This is my first post and as an English teacher, I tend to “overwrite”…be gentle
DH and I are expecting our first baby after three years of TTC. Baby Boy will be here in the spring, and we’re going back and forth trying to decide on his name. We live in the South, and my mother is chomping at the bit to monogram anything she can get her hands on. Bless her heart.
Our first choice is one that we really love, but we both work in education and just wonder if we’re sentencing Baby Boy to a lifetime of teasing. Whether we use it for a first or middle name, we would really like to call our son Speer. A little background for you–this is a family name on DH’s side that we can trace back to the late 1600’s in America. We have the deed to the first piece of land his family bought in 1692. DH is very connected to his family history and the land we will eventually own. Here’s kind of the kicker: There are no boys in the family now to carry on the name, and we would love to keep it going. Does it sound too “out there” to you? Other names we’ve been kicking around, some family and some not, to pair with it either as first or middle names are Callan, Edward, McNair, McGregor, Ranon (pronounced Rannon), Walker, and Walter. I’m of Scottish descent and DH is Irish, so we’re into names with that flavor but that aren’t too popular. What combinations do you like?
To add to our dilemma, as I previously said, we both work in schools and have a lot of former and current students that we associate with particular names. We are probably more aware of name trends because of what we do for a living and want to avoid something too popular.
Well welcome to NB and congrats on your first post.
I think it’s awesome that you want to honor your husbands family history and yours with the name you are giving your long awaited child.
I think Speer is fun though I would probably use it as a mn and nn instead of as a first. Though it depends a bit on your last name. If you have a last name like Michaels I’d find Speer Michaels interesting if you have a last name like McCain I’d find Speer McCain a bit much. Equally I would probably avoid a fn or mn that is another ln.
I really like the idea of something like [name_m]Callan[/name_m] Speer, [name_m]Edward[/name_m] Speer or [name_m]Walter[/name_m] Speer. Otherwise i also really like [name_m]Alastair[/name_m], [name_u]Aidan[/name_u], [name_u]Bran[/name_u], [name_m]Bruce[/name_m], [name_m]Callum[/name_m], [name_m]Colin[/name_m], [name_m]Eoin[/name_m], [name_m]Ewan[/name_m], [name_m]Garvan[/name_m], [name_m]Gavin[/name_m]/[name_m]Gawain[/name_m], [name_m]Killian[/name_m], [name_m]Orrin[/name_m], & [name_u]Wallace[/name_u].
Hmm. I think it could work. I’m in [name_f]Alabama[/name_f], so I’m used to hearing slightly odd family names as first names. I’ve met a [name_m]Crew[/name_m], a [name_m]Butler[/name_m], a Camp… Speer doesn’t feel out of place to me at all. I like:
[name_m]Edward[/name_m] Speer – and call him Speer? I think this is quite handsome.
Speer [name_m]McGregor[/name_m]
[name_m]Walter[/name_m] Speer – ditto [name_m]Edward[/name_m], although I prefer [name_m]Edward[/name_m] Speer over [name_m]Walter[/name_m] Speer
Hmm… I’m not sure how if would go over as a first name. It does sound very strong and masculine and he definitely would not have to worry about have six kids in his class having the same name. Unusual names like that make great middle names, though. [name_m]Callan[/name_m] Speer is my favorite combination. [name_m]Callan[/name_m] is not all that popular in the US, and it’s still masculine and easy to pronounce. Congrats on your first child and good luck!
