[name]Hi[/name] nameberries!
[name]Long[/name]-time reader, first-time poster, interested in your expert suggestions!
My husband and I are searching for the right name for our first child, a boy due in late [name]June[/name]/early [name]July[/name]. Our last name is a two-syllable, English occupation name that starts with “Sh”. We like classic but not too-common names, though besides that I can’t tell what our “style” is or if we even have one. Here is our current short list in order of how much we like them:
[name]Paul[/name] (current frontrunner)
[name]Arnold[/name] (everyone but us hates this one)
[name]Martin[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name] (nn [name]Teddy[/name])
[name]Ethan[/name]
[name]Benjamin[/name] (nn [name]Ben[/name])
Two questions for you:
(1) What do you think about the names above? [name]Do[/name] you have any suggestions for other names similar to them? It was very difficult even arriving at this short list.
(2) One other name we are considering is [name]Lorrin[/name], a family name with a tremendous namesake. We really like it, except we’re worried that it’s too feminine and he’ll constantly be confused for a girl, and/or that he’ll always have to spell it out for people because it’s so uncommon. Any thoughts on these concerns?
We haven’t given too much thought to middle names, though we would like to use a meaningful family name if we don’t use my maiden name. Some options are:
*- We are concerned that [name]Paul[/name] and then a name that starts with “L” would not sound right.
We had girls’ names that we absolutely loved all set - boys’ names are harder for us for some reason. Our favorite girl names were [name]Georgia[/name], [name]Martha[/name], [name]Margot[/name], [name]Madeline[/name], [name]Alicia[/name] - in that order - if that helps you see what “style” we may or may not have.
[name]Hi[/name], welcome to Nameberry! Congrats on your pregnancy! I will give you my honest opinions on your name list and some suggestions for alternatives. My faves are in bold. All the best to you! [name]Paul[/name] - Short, simple and traditional. You can’t go wrong with this classic name. [name]Paul[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name] doesn’t have the best flow but it’s not too bad. No one but immediate family and close friends will know his middle name anyway so I don’t think it’s a big issue. I also like [name]Peter[/name] and [name]Philip[/name].
[name]Arnold[/name] - Sorry but not a fan. I prefer [name]Arthur[/name] or [name]Alfred[/name] much more. [name]Arnold[/name] is all about Mr Schwarzenegger - big, brawny and seemingly slow-witted! [name]Martin[/name] - A great old saint name that isn’t chosen as often as it should be. A great choice. Other names for consideration are [name]Marcus[/name] or [name]Mark[/name]. [name]Theodore[/name] - I like this name but I love the nn [name]Theo[/name] even more than the proper name. I see you like [name]Teddy[/name] better as a nn and that’s cute too! [name]Theodore[/name] is very distinguished. I love [name]Oliver[/name] and [name]Sebastian[/name] too! [name]Ethan[/name] - I love this Biblical name despite its popularity. I like the way it sounds and the way it looks written out. [name]Ethan[/name] [name]Robert[/name] would be a wonderful pairing! I also love [name]Eli[/name]/[name]Elias[/name] and [name]Isaac[/name]. [name]Benjamin[/name] - Another great Biblical gem that’s timeless. [name]Benjamin[/name] [name]Robert[/name], [name]Benjamin[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name] or [name]Benjamin[/name] [name]Leon[/name] would be great combos. [name]Nathaniel[/name] is another name that is similar in style to [name]Benjamin[/name].
[name]Lorrin[/name] - I actually knew an ubermale named [name]Lorin[/name] (spelled with one ‘r’) so it’s a perfectly natural male name for me. However, I may be in the minority as [name]Lorrin[/name] sounds very similar to the popular girls name [name]Lauren[/name]. Teasing may occur. It would be good as a middle name option if that fact worries you.
A few [name]Lorrin[/name] related options:
[name]Lawrence[/name]
[name]Lorne[/name]
I see both those as being very masculine and not too likely to cause teasing or confusion.
[name]Benjamin[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name] sounds great. So does [name]Theodore[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name].
[name]Paul[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name] blends together a bit but I don’t think that’s a huge deal since you like [name]Paul[/name] so much and [name]Lorrin[/name] has so much meaning for you.
[name]Hi[/name]!
Personally, I really like [name]Lorrin[/name] and would be tempted to use it, but then I’m a family name fanatic, and a little contrarian to boot. I do think it could work, though. I imagine your son will know many fewer [name]Laurens[/name] than you do.
As to the other names, [name]Paul[/name] and [name]Benjamin[/name] are my favorites and I like [name]Lorrin[/name] in the middle.
Congrats on the baby boy! I actually grew up with a boy named [name]Loren[/name], so to me it seems normal. He is confident and popular, so no one ever teased his about his name, and there were of corse lots of [name]Laurens[/name] in my generation. I think if you are worried about it I would stick it in the middle spot.
Some suggestions:
[name]Paul[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name]- Im not a huge fan of [name]Paul[/name]. Sure it is sturdy, timeless and traditional but it is just a little bit blah to me. [name]Luke[/name] has more style in my opinion but this the same vibe.
[name]Martin[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name]- Not the best flow, and it sorta reminds me of [name]Martin[/name] [name]Lawrence[/name]…
[name]Thedore[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name]- again, double -or isnt the best flow… [name]Theodore[/name] [name]Robert[/name] would be better.
[name]Ethan[/name] [name]Robert[/name]- I love this. Your ln isnt two syllable though is it?
[name]Benjamin[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name]- Now this I like! [name]Ben[/name] is strong, handsome, and always makes me think of a kind man with a big smile. Im certain any little boy would love to be named [name]Ben[/name].
Thank you all for your thoughtful and honest responses! I’ll run them by my other half. I think you are all right on the money. (You ladies know your stuff!) Based on your responses, it seems like [name]Lorrin[/name] might be a more viable option than we thought - though it seems like the success of pulling it off lies in the boy’s personality. If he’s confident and masculine, it won’t be a problem at all. (I suppose this is true of many names!) And you make a great point, leah and phoebesmom, about how [name]Lauren[/name] is less common for girls than it was back when we were kids. (I’m 28.) All good things to think about.
Based on your responses, I think these names should be the strongest contenders:
2-2-2 is a hard syllable pattern to pull off, I should know I have one. Then again, I never use my middle name so I suppose it really doesnt matter. Off your list I’m still partial to [name]Benjamin[/name]
A little bit of a stretch, but instead of [name]Lorrin[/name] (which will at least sound, to many, like a feminine name), maybe [name]Orrin[/name]? Sounds more masculine while being a pretty close namesake. Otherwise [name]Lorrin[/name] would be a good middle name.
If you’re not sure about using [name]Lorrin[/name] in front (and I understand your hesitation since it seems to ride on the personality of the child), I would definitely use it in the middle. If it were me, I would automatically discard any first name if I didn’t like it with [name]Lorrin[/name]. That should help narrow the list a little!
For me, I love [name]Benjamin[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name] Sh____, followed by [name]Mark[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name].
I have friends who have a son named [name]Lawren[/name], and I think it is a wonderful name. Yes, people might think it’s a girl’s name when you first say it, but they’ll figure it out pretty quickly. I like your spelling of it, too. You should really keep [name]Lorrin[/name] on the table as an option! It’s very cool.
Thanks for your input, berries! That is very interesting about “[name]Lawren[/name]” - did they make it up? I’ve never heard that before. From your input, we are thinking [name]Benjamin[/name] [name]Lorrin[/name] might be the best option - then we could call him [name]Lorrin[/name], if we thought it fit him, but he’d have the option later to go by [name]Ben[/name] if he hated going by [name]Lorrin[/name]. ([name]Do[/name] people still go by their middle names these days???)
P
[name]Lawren[/name] is their nickname for “[name]Lawrence[/name],” which is actually the baby’s middle name and also a family name. It seems to work out really well, and, as you were thinking, their son also has a different, more traditional, first name giving him another option if he wants to change his name down the road.
[name]Hi[/name] Berries!
[name]Baby[/name] is now almost one and a half, but I thought I’d post an update! We went with [name]Lorrin[/name] [name]Patrick[/name] (an impulsive middle name choice naming him after me! My husband’s idea, in the hospital!). [name]Lorrin[/name] fits his name so well. He is a very serene guy but has a strong personality, and I think he’ll carry the name right. We constantly get positive comments about the name and I love explaining the family history, it makes it feel much more meaningful. We have yet to meet a single little girl named [name]Lauren[/name] in his age group, too, which is interesting and probably a good thing. We also feel good about his being able to go by his mn or initials if he so chooses.
So, there you have it! Thank you for your feedback, it truly made me feel like [name]Lorrin[/name] was a viable option, which led to us giving him that name. I will definitely come back to these boards if we have name quandaries with future #2!
[name]Lorrin[/name] [name]Patrick[/name] is a really, really cool name. I just read through this thread. It’s wonderfully fun to see the encouragement from berries supporting [name]Lorrin[/name] as a name and then to see that you did, in fact, choose [name]Lorrin[/name]! I love it. And I love that it turned out to be the right decision. [name]Lorrin[/name] is a great name for a boy. It’s unusual, yet recognizable. Congratulations on your son, and congratulations on following your instincts and choosing a fantastic name.
[name]Lorrin[/name] would make a great middle name. It’d also be fine as a first name. [name]Way[/name] to much worry is given over whether a boys name is to feminine but then our son who’s due in [name]July[/name] is being named [name]Cooper[/name] [name]Lorraine[/name] (middle after husband’s grandmother).
BERRIES!
I hadn’t seen the follow-up comments to my last comment (2 years ago?!) but they are so nice – thank you. [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] is owning his name beautifully at almost four years old, and we are so glad we chose it. He’s a confident (almost too confident!), outgoing little guy, and it just fits him so well, and we continue to get positive feedback. The Berries’ influence was KEY and invaluable.
Happily, [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u] is going to be a big brother! We are expecting #2, also a boy, this [name_f]May[/name_f]. And if we thought naming #1 was hard, it’s ten times more complicated choosing a name that will go with [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u]! We’ve got a running list, again, with lots of overlap from before, but this time around none of them feels like “the one” if that makes sense. Help, my berry gurus!!!
(And by the way, last name is an alternate spelling of [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m]. I’ll just out and say it, desperate times and all that.)
Contenders for [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]'s brother, none of them too captivating at the moment:
[name_u]Blake[/name_u] (?! Is this great or awful, can’t decide?)
[name_m]Paul[/name_m]
[name_m]William[/name_m]
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] (nn [name_u]Teddy[/name_u])
[name_u]Cameron[/name_u]
[name_u]Noel[/name_u]
[name_m]Adrian[/name_m]
[name_m]Paul[/name_m]
[name_m]Grant[/name_m]
[name_u]Jay[/name_u]
[name_m]Kirk[/name_m] (?! Husband really likes it…)
[name_m]Alec[/name_m]
…ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?!
I’m kind of liking one-syllable names…we don’t care about doing a family name this time since [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u] nailed that desire…and it needs to be the right balance of classic and different so that it goes well with [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u]…and we kind of like Irish/Scottish background as that is the only part of our background that we share…
We have no ideas on middle names, either. I was thinking maybe [name_m]Steven[/name_m] so we each have one kid’s middle name after one of us? Or [name_u]Hudson[/name_u] as we now live on the [name_u]Hudson[/name_u] [name_u]River[/name_u]? Or one of the contenders we don’t use as a first name? Confused…
Congratulations on [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] and baby #2! I love the name [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]! [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u] just seems so perfect for a little boy! I’m always trying to fit the [name_f]Laura[/name_f]/[name_f]Lauren[/name_f]/[name_u]Laurence[/name_u]/‘aur’ sounding names into my combos bc my sister’s name is [name_f]Laura[/name_f], and she’s awesome. So maybe I’m a little bias, but I love it!
[name_u]Blake[/name_u] - cute, and I think it sounds nice with [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u]
[name_m]Paul[/name_m] - nice name, but nms
[name_m]William[/name_m] - I adore this name, but it’s becoming super popular, so I don’t think its different enough to go with [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u]
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] - I like the name [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], but I’m not a super [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] fan
[name_u]Cameron[/name_u] - I love the name [name_u]Cameron[/name_u], I have cousin who is a girl with this name, so I’ve always heard it as a girl name, but I love it for a boy as well, like the way I love [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u]
[name_u]Noel[/name_u] - I guess you pronounce this name like [name_m]Joel[/name_m]? In that case, I do like it, but I kinda like the sound of [name_m]Joel[/name_m] better…idk why
[name_m]Adrian[/name_m] - [name_m]Adrian[/name_m] is one of my all time favorite names, and I love it paired with [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u]
[name_m]Grant[/name_m] - this is a nice name, but nms
[name_u]Jay[/name_u] - ehh
[name_m]Kirk[/name_m] - this is a crazy masculine name…maybe too much so to be [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u]'s brother
[name_m]Alec[/name_m] - nice name but ehh
So my favorites out of this bunch are: [name_u]Cameron[/name_u] and [name_m]Adrian[/name_m].
You might also like:
[name_m]Julien[/name_m]
[name_m]Joel[/name_m]
[name_m]Brooks[/name_m]
[name_u]Finn[/name_u]/[name_u]Finley[/name_u]
[name_u]Teagan[/name_u]
[name_m]Cormac[/name_m]
[name_m]Kellen[/name_m]
[name_u]Rory[/name_u]
[name_u]Logan[/name_u]
My favorites with big brother [name_u]Lorrin[/name_u] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] would be [name_u]Noel[/name_u] [name_m]Adrian[/name_m] and [name_m]Paul[/name_m] [name_u]Hudson[/name_u].
I do think it could work, though. I imagine your son will know many fewer [name]Laurens[/name] than you do.
