[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there!
We’re expecting our first boy next week and could use your help! My husband is very fond of [name_m]Frank[/name_m], but it feels like a nickname to me, rather than a proper name. [name_u]Francis[/name_u] is the obvious full name choice, but I’m not loving it. [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] is a decent alternative, but, again, being a traditionalist, I don’t love last names as first names. What are your thoughts?
Some other names on our list:
[name_m]George[/name_m]
[name_m]Walter[/name_m]
[name_m]Simon[/name_m]
[name_m]Frederick[/name_m]
[name_m]Harvey[/name_m] (a little nick-namey too)
[name_m]Hendrick[/name_m]
Any other names in this family that we’re overlooking? We prefer names in the Scandinavian-[name_m]German[/name_m] family, since that’s our family background and I think they fit best with our last name. Appreciate your help!
A traditionalist would not shy away from using surnames as first names. It’s not a new trend; surnames as first names have been a naming tradition, particularly in aristocratic families, since the [name_m]Norman[/name_m] invasion of [name_m]Britain[/name_m] in the 11th century. Additionally, I’m baffled by your choice to lump [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] into the category of “last names as first names.” I would argue that it lost its surname vibe, or whatever you want to call it, when droves of parents began to name their sons [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] in the late 1700s. [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] didn’t leave the US top 500 until 2009, and it’s currently at #443. And [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] isn’t a nickname. It’s from an old [name_m]Breton[/name_m] name.
All that said, I like the idea of something like [name_m]George[/name_m] [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] or [name_m]Walter[/name_m] [name_m]Franklin[/name_m]. [name_m]George[/name_m] and [name_m]Simon[/name_m] are my favorite names from your list.
I think [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] is an established enough name that I don’t even think of it as a surname-name.
Other suggestions are:
[name_m]Frans[/name_m]/[name_m]Franz[/name_m]
[name_m]Franco[/name_m]
[name_m]Francisco[/name_m]
[name_m]Francesco[/name_m]
These might be a bit of a stretch but could still work:
[name_m]Frasier[/name_m]
[name_m]Frederick[/name_m]
Wulfric