[name_f]My[/name_f] son is due in less than three weeks. His dad and I want to meet him before we settle on a name. We like international names that can be use in both [name_u]French[/name_u] and [name_f]English[/name_f]. We have had three options during this pregnancy:
[name_m]Bastian[/name_m] (or [name_m]Bastien[/name_m] - not sure yet about the spelling)
[name_m]Mathias[/name_m]
[name_u]Tristan[/name_u]
I have some doubts now. I really love [name_m]Bastian[/name_m], but it is not a common name where we live. I wonder if it would be difficult to have an uncommon name for our child?
I also like [name_u]Tristan[/name_u], but some people told me itâs a snobbish name.
Finally, I wonder if I should consider another name: [name_u]Adrian[/name_u]. It is international and easy to use in [name_u]French[/name_u] and [name_f]English[/name_f].
I just want to gather opinions on these questions. Thanks a lot in advance!
Bastian/Bastien is lovely! Itâs familiar (close in sound to Sebastian) and relatively easy to pronounce, so I donât think itâd be difficult for a child to wear. I like [name_m]Mathias[/name_m], too.
[name_u]Tristan[/name_u] is not my personal favourite, but I definitely wouldnât call it âsnobbyâ. Again, [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] is not a personal favourite, but itâs a great choice considering your criteria.
[name_f]My[/name_f] favorite out of those is [name_m]Bastian[/name_m]! (predictable lol, since itâs in my UC) I donât think thereâs a need to worry about your child having this name or it being too uncommon! The sound of it is familiar (see: [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], etc.) and if you fancy nicknames, [name_m]Baz[/name_m] is fun and my favorite option.
[name_m]Mathias[/name_m] is one I like, but not nearly as much as [name_m]Bastian[/name_m]. Itâs of course similar to [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] but fresh and grounded with the well known nickname Mat/Matt. Not my first choice but solid!
[name_u]Tristan[/name_u] isnât my style, but I definitely donât see it as a snobby name whatsoever! In fact it seems like a very down to earth name to me and not old enough to have a âpretentiousâ or âsnobbyâ feel.
[name_u]Adrian[/name_u] is a good back up to have in case upon meeting your little one, you decide your other options wonât fit. Itâs similar to Bastian and [name_m]Math[/name_m]ias to me and fits the criteria you want.
tl;dr/order of preference: [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] â [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] â [name_m]Mathias[/name_m] â [name_u]Tristan[/name_u]
I absolutely love the names youâve picked for your son! Admittedly [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] is my favourite, and on our lists but it seems like you love [name_m]Bastien[/name_m] . I prefer the ien spelling !
I think theyâre all gorgeous! Never thought of [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] as snobbish. Though my partner thinks [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] sounds snobbish (I donât, that explanation was part of him vetoing it from my list).
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_u]Tristan[/name_u], and [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] are all favourites of mine, and I love [name_m]Matthias[/name_m] too. Maybe keep all four on your list until you meet him? [name_u]Or[/name_u] see whether meaning or flow with your surname or anything else helps shorten your list further.
I absolutely love [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] and [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] and I personally really donât think that [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] sounds snobbish, Iâm personally not a big fan of [name_m]Bastian[/name_m], I love [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] through
[name_m]Mathias[/name_m] and Bastian/Bastien are so wonderful!! [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] is a very handsome choice as well. [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] is a nice name to add to your list, but I prefer the other three names you chose before.
Although [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] may not be popular in your area, I think itâs quite easy to pronounce when reading and easy to spell when hearing. Either spelling is great, but [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] is more intuitive for me. I think itâs such a handsome name and I wouldnât disregard it based on difficulty. Your other names are all lovely as well - good luck!
As a disclaimer I live in the US and hardly ever encounter [name_u]French[/name_u] speakers.
I personally donât love [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] but donât think having an uncommon name is too much of a problem. I totally understand the concern though! Itâs moved a few names off of our listâŚ
I like [name_m]Mathias[/name_m] and [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] and donât see them as snobbish. Where is that coming from anyway?
I like [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] too!
Itâs hard when you think about names for months on end! Good luck!
I definitely donât think [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] is too unusual - itâs similar enough to [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] that everyone should know how to pronounce it. Bas/Baz, [name_m]Ty[/name_m], or [name_m]Ian[/name_m] would all work as nicknames. I also think an uncommon name is a good thing - I would far rather my child have a unique name than be the fifth [name_u]Oliver[/name_u] or [name_f]Emma[/name_f] in their class.
[name_u]Tristan[/name_u] is one of my favorite names and is on my shortlist for a masc-presenting child. I definitely donât think it sounds snobbish! To me the name has a very gentle, romantic, slightly sorrowful vibe due to the Arthurian legend of [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] and [name_f]Isolde[/name_f].
I think [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] could be an excellent backup name to add to your list! Itâs dashing, romantic, and a little bit roguish, and definitely wearable.
I would go with Bastian/Bastien. Itâs one of my favourites and I donât think it would be hard to wear at all. Thereâs nothing wrong with uncommon! Plus, being a part of a more commonly used longer name (Sebastian) means that people will feel a sense of familiarity with it, whether theyâve heard it before or not. Such a great name!
Iâm not a huge fan of [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] but [name_m]Mathias[/name_m] and [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] are lovely names. They donât stand up to [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] in my opinion though. But then again I grew up loving The Neverending [name_u]Story[/name_u] so part of my love for the name is that association!
Iâm relieved to read that Bastian/ [name_m]Bastien[/name_m] wouldnât feel too uncommon because of the association with the more common [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]. Also, many of you pointed out that an uncommon name is not a bad thing anyway.
Iâm happy to read that you donât see [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] as a snobby name.
These two names are our top contenders. We discovered Bastian/ [name_m]Bastien[/name_m] through The Neverending [name_u]Story[/name_u] movie. This name feels sweet, gentle, and joyful to us, thatâs why we like it (plus the childhood memories). For [name_u]Tristan[/name_u], I get the same vibe as @lavenderwitch : gentle, romantic, and a little bit sorrowful. Weâll keep [name_m]Mathias[/name_m] and [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] in the run just in case.
I love [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] and clearly you love [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] so I say go for that. To me [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] isnât challenging and pronunciation wise is very self explanatory. Also you do have the familiarity of [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] which is a relatively popular choice so I think that would help people understand [name_m]Bastian[/name_m].
[name_f]My[/name_f] second favourite is [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] which to me isnât snobby at all but indeed a lovely romantic name very handsome
Thank you for your comment! You reminded me to think about the meaning of each name. Itâs an important aspect for me, but lately I forgot about it.
Bastian/ [name_m]Bastien[/name_m]: [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] is the Greek translation for [name_u]August[/name_u], so these two names have the same meaning - great, magnificent. I love it! I donât think baby would complain about it haha.
[name_u]Tristan[/name_u] : I love the association with the medieval knight from the Arthurian legends, but the meaning is darker, compare to our other names.
[name_u]Adrian[/name_u]: I like the connection to the Adriatic [name_u]Sea[/name_u].
[name_m]Mathias[/name_m]: The meaning is beautiful, but I donât like it as much as Bastian/ [name_m]Bastien[/name_m].
Regarding the flow with the surname, they all have a good fit. It doesnât help in my decision, but thatâs part of why I like each name
I love [name_m]Bastian[/name_m]! I think thatâs a very cool and fun name. [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] has been gaining a lot of popularity so I feel like [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] would be similar enough to [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] that people wonât be too thrown off.
[name_m]Mathias[/name_m] is cool. I feel like [name_m]Matt[/name_m] and [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] are very overused so if youâre going for a [name_m]Matt[/name_m] nickname it could be very popular.
[name_u]Tristan[/name_u] is nice as well. Not super common but still one people have probably heard before. Doesnât feel snobbish to me at all.
I like [name_u]Adrian[/name_u] a lot! Feels similar to [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] in terms of popularity and style.
I love [name_m]Bastian[/name_m]! [name_m]Even[/name_m] though it might be unfamiliar to most, I donât think youâd have any issues with it. Most people at least are familiar with [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], so it wonât seem weird or difficult to pronounce/spell/etc.
Thatâs my personal favorite of your list, but, really, you canât go wrong with any of these!
