I’m new here so hello to all! 
I [name]LOVE[/name] the name [name]Gabriel[/name] but my husband is concerned that kids at school will pick up on the “[name]Gay[/name]” part of the name and make fun of it. I would hope that we’d all have evolved a bit by then but maybe that’s wishful thinking…
What do you think, would it be setting a child up for a difficult time in school if he was called [name]Gabriel[/name]?
Thanks!
I’ve never liked the “gay” names. I have no problem with gay people, most of my best friends are gay, but names like [name]Gabe[/name] and [name]Gage[/name] have always seemed like easy target names to me.
[name]Hi[/name]! 
I absolutely love [name]Gabriel[/name]! Because I think of the first sound as [name]Gabe[/name] and not [name]Gay[/name] (I guess it depends on how you divide the syllables), I’ve never really thought about [name]Gay[/name] teasing (and I’m one who is always thinking about potential teasing).
[name]Gabriel[/name] is #24 now, which is pretty popular, and I can’t imagine that every [name]Gabriel[/name] is getting teased. Granted, some may be, but for what it’s worth, I know of several young Gabriels, and from what I know, they don’t get teased. (I know of kids with other names who get teased, but interestingly, not the Gabriels.)
If you’re uncomfortable with [name]Gabriel[/name] as a first name, you could always use it in the middle.
If you’re still looking for names, some alteratives could be:
[name]Abraham[/name] (nn [name]Abe[/name], which is close to [name]Gabe[/name])
[name]Abel[/name]
[name]Benjamin[/name]
[name]David[/name]
[name]Ezra[/name]
[name]Gideon[/name]
[name]Isaac[/name]
[name]Jonah[/name]
[name]Micah[/name]
[name]Nathaniel[/name]
[name]Raphael[/name]
[name]Simon[/name]
[name]Samuel[/name]
[name]Solomon[/name]
[name]Tobias[/name]
[name]Non[/name]-Biblical names:
[name]August[/name]/[name]Augustin[/name]
[name]Calvin[/name]
[name]Charles[/name]
[name]Dashiell[/name]
[name]Edward[/name]
[name]Elias[/name]
[name]Elliot[/name]
[name]Felix[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]Joseph[/name]
[name]James[/name]
[name]Leo[/name]
[name]Lionel[/name]
[name]Milo[/name]
[name]Miles[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Phineas[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name]
[name]William[/name]
Good luck!
[name]Gabriel[/name] is a common name and kids can make fun of almost anything…Names don’t really matter. If he’s going to be made fun of kids will find something. I like the name [name]Gabriel[/name] a lot.
Thanks for your replies!
[name]Jill[/name] I also think of it as [name]Gabe[/name] and not [name]Gay[/name] but my husband obviously hears it differently. It’s funny that it is so popular in the US, the name is MUCH further down the list in the UK (where I’m from) and Australia (where I live now) it’s number 84 or thereabouts.
I’m really comfortable with [name]Gabriel[/name] as a first name, just need to convince my DH. He loves [name]Alexander[/name] and I do too but it’s SO popular!
Two of my other top names are on the biblical list you have there
coutureforsure I think that’s what worries my husband - a why give them ammunition type thing. Valeries like I said above [name]Gabriel[/name] isn’t a common name here (don’t know a single one in fact) but I suppose you are right about kids teasing about anything. He could have the “perfect” name and be teased for having big ears or something!
We’ll be keeping it on our shortlist for sure.
[name]Gabriel[/name] is my favourite name for a boy and definitely plan on using it in the near future. I love it! I don’t worry too much about the “gay” nickname and teasing, kids tease for anything, so whatever! It’s way too nice of a name to pass up for possible potential teasing (that won’t last very long anyway).
For what it’s worth, I have never heard of a [name]Gabriel[/name] being teased about the “gay” syllable–of course you can’t ever know what’s going on in every playground in the world, but I wouldn’t worry about it.
[name]Gabriel[/name] [name]Alexander[/name] is a lovely combo! (As is [name]Alexander[/name] [name]Gabriel[/name] though…!)
Some parts of the country are more likely to tease about names that sound like the word “gay”. Think about where you live. Are people tolerant? If so, you have nothing to worry about.
Nobody in our little city would tease anyone whose name starts with “Ga” or “[name]Gay[/name]”. If they did, everyone would be on their case, and they would be embarrassed for not being tolerant. But in the city where we used to live which is only about 15 minutes from here, I could envision a lot of teasing. We lived in [name]Colorado[/name] Springs for two years in an affluent neighborhood. A lot of teasing went on in that school district. So it really depends on where you live.
I have also never heard a [name]Gabriel[/name] teased for the “gay” sound in his name. I was surprise to see the title of your post in fact!
I think [name]Gabriel[/name] is handsome, classic, Biblical and well-known, so I doubt it will be an issue!
Good luck!
Thanks so much for all the great feedback. I honestly hadn’t considered the gay thing either until my husband mentioned it and in defence it isn’t because he’s anti gay, he is completely at ease with people from all walks of life, it was just the schoolyard he was worried about.
We live in a nice area so hopefully that will mean sensitive kids and parents. I just wanted some completely unbiased opinions and I’m very happy that the majority of posters think it’s a nice name and not prone to teasing - you’ve made my day, thanks!
Oh and I suggested [name]Gabriel[/name] [name]Alexander[/name] to my husband and he likes it
I don’t want to put the cat amongst the pigeons but the gay sound does affect me somewhat.
In South [name]America[/name] though they pronounce it as Garr bree elle, Gah bree elle so you don’t get the gay sound that way.
In order for kids to tease about “gay” the kids would have to think that being gay is a negative thing. If you live in an area where gay people are considered just like everyone else, then no kids will tease about a name that sounds like the word “gay”. It just wouldn’t occur to them to do that. The area where I live is very tolerant of gay people.
If I lived in a homophobic area, I would be reluctant to name my son [name]Gabriel[/name]. We have to move to a much less tolerant area this summer. Too bad.
One of my best friends is a [name]Gabriel[/name] and he never had any trouble with your “[name]Gay[/name]” concern. He was always a [name]Gabe[/name].
I love this name too but it would be weird to name my kid after one of my guy friends. 
It’s funny what people hear in a name. I would never have thought of the word “gay” when hearing [name]Gabriel[/name]. On the other hand, I’ve always worried about [name]Ivy[/name] because it sounds just like an IV (what they stick in your arm in a hospital). Personally, I love the name [name]Gabriel[/name], and I think it has a great ready-made NN ([name]Gabe[/name]). I see nothing objectionable about this name whatsoever, and everything to love about it.
There are lots of kids who have the actual last name of “[name]Gay[/name]”, and perhaps that would be hard, if living in an intolerant area, but I imagine most of them deal with it fine, and [name]Gabriel[/name] as compared to “[name]Gay[/name]” (last name) should be much less of a worry.
I love the name [name]Gabriel[/name] and the nickname [name]Gabe[/name]. I think of the first sound as [name]Gabe[/name] too, not [name]Gay[/name]. Too bad your husband views it this way, it’s such a cute name! Maybe he would agree to it for the middle name?
Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply, I’ve been on holiday
[name]Just[/name] to clarify, my husband LOVES the name [name]Gabriel[/name]! It’s just that whenever one of us suggests a name we always ask ourselves the following questions:
What do the initials spell?
What nicknames does it have?
[name]How[/name] could the name be teased?
[name]Do[/name] we know anyone with the name/whose child has the name?
And that’s how my other half came to mention the gay link. No matter how nice an area we live in, kids will be kids and they pick up on anything, even if they have been raised to treat everybody equally. It’s not that my husband thinks it’s a problem, we just like to cover all bases.
I used to babysit a boy named [name]Gabriel[/name] and we called him [name]GUY[/name]. I think this still sounds fresh and fun. I never think [name]GAY[/name] when I hear the name [name]Gabriel[/name]. Its actually a classic, elegant name with modern nn choices. I am a high school teacher, and in the current climate, I don’t think kids jump to nicknames like that…there is a sensitivity to homosexuals that is growing, and again, I just don’t think ppl hear [name]GAY[/name] when they hear [name]Gabriel[/name]. The way I pronounce it is gayb-rel. I don’t put too much emphasis on the G-A part.
PS: my husband always thinks of possible nicknames (mean ones) that kids might come up with. I think its a protective guy thing.
I love the [name]Gabriel[/name] and have never thought about “gay” teasing. I love the nn [name]Gabe[/name]. [name]Every[/name] grown [name]Gabriel[/name] I’ve ever met has been super handsome. My best friends son is named [name]Gabriel[/name], he is in the 4th grade. He’s never gone by anything but [name]Gabriel[/name] and I’ve never heard of him being teased for his name.