On a Name Hunt AGAIN?! Boys Edition

Boy Names
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Hello, [name_u]Berry[/name_u] friends! Are you ready for this? We’re pregnant again. [name_m]Trust[/name_m] me, there is no one more shocked than yours truly. If you’re thinking that my last baby (D u l c i n e a T e s l a nn D a i s y) isn’t very old, you’re right. She’s scarcely more than a year, and no, we absolutely were not planning another pregnancy right now. Surprise!!

I actually didn’t even know I WAS pregnant until my crazy brother decided that it would be hilarious to tell the ENTIRE FAMILY (at a family REUNION!) that I was pregnant. Relatives exclaiming, “Why did HE find out first?!” while I innocently come in from the other room to find the mad uproar, and the joker sitting there grinning his fool head off. I promptly boxed his ears (literally) and put the record straight. Can’t a lady put on a couple pounds without wild rumors flying around?

That whole scene made me so paranoid that I decided the only way to put my mind at ease would be to take a pregnancy test in the morning. BUM BUM BUMMMMMMM. Needless to say, my brother thinks this is the best prank ever and is pretty amused with himself.

I’ve been pretty sick and there has already been a lot of drama with the pregnancy, but the ultrasounds show the baby is an energetic little thing, and my hormones are at stratospheric levels so it looks like all is well. Due date is [name_f]October[/name_f] 18. :o

I don’t really keep name lists around because I get too attached to them. I just have GP type lists of names, without much consideration for whether I would ACTUALLY use them unless there’s an imminent child in the picture. And then I panic and have to address everything at once. So, my name lists are a real mess, and I’m here for some help!

Our other children are C a s p i a n, Z e p h a n, E v e, P e r e g r i n e ( P i p p i n), and D u l c i n e a (D a i s y). All the names are super meaningful for various reasons, which only raises the bar as more children are added to the family.

So far I’ve just worked on a boy name list. Here are a few that my husband and I both like, though I have my reservations:

[name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] - this was our #1 choice for a boy last time. I have Scandinavian heritage so that makes it cool. However, I’m concerned about our 2-syllable, ends-in-ER occupational surname and whether it’s going to end up a tongue twister combo, and/or [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] will just be pronounced “Ragnerrrrr” locally. Plus, I get so many sour looks when I mention this name that it has caused me to reconsider. Is it dreadful and we should move on?

[name_m]Rainier[/name_m] - we have [name_m]ZERO[/name_m] connection to mountains, so it seems kind of pretentious to use such an obvious mountain name.

[name_u]Rigel[/name_u] - I like it because it’s the seventh brightest star in the sky (this is our seventh child counting the one we lost), but I’m thinking maybe that meaning is too cheesy for anything other than a bump name. And will people just confuse it with [name_m]Roger[/name_m] or [name_m]Nigel[/name_m] anyway?

[name_m]Tor[/name_m] - I generally like alliterated names, but T’s always give me pause, and we’ve got them right here: [name_m]Tor[/name_m] T y l e r ? I’m really afraid it might be too much.

[name_u]Storm[/name_u] - We both liked this at first, but awful reviews on other sites have scared us away. Apparently, people just pre-judge the person as having a rotten temper and/or the name being generally tacky/downmarket/bogan.

Some others we both like, but either aren’t quite right or just obviously have to stay on the GP list: [name_m]Leif[/name_m], [name_u]Rory[/name_u], [name_m]Diggory[/name_m], [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m], [name_m]Roderick[/name_m], [name_m]Dax[/name_m], [name_m]Dirk[/name_m], [name_m]Ryker[/name_m], [name_m]Cormac[/name_m], [name_m]Sherlock[/name_m], [name_m]Cyrano[/name_m], [name_m]Inigo[/name_m], [name_m]Remington[/name_m], [name_m]Raoul[/name_m], and Ribaldi. Plus heaps of names Hubby has already vetoed, and I’ve gone over most everything at Behind The Name AND Nordic Names.

HELP! Am I missing some brilliant gem out there? Is the perfect name staring me in the face already?

As always, thanks for your thoughtful help, Berries.

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First, Congrats! Your due date is my birthdate so I think that’s a fantastic day to have a baby (haha).
I really like [name_m]Rainier[/name_m] and [name_u]Storm[/name_u]. I think I prefer [name_u]Storm[/name_u] as a MN though.
I also like [name_m]Roderick[/name_m] and [name_m]Cormac[/name_m].

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[name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] is great, I think it goes so well with the others in your set, definitely same style

I think Ragnår Tŷler works, it’s not ideal but definitely think that there are so little repeating sounds that it sounds fine

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I think [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] goes really well with your other kids.

Congratulations on the new addition. I can’t wait to see what name you choose, you have such wonderfully named kids already! Now I have to keep an eye out for when you work on girls names.

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Thanks everyone for the feedback so far! It’s so helpful to get some ideas and opinions from outside my own head.

@riverlyric - ha! Well, I will do my best to have the baby right on the 18th. I think just about all your GP girl names have come through my consideration lists over the years!

@gr19 - My husband is not into accent marks or trying to pull off foreign prn AT ALL. So this would be rag - nar (sounds like gnarly) with no accent marks in writing. Does that change your opinion?

@trippindippy - AHHHHH!!! It was SO HARD choosing our daughter’s name last year that girl names are almost enough to send me into hives. I will need lots of ideas! I’ll get there with the “Girls Edition” eventually.

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Congratulations, [name_f]Sara[/name_f]! Omgoodness. It seems like just yesterday you were announcing P’s birth, but I think Nameberry time flies much faster than actual time. :slight_smile:

I still really love [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] [name_m]Ethan[/name_m] for you–that was your combo, right? For your dad? It seems brilliant with your other kids, too. I think the pronunciation concerns are very valid, but I think it’s a great name. What about using it as a middle if the pronunciation’s too difficult in real life? And how’s it said, again? [name_m]RAHN[/name_m]-yar? I think I’m confusing the [name_m]French[/name_m] pronunciation of the “gn” construction than any Scandinavian pronunciation, though, haha.

What about [name_m]Rainer[/name_m] ([name_m]RY[/name_m]-ner, I think?) instead of [name_m]Rainier[/name_m]? I love both, but [name_m]Rainer[/name_m] is a newer name to me, and I’m intrigued by it. I think it’s [name_m]German[/name_m].

I’m not too fond of the sound/feel of [name_u]Rigel[/name_u], but I love the meaning of it! Again, maybe MN potential? I think celestial names are cool, though. I have Kuiper on my list as a MN (for the Kuiper Belt. I think Kuiper would be pretty cool with your other five, too, for what it’s worth), and I love [name_u]Orion[/name_u], too.

I love [name_u]Rory[/name_u] and [name_m]Cyrano[/name_m] from your other options, but I would nix [name_m]Diggory[/name_m]. [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] and [name_m]Diggory[/name_m] is a bit TOO much [name_f]Narnia[/name_f], even for me, even though Digory’s spelled differently in the series. I like the idea of [name_m]Leif[/name_m], but the one I know has a quite negative association, so I can’t ever get fully behind it. It’s a nice name, though.

I feel like I’m not as good of help early in the process, haha. I have no idea what to suggest initially–you seem to take inspiration from such a wide variety of categories! I just wanted to pop in to say I’m happy for you, and eager to see what you use next. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to offer some semi-helpful advice. :slight_smile:

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@namenerd2000 - Well, “taking by storm” was kind of my train of thought too! Especially since the whole pregnancy has been such a surprise and so dramatic thus far. Thanks for the input.

@ash - No, you’re not off on announcing P either, he only turns 3 next week. Believe me, I’m certain I looked like those swirly-eyed, hypnotized cartoon characters for about a month solid after we found out about THIS one!! So [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] is just “rag” like a washcloth and “nar” like in gnarly because we gave up on anyone in the U.S. saying anything different. I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the foreign prn of [name_m]RAHN[/name_m]-yar (and what a good memory you have) but we finally despaired of anyone saying it like that, and accepted that IF we use [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m], it’s going to have to be in a phonetic American interpretation. Which is a bit of a disappointment and I guess another of the negatives. On [name_m]Ethan[/name_m], I’m really liking [name_f]Constance[/name_f] as a girl middle as his honor better, but I guess we will see what I have cooking in here. Thanks for throwing out the ideas. You’re right, we have pretty eclectic taste so really all you can do is throw it out there and see if anything sticks. I do appreciate it, and you never know when one idea will inspire a rabbit trail that leads to another great idea. I think [name_m]Rainer[/name_m] and Kuiper are both really cool but with T y l e r it’s kind of much. [name_u]Orion[/name_u] gets on the list every time, but never quite makes it, and we’re pretty much done with the N-ending names (famous last words). And yes you can see why Digory got thrown back! I don’t know any Leifs, but again we have to accept prn LEEF instead of [name_m]LAIF[/name_m], which is annoying. You don’t think [name_m]Cyrano[/name_m] isn’t too much tragic big-nose? Hubby super likes [name_u]Rory[/name_u], but can’t seem to get behind it as a full name and IDK about doing the whole formal-name-with-a-nn thing yet AGAIN. Thanks for stopping by!

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I like your naming style! Crazy story…

I think [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] goes best with your last name. :wink:

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OMGoodness, three?! I can’t even believe I’ve been on Nameberry that long, much less have given advice on what he would be called. :frowning: I feel so old now, hahaha. [name_f]Every[/name_f] time I watch [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Rings I think of you and little P, haha.

haha, yeah, the downside to liking names from other nationalities. It’s why I’d never use Madelief up front, but would use it as a mn in a heartbeat. I love that it means “daisy”! Yeah, the [name_m]Leif[/name_m] I knew was Scandinavian (with an uber-Scandinavian surname), but he still says it like “leaf”. Haha, [name_m]Cyrano[/name_m] definitely is, but it’s so cool anyway! I sort of like [name_m]Cipriano[/name_m] as a GP (Italian/Portuguese/Spanish form of [name_m]Cyprian[/name_m]. I think it’s said see-pree-ah-no, or almost sip-ree-ah-no when said super fast?), and it has a similar look and feel to [name_m]Cyrano[/name_m]. Or even [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m]? I love [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m]. Or even [name_m]Cristiano[/name_m]? Although it might be too close to C’s name. Despite the footballer association, I adore [name_m]Cristiano[/name_m]. I think it’s so cool. :slight_smile: I can excuse it as a family name, though, haha.

Maybe just [name_u]Rory[/name_u] will grow on him? For the longest time I only wanted to use it as a MN because it seemed too nicknamey, but the last time, it just stuck. It’s now on my top 10. I think [name_u]Rory[/name_u] would be perfection with your kiddos, too. I don’t know if you guys are into [name_m]Doctor[/name_m] Who, but thanks to [name_u]Rory[/name_u] [name_m]Williams[/name_m], [name_u]Rory[/name_u] sort of has that adorable geeky feel that P’s name has. [name_f]Narnia[/name_f] and [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Rings and the [name_m]Doctor[/name_m]–what could be better?! haha.

Yeah, as soon as I posted I realized how bad Kuiper was with [name_m]Ty[/name_m]!er. I was blinded by my love. :]

If you feel like going full-on [name_f]Narnia[/name_f] geek, you could do [name_f]Rilian[/name_f] Digory “[name_u]Rory[/name_u]”. hahaha. Not advisable, but I just listened to The [name_u]Silver[/name_u] Chair on audiobook, about a month or two ago, and sort of fell in love with [name_f]Rilian[/name_f] as a GP.

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I appreciate all the input and ideas. Thanks!

@simonekadele - I know, right? Apparently, my brother thought that it was a “safe” prank since we just had a baby last year. :stuck_out_tongue: Thanks for your input. You have some great names in your signature. I’ve had [name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m], [name_m]Laszlo[/name_m], and [name_m]Nils[/name_m] on the list already, but so far not much interest from my husband.

@ash - I’ve been a little afraid that [name_u]Rory[/name_u] would sound like one of the girl nicknames, since we use [name_f]Evie[/name_f] and [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] most of the time, the sound is more similar to their names. What do you think? Yes, we are [name_m]Doctor[/name_m] fans (though maybe [name_u]Rory[/name_u] would get us into the territory of [name_m]WAY[/name_m] too many fantasy names?). [name_f]Rilian[/name_f] Digory would totally work for that purpose, but you’re right, it’s a bit much. [name_m]Cyprian[/name_m] was on my list a few years ago, but I think it fell off because of the N. I suppose Hubby will veto the O but I’ll put it on the ideas list for him anyway. [name_m]Cristiano[/name_m], too.

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I appreciate all the input and ideas. Thanks!

@simonekadele - I know, right? Apparently, my brother thought that it was a “safe” prank since we just had a baby last year. :stuck_out_tongue: Thanks for your input. You have some great names in your signature. I’ve had [name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m], [name_m]Laszlo[/name_m], and [name_m]Nils[/name_m] on the list already, but so far not much interest from my husband.

@ash - I’ve been a little afraid that [name_u]Rory[/name_u] would sound like one of the girl nicknames, since we use [name_f]Evie[/name_f] and [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] most of the time, the sound is more similar to their names. What do you think? Yes, we are [name_m]Doctor[/name_m] fans (though maybe [name_u]Rory[/name_u] would get us into the territory of [name_m]WAY[/name_m] too many fantasy names?). [name_f]Rilian[/name_f] Digory would totally work for that purpose, but you’re right, it’s a bit much. [name_m]Cyprian[/name_m] was on my list a few years ago, but I think it fell off because of the N. I suppose Hubby will veto the O but I’ll put it on the ideas list for him anyway. [name_m]Cristiano[/name_m], too.

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Hmm. Maybe. I don’t really see it, though? Maybe it’s because I see [name_u]Rory[/name_u] as fully masculine. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though [name_f]Aurora[/name_f]'s on my list, I’d use [name_u]Ari[/name_u] or [name_f]Rora[/name_f], never [name_u]Rory[/name_u]. The idea of [name_u]Rory[/name_u] on a girl blows my mind, almost, haha. I think it fits in really well with the other five. I don’t know. There’s so much unusualness in the names you’ve used that [name_u]Rory[/name_u] almost seems tame in comparison–I don’t get the fantasy-nerd vibe really, at all. Although of course I recognize it, because I’ve heard the history behind your choices. I guess [name_m]Cyprus[/name_m] could be another choice, if you don’t want the -n ending?

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[name_u]Rory[/name_u] got some interesting feedback here a couple of weeks back when I posted about it. Most people seemed to think of it as a boy name, but a lot of people liked it as a girl nn along the lines of [name_f]Charlee[/name_f] and [name_u]Sam[/name_u] as girl nns. I am not a fan of boy names on girls or vice versa so it hadn’t occurred to me that a lot of people registered [name_u]Rory[/name_u] in that category. It was fun “market research” if nothing else. But yes, you’re right, [name_u]Rory[/name_u] is rather tame by comparison to some of the others. [name_m]Cyprus[/name_m] – or [name_f]Cypress[/name_f] – would be an interesting choice, but still with the Y sound at the beginning of the name. I hadn’t really thought about tree names though, could have potential.

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oh oh! I absolutely love [name_m]Rainier[/name_m]! It’s pronounced as rain-ier, right? That would be my top pick followed by [name_m]Ragnor[/name_m] which is equally cool!

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The way I say [name_m]Rainier[/name_m] is closest to ajsloan here: mount rainier pronunciation: How to pronounce mount rainier in English; I guess I slop over the A a bit so it’s maybe a bit more rah-NEER than ray-NEER, but it’s subtle.

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And also, I have to say, you have so many awesome names in your signature!

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Congratulations! I’m not sure if I posted on the thread for Dulcinea, but I definitely read it avidly (and I mean that in the least creepy way possible!) and am ridiculously excited for this little one. I’m pretending that it’s normal how invested in the lives of others I am on here :smiley:

I absolutely love Ragnar but think that with your -er surname, it might end up being rag-ner instead of rag-nar due to the apparent repeated sound, if that makes sense. But people can be corrected, and I think that it fits perfectly with the names of your other children. Ragnar Ethan is just so handsome. But Rigel is cool too - am I pronouncing it right, rig-ELL? Or does it sound more like wriggle? Either way, I really really like it and the meaning behind it too. If Ragnar turns out to be not quite right (sob), Rigel Ethan sounds fantastic. And is it bad that I think Tor/Torsten T y l 3 r is quite cool? He sounds like a superhero…

As for other suggestions, continuing with the R-theme, have you considered Rafferty or Raphael? Rafe is such a great nickname! Or Ranulph, Roland, Remus/Remiel?! (I’ve actually always really liked Rasmus if that maybe appeals, just to finish the Rs with a final flurry!)

Others (some overlap categories, so bear with me):

Russiany-feeling:
Nikolai
Arkady
Artemas
Rurik - for nickname Rory
Artur - for nickname Tor

N-Enders (I know you’re trying to avoid these, but just in case…) :
Valentin
Ivan/Ivo
Corentin - means “hurricane”, so Storm could be used as a nickname at a stretch?!
Stellan
Roman
Samson - the beautiful Regina Spektor song makes me cry every time so I had to suggest it
Auberon

Scandinavian Inspired:
Magnus
Ingo/Inigo
Anders
Lars
Mads - looks slightly feminine perhaps, but I couldn’t resist
Amos
Ansel/Anselm
Mattias/Matthias

Offbeat Nature:
Malachy
Micah
Mercury
Sage
Blaise (sort of… in that it sounds like ‘blaze’)
Hawthorn
Sirius (for the star)

O-Enders:
Orlando
Otto
Horatio
Bruno
Cosmo
Marcello/Marcelo
Jago
Rollo
Laszlo
Arlo

L-Beginning:
Lysander
Linus
Lionel
Lazarus
Leander

I hope you this helped, at least if only to help you dismiss some names absolutely from the list of possibilities!

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[name_u]Rory[/name_u] and [name_m]Dax[/name_m] are my favs!

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More comments! Thanks so much!

@ciottolo, I think you were over there pumping the ideas last time! It’s fun to see old friends, and I’m glad you’re so excited because man, I am so sick, not to mention dazed over having to pick another name. I almost didn’t even post about it because I was afraid people would think I was a troll! I’m pretty sure [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] is my hubby’s favorite. [name_u]Rigel[/name_u] sounds like [name_m]Nigel[/name_m], but with an R, which is why I was wondering if it would just come off weird. No, it’s not bad that you like [name_m]Tor[/name_m] T y l e r. There’s a part of me that loves it and the other part that just isn’t so sure. WHICH is the case for most of the names on this list, argh. You have some super suggestions. I’ll tell you, a bunch of them were on my list and suffered ignominious execution at the hands of the Hubby (who really is a great guy but I will never understand his taste in names): [name_m]Raphael[/name_m], [name_m]Rurik[/name_m], [name_m]Ivo[/name_m], [name_m]Lars[/name_m], [name_m]Hawthorn[/name_m], [name_m]Horatio[/name_m], [name_m]Laszlo[/name_m], and [name_m]Lazarus[/name_m]! [name_m]Ivan[/name_m] and [name_m]Ansel[/name_m] are on a “second tier” list, if you will, they are good but we don’t like them as well as some of the others. I’ve been thinking about [name_m]Samson[/name_m] already. So really some great suggestions here. I’ll “digest” the list a bit and see what Hubby thinks too. Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

@boyandgirl - [name_m]Hi[/name_m]! Good to see you around again. You’re one of the few [name_m]Dax[/name_m] lovers. Some people seem to think it’s too modern with the sibling group, which I find interesting since the first two boys have pretty recent inventions or variations for names, and D u l c i n e a was just plain made up by Cervantes. E and P are really the only ones with “historic use” pedigrees.

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Yay!!! Congratulations!!!
From your list I really like [name_m]Rainier[/name_m]!!! :slight_smile: