the “[name_m]Bear[/name_m]” meaning connection to my family. But neither of us have ever seriously considered it until recently. I think both of us did fall out of love with [name_m]Otto[/name_m] over time, and [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] wasn’t even in the picture at that point, and I clung to [name_m]Otto[/name_m] as the “compromise” because neither of us were agreeing on any names. So, I think we have organically come upon [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] as THE name for our son. We were already planning on decorating his nursery in a woodsy, nature theme so his name fits perfectly! So now we’re just deciding on the full name and my husband likes [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] [name_m]Irwin[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m], so I think we’ll probably stick with that, since those middle names have such a special family significance to us. Thanks so much to everyone that has replied to my posts; your ideas, suggestions, and opinions are always appreciated! So we’ve settled on…

Rosamund “Rosie”, Elowen “Ellie”, and Barrett “Bear”

[abelle2]

We have a now 2 year old [name_u]Barrett[/name_u]! He gets called [name_m]Bear[/name_m], and sometimes [name_u]Barry[/name_u]. I believe we also talked about [name_m]Otto[/name_m], but it quickly got vetoed by my husband. The only problems we’ve had with [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] is people thinking his name is [name_m]Garrett[/name_m]. I knew going in, that it’d be a little confusing for some people, but I haven’t regretted our decision.

[meyera4]

@kelchristmas, it sounds like you all have a winner! I think [name_m]Bear[/name_m] is adorable! The woodsy nursery will be perfect!

[kelchristmas]

@abelle2 - So nice to hear from someone with a [name_u]Barrett[/name_u]! I am glad you have no regrets, [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] is a great name and I’m very excited we’ve settled on it for our son. Thanks for your reply!

@meyera4 - Thanks for your reply and compliments! And thanks so much for helping throughout this process! Ultimately the decision is between my husband and I but it’s so nice to be able to “talk” through ideas on these nameberry threads!

I will close the thread now, as we have reached our decision. Thanks again to each person that commented on my posts!!