Not smitten with any of my 'faves'

So I’m not pregnant but it basically really annoys me that I can’t find any boy’s name that I’d use in a heartbeat. I know pretty much everyone on here is forever working on finding the perfect combo but it feels like I don’t even like enough names to use them and have them flow as fantastically (especially when you’re keen on picking two middles as I am). My issue is that I’m Dutch and while I love the sound of [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] and the likes - it’s not happening unless I find a native English speaker for a husband so I can ‘blame’ it on him when everyone I know wonders what a [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] even is (and [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] is just an example).

So this is my current list and why it’s not THE name

[name_m]Crispin[/name_m] - sounds rather dorky
[name_m]Willem[/name_m] - definitely going to use it one way or another as it is a dear family name and I do like it better than any international version of this name, but as a first it might just sound like a GoT version of [name_m]William[/name_m]
[name_m]Bodhi[/name_m] - tad hipsterish
Mels - she wanted an international name she said, and then she came up with an obscure old Dutch name
Raphaël - sounds oddly rough and feminine at the same time
[name_u]Lior[/name_u] - that ‘r’ at the end could get really annoying
Fenris - sounds like a [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] character
[name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] - this is my favourite right now because I can’t say anything bad about it aside from popularity I guess
[name_u]Avi[/name_u]ël - too feminine perhaps, even for me
[name_m]Riordan[/name_m] - pronunciation issues could ensue
[name_m]Alec[/name_m] - feels unfinished yet I am really not big on [name_u]Alex[/name_u] nor [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]
[name_u]Elias[/name_u] - actually sounds really dorky in Dutch
[name_m]Silas[/name_m] - same as [name_u]Elias[/name_u]
[name_m]Mees[/name_m] - see Mels, this one’s even worse since it’s pronounced like ‘Maze’, easy enough, but the spelling…
[name_u]James[/name_u] - classic but potentially not pleasing anyone, too bland in one context, too pretentious in the other
[name_m]Lemuel[/name_m] - a bit heavy since it’s rather obscure…
[name_m]Ezra[/name_m] - this and [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] are fine but my main concern is popularity

So I mostly want suggestions but reviewing and confirming or downplaying my concerns is definitely welcome!

Well, I must say [name_m]Riordan[/name_m] is an outstanding name! It really is lovely, I would pronounce it [name_m]Reardon[/name_m].

Anyone else?

[name_f]Do[/name_f] you live in the US? Some names are a little more international than others. My favorite boy name is [name_m]Ramsey[/name_m], so I suggest [name_m]Ramsey[/name_m] [name_m]Willem[/name_m]! :slight_smile:

Off of your list, I like [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Ezra[/name_m], and [name_u]Elias[/name_u] the most. I’m not Dutch, nor do I know much about the names there or how they would be pronounced in the language, but these feel like sturdy, masculine names to me. ([name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]Ezra[/name_m] are old favourites, so I might be biased.) [name_f]Do[/name_f] you perhaps like Eliezar?

Some of the names I’m confused as to why you think they sound feminine. Raphaël for example. I can’t think of any feminine names that sound similar (Save the feminization [name_f]Raphaela[/name_f]). In general, I’m a bit perplexed by how you have critiqued your favourite names so harshly. So what if they sound dorky or oddly rough? You like them for a reason, don’t you? Unless there’s a giant reg flag of an issue attached to a name, like it sounds close to an unsavory word or it has obviously negative associations, I don’t see why a name sounding “dorky” should matter.

Thanks for replying so far everyone, I see that I apparently come across as conflicted and vague xD
I do like the suggestion of [name_m]Ramsey[/name_m] and I still like [name_m]Riordan[/name_m], but I’ll just have to find the husband to match the name. :stuck_out_tongue:

Well the problem of being a ‘foreigner’ (linguistically speaking) on an English language naming forum is that you end up using English pronunciations in your head, at least I do, and then when you make the switch to a real life situation and you think of how a certain name would actually be pronounced in your native language (so how family members perceive the name) the name suddenly turns into something else and you have to cope with it and wonder if you actually like it like that too. In theory you could say ‘His name is [name_u]Elias[/name_u], but we use the English pronunciation…’ it’s weird and won’t fly, the name in Dutch conveys a different image. I do see my future in English speaking countries, but my profession will involve extensive training and work experience in my home country and I’d have to rely on the whims of future employers to see where else in the world I’ll end up if all goes well.

I’m applying multiple sets of criteria at once that clash and will in the end result in not having any name to fall back on if I don’t pay attention. That’s why I’m critiquing my favorites like this because right now they’re all like wonderful names for someone else’s children, like you said there’s a reason I like them, but not mine because they feel off. I’m kind of in the twilight zone about my own cultural identity.