How to choose between the boys classics

I love all of these names - how do you choose between boys classics?

[name]Henry[/name]
[name]Charles[/name]
[name]William[/name]
[name]Samuel[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name]

I love all of those name, too! :slight_smile: (Like, seriously love…) Does one sound better with your last name? Does one have a nickname you love more than the other nicknames?

You could also use one or two as middles if you love them too much to give up:

[name]Henry[/name] [name]Samuel[/name]
[name]Henry[/name] [name]Samuel[/name] [name]Charles[/name] (one of my all-time favorites)
[name]Henry[/name] [name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Henry[/name] [name]Charles[/name]
[name]Charles[/name] [name]William[/name]
[name]William[/name] [name]Charles[/name]
[name]William[/name] [name]Henry[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name] [name]Henry[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name] [name]Charles[/name]
[name]Samuel[/name] [name]Charles[/name]

Good luck! :slight_smile:

I think the way to choose between classics is to look at each name individually instead of seeing them all as a whole. Collectively, they all look similar, but each has its own connotations that are very different. For example, a [name]Samuel[/name] (which fortunately or not, would inevitably become [name]Sam[/name]) might have an All-American feel that say a [name]Henry[/name] would not (unless you opt for nn [name]Hank[/name]- highly discouraged).

[name]Henry[/name]- A great name. Very classic and has an interesting sound to it. I will say that it is name that lacks a lot of personality for me.

[name]Charles[/name]- One that I love; husband not so much. Variety in nicknames: [name]Chuck[/name], [name]Chip[/name], and of course, [name]Charlie[/name] (the best of the bunch)

[name]William[/name]- Another of my favorites minus the horrid nicknames of [name]Bill[/name] and [name]Billy[/name], which for some reason have never appealed to me. [name]Will[/name] is a winner though, and of course, just [name]William[/name] is very handsome.

[name]Samuel[/name]- I really like [name]Samuel[/name]. It’s an old-fashioned, sturdy name. [name]Sam[/name] is a really strong nickname.

[name]Oliver[/name]- My personal favorite. It’s my nephew’s name and I’ve always adored it. It has just the right amount of use so it is common, but unique enough you don’t have to worry about another [name]Oliver[/name] in the class.

I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Oliver[/name], [name]William[/name] and [name]Samuel[/name]… these are my fave (in that order) - I love the nicknames for all of these names too.

I prefer [name]Charlie[/name] to [name]Charles[/name]… [name]Charles[/name] sounds a bit too regal or something…

and [name]Henry[/name] doesn’t do it for me… sorry.

My two favorites are [name]Henry[/name] and [name]William[/name]. What is your last name? But I just love all of the above names plus [name]Peter[/name], [name]Thomas[/name], [name]James[/name], [name]Andrew[/name], [name]Daniel[/name], and [name]Philip[/name].

They are all great! My personal preferences are [name]Henry[/name] and [name]Oliver[/name] - in fact, one of my favorite male combinations is [name]Henry[/name] [name]Oliver[/name]!

[name]Henry[/name] - [name]Henry[/name] sounds sturdy and handsome to me. I envision a boy with brown hair and rich, brown eyes or sweet, innocent blue ones. He is confident and quiet, yet popular and friendly. He is talented and athletic, bright and curious. [name]Henry[/name] is a true gentleman’s name.

[name]Charles[/name] - [name]Charles[/name] is a bit more on the staid side in my opinion, unless you lighten it up with [name]Charlie[/name]. Or, go with [name]Chuck[/name] for an upper-crust name. Ha! [name]Charles[/name] looks like a delicate blond or red-head, with a goofy smile and light cheerful eyes (a la Mr. Bingley). However, the intelligent and witty [name]Charles[/name] can be serious and gloomy, too. He is independent and confident, stubborn and motivated.

[name]William[/name] - [name]William[/name] is an all-around good guy. He is sweet and playful, athletic and bright, gentle and curious. I envision a strapping young lad with tousled blond locks and piercing blue eyes - a real looker! [name]Will[/name] - or [name]Willy[/name] or [name]Liam[/name] - is popular and friendly to all, and he is looked up to for his eloquence, strength, talents, and generosity.

[name]Samuel[/name] - [name]Samuel[/name], or [name]Sam[/name], is sort of the All-American Boy. He is cool and confident, and I can picture him rough-housing in the sandbox in the playground or running the bases after school at the baseball diamond. He is athletic and strong, perhaps not the brightest, but certainly has his wits about him. [name]Sam[/name] looks to me like a sturdy young boy with brown hair and brown eyes.

[name]Oliver[/name] - [name]Oliver[/name] is the name on this list with the most personality - it is quirky and vintage and a whole lot of fun! [name]Oliver[/name] - or Oli - is reserved and quiet, perhaps artistic, and very intelligent. He seems like a generous young fellow, giving and caring, and very dedicated to his small group of friends. [name]Oliver[/name] isn’t as popular as [name]William[/name] or [name]Samuel[/name], yet his close friends are loyal companions who accept him. I see [name]Oliver[/name] as a fair-skinned lad with blond hair or brown hair and big, curious blue eyes.

Good luck! You have a bunch of great ones here…

[name]Lemon[/name] :slight_smile:

You can’t really go wrong with any of these names, so like pp have said, it really depends on your last name.

My personal favourites are [name]Henry[/name] and [name]William[/name]. But [name]Sam/name, [name]Charlie[/name] and [name]Oliver[/name] are great too!

Hey! I love all of these names, they’re all repfectly timeless and appropriate for both a child and a grown man!

I think it’s best to see how they go with your surname, too, and then look at the meaning of the names and see maybe if anything fits together really well meaning wise, including with the meaning of your surname?

Eg. [name]Charles[/name] [name]Samuel[/name] would be “[name]Freedom[/name] given by God” or something like that?
[name]Henry[/name]: “estate ruler”
[name]Samuel[/name]: “told by God”
[name]Charles[/name]: “free man”
[name]William[/name]: “resolute protection”
[name]Oliver[/name]: “olive tree”

I hope that this helps a bit, good luck!

I think [name]Henry[/name] [name]Charles[/name] is royal, sophisticated and profession while still maintaining the sweet little boy feel, I think you have lovely taste.