I am now 24 weeks along (but is that six months or five months pregnant? Dang the forty-week/nine-month discrepancy!) with our first child, a son, expected in late [name_f]September[/name_f]. We are so so happily preparing for his arrival. We have had a lot of help from y’all in response to a couple earlier posts about this little one’s name. With your help, we chopped forty-something not-quite-right names from our list, and took some excellent suggestions, so our list currently stands at eleven. We’d like to whittle away at it over the summer and go into labor with just a few names we love equally, but I’am a little worried about picking names that will only “fit” a particular idea of our baby, and what if he’s nothing like that idea when he’s born? With that in mind, we’d love your thoughts on the qualities/traits that you associate with each name, as well as the usual opinions on how things sound.
Most recently removed from list: [name_m]Emrys[/name_m], [name_m]Nels[/name_m]/[name_m]Nils[/name_m], [name_m]Quentin[/name_m], and [name_u]Reed[/name_u]/[name_u]Reid[/name_u].
We haven’t decided on a middle name yet; we’re considering [name_m]David[/name_m] after my dad and my grandfather, but we might skip the mn altogether if there is nothing that stands out, or we might choose a word name that has no family connections, especially since the babe is most likely getting both our surnames and it seems like a lot to get a FN, a MN, and LN-LN. If you think two names from our list, or one from our list and [name_m]David[/name_m], make a good FN MN pairing, let us know.
My personal favorites are [name_u]Emmett[/name_u], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], and [name_m]Simon[/name_m] (and [name_m]Emrys[/name_m] and [name_m]Quentin[/name_m]). But given your eclectic taste, I’d maybe go for something a little less mainstream.
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] and [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] have a gentle, poetic feel to me. [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] too, but spunkier. [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] and [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] feel full of energy to me.
I think the most versatile might be [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m], [name_m]Ruben[/name_m], [name_m]Conrad[/name_m], [name_u]Emmett[/name_u]. Good luck!
We have some similar styles! My son is [name_m]Konrad[/name_m] and I can’t say enough about how much we love it! We used the traditional german spelling due to family traditions, but of course it’s the same as [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] It’s an awesome name, very versatile, and we get a lot of compliments on it! I never thought I’d use a nickname for it but it sometimes gets shortened to Kon and some family members call him [name_m]Rad[/name_m] on occasion. We also considered [name_m]Oskar[/name_m] had my daughter been a girl. [name_u]Love[/name_u] it!
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] and [name_m]Jerome[/name_m] remind me of old men.
[name_m]Oskar[/name_m], [name_m]Cedric[/name_m], [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] and [name_m]Ruben[/name_m] have kind of a russian, strong man feeling to me.
[name_u]Emmett[/name_u] and [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] make me think of classy french men (which is totally weird… I have no idea how I go there…)
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] makes me think of [name_u]Dash[/name_u] from the little boy from The Incredibles. It’s modern and spunky.
[name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] and [name_m]Simon[/name_m] remind me of the bible, tho I think [name_m]Simon[/name_m] is super cute and [name_m]Zeke[/name_m] is a great nickname (Although I associate both names with animals I know… I know a kitten named [name_m]Simon[/name_m] and I big Great [name_u]Dane[/name_u] named [name_m]Zeke[/name_m])
I must preface though we have really different tastes.
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m]- I immediately think [name_f]Ambrosia[/name_f] like the nectar of the gods.
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m]- I like [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m].
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m] - Not a huge fan, but not my taste.
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]- I do like this name. Seems out of place with the rest of these (other than [name_m]Cedric[/name_m])
[name_u]Emmett[/name_u]- This is okay… I think it’s like a mixture of [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], and [name_u]Everett[/name_u]. I doubt it is I just jump to that.
[name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] - Definitely sounds Biblical to me.
[name_m]Jerome[/name_m]- I live in [name_f]Arizona[/name_f] so I think of the strange little [name_m]New[/name_m] Age town.
[name_m]Oskar[/name_m]- Not a big fan personally. [name_m]Just[/name_m] not my taste.
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m]- I know a few [name_m]Rubens[/name_m] so I don’t have a set view.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]- Very dignified feeling to me.
[name_m]Simon[/name_m]- I think Chipmunk immediately, but I grew up with them.
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m], [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] are my favorites.
I must preface though we have really different tastes.
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m]- I immediately think [name_f]Ambrosia[/name_f] like the nectar of the gods.
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m]- I like [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m].
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m] - Not a huge fan, but not my taste.
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]- I do like this name. Seems out of place with the rest of these (other than [name_m]Cedric[/name_m])
[name_u]Emmett[/name_u]- This is okay… I think it’s like a mixture of [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], and [name_u]Everett[/name_u]. I doubt it is I just jump to that.
[name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] - Definitely sounds Biblical to me.
[name_m]Jerome[/name_m]- I live in [name_f]Arizona[/name_f] so I think of the strange little [name_m]New[/name_m] Age town.
[name_m]Oskar[/name_m]- Not a big fan personally. [name_m]Just[/name_m] not my taste.
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m]- I know a few [name_m]Rubens[/name_m] so I don’t have a set view.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]- Very dignified feeling to me.
[name_m]Simon[/name_m]- I think Chipmunk immediately, but I grew up with them.
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m], [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] are my favorites.
My favorites are [name_m]Conrad[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_m]Oskar[/name_m], & [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]. I think [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m], [name_u]Emmett[/name_u], [name_m]Simon[/name_m], & [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] are nice too. [name_u]Reed[/name_u] would make a nice middle name since it’s short and you’re worried about his name being too long. Not a huge fan of the rest.
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m]- seems a bit pretentious to me, makes me think of a boy who goes to prep school
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m]- unique, strong (makes my husband think of [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] the Entertainer)
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m] - handsome, strong, outdoorsy, smart
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]- like the nn [name_u]Dash[/name_u], preppy
[name_u]Emmett[/name_u]- handsome, fits in but stands out
[name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m]- [name_m]Zeke[/name_m] is cool, [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] is a little bit nerdy–chic
[name_m]Jerome[/name_m]- always liked this, handsome, could be a lawyer, football player- very versatile
[name_m]Oskar[/name_m]- hipster, I like it! Cool & a big personality
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m]- unique, rough & tumble
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]- not a fan, too pretentious
[name_m]Simon[/name_m]- versatile, could fit any personality, smart
I’ll rank them in order of favourite to least favourite, and comment on each.
I like these:
[name_m]Oskar[/name_m]: there is no end to [name_m]Oskar[/name_m]'s awesomeness. I love both this spelling and the more common [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] spelling, but the “k” seems to have a little bit more panache to me - it’s more rugged and dynamic. I’d use this name in a flash if it weren’t so popular where I live, but if that’s not a problem for you then I think it’s a great choice which would suit a boy/man for a lifetime. If you’re the nicknaming type, [name_m]Oz[/name_m]/[name_m]Ozzy[/name_m] are uber-cool, though of course [name_m]Oskar[/name_m] is certainly short and punchy enough to go without a nickname.
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]: I get a similar impression from this name as from [name_m]Oskar[/name_m] - very cool, masculine, dynamic. I’m a nicknamer and I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_u]Dash[/name_u], but if you don’t like nicknames I think it might be slightly harder to avoid here than with [name_m]Oskar[/name_m]. [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] strikes me as a very cool choice, perhaps even a little bit hipster (nothing wrong with that!) I love it, but I expect it will divide the crowd a little more than some of your other choices.
[name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m]: a great, underused Biblical name, again with an amazingly cool and punchy nickname ready-made ([name_m]Zeke[/name_m]). It’s a bit more elaborate than many of your other choices but I think its spiky “z” still makes it feel bold and spunky.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]: lovely, soft, sophisticated, classic name with plenty of cool nickname options: [name_m]Seb[/name_m], [name_m]Bas[/name_m], Bash, [name_m]Bastian[/name_m]…
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m]: another very cool, dashing choice, and unbelievably underused!
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m]: I like this spelling more than the more common [name_m]Reuben[/name_m], even though I’m usually a stickler for the most straightforward spelling. I think this name looks and sounds warm, clean and appealing, and I can see it working on all ages. DH actually has a brother called [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] (he’s 16) and it’s a great name!
I’m not so keen on these:
[name_m]Jerome[/name_m]: the sound is nice in theory, but I can’t shake the idea that this is a middle-aged to old man’s name only. I just cannot picture this on a child, nor can I think of a sensible nickname that could make it work. I’m sure if I met a young [name_m]Jerome[/name_m] my mind could be changed, but it just doesn’t work in my head.
[name_u]Emmett[/name_u]: this strikes me as a pretty trendy choice right now, and I’m just not a fan of the way any of these -ett/-ott/-att names for boys sound. The Twilight connection isn’t a huge deal to me but I see it mentioned quite a lot with regard to names from the franchise so it does look like it’s still something that occurs to other people.
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m]: ditto [name_m]Jerome[/name_m] and [name_m]Simon[/name_m].
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m]: ditto the above, plus the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] thing bothers me. I know he was a good guy, but the inevitable frequent comments about it would bother me. I also think the sound of this one is quite weak and hissy.
Thanks, everybody, for your thoughts. @katinka brings up a good point about nickname potential.
What do y’all think of these possible nicknames? Do they work? Do they make you like the name more or less?
Ambrose: Abe (a bit of a stretch)
Cedric: Cid (prn Sid)
Jerome: Jem (a big part of why we like the full name; we would almost exclusively call him Jem); Remy (another stretch, as it derives from a variation on Jerome)
Oskar: Ossie, Oz, Orly or Olly (baby’s initials with last names will be O.R.L. or O.L.R.)
Ruben: Ruby, Ben, Benny, Benno
Sebastian: Bash
Simon: Si
We are less fond of Emmett as the days go by. It is a little too plain-sounding for us.
P.S. Had this baby been a girl, she would have been Frida; we’re hoping to use that for a daughter in the future, so if anyone has thoughts on a Frida and _____ sibset, we’re considering that as well.
I think all those names are great and that your son would make any of them his own but since you asked, these are the types of people that come to mind when I hear them:
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] - I have never heard this name before. It’s very intriguing and almost magical.
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m] - is old and wise before his time making him mysterious and charming.
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m] - is inquisitive and polite. He loves school and playing outside with his friends.
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] - is generous, energetic and brings joy to those around him. He’s slightly mischievous at times but can’t keep anything hidden. He wears it all on his sleeve.
[name_u]Emmet[/name_u] - is handsome and loving. He listens intently and considers things carefully before he speaks. People gravitate towards him.
[name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] - is the class clown and get’s along with everyone. He’s always keen to get everyone together for a good time and isn’t into leaving anyone out - the more the merrier!
[name_m]Jerome[/name_m] - is an amazing singer and instrumentalist. He is an optimist and just a generally happy-go-lucky kind of guy.
[name_m]Oskar[/name_m] - is intelligent, conscientious and sensitive. A very loyal friend.
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m] - is an artist. He is very creative and passionate about the rights of others.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] - is a good leader. He is confident and witty.
[name_m]Simon[/name_m] - is shy and caring. He has a small number of very close friends. He has a great smile.
My favourites from your list are [name_m]Cedric[/name_m], [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] and [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] (my #1).
I think [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] works as a combo.
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I don’t like the DD.
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I don’t like the way in which the two Ds in the middle become one when saying the names together (picky, I know).
I think [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] goes with [name_m]David[/name_m] the best.
If you are wanting to honour a [name_m]David[/name_m] you could always look at variations of [name_m]David[/name_m] to give your little boy his own twist on the name whilst still honouring your father and grandfather.
My favorites are [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] ([name_u]Love[/name_u] this!), [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] and [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m].
Neutral on [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] (I always think of someone saying comrade), [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] (sounds so different than the other names on your list in a less interesting way) and [name_m]Simon[/name_m].
Would remove [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m], [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m], [name_m]Jerome[/name_m], [name_m]Oskar[/name_m] and [name_m]Ruben[/name_m].
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] is a lovely name.
I really like [name_f]Frida[/name_f] with [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m], [name_m]Oskar[/name_m], and [name_m]Ruben[/name_m]!
I think all of the nicknames you’ve listed work just fine. I actually prefer nicknames that are a bit of a stretch - [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] nn [name_m]Dan[/name_m] is boring to me! I think for [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] you could also use [name_m]Bram[/name_m], [name_u]Bo[/name_u], or even [name_f]Roe[/name_f].
I love the nicknames [name_u]Jem[/name_u] and [name_u]Remy[/name_u] but I just don’t like [name_m]Jerome[/name_m].
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m] makes me think of [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] the Entertainer. I actually really like [name_m]Sid[/name_m], not sure what else you could get that from.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] and [name_m]Simon[/name_m] are both great options as well. However, I don’t really love either of them with [name_f]Frida[/name_f].
My favourites are [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] and [name_m]Ruben[/name_m], although [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] is so unique and the nickname possibilities are lovely - [name_m]Abe[/name_m] and [name_f]Roe[/name_f] in particular. I think [name_m]Ruben[/name_m] goes better with [name_f]Frida[/name_f] though.
I absolutely love the nickname [name_u]Jem[/name_u], although not so much [name_m]Jerome[/name_m]. [name_u]James[/name_u] is a lovely name for the nickname [name_u]Jem[/name_u] and part of the reason I love the name [name_u]James[/name_u] is purely for this nickname. [name_m]Just[/name_m] a suggestion:)
I like (In order of most to least):
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I like this combo. It sounds fresh but has some character about it. [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] seems light and then [name_m]David[/name_m] brings in some sturdy-ness.
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I am starting to be okay with alliteration. I like the kind of flowy/airy feel of [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] then [name_m]David[/name_m] grounds it a bit.
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I prefer the ‘[name_m]Rueben[/name_m]’ spelling but I do like this name. I think it has a great flow.
[name_m]Jerome[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I love J names with MN starting with C or D. I rarely hear [name_m]Jerome[/name_m] and the Nickname [name_f]Ro[/name_f] or [name_m]Rome[/name_m] are pretty cool.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I love [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] NN [name_u]Ash[/name_u]. I think the flow is great.
[name_m]Oskar[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I love this name! I prefer [name_m]Oskar[/name_m] with a ‘k’ instead of the ‘c’.
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - Although I love [name_m]Conrad[/name_m], I dislike ending and then beginning with the same letters. It maybe to ‘D’ heavy?
I dislike (in order of least to most):
[name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - Same as [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] (first reason).
[name_u]Emmett[/name_u] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I dislike the initials ‘E.D’. Also I feel there is too many repeating letters ([name_f]IMO[/name_f]).
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I find [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] a bit dated but not as much as [name_m]Simon[/name_m].
[name_m]Simon[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] - I find this name dated.
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] - Something about this always sounds pompous and annoying to me…
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m] - Ditto above…
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m] - I have never warmed to this…
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] - I find this an odd one, not my personal taste, but I can’t pin down why I don’t like it either… I think I find it a bit clunky to look at/pronouce…
[name_u]Emmett[/name_u] - [name_u]Love[/name_u]!
[name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] - Not my thing, but I can agree that [name_m]Zeke[/name_m] is a bit cute…
[name_m]Jerome[/name_m] - I perfer good, old [name_m]Jeremy[/name_m]…
[name_m]Oskar[/name_m] - I quiet like [name_m]Oskar[/name_m], although I prerfer the original spelling… quiet charming in its own way…
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m] - I really like [name_m]Rueben[/name_m]… sophisticated, polished, but sweet on a little boy…
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] - [name_u]Love[/name_u]!
[name_m]Simon[/name_m] - Hmmm, could take it or leave it… some times I love it, other times not… It has it’s own simple charm…
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m]: [name_m]Abe[/name_m] (a bit of a stretch) … Cute!!
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m]: Cid (prn [name_m]Sid[/name_m]) … Works, but I don’t find it overly flattering…
[name_m]Jerome[/name_m]: [name_u]Jem[/name_u], [name_u]Remy[/name_u] … Definitely [name_u]Remy[/name_u], or maybe [name_f]Ro[/name_f]…
[name_m]Oskar[/name_m]: [name_m]Ossie[/name_m], [name_m]Oz[/name_m], [name_f]Orly[/name_f] or [name_u]Olly[/name_u] … I think [name_m]Oz[/name_m] is best…
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m]: [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], [name_m]Ben[/name_m], [name_m]Benny[/name_m], [name_m]Benno[/name_m] …I like Ru (or [name_u]Rue[/name_u])…
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]: Bash … I think [name_m]Seb[/name_m] or [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] is best… “Bash” is a bit harsh…
[name_m]Simon[/name_m]: [name_u]Si[/name_u] … I don’t think this works overly well. [name_m]Simon[/name_m] doesn’t really lend itself to a NN…
In terms of a possible future sibset, I think [name_f]Frida[/name_f] and Ruben is positively adorable!! My second pick would be [name_f]Frida[/name_f] and [name_m]Oskar[/name_m].
It’s an awesome name, very versatile, and we get a lot of compliments on it! I never thought I’d use a nickname for it but it sometimes gets shortened to Kon and some family members call him [name_m]Rad[/name_m] on occasion. We also considered [name_m]Oskar[/name_m] had my daughter been a girl. [name_u]Love[/name_u] it!