At this point, we’re still just struggling to find the right name combination. We like traditional middle names like [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], etc. and our last name is pronounced “[name_u]Ray[/name_u]”. Any thoughts/ideas are welcome!!
All those names are great but one thing I will point out is that [name_u]Brett[/name_u] [name_u]Ray[/name_u] doesn’t quite sound right, the names run together and almost sound like one word
[name_m]Dominic[/name_m] [name_u]Ray[/name_u] and [name_m]Declan[/name_m] [name_u]Ray[/name_u] both sounds really good. I’m not so sure about the flow with the other first names.
[name_f]One[/name_f]-syllable names and names ending in “r” aren’t ideal with the surname “[name_u]Ray[/name_u]” so I would eliminate [name_u]Brett[/name_u], [name_m]Eric[/name_m] and [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u]. [name_m]Dominic[/name_m] and [name_m]Declan[/name_m] are still left standing. Personally, I like the strong and masculine [name_m]Dominic[/name_m] the best. [name_m]Declan[/name_m] has become yet another trendy Irish name which has had its spelling butchered by parents for both genders (eg. Deklan, Decklyn, Declin etc…). Nothing turns me off more than having a traditional [name_m]MALE[/name_m] saint name changed to suit the “yooneek” quality so many modern parents are looking for in a name. There, my rant is over!
Also like [name_m]Declan[/name_m] and [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u], but not quite as much. [name_m]Eric[/name_m] and [name_u]Brett[/name_u] both feel super dated.
I like [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]Eric[/name_m] [name_m]William[/name_m] the best, next choice would be [name_m]Declan[/name_m] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]. All strong, handsome names! [name_m]Eric[/name_m] is a little more traditional while [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] and [name_m]Declan[/name_m] have some modern edge.
[name_m]Dominic[/name_m] and [name_m]Declan[/name_m] sound best with your one-syllable R surname. Traditional middles almost always go with anything, just watch out for those ending in R, like [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], because with your surname it could sound like Alexandray.
[name_m]Dominic[/name_m] is definitely my favorite; masculine and classic, yet not overused either.
My order of preference:
1.[name_m]Eric[/name_m] [name_u]Sullivan[/name_u]
2.[name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] [name_m]Michael[/name_m]/[name_m]Matthew[/name_m]
3.[name_u]Brett[/name_u] [name_m]Arthur[/name_m]
4. [name_m]Dominic[/name_m] [name_m]Charles[/name_m]
5. [name_m]Declan[/name_m]
I would NEVER in a million years use [name_m]Declan[/name_m]. I do not understand the popularity at all. It looks like [name_f]Dee[/name_f]-Klan, which makes me and several of my friends think Wu Tang Clan.
I think [name_m]Dominic[/name_m] and [name_m]Declan[/name_m] sound best with [name_u]Ray[/name_u]. The others are too short, or R heavy, which makes them a little odd to pronounce.
I really like the name [name_m]Dominic[/name_m] so I prefer it over [name_m]Declan[/name_m].
