We are having big difficulties choosing a name for our first son due soon. Our last name is Smith, which i find quite hard to work with, mainly due to how common and short it is.
So far we have had and ruled out:
Finley James (nn Finn)
Finlay James(nn Finn)
Asher James
Zachary Flynn (nn Zach)
Sebastian (nn Seb) didn’t get as far as a middle name for it
We keep revisting them though, as everything that jumps out at us is either even more popular or trendy in our country than these!
If you like [name_u]Finlay[/name_u], a less popular alternative is [name_m]Finnian[/name_m]. I think [name_m]Finnian[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] is a great name. [name_u]Finn[/name_u] is also fine on its own if you don’t love the full length versions. I do think [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] [name_u]Flynn[/name_u] or [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] works too.
I think [name_u]Finn[/name_u] might be a bit short as a full name on its own with [name_m]Smith[/name_m]. [name_u]Finlay[/name_u]/ley was the only [name_u]Finn[/name_u] name that we liked, the others aren’t to our taste.
I prefer [name_u]Flynn[/name_u] to [name_u]Finn[/name_u] as a standalone first name, but again its the 1 syllable with [name_m]Smith[/name_m] that feels lacking.
It had been seeming [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] was the one, though I do wonder if it might become one of those time stamped names that sounds awfully dated in a few decades? Which I’m trying to avoid. I have the same slight niggle with [name_m]Asher[/name_m], though i could be wrong of course!
My favorite is [name_u]Finley[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] and my least favorite [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m]
Still, I dont like how [name_u]James[/name_u] ends in an s and [name_m]Smith[/name_m] starts with an s, it doesnt flow all that well but it is still pretty good
I like [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] but I think [name_u]Finley[/name_u] will definitely get shortened to [name_u]Finn[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] which I find very short and choppy. That wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I would keep looking for a two syllable name that doesn’t typically get shortened to one syllable. Some possibilities…
[name_u]Easton[/name_u]
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m]
[name_u]Everett[/name_u]
[name_m]Euan[/name_m]/[name_m]Ewan[/name_m] (still a short name but sounds longer)
[name_m]Turner[/name_m]
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u] (same as above)
[name_m]Jasper[/name_m]
We’ve looked at quite a few others the past 8 months, nothing seems right. Had considered [name_u]Corbin[/name_u] but it got ruled out.
It could still be a possibility though if we went Corban over the bin spelling. I like that it is 2 syllables.
I agree and think we wouldn’t use [name_u]James[/name_u] as a middle because of the S issue - I wonder if the same problem lurks with [name_m]Asher[/name_m] too? (The double up of S & H in the first and last names.) Or not so bad?
If we used [name_m]Asher[/name_m] I’d hope to go for a more unused middle as I suspect that [name_u]James[/name_u] being a popular middle would make [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] very common. My partner loves [name_u]James[/name_u] but it does sound very S-ey with [name_m]Smith[/name_m]!
Wellllll… I’m not sure I’ll be much help here - the thing is I have a son named Zackery and a son named Asher. Finley is on my list for possible future children. And I have always loved Sebastian! In my opinion any of these names is a wonderful choice, and you cannot go wrong.
Even if Finley/lay gets shortened to Finn, rarely will he be called Finn Smith. It’ll usually just be, “Hey, Finn, would you pass the potatoes?” Not, Finn Smith pass the potatoes. I thought of Zachary as a dated name, also - in my case, my Zack’s birth mother chose it, not me; it’s not one I would have picked, but it fits him and the meaning was important to me so I kept it. I have found in his nearly 7 years of life that it does not seem so dated anymore, and many people still choose it for their sons (but not in an overly popular way, as that is not my style). Asher is not dated to me at all because it is from the Bible - I just don’t see Biblical names as dated, even though their popularity may rise and fall. And technically Zachary is Biblical also, though I tend to forget that lol and think of Zachariah as Biblical and Zachary as not…
eta: My boys’ full names are Zackery William and Asher Jude Isaiah
I really like [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] or even [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_u]Finley[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] sounds great too
Since you like [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] and [name_m]Asher[/name_m], have you thought of [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m]? In that style [name_m]Archer[/name_m] as well, and I think both go with [name_m]Smith[/name_m]. I love the name [name_u]James[/name_u] but it does seem with [name_m]Smith[/name_m] to be fairly generic, unless you have have a middle that is always used with it.
I love [name_m]Ramsey[/name_m] and [name_m]Jasper[/name_m] that others mentioned.
I think they all work well with the last name [name_m]Smith[/name_m]. I also like [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] and the suggestion of [name_m]Finnian[/name_m].
However it depends how you use nicknames. If it’s just for family use I think [name_u]Finn[/name_u] is fine because he won’t be using his last name with it but if you see his nickname as what he will be called most of the time and [name_u]Finley[/name_u] is just his official name for paperwork (which is how I see them being used where I’m from) than I think you have to consider how the nickname sounds with surname. To me [name_u]Finn[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] has an odd sound, [name_u]Ash[/name_u] or [name_u]Flynn[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] has an ok sound but I think [name_m]Zach[/name_m] and [name_m]Seb[/name_m] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] sound the best.
Overall [name_u]Finley[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] are my favorite options. Also I don’t think [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] or [name_m]Asher[/name_m] will date badly as they aren’t super trendy. They have, as far as I’m aware, had a fairly constant level of popularity over time with a few spikes. Maybe [name_m]Asher[/name_m] less so. But bottom line no one is going to see any of the names above in 30 years and think “ugh! He must of been born in the 2010’s” let alone pining it to 2017.
I think you are really lucky having [name_m]Smith[/name_m] as a surname. So many names go with it. I agree that 2 syllable names sound best with a 1 syllable surname. I really like [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_u]Finn[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m]!
I think [name_u]Finlay[/name_u], [name_m]Asher[/name_m], and [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] are all lovely names! [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] isn’t really my thing, but I love the others. I honestly can’t pick between those three. Sorry, haha!
[name_m]Zachary[/name_m] does seem to be the least popular option, which puts me off it (telling me I can’t love it that much if i’m worried what people think!)
