We have two strong frontrunners in the boy’s name category, baby due in [name]March[/name]. Our last name is strongly Finnish, for the sake of this message let’s say is “Tiihonen”, so flow has been a big issue - I don’t like “T” names with our last name, rhyming is an issue with names that end in -en, and my [name]MIL[/name] has vetoed the use of “V” names, which I’m willing to concede since there aren’t any I must have. In general I like classic (even pre-[name]Christian[/name]) names that aren’t too common (I always thought my son would be [name]Alexander[/name], never dreaming it would become so common). Another constraint is that the name needs to work in both English and French (so no first name [name]Linus[/name]…)
Thoughts? Comments? Unfortunate nicknames I’m missing? Other suggestions?
[name]Eric[/name] is a family name that makes for a very Scandinavian name, [name]Charles[/name] is a family name going back forever on both sides. [name]Linus[/name] would be for Pauling and Torvalds, and [name]Felix[/name] is just because we like it (currently?) and we do feel so lucky to finally be welcoming a baby.
I think [name]Felix[/name] [name]Charles[/name] is great!! [name]Eric[/name] [name]Linus[/name] is ok too but really think [name]Felix[/name] is so much more unique than [name]Eric[/name]. Also think [name]Felix[/name] [name]Charles[/name] has great flow! Good luck!
I prefer [name]Felix[/name] [name]Charles[/name]. It just sounds so much more sophisticated and unique. While I love [name]Linus[/name], I am not loving the flow of [name]Eric[/name] [name]Linus[/name]…or the name [name]Eric[/name] really. Maybe if it was [name]Erik[/name] I would like it better. Actually, I definitely like it better.
Ha, that’s funny. Everyone is so different. My sister is [name]Erica[/name], “like [name]America[/name]” she says, while [name]Erika[/name] always made me think of “Swastika” so I always strongly preferred the [name]Eric/name spelling.
DH likes [name]Felix[/name] and [name]Linus[/name] best, I’m just worried we’ll regret anything so offbeat when naming trends change. I lean towards family names so that even if it’s outdated there is at least some sentiment behind it. That’s why I’m on Nameberry looking for thoughts and alternatives while DH is happy just with [name]Felix[/name]!
[name]Felix[/name] [name]Charles[/name] is much better than [name]Eric[/name] [name]Linus[/name]. [name]Felix[/name] has a quirky vibe to it and [name]Eric[/name] seems really dated to me. Best wishes to you!
…There’s a [name]Felix[/name] in Twilight? :lol: I’ve read all the books and can’t remember a [name]Felix[/name], so I think you’re safe. That said, there is the “[name]Felix[/name] the [name]Cat[/name]” association that makes me prefer [name]Eric[/name] [name]Linus[/name].
[name]Love[/name] [name]Felix[/name] [name]Charles[/name]. If [name]Felix[/name] ends up feeling like too much of an off-beat choice, [name]Charles[/name] can’t be beat for traditional names.
Yes, [name]Felix[/name] the cat is another reason I’m nervous about the name. I have only had one person come back to me with [name]Felix[/name] Unger, so I think that association is fading.
I agree that [name]Eric[/name] [name]Linus[/name] does not flow as well as [name]Felix[/name] [name]Charles[/name], but I’m having trouble finding names that do work with our last name. I want a “known” name - no pronunciation guides - but still an uncommon one. I’m a [name]Charlotte[/name], which was dated when I got it (I was the only person with the name in my hometown) but people had heard it and knew to associate it with [name]Charlotte[/name]'s [name]Web[/name] as children and The Cure as teenagers. If there were another boy’s first name which fit I’d be very open to that, I’m just finding boy names really really difficult!
I prefer [name]Felix[/name] [name]Charles[/name] much more than [name]Eric[/name] [name]Linus[/name]. I always try to remember that [name]Felix[/name] is an old Biblical name that means “happy” and it was the name of numerous saints and popes over the centuries. Why should a cartoon cat and a TV character diminish its history and longevity ?
I am kind of biased! I adore the name [name]Eric[/name] (We are Swedish) but now we can’t use it.
I agree with a pp:
[name]Eric[/name] [name]Charles[/name] sounds lovely!
I am not in love with [name]Linus[/name] so I won’t comment,
but [name]Felix[/name] [name]Charles[/name] sounds great too!
We would pronounce it the American way, as often as it will actually get said. I will only consider it for a middle name because it does not work AT ALL in French - on a name board over there I saw that it’s well established to become l’anus on the school yards there. [name]Even[/name] the second pope, who we know as [name]Linus[/name], to them is “[name]Lin[/name]”. There have been three children named [name]Linus[/name] in all of [name]France[/name] in the last 100 years. Among the reasons we love the name are that we’re both scientists and [name]Linus[/name] Pauling is from near where my husband’s family is from -he’s also the only person to ever get two unshared Nobel Prizes. It was for him that [name]Linus[/name] Torvalds is named, an important Finnish-American whose contribution to computing we particularly appreciate every day in our work. Finally, the one thing we know about this baby is that s/he really appreciates music and starts kicking like crazy when it can be heard - [name]Linus[/name] was [name]Apollo[/name]'s son, and the god of music… So the name fits in many ways. But I agree that it’s hard to work with, and don’t know that it goes so very well with [name]Eric[/name], or anything really.
[name]Felix[/name] means happy and lucky, has since [name]Roman[/name] times, and the story of Sulla is one I like, particularly the part, as described in wikipedia “he then stunned the [name]Roman[/name] World (and posterity) by resigning the dictatorship, restoring normal constitutional government, and after his second Consulship, retiring to private life.” DH is right that if [name]Felix[/name] proves too strong a name the baby can always roll back to [name]Charlie[/name] for a while but then I wonder why we’re even experimenting with [name]Felix[/name]?
I just don’t know… sigh.
Thank you all for your comments!
