I made a post a week or so ago asking for help on naming our baby boy coming in September! We finally decided on two names that we love. We are having a hard time deciding which name to go with & sometimes we wish we were having twins so we could use both!
If we have one, we will probably use whichever name we donāt use this time for our next son. But, we know we may never have another son, so we not only want to choose which name we think would be best for the oldest, we also want to be okay if he ends up being our only boy.
Why we love it: James was always on our list. We just keep going back to this name. It feels classic but timeless, cute but handsome. Our main hesitations were 1) the popularity & 2) the nicknames Jim or Jimmy. But weāve decided we donāt care about those things because James is just a great name! Brandon is my husbands first name that I want to use as a middle name. We also think it gives him a nickname option (JB) to use instead of Jim if he wants!
We we love this name: Luke is such a good name, & we think āLuke Dahlā sounds great even though itās two short names. Most of our friends & family like Luke better than James. August is a family name on my husbandās side (his grandpaās middle name), & we think Luke August sounds way better than Luke Brandon, although James August does sound great too. Overall, we love this name but for some reason, I feel like if weāre ever have two sons, Iād rather have James be the older one!
Hopefully this all makes sense! What do you guys think
I adore [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m]! Itās a classic handsome name that doesnāt feel as overused as [name_m]James[/name_m] imo. [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] doesnāt sound that bad either, especially since it honors dad.
I do think if you keep coming back to [name_m]James[/name_m] and it feels right, it is your son after all. No oneās opinion matters, but yours.
They are great sibling names, I can see why youāre stuck.
I love the name James and it doesnāt actually seem very popular these days. Luke seems to be having a minor comeback with the current 90s revival. Luke August has lovely imagery.
James seems more uppercrust and upright so I can see why you automatically think eldest, while Luke has something more winsome and sprightly about it. If you choose James, I would think of just James or even Jem for a nickname and leave Jim/Jimmy for when heās a little older among his friends. I love Jem! I think James August would be really nice - and it flows really well.
I donāt think you should choose based on sibling order. I have a mini peeve (lol) about how people give their youngest kids a baby name (eg Margaret, Florence, and Dolly). Kids already get the upsides & downsides of birth order so I wouldnāt further determine/ add to it in the choice of name. I also think as you say, you just canāt guarantee youāll have another son and even if to do, that youāll still love the name you donāt choose.
Just go for whichever you like - Luke can easily be responsible, handsome chappy (as well as more playful)! And James/Jim/Jem is equally malleable. My final two cents is to use August as the middle either way.
I agree that if you had two boys, [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] just seems like the older one. It sounds like you might love this slightly more than [name_m]Luke[/name_m], or you have loved it longer. I agree that [name_m]James[/name_m] is timeless and wonderful. [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is also faultless. You canāt really go wrong.
As a former pre-K teacher, I want to share with you what my co-teacher and I noticed on the playground: [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is not a name that carries. If you call [name_m]James[/name_m] on the playground, that āayyyā sound carries very easily and he will hear you. That āoooā in [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is a different register (especially in female voices), and that abrupt ākā cuts it off even more, and he will not be as quick to respond. It might sound nuts, and Iād be interested to hear from any parents of a [name_m]Luke[/name_m] to see if they donāt have the same experience, but it was noticeable to us.
I love both names and from experience I think you will want to have more children, so pick the name you instinctively want for your 1st son. Not only will you want more children, but you will want siblings for your son. Good luck with everything.
[name_f]My[/name_f] personal preference is [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] - gentle but strong, with something slightly summery and bright, but quietly sporty and breezy too.
However, I feel like [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] is the one that it really speaking to you for this baby. You like it best for an older son, you keep returning it despite friends and family preferring your other choice and youāve put aside your hesitations. I think [name_f]Jamie[/name_f] is more likely than [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m] or [name_m]Jim[/name_m] these days anyway, but just [name_m]James[/name_m] is even more likely. [name_m]James[/name_m] seems to be the right option for you this time round.
[name_f]My[/name_f] vote is for [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m]!
To address your hesitations:
[name_m]James[/name_m] isnāt a name I would describe as ātrendyā or āpopularā ā instead, heās a timeless name that will always be familiar but not overwhelmingly so. Iāve actually only met one [name_m]James[/name_m] under the age of 20!
The nicknames [name_m]Jim[/name_m] / [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m] are 100% avoidable. Iād say nowadays the default nickname would be [name_f]Jamie[/name_f], which I personally adore! I love the idea of going by his initials JB as well.
Theyāre both great names. It seems to me that you love [name_m]James[/name_m] a bit more. I personally slightly prefer [name_m]Luke[/name_m], but not by that much. I donāt think that [name_m]Jim[/name_m] or [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m] are that much of a concern. Iād be more concerned about him getting called [name_f]Jamie[/name_f], because it comes more natural as a nn, you know? How do you feel about [name_f]Jamie[/name_f]? I do think that you could easily have him be [name_m]James[/name_m] officially & called [name_m]James[/name_m] almost always. [name_m]Just[/name_m] an occasional [name_f]Jamie[/name_f] may slip out when heās a cute little fella & [name_m]James[/name_m] seems proper.
From your two choices [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] is a clear winner to me!
If I could rearrange them I would slightly prefer [name_m]August[/name_m] [name_m]James[/name_m]. [name_m]James[/name_m] does sound really great with your last name!
[name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] would also get my vote!
Both names are so handsome! I do find [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] the more interesting combo, but [name_m]James[/name_m] is a timeless classic and [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] works so well! [name_m]James[/name_m] has other nns besides [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m] or [name_m]Jim[/name_m] (Jamie is my favorite, but [name_m]Jem[/name_m] could also work), if you really want to avoid [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m]. [name_m]James[/name_m] seems refreshing for a baby; most of the Jameses I know are all grown up. [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] is so lovely, though, but it just sounds to me like [name_m]James[/name_m] is your preference, so I would go with that personally.
[name_f]My[/name_f] favorite combo is [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m]. I really like those two names and they sound great together. His full name would be very handsome and charming.
[name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] is really nice too. I feel that youāre leaning towards it. I donāt think you need to worry about [name_m]Jim[/name_m] or [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m]. I believe those nicknames are a little dated. [name_m]James[/name_m] can definitely stand on its own. You may also like [name_m]Jay[/name_m], [name_m]Jem[/name_m] or [name_f]Jamie[/name_f] as nicknames.
Whatever you decide, your son will have a magnificent name.
Good luck
I pick [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m]! He sounds like the older brother & he should get dadās middle! Both names are great though so you canāt go wrong. Good luck!
Iām all for [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m]. You seem to be leaning more towards that name. In all honesty, too, you could have several more kiddos and never have another boy to name [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] after your husband. (My family does middle names after family as well, a tradition I love). [name_m]James[/name_m] has so many nicknames, for all stages of life and all types personalities. That is why it is such a classic.
I think you kinda answered your own question with wanting the older boy to be Jamesā¦ I associate [name_m]James[/name_m] with being an older brother too. The nickname [name_f]Jamie[/name_f] a possiblity too. Have you ever thought of [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] [name_m]Brandon[/name_m] [name_m]Dahl[/name_m] using both middles? [name_m]Or[/name_m] even just [name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] [name_m]Dahl[/name_m] because [name_m]August[/name_m] would still be a nod to your husbandās side of the family? His initials would be JAD a cool nickname option too?
[name_m]James[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] is definitely a possibility. JAD is cool but if we did [name_m]Luke[/name_m] [name_m]August[/name_m] it would be LAD which I like even betterā¦
I donāt think weāll ever decide! Itās so hard!
Aha, either way heāll be a lad nonetheless! Whichever you decide to go with, heāll have a great name! Maybe just wait until you see him and see if he looks more like a [name_m]James[/name_m] or a [name_m]Luke[/name_m] ?
Very handsome!!!
