We are going back and forth between [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] and [name_u]Francis[/name_u] for our new son’s first name.
Background info: first son’s name is [name_u]Shaw[/name_u] which is my maiden. Both boys are adopted from [name_f]China[/name_f], and we’ve kept their Chinese names as middles. (The babies were both abandoned so we don’t know their original family names, but we will keep the names given to them by the orphanage so that they have some connection to their birth culture, and in case they choose to go by their Chinese names later in life…)
Obviously [name_u]Shaw[/name_u]'s name is very important to our family. For #2, we wanted to honor my husband’s side of the family. My husband’s father’s middle name is [name_m]Franklin[/name_m]. It’s also his maternal grandfather’s middle. My husband’s grandmother (and favorite person in the world) was [name_f]Frances[/name_f]. [name_u]Francis[/name_u] is also the middle name of my maternal grandfather (and one of my favorite people in the world). SO, bottom line is, these names are both very meaningful to us. This is probably waaaaay too much information. Anyway…
Either way, we’ll call him [name_u]Frankie[/name_u]/[name_m]Frank[/name_m].
I’m leaning towards [name_u]Francis[/name_u]-- I love it a lot more than [name_m]Franklin[/name_m]. But I’ve gotten some less than awesome feedback. Meanwhile, everyone else loves [name_m]Franklin[/name_m]. Thoughts? Does everyone hate [name_u]Francis[/name_u] except me? Help!
I love reading the back story and meanings behind both of these names! The way I see it, when you pick a meaningful name and a name with history, it will be more likely to outlive modern naming trends no matter what opinions other people have.
That said, I love the name [name_u]Francis[/name_u], for boy or for girl. It’s a name with a great history, and even if you’re not religious, the men who’ve popularized that name are well respected. I think it’s a sophisticated name, and the nickname [name_m]Frank[/name_m] is great too.
My sister is named [name_f]Frances[/name_f] so I’m also inclined towards [name_u]Francis[/name_u]. [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] is a sweet nickname! I think both are good options, I’d be tempted to go for [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] because it solely honours his side of the family like [name_u]Shaw[/name_u] does for yours, but at the same time, it’s nice to honour lots of people in one go. Also in my opinion [name_u]Francis[/name_u] would honour the [name_f]Frances[/name_f]/[name_u]Francis[/name_u] named that, then [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] honours the people named [name_m]Franklin[/name_m].
[name_m]Franklin[/name_m] is nice, but [name_u]Francis[/name_u] definitely wins out in my mind. I love how classic and dashing it sounds! It’d probably be on my list if i didn’t have [name_m]Felix[/name_m] as a top contender. I think they’re a bit too similar.
I do like [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] but go for [name_u]Francis[/name_u]–it’s classic and seems to be what you like best! [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] is adorable
[name_u]Francis[/name_u] sounds so special to both you and your husband. I think it’s perfect [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] is just too cute! And congratulations!
Ooh I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the connection of [name_u]Francis[/name_u]! I also think [name_u]Shaw[/name_u] and [name_u]Francis[/name_u] sound so soft and lovely with each other. I’ve never been a fan of [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] and all I think of is the little turtle we watch around my house
I like [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] a million times more than [name_u]Francis[/name_u] ([name_u]Francis[/name_u] just feels stuffy) and I think it would be nice for the name to be from his side, since your other son’s name is just from yours. If you are going to call him [name_m]Frank[/name_m]/[name_u]Frankie[/name_u] anyway, then it shouldn’t matter which name is on the BC.
I prefer [name_u]Francis[/name_u]. It’s classic/vintage, not too harsh sounding, I’d imagine a [name_u]Francis[/name_u] to be sweet, kind, quiet and a little shy. I like [name_m]Franklin[/name_m], but not as much, and I currently have it as a top name for a future cat haha.
I prefer [name_u]Francis[/name_u] but I think [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] goes better as a sibset with [name_u]Shaw[/name_u] as surname-sounding names! Like others have said, if he’s going to be primarily [name_m]Frank[/name_m]/[name_u]Frankie[/name_u] then it shouldn’t really be a big deal what’s on the birth certificate anyway
My father was named [name_u]Francis[/name_u] and said he was teased a lot … ppl picked up on the -cis/sissy part of the name, apparently. But I know that kids can be cruel about many names. He went by [name_u]Fran[/name_u] at home and [name_m]Frank[/name_m] at work.
Nevertheless, I actually think [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] works better with [name_u]Shaw[/name_u] than [name_u]Francis[/name_u] does. The style matches better imo.
Another consideration would be the middle name… if it has an S sound then [name_m]Franklin[/name_m]; if an L sound then [name_u]Francis[/name_u]. I think it’s fantastic that you’re keeping his Chinese name from the orphanage. Wonderful way to connect them to their culture.
I’m not a fan of either, but I do love [name_m]Frank[/name_m]. [name_m]Just[/name_m] [name_m]Frank[/name_m] as is, and [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] can still be a nickname. But out of your choices I think I would prefer [name_u]Francis[/name_u].
I love both, but if you prefer [name_u]Francis[/name_u] you should go with [name_u]Francis[/name_u]. They’re both meaningful honor names for you–I loved the thought you put into it, and using [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] as a nickname helps honor the Franklins in your life. [name_u]Francis[/name_u] NN [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] is also on my list, honoring my own grandfather.
I think I prefer [name_u]Francis[/name_u]. [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] just does not have an appealing sound for me. [name_u]Francis[/name_u] could be the next classic ready to make a comeback:)
I’m not sure why [name_u]Francis[/name_u] gets such a bad rap in general. It’s like a more formal historical version of [name_m]Frank[/name_m]. I think both are nice on their own, and I like [name_u]Francis[/name_u] a smidge better, but think [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] sounds a little better with [name_u]Shaw[/name_u]. Either way though I don’t think you can go wrong.
