Cute for a boy but not a man?

Boy Names
1

We are expecting #2 in the [name]October[/name] but don’t know what we are having. Boys names have always been tough for us (our first is a girl named [name]Olivia[/name]). There are a few names we kind of like but feel they are cute for little boys but what happens when they grow up? [name]Will[/name] they want a cutesy name or something stronger?

My current favorite is [name]Andrew[/name] because I can call him [name]Andy[/name] or [name]Drew[/name] as a little boy but he can go by [name]Andrew[/name] when he gets older. Problem is DH thinks it’s boring.

My Dh likes [name]Caleb[/name] and [name]Riley[/name]. I dislike both because they are way too cutsy for me.

What do you guys think?

2

I’d consider [name]Riley[/name] pretty cutesy but I think [name]Caleb[/name] ages well. [name]Andrew[/name] is OK, but I do get where your DH is coming from. I know an awful lot of Andrews.

3

I, too, agree that [name]Caleb[/name] ages well. But I’m biased, lol, I’m about 95% sure my first son will be [name]Caleb[/name], and since I know Calebs my age all the way down to babies, I can definitely see it through all of those stages. Besides, when I think of [name]Caleb[/name], I think of the warrior in the Bible, who lived to be way past 80 years old and was still one of the fiercest warriors in the nation of [name]Israel[/name] when he was in his 80s! It always sounded powerful and strong and timeless to me because of that. :slight_smile:

[name]Riley[/name] I can sort of see your point… it is really cute for a boy, and I have a bit of trouble seeing it grow up, but I’m thinking of a particular story with a Mr. [name]Riley[/name] in it, and he’s fairly up-there in age, and he still wears it really well. Since he goes almost exclusively by Mr. [name]Riley[/name], not [name]Tom[/name] or [name]Tom[/name] [name]Riley[/name], in the story, I associate him with [name]Riley[/name] rather than [name]Tom[/name]/[name]Thomas[/name] in the story, so I can imagine [name]Riley[/name] aging pretty well, too.

[name]Andrew[/name]… I’m torn on that. It’s actually one of those names that doesn’t appeal to me at all, and it doesn’t make sense, because it’s totally my style. I just don’t like it. I do sort of agree with your husband that it’s a bit boring, but there’s still something classic about it that just can’t be denied. I think something like [name]Caleb[/name] [name]Andrew[/name] (or even [name]Andrew[/name] [name]Caleb[/name]) would be nice.

What about [name]Daniel[/name]? I think it has that balance of cute when he’s little, but ages seemlessly, and you could have the cute nns of [name]Danny[/name] (or even [name]Dane[/name]) when he’s little. I think something like [name]Jude[/name] (or [name]Judah[/name] nn [name]Jude[/name]), [name]Samuel[/name], [name]Oliver[/name], or [name]Patrick[/name] (nn [name]Pax[/name], or [name]Paddy[/name], maybe?) also fits into that category. I think they nicely blend the style of [name]Andrew[/name] and [name]Riley[/name] and [name]Caleb[/name], as well, all while aging really well.

Good luck!

4

I love [name]Caleb[/name] and [name]Riley[/name]. I think they will age fine. I know adult men named [name]Kelly[/name], [name]Kenny[/name], [name]Danny[/name], etc. Some are nicknames, but that is all they go by.

5

I love [name]Andrew[/name]! It is such a great name. I think it is so strong and handsome and not in the least bit boring. While [name]Caleb[/name] is not my favorite I don’t think it is cutesy at all, I think it is the exact opposite actually. [name]Riley[/name] is very cutesy to me. I honestly prefer [name]Riley[/name] for a girl, it has a great deal of femininity to me.

6

I love [name]Andrew[/name]! I have a cousin [name]Andrew[/name] who’s in his 40s, and it aged just fine!

[name]Riley[/name] is way too cutesy, imo too. [name]Caleb[/name] isn’t at all though, it’s rather sturdy and strong sounding imo. It ages wonderfully to me.

7

I [name]LOVE[/name] the name [name]Riley[/name]! I’ve been considering putting it back on my list since it’s not super popular in my state, and it’s still more popular for boys here. The only thing that is keeping me from considering it is the “trendy” factor since lots of people are using it on girls, including a million misspellings. I don’t think I’d like a son named [name]Riley[/name] in a class with girl Ryleighs, Rylees and Rylies.

I really like [name]Caleb[/name]. I don’t see it as cutesy at all. The only [name]Caleb[/name] I can remember meeting is just a little younger than me (early 20s). He went by [name]Cal[/name]. I also do like [name]Andrew[/name]. I think it’s a nice classic name. I can see what you mean about it being boring, but I don’t know if I’d say that. It’s common, but I also think it’s refreshing to hear a “normal” name among the trendy and made up names!

8

I like both [name]Andrew[/name] and [name]Caleb[/name]. They’re both classic names that age well. I don’t necessarily get a cutesy vibe off of [name]Riley[/name], but I do think it’s very modern/trendy compared to [name]Andrew[/name] and [name]Caleb[/name].

9

I don’t like [name]Riley[/name], it seems cutsey. I think [name]Caleb[/name] is fine though. My cousin’s son is named [name]Caleb[/name]. It sounds manly to me, especially the [name]Caleb[/name] in Pretty [name]Little[/name] Liars :slight_smile:

10

I think [name]Caleb[/name] goes great w/ [name]Olivia[/name], and again, not cutesy to me. I also like the nn [name]Cal[/name].

11

[name]Andrew[/name] is a very sweet choice! And as you say there is lots of nn potential. While I don’t find [name]Caleb[/name] ‘cutesy’ I don’t like the name at all (it just has never sat well with me; no idea why). [name]Riley[/name] feels to trendy to me. While your daughter’s name is also popular it also feels very classic, so I think it would be mismatched with [name]Riley[/name] (if that matters to you at all). Other names to consider might be [name]William[/name] (nn [name]Will[/name] or [name]Liam[/name]), [name]Benjamin[/name], [name]Edward[/name] (nn [name]Ned[/name] or [name]Eddie[/name]), [name]Nathaniel[/name], [name]Nicholas[/name], [name]Anthony[/name], [name]James[/name], [name]Theodore[/name], [name]Daniel[/name], [name]Philip[/name], or [name]David[/name]. Good luck!

12

If [name]Caleb[/name] is too “cutesy” for you, what about [name]Callum[/name]? And if [name]Andrew[/name] is too “boring” for your husband, what about [name]Archer[/name]? [name]Anthony[/name]? [name]Austin[/name]?

Other suggestions (a mix of classic and modern “manly” choices, in my opinion anyway):
[name]Timothy[/name]
[name]Ian[/name]
[name]Liam[/name]
[name]Miles[/name]
[name]Spencer[/name]
[name]Cade[/name]
[name]Carson[/name]
[name]David[/name]
[name]Michael[/name]
[name]Holden[/name]
[name]Joshua[/name]
[name]Finn[/name]/[name]Flynn[/name]
[name]Parker[/name]

13

I think [name]Caleb[/name] ages just fine. [name]Andrew[/name] is also a nice name, and [name]Drew[/name] is a great nn for when he’s younger. I’ve never met an adult [name]Riley[/name] & I often encounter more little girls with it than boys these days. I don’t think [name]Riley[/name] complements [name]Olivia[/name] as a sibset either.

Another name that would go great with [name]Olivia[/name] is [name]William[/name], with [name]Will[/name] or [name]Liam[/name] as a nn. And those are nns that can be used when he’s all grown up too!

:slight_smile: [name]Cris[/name]

14

I like both [name]Caleb[/name] and [name]Andrew[/name]. Over the last few years, however, my enthusiasm for [name]Andrew[/name] has waned a bit, while my liking for [name]Caleb[/name] has increased. I’ve known a [name]Caleb[/name] since he was a toddler, who is now in his early 20s. He is a fine, manly, and very handsome young man. It has aged perfectly on him. I have two relatives named [name]Andrew[/name]: [name]One[/name] is in his 40s, and the other is about age 10. It’s another name that ages perfectly, imo. On the other hand, I have a hard time picturing an older man named [name]Riley[/name].

15

I really like [name]Andrew[/name] with the nn [name]Andy[/name]. I think it’s a name that grows well with a child. I also think [name]Caleb[/name] can suit an adult and think it’s a good fit with [name]Olivia[/name].

I do, however, think [name]Riley[/name] won’t age well. I have trouble picturing an adult [name]Riley[/name].