Help! How to choose between our two favourite names?

Boy Names
1

I have a beautiful two week old boy who still has no name!

We have two names that myself and my other half like equally, except we are having real trouble deciding between them. [name_f]Every[/name_f] time we think we have got it and are leaning towards one of the names, we backtrack and start liking the other name more. I think part of the problem is that this is our third boy, and so we’ve used our ultimate favourite name and our second favourite name, and are now left with a bunch of options that are all lovely, but yet don’t really feel like ‘our’ name.

Our names are:

[name_m]Otto[/name_m]
or
[name_m]Osian[/name_m] (pronounced Osh-an with a hard O like [name_m]Josh[/name_m] and the ‘an’ is said like [name_f]Anne[/name_f]).

Our older boys are [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] and [name_u]Rory[/name_u].

[name_m]Otto[/name_m] feels like the easier name to go for. No issues with pronunciation (although I’ve decided I don’t mind that issue with [name_m]Osian[/name_m]), and I can just see it working with our family - although maybe a bit of a tongue twister when we need to call for [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] and [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and the same time?

[name_m]Osian[/name_m] was my original favourite choice before he arrived. It’s unusual (although not if you are in [name_m]Wales[/name_m]), and I love the ‘Osh’ sound. I think it’s a lovely, gentle sounding name. We would probably shorten to ‘Osh’ a lot.

Any tips for deciding between two names that you love equally? Which would you pick?

2

I greatly prefer [name_m]Osian[/name_m] to [name_m]Otto[/name_m], so for me it’s no contest. I do prefer the original Oisín or the Nordic [name_m]Ossian[/name_m], but whatever works for you. I love the gentle feel and the fact that you’re considering it more than I would prefer it to be spelled a specific way. Osh is a lovely nickname I think fits well with [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] and [name_u]Rory[/name_u].
I also don’t like the idea of two -o ending names in one sibset, since it’s such a memorable and unusual name-ending.

3

Yeah, the two O endings does put me off. I feel like it dilutes our existing lovely O name a bit too much by having two, I guess that’s the main reason I am holding back from [name_m]Otto[/name_m], even though I do really like the name.

I don’t know too much about [name_m]Ossian[/name_m] - I think it’s pronounced differently to [name_m]Osian[/name_m]? Nameberry is saying it’s said like ‘Uh-sheen’, like the Irish [name_m]Oisin[/name_m]. But I far prefer the pronunciation Osh-an, hence going for [name_m]Osian[/name_m]. So complicated as there are quite a few variations!

4

I really agree with the idea that having two of something special makes it less so, dilutes it as you say.
[name_m]Ossian[/name_m] works for me because I’m Norwegian, it’s a literary name here, and pronounced [name_m]OZ[/name_m]-ee-an (approximately?). If [name_m]Osian[/name_m] is the name that works for you, with the pronunciation you love, it’s the version you should pick. It’s a legit Welsh variant of Oisín, and a gorgeous one at that. It was probably a bit unnecessary of me to mention the two others when you’ve already chosen your favourite though :stuck_out_tongue: Sorry about that :wink:

5

Hahaha [name_m]Osian[/name_m] is definitely the pronunciation that I love the most, but it’s interesting to hear about [name_m]Ossian[/name_m] - I hadn’t heard that variant before, and always good to hear how names are ACTUALLY pronounced.

6

[name_m]Osian[/name_m]

[name_m]Otto[/name_m] is nice but I much prefer [name_m]Osian[/name_m] (we are thinking of using Oisín so I can’t really say no to [name_m]Osian[/name_m])

7

[name_u]Arlo[/name_u] and [name_u]Rory[/name_u] are so cute! I love their names:)

I also love [name_m]Otto[/name_m] - I think it’s gorgeous. Despite the repeating o sound, I think it goes best with [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] and [name_u]Rory[/name_u]. [name_m]Osian[/name_m] just seems a completely different theme to me. I don’t think [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] are that similar, the t sound in [name_m]Otto[/name_m] breaks it up.

To me, [name_u]Arlo[/name_u], [name_u]Rory[/name_u] and [name_m]Otto[/name_m] makes a lovely sibset.

8

I’d go with [name_m]Otto[/name_m].

I think it sounds and looks great with your other boys. [name_m]Osian[/name_m] is too different for my tastes and the constant correction of pronunciation would steer me away from it.

9

I think [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] can work too. You are right, they have an O ending but the rest of the names sound quite different. That being said, I keep thinking that theming and sibling sets don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things - when they are adults and individuals rather than always in a sibling group as they are when they are young children, names that ‘go’ together are less important and their names being good, standalone names becomes the more important thing, I think.

10

I’ve thought lots about the pronunciation thing (perhaps a bit too much!). I am totally fine with having to explain a million times how it’s pronounced. But I do wonder how he will feel as he grows up, always having to correct people, explaining his name to his teacher on the first day of every new school year, etc. I think it takes a certain personality type to be OK with that, and there’s no telling what he will be like yet.

11

I prefer [name_m]Otto[/name_m]. I really like that name

12

Thanks all - most people I’ve asked prefer [name_m]Otto[/name_m], I think largely because it’s the more well-known name. I think my other half is leaning towards this name too, whilst I’m still torn. We are actually thinking of going back to the drawing board, thinking maybe neither name is quite right since it’s proving very difficult to choose between them.

Previous shortlist included:

[name_u]Emery[/name_u]
[name_u]Elliot[/name_u]
[name_u]Bay[/name_u]

But none of those really stand out to me either for our little guy.

13

That’s a tough one…I can see why you’re having trouble deciding! In the end I’d probably choose [name_m]Otto[/name_m]. Both great names, though!

14

I like [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] from your previous shortlist.

Also, just another very left-field thought: if you love [name_m]Osian[/name_m] but are concerned about pronunciation/spelling confusion, would [name_u]Ocean[/name_u] be an option? I know the sound isn’t exactly the same, but most people would be able to spell and pronounce it… You may well not like that style of name though, so feel free to ignore the above in that case…

15

I think [name_m]Otto[/name_m] goes best with your boys’ names. Them sharing the -o ending doesn’t put me off it (lots of siblings share similar endings and it’s not a deal-breaker). [name_m]Osian[/name_m], imo, is hard to pronounce and has a very different feel from [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] and [name_u]Rory[/name_u]. I would use it as a middle ([name_m]Otto[/name_m] [name_m]Osian[/name_m]) if you feel you can’t leave it behind, but not as a first.

16

What a tricky choice. This is the first time I’ve encountered the name [name_m]Osian[/name_m]. I would not have guessed that pronunciation, but it is really lovely!

So, I actually think [name_m]Otto[/name_m] fits in very nicely with [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] and [name_u]Rory[/name_u]. I don’t find a second “o” ending name to be problematic at all. O is a little less common still in English-speaking countries, I think that’s the only reason they seem similar, it probably wouldn’t stand out if it was a more common ending–think of [name_m]Ezra[/name_m] and [name_u]Noah[/name_u], [name_u]Ryan[/name_u] and [name_m]Justin[/name_m], [name_m]Johnny[/name_m] and [name_u]Andy[/name_u], they share ending sounds, but are not too similar, in my opinion.

[name_m]Osian[/name_m] is a beautiful name, but it sounds like you don’t live in an area where this is likely to be a familiar name? I would definitely not disqualify a name for being from a different culture (especially if it’s your own), but as you say, it’s hard to know in advance whether your son will love having a distinctive name, or be bothered by the need to explain pronunciation. Since his brothers have very easily pronounced names, personally I would go with the more common choice ([name_m]Otto[/name_m]), all else being equal.

That said, from your original post, I get the impression that you prefer [name_m]Osian[/name_m], in which case, maybe the answer is to just go with that preference (as long as your husband is okay with it, of course, but from your post it sounds like he would be okay with either choice).

Lastly, this is really silly, but I have done it when I’m having trouble with a decision, flip a coin ([name_m]Otto[/name_m] for heads, [name_m]Osian[/name_m] for tails) and see what your immediate gut reaction is to the results. If you really like the two names equally, then the coin flip itself can resolve it, but I predict there will probably be an immediate emotional reaction of relief or disappointment–and then you can follow that, not the coin :wink:

17

Congratulations on the Birth of your Gorgeous Boy! We took nearly two weeks to choose between [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] and [name_f]Soraya[/name_f] for our Second Daughter because what she REALLY looked like was [name_f]Thalia[/name_f], her Big [name_f]Sister[/name_f]'s Name! In the end we decided on [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] because we all thought that [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] [name_f]Soraya[/name_f] [name_f]Hope[/name_f] flowed BEAUTIFULLY, and in 9 months we had been unable to settle on a meaningful Name Combination we all loved for [name_f]Soraya[/name_f]! Perhaps something like this might help you decide?

The immediate thing which struck me thematically with your Names was that [name_m]Otto[/name_m], [name_u]Rory[/name_u] and [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] all have 4 letters, 2 syllables, and are easy to pronounce. But I do [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_m]Osian[/name_m] HEAPS more! :slight_smile:

18

Haha, yes we do often joke that we like simple, four letter names, and our top two girls names (if we ever have a girl) are four letters and two syllables too - [name_f]Alba[/name_f] and [name_u]Roma[/name_u]. Although [name_m]Osian[/name_m] is two syllables too ; )

19

I do sort of prefer [name_m]Osian[/name_m], because I like unusual names, and I kind of like that reaction when people ask a name and they hadn’t heard of it before. But I do wonder how ‘wearable’ a name it is, which holds me back. [name_m]Otto[/name_m] is a name that everyone knows and can pronounce, but my reservations with [name_m]Otto[/name_m] are that I can’t quite picture a teenage or adult [name_m]Otto[/name_m], whereas I think [name_m]Osian[/name_m] (Osh-an) suits a grown up person just as well as a child.

Good tip with flipping a coin. I’ve actually been trying to trick myself into reaching some kind of gut feeling. Closest I’ve come is when my boyfriend said “I think it has to be [name_m]Otto[/name_m]”, and I suddenly felt all defensive of [name_m]Osian[/name_m]. But looking at him, he does feel naturally more like an [name_m]Otto[/name_m]. He could also quite easily be an [name_u]Elliot[/name_u], my OH’s favourite choice, but I find it quite a mouthful and don’t like any of the shortenings - that being said, I’m almost getting desperate enough to just let my boyfriend choose this one!

[name_m]Osian[/name_m] was my front runner when pregnant. [name_m]Otto[/name_m] was a name on a (long) list, but I started seriously considering it as ‘THE’ name when my other half said “I’ve alwas liked [name_m]Otto[/name_m]” andn he’d vetoed [name_m]Osian[/name_m] as it was a name he’d never heard of and didn’t quite ‘get’. So, I started thinking [name_m]Otto[/name_m] must be the one. Then, after he was born my OH started backtracking from [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and said he now liked [name_m]Osian[/name_m]…hence ending up in this confusing mess for the last two weeks!

We are in [name_f]England[/name_f], so right next door to [name_m]Wales[/name_m], but [name_m]Osian[/name_m] would still be a name that a lot of our friends and family hadn’t heard before (Which I don’t think is a bad thing, really).

20

While I understand loving an unusual name, as well as the indecisiveness, [name_m]Otto[/name_m] is so much more wearable. I really like someone else’s suggestion of [name_m]Otto[/name_m] [name_m]Osian[/name_m]. It’s a lovely combo and then you could still feel good about including your favorite name while giving your son a wearable first name. And who knows? When he gets older and decides he is the type of personality who’d like to have a more unusual name, [name_m]Osian[/name_m] is still there for him to use!

Congratulations of course!