Not Southern names, Appalachian. Names that scream “I grew up in the shadow of the [name_u]Blue[/name_u] [name_m]Ridge[/name_m] Mountains.” Obviously there’s some overlap, we’re just not gonna name him [name_m]Rhett[/name_m] or something like that. Our frontrunners are:
[name_m]Ephraim[/name_m], which we’re scared sounds Jewish
[name_m]Tucker[/name_m], which dear husband doesn’t quite like because of the song [name_m]Ol[/name_m]’ [name_m]Dan[/name_m] [name_m]Tucker[/name_m]
[name_u]Elisha[/name_u], which might be too feminine and also too close to his cousin [name_m]Elijah[/name_m]
We don’t want the trendy “country” boy names like [name_m]Levi[/name_m], seeing as how those type names are becoming popular enough that we hear them and think “[name_f]Atlanta[/name_f], [name_f]Georgia[/name_f]”, not “[name_m]Boone[/name_m], [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_f]Carolina[/name_f].” We’ve already taken to calling him [name_f]Cricket[/name_f], so that’ll be his nickname at least for a while, but think it’d be quite unprofessional to really give a child. Please help! Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
I’m not really familiar with that part of the country, but I did find a thread about Appalachian names on babycenter.com that you might want to check out: Appalachian names? | BabyCenter. Someone in that thread mentioned [name_u]Vernon[/name_u], which I quite like.
My favorite from your list is [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m], though I do think it sounds a little Jewish.
I’m from Appalachia and have a passing interest in Appalachian names. However, I think Appalachian girl names tend to be more distinct than the boy names. Here are a few boy names.
[name_m]Silas[/name_m]
Hasil (sounds like “Hassle” - from a Appalachian musician named Hasil Adkins)
[name_m]Jethro[/name_m]
[name_m]Enoch[/name_m]
[name_u]Everett[/name_u]
[name_m]Otis[/name_m]
[name_m]Otho[/name_m] (actually my grandfather’s name)
[name_m]Eugene[/name_m]
[name_u]Dorsey[/name_u]
[name_m]Vaughn[/name_m]
[name_m]Harlan[/name_m]
[name_u]Aubrey[/name_u]
[name_m]Ellsworth[/name_m]
[name_u]Sloan[/name_u]
[name_m]Orville[/name_m]
[name_u]Chauncey[/name_u]
[name_u]Ira[/name_u]
Err, I feel like I’m not being helpful. Most of the heavier and/or obscure Biblical names feel very Appalachian to me. As with Southern names, I think the Appalachian feel comes more from the name as a whole rather than just the first name on its own. Are there any usable surnames on your family tree? If your family is from the Appalachians, you might could look to names of grandparents, great-grandparents, their siblings, and beyond for inspiration.
a lot of the names suggested here sound jewish, because they ARE jewish. but not many jewish people name their kids ephraim, if that’s what you were worried about? I know plenty of american jews (even in the south) and never heard the name. I think it’s quite nice and would definitely use it.
My feedback from over here in [name_u]California[/name_u]…
[name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] - It just sounds religious to me.
[name_m]Tucker[/name_m] - favorite from your list
[name_u]Elisha[/name_u] - definitely sound feminine to me and definitively too close to Elijan
Loved the previous suggestions of [name_u]Dorsey[/name_u] and [name_m]Vaughn[/name_m]!
I read the title and immediately thought [name_m]Colton[/name_m]! [name_m]Colton[/name_m] literally means “from the coal town”. In my opinion you don’t get much more Appalachian than that! Also, I think [name_m]Colton[/name_m] nn [name_f]Cricket[/name_f] would be adorable.
I also think [name_m]Colton[/name_m] fits the bill! The suggestion of Appalachian place names was great too. That opens up [name_m]Mitchell[/name_m], [name_u]Lawrence[/name_u], [name_m]Davis[/name_m]…