I am due in a little over a month with our first, a baby boy, and we are absolutely stuck as far as picking a name for him. It’s gotten to the point where it’s causing me major anxiety and the naming process is no longer fun.
We were able to create the following short list:
[name_m]Gideon[/name_m]
[name_m]Leo[/name_m]
[name_m]Tomás[/name_m]
[name_m]Gavin[/name_m]
[name_m]Octavio[/name_m]
Since my husband is Puerto Rican, he will officially have both of our last names, but will just use Toledo (pronounced Toe-lay-dough) on an everyday basis.
We were looking for a name that could easily be pronounced in [name_f]English[/name_f] and in Spanish, and was not in the top 50 for the US. It was also important to my husband that it was a name that we would actually use (e.g. not name him [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and only ever call him [name_u]Alex[/name_u]). He really liked [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and it was my #2 so that was what we were leaning towards. However, his cousin just had her baby and named him [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m]. The family is very close knit and I also found out that [name_m]Leo[/name_m] is rapidly gaining popularity locally so it doesn’t feel right to use it anymore.
None of the other names are really feeling right:
[name_m]Gideon[/name_m] was my number one originally, but it doesn’t flow as easily as [name_m]Leo[/name_m] does when we practice referring to the baby by that name.
I can’t picture calling the baby [name_m]Octavio[/name_m] most of the time.
[name_m]Gavin[/name_m] seems maybe too [name_f]English[/name_f] and doesn’t go with Toledo as much as some of the other name options.
I like [name_m]Tomás[/name_m], and don’t mind a more [name_f]English[/name_f] pronunciation of [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], but really don’t like [name_m]Tommy[/name_m]. It feels like it would be better suited as a middle of name.
We’ve ruled out names like [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] or [name_m]Galileo[/name_m] where [name_m]Leo[/name_m] can be a nickname. We tried another method of generating a whole new list and basically ended up with the same names.
Any help or guidance on where to go from here is really appreciated!
I am due with baby number 2 (a son) in 3 months, and we have decided on [name_m]Leo[/name_m]. I‘m from the US and my husband is British but we live in [name_u]Germany[/name_u]…my parents live in Spain. We were also looking for a name that could be pronounced everywhere- it’s hard! Good luck
I’m so sorry the naming process has become so stressful! I can only imagine. Especially dealing with multicultural names that can fit into both worlds (I’m a mixed-race child myself but I have a relatively common [name_f]English[/name_f] Name in the US from the 80’s-90’s).
Firstly, I completely understand wanting a name that your child will be called by all the time (either a shorter name or longer name all the time). This was a big fear for my mom when she had my brother [name_m]Edgar[/name_m]. She HATED the nicknames [name_m]Eddie[/name_m]/Ed and worried he would only get called that.
I absolutely adore [name_m]Gideon[/name_m]! I understand that it’s a mouthful at first (3 syllables), but it’s a wonderful name.
As your post mentioned you’ve tried starting from scratch so I apologize if the names I suggest you’ve already looked into and decided against them:
My first thought was [name_u]Luca[/name_u]. Really like it for you! It’s close to [name_m]Leo[/name_m] sound-wise, a multicultural choice, not in top 50, sounds nice with the surname
Thank you. There are a lot of family members named [name_m]Luis[/name_m] already, but we thought [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] [name_m]Luis[/name_m] Toledo wouldn’t be a bad option.
Honestly, this is my favorite for you. If [name_m]Tommy[/name_m] is the only con here, I wouldn’t worry about it – it doesn’t feel that natural, and I don’t think anyone would automatically nickname him that.
[name_m]Gideon[/name_m] seems like the second best choice here because I agree that [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] are too close for one family, [name_m]Gavin[/name_m] doesn’t seem to vibe quite right, and, if [name_m]Octavio[/name_m] just doesn’t feel right, then it’s probably not.
I think you have an amazing list ! I am so sorry this has been such a hard process, but no matter what name you use he will grow into it and that will just be him !
I love the idea of using [name_m]Leon[/name_m] to still sort of get [name_m]Leo[/name_m]. I also think maybe [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] could work ?
I absolutely love [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] !!
Octavio is sweet and I don’t know anyone with this name . Could [name_u]Tavi[/name_u] , [name_u]Avi[/name_u] , [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] / [name_m]Oskar[/name_m] , [name_m]Vito[/name_m] work for you?
Tomás is sweet and I don’t think has to be [name_m]Tommy[/name_m].
I love [name_m]Gavin[/name_m] too but feel a little safe next to your amazing list . ( Not a bad thing)
Sounds like your gut is saying to strike [name_m]Octavio[/name_m] and [name_m]Tomas[/name_m]. I’d say follow your gut.
Gideon and [name_m]Gavin[/name_m] seems to me to be top contenders.
For [name_m]Leo[/name_m], I think it’s a great name and wouldn’t be put off by anyone else naming their kid a name that I loved. An alternative… If you are OK with [name_m]Leo[/name_m] being a NN, how about [name_m]Leon[/name_m]?
If the boys were a few years apart, I probably wouldn’t mind (Big [name_m]Leo[/name_m], little [name_m]Leo[/name_m]), but there is only going to be 1-2 months age difference and there is already competition/comparisons being made by other family members between the two. It’s just not worth the drama [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] was my number 1 choice initially, but my husband is not really liking it as a first name.
[name_m]Gideon[/name_m] was my number 1 choice initially, but my husband is not really liking it as a first name.