Dylan? Or other alternatives? Pls help, thank you!

Boy Names
1

We’ve been agonizing over a boy’s name. Spouse likes Dylan. It fits my overall criteria but wasn’t what I was expecting. Is Dylan a good name?

Concerns: Always sounds “young” and won’t age well? Does it sound dated? (I’m tuned into the popularity stats over time playing into these two questions - didn’t get much use til 1960s and got popular in 90s, though has stayed popular - still feels 90s perhaps?) All in all, is it something he’ll be proud of?

We want something with a good meaning (check, and meaningful for us). Something easy, confident, casual, attractive. Don’t care about popularity, whether it’s top or super out there. Want to avoid something will sound dated in the future (ex. tomorrow’s Gary). We like nature names but not trying for something country (ex Hunter, Tanner, Wyatt). Preference to avoid Biblical but not necessarily a dealbreaker. Overall vibe if I had my pick would be kind adventurous smart sunshine surf boy. :slight_smile:

Names I like but aren’t “the one” for various reasons are Anderson, Ellis, Elio, Finn, Kian, Koa, Leo, Luca, Reed, Rowan, Quinn, West. Alternatives we could use that we’ve been discussing are Owen, River, Sam (Samuel), Wes (Wesley), Miles, Jesse, Kian, Sebastian, Hugo

Feel like I’ve considered every name in existence and nothing feels like the one…

Is Dylan good? Are our alternatives better?

1 Like
3

I like [name_u]Dylan[/name_u], and I think it ages well!

4

It’s a hard question to answer! Overall, I think Dylan is perfectly fine. It’s not a name someone would dislike having. Can I imagine a grandpa Dylan? I struggle a little bit, but when all the Dylans of the 90’s are in their old age it won’t seem so weird. Dylan does sound a bit late 90s/2000s to me, but not overwhelmingly so. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to hear of a baby Dylan in 2022!

I will say, at least among people my age, Dylan has a bit of a player, wannabe cool guy image? I’ve seen the name brought up when people were talking about stereotypical frat guy names. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but it’s something to keep in mind.

From your list of alternatives, Samuel “Sam”, Kian, Jesse, Miles, and Wesley “Wes” definitely have that cool, happy surfer image to me! Maybe you’d also like Archie, August, Beau, Bennett, Benji (Benjamin?), Cove, Cal, Cy/Cyrus, Callum/Callan/Calvin, Duncan, Emrys, Griffin, Gus, Harris, Holden, Ira, Jude, Judah, Jem, Jasper, Kai, Kieran, Louis, Leon, Lochlan, Laurence, Mack, Milo, Niall, Nate (Nathan/Nathaniel?), Oscar, Ozzie, Orion, Otis, Otto, Percy, Phoenix, Rhys, Ren, Rory, Remy, Ralph, Reuben, Robin, Rowan, Roscoe, Rocco, River, Ronan, Raphael, Rafferty, Sal, Sullivan, Soren, Spencer, Sol, Toby, Wilder, Wren, Warren, Will, Zane?

5

I think [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] is a good name. It has a wonderful meaning and a solid sound that’s strong without being super masculine. For me, it doesn’t sound too young. I think of [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], the poet, and [name_m]Bob[/name_m] [name_u]Dylan[/name_u], so while it may not have been super popular before the 90s, it was present. It doesn’t feel as if it will sound super dated to me in the future I can see it fitting your vibe.

Of your alternatives, [name_u]Owen[/name_u], [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] and [name_u]Miles[/name_u] are good too.

[name_u]Evan[/name_u], [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] ‘Kit’, Caleb/Callum ‘Cal’ and Nathan/Nathaniel ‘Nate’ came to mind too - or, for a slightly more out there option, [name_u]Murphy[/name_u]

6

I think [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] is a fine name, and i don’t think it’s particularly dated, and my first association would be [name_m]Bob[/name_m] [name_u]Dylan[/name_u].
Of your alternatives, my favourites are [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] and [name_m]Hugo[/name_m]

some suggestions

  • elliot
  • lucas
  • milo
  • adam
  • jude
  • ronan
  • otto
  • rosco
  • sunny
  • solly
  • nick
  • griffin
7

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there.

I totally feel you about [name_u]Dylan[/name_u]. I almost love it, but sometimes it feels sort of 90s . But then if you try hard enough, you can think of [name_m]Bob[/name_m] [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] or [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]. I know nothing about [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], except that he was a famous poet in the 1930s. And that’s vintage, right? :joy:

I absolutely think that [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] is easy, confident, casual & attractive. And maybe the fact that it’s an old Welsh name helps it from becoming [name_u]Gary[/name_u]. [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] does give me a smart and surfer-y boy vibe. It’s sleek & put together, but also chill and beach-y.

Here are my thoughts on your alternatives list:

Owen-I really like [name_u]Owen[/name_u]. It feels similar to [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] in sound and Gaelic-ness, but I get a different vibe. It’s warmer and quieter. It’s gentle yet still kind of rugged outdoorsy at the same time. It’s kind of a 21st century name like [name_u]Dylan[/name_u], but I can almost see it more on an old man.

River-I like this a lot. I think that I like it more in theory than actually saying it out loud. It reminds me of [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Phoenix[/name_u], which is probably a dated reference but a good one! [name_m]Even[/name_m] if his story ended tragically…he has a badas* but in a lovable sweet way vibe. I can also see it on a little fella climbing trees and playing in a creek.

Sam(uel)-I love love [name_m]Samuel[/name_m]. It’s just way cuddly and lovable and classic but doesn’t feel dated at all. [name_u]Sam[/name_u] is kind of sporty & playful and charming.

Wes(ley)-I like it. I get the right vibe that it’s cool and confident and smart. I feel like it’s a bit too preppy for me sometimes.

Miles-I don’t mind this name, but I hear it a lot and it feels a bit trendy and uninteresting.

Jesse-I want to like it. It’s pretty cowboy-ish, which is cute, I think. I just don’t like the sound.

Kian-I like this a lot, but really need the ‘C’. [name_m]Cian[/name_m] looks much more handsome in my opinion. It will maybe get mispronounced, but worth it.

Sebastian-This is handsome. I feel like it. It feels slightly more exotic and not as easy going as the rest of your list. But it’s a great name with a lot of fun nns if you like those. I like [name_m]Satch[/name_m] best, but also Bash, [name_m]Seb[/name_m] & Sebby.

Hugo-It’s kind of fun and quirky. I can’t get into the way it looks. I think reminds me too much of the word huge.

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps. :slight_smile:

8

I think [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] is very good. It’s casual, cute, and will grow well I think. I like a lot of your secondary names as well. If you want surfer/happy/nature names, these give me that vibe:

[name_u]Kai[/name_u]
[name_u]August[/name_u]
[name_u]Bodhi[/name_u]
[name_u]Cove[/name_u]
[name_u]Luca[/name_u]
[name_u]Micah[/name_u]
[name_u]Kit[/name_u] (nn for Christopher)
[name_u]Brooks[/name_u]
[name_u]Asa[/name_u]
[name_m]Mateo[/name_m]