Help with some fresh ideas

We have two daughters: [name]Frederique[/name] and [name]Una[/name] [name]Pearl[/name]. Expecting a boy in [name]November[/name]. If [name]Fred[/name] or [name]Una[/name] had been a boy they would have been [name]Gulliver[/name] or [name]Claude[/name]. I still like [name]Claude[/name] but my husband found out what it means and won’t consider it. We already have a [name]Gulliver[/name] in our small town, and anyway, I’ve just kind of grown tired of it. (Eight years ago, we thought we were the first people in the universe to think of it, well after Swift. Turns out: not so much.)

So far we both like:
[name]Tolliver[/name]/Tolly
[name]August[/name] (well, we like [name]Augie[/name] and husband feels he probably should be [name]August[/name])
[name]Toshio[/name]/Toshi
[name]Sacha[/name] (but turned off by the fact that there is a girl [name]Sasha[/name] in our wider family network)

Anyone have any suggestions? I guess we kind of lean towards hipster/artistic/literary names. With our daughters I feel like we struck the exactly right balance: names that are both familiar and strange at once.

Thanks for your help! Finding the whole boy naming thing baffling!

Your daughters have wonderful, uncommon names.

From your boys list I really like [name]Tolliver[/name] and [name]August[/name]. I think both work with [name]Frederique[/name] and [name]Una[/name]. Some other suggestions:

[name]Abner[/name]
[name]Ambrose[/name]
[name]Amory[/name]
[name]Barnaby[/name]
[name]Clement[/name]
[name]Clyde[/name]
[name]Cosmo[/name]
[name]Ephraim[/name]
[name]Giles[/name]
[name]Hiram[/name]
[name]Homer[/name]
[name]Jarvis[/name]
[name]Linus[/name]
[name]Lionel[/name]
[name]Obadiah[/name]
[name]Phineas[/name]
[name]Sylvester[/name]
[name]Virgil[/name]
[name]Waldo[/name]

  • Anon.

Congratulations! I like [name]Tolliver[/name], though fear that a boy Tolly and a girl [name]Fred[/name] would cause some trans-gendered confusion. [name]August[/name] is wonderful but seems too ordinary for your taste. [name]Love[/name] lots of Anon’s suggestions. [name]How[/name] about [name]Amias[/name]/[name]Amyas[/name]? Very attractive and very unusual. I also think of today’s namesake: [name]Amedeo[/name]. And check out the boys’ choices in the Literary Names blog – https://nameberry.com/blog/2010/07/11/american-lit-names-novel-namesakes-101/ --some excellent ones there that may fit your taste.

Thanks guys.

[name]Barnaby[/name] definitely appeals. In my first trimester before we told the girls, when I had morning sickness I told [name]Una[/name] I had a little bug. After that she kept asking me about the bee in my tummy. So: [name]Barna[/name]-bee. (If it had been a girl [name]Bea[/name] would have been the middle name). However, there’s a politician on the Wrong Side and a very annoying kids tv character called [name]Barnaby[/name] so I am a little ambivalent. I do love [name]Jarvis[/name]. I like [name]Linus[/name] but my husband doesn’t.

I also like Ames, which is from [name]Marilynne[/name] [name]Robinson[/name]'s [name]Gilead[/name] and Home (beautiful books). The literary list was great, but made me think I should scour some classic Australian novels…being an Australian writer :wink:

I actually like all the names on your list, especially [name]Tolliver[/name] and [name]Sascha[/name]. I would suggest [name]Alexander[/name], nn [name]Sascha[/name] but that’s way too common.

[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] and
[name]Gallagher[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] and
[name]Milos[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] and
[name]Constantine[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] and
[name]Otto[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] and
[name]Cornelius[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] and
[name]Gregor[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] and
[name]Cassius[/name]

[name]Alaric[/name]/[name]Aric[/name]
[name]Bernard[/name]
[name]Finnian[/name]
[name]Pippin[/name]
[name]Stellan[/name]
[name]Wilbur[/name]
Wolfram

I also really like [name]Tolliver[/name], but agree that Tolly/[name]Tally[/name] and [name]Fred[/name] might be a bit much.

[name]Clyde[/name]?
Recently I’ve been looking into greek and roman mythology for boys names and there’s some real gems that no one ever uses. My husband was a classics major so he’s a real help in the search. Some of my favs:
[name]Achilles[/name]
[name]Pericles[/name]
[name]Hector[/name]
[name]Apollo[/name]
[name]Solon[/name]
[name]Elio[/name]
[name]Cosmo[/name]
[name]Draco[/name]

What about [name]Gilead[/name] as a name, nn [name]Gil[/name]? I loved those books too…

Instead of [name]Tolliver[/name], what about [name]Tully[/name]? When I was pregnant with a boy last year, I considered this name. There’s a town near where I grew up that bears part of this name and I always just liked saying it.

I forgot two of my favorites [name]Philo[/name] and pollux

[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Philemon[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Eldridge[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Cormac[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Aldous[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Pascal[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Sylvester[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Phineas[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Octavian[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Alphonso[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Esmond[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Balthazar[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Huxley[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Thornton[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Gilbert[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and Diggory
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Piers[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Evander[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Thaddeus[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Prosper[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Blaise[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Solomon[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Rafe[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Laszlo[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Demetrius[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Roderick[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Algernon[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Benedict[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Quentin[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Carlisle[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Beauregard[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Heathcliff[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Leander[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Melville[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Clement[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Ignatius[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Everard[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Gaius[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Ivo[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Amaury[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Crispin[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Eloy[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and Kentigern
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Malcolm[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Arvid[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Pavel[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Anselm[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and Macsen
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Alonzo[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Orlando[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Theodoric[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Alvar[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Aurelian[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Mannix[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and Audo
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Conal[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Mortimer[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Niall[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Armand[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Lucius[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Corbin[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Percival[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Magnus[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Nehemiah[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Thurston[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Jonas[/name]
[name]Frederique[/name], [name]Una[/name], and [name]Archibald[/name]

Yeah, I just can’t quite do [name]Alexander[/name], but feel [name]Sacha[/name] needs that long name. Found [name]Sacheverell[/name] in a name book but husband wrinkled up his nose. Sachin is a cricketer’s name (Sanskrit, means something nice like “pure”, with a hard ch (like [name]Satchel[/name]), but husband doesn’t like that either. And of course there’s [name]Satchel[/name]. But it’s a bit too manbag for me.

I really like [name]Gallagher[/name]. [name]Otto[/name] is on our list. Interesting that you suggest [name]Milos[/name]. [name]Miles[/name] was on our list because it’s my Father-in-[name]Law[/name]'s name and he died last year. But I think in tribute we would have to do a straight [name]Miles[/name], but [name]Miles[/name] is everywhere!

[name]Love[/name] [name]Pippin[/name]! But I guess that’s got that same [name]Fred[/name]/[name]Pip[/name] problem. Ooh, but I do like it. Wolfram is great. I like all the [name]Finn[/name] names, but [name]Finn[/name] is very popular in Australia all of a sudden.

I did Classics at uni too! Though must admit the girl’s names always appeal more than the boys. I like [name]Hector[/name], husband doesn’t. (You should tell your husband to read [name]David[/name] Malouf’s novel [name]Ransom[/name] - it’s a retelling of the scene in the Iliad, where [name]Priam[/name] retrieves [name]Hector[/name]'s body, and it’s quite beautiful.) [name]Cosmo[/name] is good too.

I really like [name]Tully[/name] and actually Tulliver is a name too.

Hmm, interesting idea about [name]Gilead[/name]. Would have to live with it awhile, turn it over in my head.

Some fantastic suggestions in there, thanks! I really like [name]Magnus[/name]. I love [name]Orlando[/name], but once again my husband is not so keen.
[name]Ivo[/name] is great! (I forgot that [name]Irving[/name] is also on our list). My one hesitation is that we live in a small area with a tiny school, and [name]Ivo[/name] would be in a class with baby [name]Ivy[/name] down the street. But I think that’s okay.
I like Diggory too. Husband nixed it. Sigh. [name]How[/name] come they get any say, I am the one who’ll be birthing the thing. Maybe I should save this conversation up for between contractions. I’m sure he’d give me anything I asked for then.

Heres some suggestions for you!

[name]Alarico[/name]/[name]Alaric[/name]
[name]Klyde[/name]
[name]Kingston[/name]
[name]Alec[/name]
[name]Remington[/name]
[name]Tucker[/name]
[name]Jasper[/name]
[name]Dexter[/name]
[name]Bronson[/name]
[name]Cobie[/name]
[name]Jagger[/name]
[name]Easton[/name]
[name]Fletcher[/name]
[name]Milo[/name]
Slayten
[name]Reuben[/name]
[name]Russell[/name]
[name]Ivan[/name]
[name]Keiran[/name]
[name]Griffin[/name]
[name]Garrison[/name]
[name]Gideon[/name]
[name]Duncan[/name]
[name]Axel[/name]
[name]Pierce[/name]
[name]Dempsey[/name]
[name]Langston[/name]
[name]Maverick[/name]
[name]Bentley[/name]
[name]Hester[/name]
[name]Mannix[/name]
[name]Caius[/name]
[name]Edison[/name]
[name]Isaiah[/name]
[name]Laszlo[/name]
[name]Rigby[/name]
Hyston
Treffen
Clemet
[name]Callahan[/name]
[name]Johan[/name]
Taej (like paige)

[name]Minnie[/name], thanks for all the suggestions. I like [name]Laszlo[/name], [name]Tucker[/name], [name]Gideon[/name]…

Surprisingly my husband really likes [name]Pippin[/name]. Not sure how I feel about this name for a grown man though.