Down to the wire and need some honest opinions!

My husband and I are expecting our first child in 2 weeks and I don’t have any names really “speaking” to me… Would love some honest feedback on our list…new suggestions are also welcome! Only one request - We’d been living for some time in [name]Ireland[/name], which is where we decided to start our family, so we’d like an Irish element in the name. Last name is McFadden.

Our current short list:
[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name]
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name]
[name]Reid[/name] [name]Lochlainn[/name]
[name]Levi[/name] [name]Darragh[/name]
[name]Darragh[/name] [name]Gray[/name]

Some other names that made the short list:
[name]Cyrus[/name] - family name
[name]Ailin[/name] (Irish spelling of [name]Alan[/name]) - family name
[name]August[/name] - family name
[name]Asa[/name] - family name
[name]Cian[/name] - another Irish name we like

[name]Hi[/name]! :slight_smile:

[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name]: I really love [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name], but because [name]Ronan[/name] and McFadden (I love your last name!) have the same N ending, I like some of the other combos more. Wait…Now that I think about it, because your last name is long, the Ns in [name]Ronan[/name] McFadden aren’t as noticeable to me as they would be with a shorter last name ending in N. Hmm…If the Ns aren’t an issue for you, I think that [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] is seriously amazing!

[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name]: I [name]LOVE[/name] this! [name]LOVE[/name]!

[name]Reid[/name] [name]Lochlainn[/name]: I think both names are great, but I love [name]Elliot[/name] more with McFadden because I hear a lot of D with [name]Reid[/name] McFadden, and there’s the N ending with [name]Lochlainn[/name].

[name]Levi[/name] [name]Darragh[/name]: I love [name]Elliot[/name] McFadden more than I do [name]Levi[/name] McFadden. (I think think [name]Levi[/name] is handsome, but I like the other names more.)

[name]Darragh[/name] [name]Gray[/name]: I’m still loving [name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name]… :slight_smile:

Some other names that made the short list:
[name]Cyrus[/name]: I think it’s a really cool name…

[name]Ailin[/name] (Irish spelling of [name]Alan[/name]): I think it’s a nice name…

[name]August[/name]: Oh my gosh! This is a family name? I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]August[/name]!

[name]Asa[/name]: I think it’s a nice name, but I like the others more.

[name]Cian[/name] - another Irish name we like: I think it’s handsome…

Great list! :slight_smile:

Some more names you may like:

[name]Arthur[/name]
[name]Beckett[/name] (lots of K sound with your last name, but I still think it works)
[name]Bennett[/name]
[name]Charles[/name]
[name]Cashel[/name]
[name]Dashiell[/name]
[name]Dexter[/name]
[name]Daniel[/name] (popular though…)
[name]Elias[/name]
[name]Eli[/name] (close to [name]Levi[/name])
[name]Ellis[/name]
[name]Gabriel[/name]
[name]Grady[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]James[/name]
[name]Leo[/name]
[name]Lionel[/name]
[name]Miles[/name]
[name]Milo[/name] (Only if you’re an alliteration fan) :slight_smile:
[name]Oliver[/name] (then again, the V sound and your last name’s F sound kind of compete with each other to me…That may just be me, though…) :slight_smile:
[name]Pierce[/name]
[name]Rhys[/name]
[name]Silas[/name] (reminds me of [name]Cyrus[/name]’ sound…)
[name]Theodore[/name]/[name]Theo[/name]
[name]Tate[/name]

If the V/F sounds don’t bother you, you may also like [name]Everett[/name].

I accidentally combined the various styles in one list because I’m half asleep, so I’m sorry about that!

There are a lot of posters who are Irish name geniuses (punkprincess PhD comes to mind…I think that’s the right name), and I can’t wait to see their suggestions!

Take care! :slight_smile:

I like [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] the most from the choices you on your short list. This is a great combination and would work with McFadden just fine. You may also consider [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] McFadden…one less “n” to contend with :slight_smile:
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Reid[/name] McFadden, [name]Cian[/name] [name]Gray[/name] McFadden or [name]Cian[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] McFadden could work nicely too.

Some other Irish names…
[name]Logan[/name]
[name]Seamus[/name]
[name]Shane[/name]
[name]Rory[/name]
[name]Emmett[/name]
[name]Eamon[/name]
[name]Bran[/name]
[name]Ennis[/name]
[name]Niall[/name]
[name]Owen[/name]
…Good luck!

CURRENT LIST:

[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] - I like [name]Ronan[/name], especially with McFadden - it is strong, handsome, and interesting. That being said, [name]Gray[/name] seems a tad bit feminine, and I don’t think it adds to the luster of the name.

Suggestions: [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Brady[/name] McFadden, [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Garvey[/name] McFadden, [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Michael[/name] McFadden ([name]LOVE[/name]!), [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Reilly[/name] McFadden

[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] - Though [name]Darragh[/name] has a feminine sound to me, [name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] has a melodic sound that is pleasing with your last name. I’m usually not an [name]Elliot[/name] fan, but it works here…

[name]Reid[/name] [name]Lochlainn[/name] - [name]Reid[/name] McFadden isn’t ideal for me. Is [name]Lochlainn[/name] like [name]Lachlan[/name]? I just can’t get over that spelling, to be honest. I know I’m not Irish, so I don’t “get” it, but it looks like a whole bunch of extra letters to me. [name]Lochlainn[/name] [name]Reid[/name] McFadden works better in my opinion.

[name]Levi[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] - [name]Just[/name] not on board with [name]Levi[/name] right now. It seems childish in comparison to some of your other names, and it is totally out of place next to [name]Darragh[/name].

Suggestion - [name]Lorcan[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] McFadden

[name]Darragh[/name] [name]Gray[/name] - This looks like [name]Dara[/name] [name]Gray[/name] to me, and it sounds like a girl name. This is my least favorite, by far.

OTHERS:

[name]Cyrus[/name] - [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Cyrus[/name] McFadden is nice.

[name]Ailin[/name] - Looks like a trendy girl name, though I see the significance. What about Cargan, an Irish name that has the same meaning - little rock - as [name]Alan[/name]? [name]Elliot[/name] Cargan McFadden or Cargan [name]Cyrus[/name] McFadden are handsome!

[name]August[/name] - Not on board with this one.

[name]Asa[/name] - Looks feminine, so I’d say no…

[name]Cian[/name] - I have a friend who loves [name]Kian[/name] (she says it KEY-in), but I here [name]Cian[/name] is more like “Sharn”? It’s spelling makes me think of cayenne pepper, and, if the above is its correct pronunciation, then it makes me think of an old Southerner saying [name]Sean[/name] ([name]Shawn[/name]).

Our current short list:
[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] - love, also love the meaning “little seal”. But it is very “n” heavy with your last name.
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] - handsome
[name]Reid[/name] [name]Lochlainn[/name] love
[name]Levi[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] - I am not a huge fan of [name]Levi[/name], but many Nameberryites love it, so it must be very handsome. Makes me think of pants.
[name]Darragh[/name] [name]Gray[/name]

Some other names that made the short list:
[name]Cyrus[/name] - family name - love
[name]Ailin[/name] (Irish spelling of [name]Alan[/name]) - family name - [name]How[/name] do you pronounce it? I love [name]Allan[/name] (he spells it that way) because of my Uncle [name]Allan[/name].
[name]August[/name] - family name - lucky you! [name]Love[/name] it so much.
[name]Asa[/name] - family name - so cute
[name]Cian[/name] - another Irish name we like[/quote]

I recently went through the same process - for the same reasons! - in naming my 2 1/2 month-old daughter. We went with [name]Sorcha[/name] [name]Verity[/name], to reflect my time in [name]Ireland[/name] (and my phd specialism) and a meaning that was significant to my husband.

I really like your choices - especially [name]Ronan[/name], which is on our future boys’ list. It is a bit sing-songy with McFadden, but in my experience that’s pretty much standard with Irish names! It made me think a bit of [name]Bryan[/name] McFadden (sigh…yes, westlife. guilty), so I think the “n” ending isn’t a hindrance to fame an fortune ;p

Other suggestions:
For [name]Darragh[/name] - [name]Daire[/name]. A little more streamlined, pronounced more like “[name]Day[/name]-reh” than “Darr-a”

For [name]Ailin[/name] - Ailill. pronounced “ALL-yil”, has a great mythological connection, and is a bit more distinctive way of honouring an [name]Ailin[/name] or [name]Alan[/name].

For [name]Lochlainn[/name] - [name]Lorcan[/name]. [name]Lochlainn[/name] and it variant spellings is super trendy in Australia apparently. [name]Lorcan[/name] seems a little more off-the-beaten-track, though I really like both.

In the same sort of vein as [name]Ronan[/name] - [name]Odhran[/name] or [name]Oran[/name], a little otter instead of a little seal?

For [name]Cian[/name] (which I’ve only ever heard as “Key-in”), the diminutive Cianan is starting to gain a bit of ground in NA, where you could switch things up and use [name]Cian[/name] as the nickname.

Good luck with finding the perfect name!

[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] – my favorite
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] – my second favorite
[name]Reid[/name] [name]Lochlainn[/name] – #3 for me

Also, I like –
[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Elliot[/name]
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Reid[/name]

[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] - great name! I think it has a great flow and look to it :slight_smile:
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] - [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Elliot[/name]
[name]Reid[/name] [name]Lochlainn[/name] - This is my favourite! [name]LOVE[/name] both names and [name]LOVE[/name] the combo :slight_smile:
[name]Levi[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] - cute but I like the others more
[name]Darragh[/name] [name]Gray[/name] - no, just doesn’t appeal to me

Our current short list:
[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] A great combo and I don’t even like [name]Gray[/name].
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] Handsome
[name]Reid[/name] [name]Lochlainn[/name] [name]Love[/name] [name]Reid[/name] and [name]Lachlan[/name] but the flow is off with surname
[name]Levi[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] No
[name]Darragh[/name] [name]Gray[/name] Very nice

More

[name]Darragh[/name] [name]Finlay[/name]
[name]Reagan[/name] [name]Elliot[/name]
[name]Bevan[/name] [name]Douglas[/name]
[name]Ronan[/name] [name]William[/name]
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Griffith[/name]
[name]Everett[/name] [name]Llewellyn[/name]
[name]Denholm[/name] [name]Marcus[/name]
[name]Vaughan[/name] [name]Elliot[/name]

Oh, my god, [name]Levi[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] McFadden is so. darn. handsome. Definitely first choice.

[name]Darragh[/name] [name]Gray[/name] is very nice too. :slight_smile:

Thanks everyone for the great feedback! I think we have narrowed it down to:

[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] and
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] or
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Daire[/name] (more traditional spelling as punkprincessphd mentioned)

I did love the suggestions of [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Michael[/name]/[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Cyrus[/name]… and [name]Henry[/name] [name]Daire[/name] slipped into the list for a few days too. They may still be in play depending on how my moods progress here!

We may have to make the final decision in the hospital! Very tough.

Thanks again everyone, and happy naming…

[name]August[/name] is also a family name in my family. [name]August[/name] [name]Grayson[/name] McFadden totally isn’t Irish, but I like it. Consider these:

[name]Alasdair[/name]/[name]Alastair[/name]
[name]Cavanaugh[/name] ([name]Kevin[/name]) - reminds me of chocolate
[name]Connelly[/name]
[name]Keane[/name]
[name]Farrell[/name] (Feryle) - this one is in my Irish genealogy (1851!)
[name]Donnelly[/name]
[name]Orion[/name] - a cheat on O’[name]Ryan[/name]

It’s too bad that [name]Aidan[/name], [name]Declan[/name], [name]Kienan[/name], [name]Dillon[/name], [name]Lochlan[/name] and [name]Donovan[/name] don’t go with McFadden! You’re missing out on some good names.

BTW… I liked [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] best.

[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name] - absolutely love!
[name]Elliot[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] - very handsome
[name]Reid[/name] [name]Lochlainn[/name] - love it
[name]Levi[/name] [name]Darragh[/name] - not a fan of [name]Levi[/name]
[name]Darragh[/name] [name]Gray[/name] - nice
My favorite is [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Gray[/name]
I also like [name]Cian[/name] [name]August[/name]!

[name]Hi[/name] everyone! [name]Just[/name] one final update… our little son arrived about a month ago and we named him [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Alexander[/name]. (at the last minute we decided on a family name for the middle)

In any case, we are loving the name [name]Ronan[/name] and it fits him to a tee. He arrived screaming mad and some of my other favorites didn’t seem quite strong enough for his personality. So [name]Ronan[/name] he was!

Thanks to everyone for your excellent feedback - you’re all a huge wealth of knowledge and great help on this subject!

[name]Happy[/name] [name]Spring[/name]…

Congratulations I love his name! [name]Ronan[/name] is such a good name , not too out there and it sounds so nice it is definitely a handsome name and the forever gorgeous [name]Alexander[/name] is a winner! A beautiful name all round.

congrats you picked the perfect name!

I love [name]August[/name]. [name]August[/name] [name]Ronan[/name] or [name]August[/name] [name]Lochlainn[/name] sound really superior.