Respondents: 66 (This poll is closed)
I love the name [name_m]Casper[/name_m], and the cool nickname [name_m]Cas[/name_m] possibly even more! I think it sounds great with those middle names and your surname, and fits your cool, clean classic criteria while still feeling fresher and more unexpected than many on your list.
I also like [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] and [name_m]Edward[/name_m] a lot.
Suggestions:
[name_m]Felix[/name_m]
[name_m]Edmund[/name_m]
[name_m]Otis[/name_m]
[name_u]Dexter[/name_u]
[name_m]Rufus[/name_m]
[name_m]Jasper[/name_m]
[name_m]Hamish[/name_m]
[name_m]Oscar[/name_m]
[name_m]Magnus[/name_m]
[name_m]Maxwell[/name_m]
[name_m]Miles[/name_m]/[name_m]Milo[/name_m]
[name_m]Raymond[/name_m]
[name_m]Hugo[/name_m]
[name_m]Chester[/name_m]
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m]
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]
[name_m]Orson[/name_m]
[name_m]Louis[/name_m]
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m]
[name_m]Vincent[/name_m]
[name_m]Cormac[/name_m]
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m]
[name_m]Walter[/name_m]
[name_m]Rupert[/name_m]
I love a lot of your list but like [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] the most with your middle names and surname. I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] but with your surname it’s too [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] [name_m]Franklin[/name_m]… I like [name_m]Desmond[/name_m] a lot but find saying it with your surname a bit awkward… Not the worst. [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] flows better though.
[name_u]Wallace[/name_u]
[name_u]August[/name_u] or [name_m]Augustus[/name_m]
[name_m]Wilfred[/name_m]
[name_m]Abraham[/name_m]
[name_m]Frederick[/name_m]
[name_u]Francis[/name_u]
[name_m]Jonathan[/name_m]
[name_m]Roger[/name_m]
[name_m]Oscar[/name_m]
[name_m]Redmond[/name_m]
[name_u]Roscoe[/name_u]
[name_m]Calvin[/name_m]
katinka: Thanks for the suggestions! We both like [name_m]Casper[/name_m] a lot, but my mom insists it’s still too associated to the ghost (then again, she doesn’t really like any of the names we come up with)
[name_m]Oscar[/name_m], [name_m]Hugo[/name_m], [name_m]Walter[/name_m], and [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] have all been on my sprawling list at one point or another, but ultimately didn’t feel right in the sense that I do know if I’d want to be saying them for the rest of my life.
llbaby22: Same here - thank you! I’ve considered [name_m]Calvin[/name_m], [name_m]Frederick[/name_m], [name_m]Roger[/name_m], and [name_u]Francis[/name_u] too, but just can’t envision any of them on a real, live person in my life.
I love [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] and [name_m]Malcolm[/name_m] and the nickname [name_m]Mac[/name_m], but am afraid that [name_m]Mac[/name_m] B3nn sounds too much like something from [name_m]McDonald[/name_m]'s.
Maybe I’m asking too much from a name for it to be all at once classic AND fresh, tailored AND handsome, formal AND with the ability to shorten to something sporty/fun - and ideally crammed into two or three syllables?
[name_m]Charles[/name_m], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], and [name_m]Edward[/name_m] work the best with your last name. With middle [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u], that’s narrowed to [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] and [name_m]Edward[/name_m]. I lean a bit toward [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] myself even without a nickname (though you could use [name_m]Bear[/name_m] as a nickname since [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] means [name_m]Bear[/name_m].) [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is darling though! I think either as a solid choice.
And I love the name [name_m]Casper[/name_m], I’m just not sold on it with your surname.
Looking at the thread it seems like you’ve ruled out a lot of names already so I don’t have too many to add, but am wondering what you think of the name [name_m]Harvey[/name_m]?
I think [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] B3nn/ [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] B3nn sounds pretty great.
I think [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] is a great suggestion - quirkier than I’d usually come up with on my own, and still fresh even with its retro-vintage patina. I’m nervous that [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] Weinstein casts too much of a shadow to use it on an innocent little boy, though…but media firestorms tend to fade from public conscience pretty quickly, right?
I’ve considered [name_m]Bear[/name_m] for [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] but thought it would be more suited as a pet name for around the house instead of something used universally - but since nature names like [name_m]Fox[/name_m] and [name_m]Wolf[/name_m] are in right now, maybe it’s not so much of a stretch?
My mom loves [name_m]Samuel[/name_m]/[name_u]Sam[/name_u]. I think it’s a solid and friendly name, but I’m just afraid it’s too tired anymore. [name_m]Miles[/name_m] was another good suggestion - it seems trendy these days, especially since [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_u]Legend[/name_u] and [name_f]Chrissy[/name_f] Teigan chose it, but maybe I could work on shaking that assumption. I’m not too worried about all three names ending in S - should I be?
[name_m]Frederick[/name_m]/[name_u]Freddie[/name_u] was another on my list at one point, but I’m afraid [name_m]Frederick[/name_m] is too heavy?
Would you use [name_m]Hank[/name_m] as a nickname for [name_m]Henry[/name_m]? I think it’s a great nickname and works for a little boy and a grownup.
I think [name_m]Frederick[/name_m] is fine. If you like [name_u]Freddie[/name_u] you could also use [name_m]Alfred[/name_m] or [name_m]Wilfred[/name_m].
I voted for [name_m]Simon[/name_m], [name_m]Edward[/name_m] and [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], because I think they all fit your criteria really well, although [name_m]Casper[/name_m] is also a great option!
Does the repeated ‘en’ sound next to each other in [name_m]Henry[/name_m] B__n bother you? I don’t mind it, nor do I think it’s necessarily a disadvantage, but I know some people would prefer to avoid repeating sounds like that.
[name_m]Luke[/name_m] and [name_m]Desmond[/name_m] just don’t seem to match your ‘style’ quite as much as the others, although they are great names. Also, I liked [name_m]Charles[/name_m], but I realised that with your middle names it would be [name_m]Charles[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] and I wondered if it was too much ‘S’.
Thanks for sharing and good luck! 
I like [name_m]Hank[/name_m], but I think my fiance prefers [name_m]Harry[/name_m].
We have two Wilfredos in my stepfather’s family, with the junior of the two nicknamed [name_u]Freddie[/name_u]. They’re both adults, so I don’t think using [name_u]Freddie[/name_u] on our own would be too strange, especially since the connection is more of a dotted line than a direct one, but [name_m]Wilfred[/name_m]/[name_u]Freddie[/name_u] might be a little too much (although my step-grandmother would probably be thrilled!)
I know it’s ultra-popular right now, but I do kind of like [name_m]Leonel[/name_m]/[name_m]Leo[/name_m]. I’m quite fond of [name_m]Leo[/name_m] on its own, and think [name_m]Leo[/name_m] B3nn/[name_m]Leo[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] sounds wonderful, but is it too incomplete? Too trendy and at risk of not aging well?
Thanks for the input! The en/en doesn’t bother me too much - my fiance’s sister is [name_f]Ellen[/name_f], and I think her name works quite well with their surname in spite of the repeated sounds. It’s definitely a tight line to walk, though!
Similarly, I don’t think the triple S bothers me as long as there’s enough variation in other sounds - I don’t think I can afford to be any pickier!
[name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] has a nice ring to it, But [name_m]Casper[/name_m] nn [name_m]Cas[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] has a lovely ring to it.
(I know a [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u], he was kind of annoying.)
It’s funny you say that, because [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] was the name my fiance pitched. [name_u]James[/name_u] is a family name and [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] is for his late father; [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u] doesn’t work because that was his father’s name and the family doesn’t repeat, but rather finds fresh ways to incorporate [name_u]James[/name_u] for each generation.
The catch here is that my fiance is a [name_u]James[/name_u] and I am [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], and I had to put my foot down at a lifetime of [name_m]Jim[/name_m], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], and [name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m]! [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u] as double middles was my compromise and he loves it. He’s especially taken with [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Douglas[/name_u], but I’m worried [name_m]Henry[/name_m] is too popular. I think it’s an otherwise great choice, though, and doesn’t seem to get too much use in our area - it was #31 in our state in 2017, and I hear A LOT more of [name_m]Jackson[/name_m], etc. Maybe it’s not so bad - popular names are popular for a reason, right?
While totally a fair concern, I don’t think [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] is too connected the the Weinstein scandal, I’m pretty sensitive to things involving SA and I didn’t immediately think of Weinstein when suggesting the name.
I think that [name_m]Bear[/name_m] is becoming a more conventional name, both as a nickname and as a given name, but if it doesn’t feel right to you don’t feel pressure to use it. I think [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] is great on it’s own without a nickname, and I don’t care for [name_m]Art[/name_m]/[name_u]Arie[/name_u]. I have also heard people use [name_m]Archie[/name_m] for [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] on a few occasions and think it works even though it’s a little more of a stretch than [name_m]Art[/name_m].
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] is a nice name but I do think it’s tired in the same way [name_u]Michael[/name_u] is tired, for example.
I know soooooo many little [name_m]Miles[/name_m], so I concur that it’s pretty trendy. The all -s endings would bug me personally but I don’t think it’s a dealbreaker if your really like the name!