We are very indecisive and have 2 days until baby #1 is here.
James and Luke are our final two contenders. I’m not too concerned with popularity. We made the mistake of telling a few friends and family members, and the overwhelming majority prefer Luke.
Our last name is Dahl. The short last name with the short first name is a concern, but I’m not overly worried because we feel like both of them flow decent enough. Are we wrong, though?
Middle names are still TBD, but our top two are Brandon (after Dad) and August (another family name). We like any combination of both first name and middle name options.
We don’t have any daughters yet, but our top girl names are Daisy and Charlotte.
I prefer Luke slightly, but both are wonderful. I think both flow very well with your last name. My favorite combos would be Luke Brandon and James August.
Whichever name you choose will be perfect. I hope that helps.
I really like [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] [name_m]Dahl[/name_m]. That’s my vote. Honestly though, both names are very handsome and you can’t go wrong whatever you choose.
Without your last name, I like Luke August but with your last name, I would choose James August D@hl - which is super handsome! I love the name James and also the possibility of Jem & the more classic nicknames (though most of the James in my life are straight James).
Luke D@hl - where first + last name = the main test as used the most - doesn’t sound as good to my ear.
Another option would be Lucas D@hl - but I would probably use Lucas Brandon or a different (three syllable) middle for that.
But if you go with Luke because you think, who cares about “perfect flow”, you’ll have a fab choice there too! Luke is a little spunkier and more fun while James is a bit more staid. The more I say it with your last name, the more I see these two names as evenly matched. If you choose Luke, would use August but both middles work with Luke.
[name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] or [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] sound lovely! I slightly prefer [name_m]James[/name_m], but you can’t go wrong with either!
I prefer the flow of [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] [name_m]Dahl[/name_m]. [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is also a fantastic name, but just being nit-picky when I say [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]Dahl[/name_m] outloud it adds an extra syllable between them ending up sounding like luke-uh-dahl. For that reason I’d choose [name_m]James[/name_m]
Both good names, can’t go wrong with either. Probably prefer [name_m]Luke[/name_m] but choose what you like best. Consider a middle name connected to you or your family if the baby will already get your husband’s surname.
I do kind of think at this point, he’ll likely come out looking like either a [name_m]James[/name_m] or a [name_m]Luke[/name_m]. Both names are super handsome, so you can’t go wrong with either.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] for fun though, I do slightly prefer [name_m]Luke[/name_m]. [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is fairly nick-name-less, other than an occasional ‘Lukey’ you may get when he’s little. It works great on all ages and is well known but not way over done.
The downsides about [name_m]James[/name_m] are that…
-It’s really popular. Currently and throughout history.
-It has a ton of nick-names. I absolutely think you can do just [name_m]James[/name_m], but just something to consider that some people might try to call him [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m] or [name_f]Jamie[/name_f] sometime throughout his life. I personally strongly prefer just [name_m]James[/name_m] or [name_m]Jem[/name_m].
Luke!! They’re both classic, handsome names, but [name_m]Luke[/name_m] has a very special place in my heart. [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] is perfection
I like [name_m]James[/name_m]! I think it’s a nice classic name that still feels modern to use today. [name_m]Luke[/name_m] to me feels very biblical and I view as a nickname for [name_m]Lucas[/name_m].
[name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] gets my vote!
Order food / a drink with both names and see which feels better to say/introduce yourself as.
Yell both names out the back door, followed by, “Come for dinner!” or, “Give the toy back to your brother!”
Hang out at a playground and listen to the names. See which sounds you find most appealing.
Write the names in different fonts on a baby blanket personalization website / Amazon. [name_m]Or[/name_m] on a mug or backpack/lunchbox or whatever.
See if any parts of the names bother you more. For example, will other people’s making [name_m]James[/name_m] plural in a different way than you do bother you (James’, James’s)? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you prefer the long A or the long U sound slightly more?
Both are good, solid names. Maybe some games/tests can help you decide.
I think that [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] sounds great with your last name! I do like [name_m]James[/name_m] a lot too but (and maybe this is only me,) [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]Dahl[/name_m] sounds a little bit [name_m]Roald[/name_m] [name_m]Dahl[/name_m] themed what with [name_m]James[/name_m] and the Giant [name_f]Peach[/name_f]. Again, maybe just me haha! In terms of the two short names, I think that the flow between the two for either [name_m]James[/name_m] or [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is good so I don’t think it’s an issue. Finally, I think that [name_m]Luke[/name_m], [name_m]James[/name_m], [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] and [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] go very nicely together no matter which ones you might pick for your kids, although I especially like [name_m]Luke[/name_m] and [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] together.
I think [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is a happier, more pluckish name while [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] is more self-important and brooding somehow. I would only use [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] for the rhythm with [name_m]Dahl[/name_m] and if you love it as much as [name_m]James[/name_m] and [name_m]Luke[/name_m]. If you’d still use Luc/Luke most of the time - the I wouldn’t bother with [name_m]Lucas[/name_m].
