opinions on a new list please

Still trying to get a good list going. What do you think of:

[name]Arlo[/name]
[name]Luther[/name]
[name]Hank[/name] (does this have to be a nn for [name]Henry[/name]? could it work for [name]Harley[/name] a family name?)
[name]Clive[/name]
[name]Clyde[/name]
[name]Frederick[/name] (nn [name]Fred[/name] or [name]Freddie[/name])
[name]Desmond[/name] (nn [name]Desi[/name])
[name]Theodore[/name]

Other names on the list include [name]True[/name], [name]Hayes[/name], [name]Harley[/name] and family names which will likely be relegated to middle name status [name]Bruce[/name], [name]Douglas[/name], [name]Palmer[/name], [name]Valentine[/name], [name]Austin[/name] and [name]Lionel[/name]. Our Surname is [name]Jordan[/name]

Any thoughts and ideas are welcome and appreciated, thanks!

[name]Arlo[/name] - [name]Love[/name] the punchiness of the -o. [name]Arlo[/name] [name]Guthrie[/name] is a strong association, but might not be true outside US. Makes me think of [name]Arthur[/name]. [name]Carlo[/name]? [name]Carl[/name] nn [name]Arlo[/name]/[name]Carlo[/name]? [name]Charles[/name] nn [name]Arlo[/name]?

[name]Luther[/name] - Like it, but in the US at least strongly associated with [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name] [name]King[/name], [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name], and [name]Luther[/name] Vandross, so works a little “old”. [name]Louis[/name] or [name]Lewis[/name]? [name]Lucien[/name]?

[name]Hank[/name] – definitely doesn’t have to be for [name]Henry[/name], although I think that’s a great name. I say sure, use it or [name]Harley[/name] if you like. [name]Harley[/name] is very nice, does make me think of [name]Harley[/name] [name]Davidson[/name], again that’s probably less strong if you’re not in US. [name]Harley[/name] is maybe also somewhat feminine, but not unusably so, especially if it’s to honor a family tradition. Also works for [name]Harris[/name] or [name]Harrison[/name]?

[name]Clive[/name] – [name]Love[/name] it, it’s the main reason I’m guessing you’re British : D! C.S. [name]Lewis[/name] and [name]Clive[/name] [name]Owen[/name] are strong but positive associations. Also chives, for some reason.

[name]Clyde[/name] – Nice sound, but in the US I think this is one of those names that in movies kids are always embarrassed about having. [name]Bonnie[/name] and [name]Clyde[/name] and Clydesdale horses (in the US those were used for a long time in beer commercials). To my ear, [name]Clive[/name] is the better of these two similar names.

[name]Frederick[/name] (nn [name]Fred[/name] or [name]Freddie[/name]) – such a classic, needs to be used more! You could also use [name]Red[/name], [name]Ed[/name], [name]Rick[/name], if you wanted (but [name]Fred[/name] or [name]Freddie[/name] is good too).

[name]Desmond[/name] (nn [name]Desi[/name]) – Interesting and classy. [name]Desmond[/name] [name]Decker[/name], [name]Desmond[/name] Tutu, so it again works a little “old”. [name]Desi[/name] is very I [name]Love[/name] [name]Lucy[/name] (again, a US thing) and/or a nickname for [name]Desiree[/name] for me, so I might recommend [name]Des[/name]?

[name]Theodore[/name] – love it! Finally getting more distance from the Chipmunks, too. [name]Theo[/name] and [name]Ted[/name] are both awesome nicknames, and it sounds good on its own. I also think this sounds nice with the “or” in your last name – of course that’s one of those taste questions where other people might recommend against it.

I like [name]Austin[/name] and [name]Lionel[/name] (another very British one but I do think it’s catching on in the US after the [name]King[/name]'s Speech) best of your middle name choices.

[name]Hope[/name] that’s helpful despite what are probably very different cultural references! They’re all strong name and there’s none I dislike. I like [name]Frederick[/name] and [name]Theodore[/name] the best, [name]Arlo[/name], [name]Clive[/name], and [name]Desmond[/name] next.

Good luck and best wishes!

Thanks Jesba! We are Canadian actually, so I guess you weren’t entirely off on your assumptions, lol. We definitely do like the older names. We really want something both uncommon but not unique - ie. recognizable and easy to spell. Thanks for the feedback, that’s exactly what we were looking for.

Anybody else have some insight?

I like:

[name]Arlo[/name] [name]Palmer[/name] [name]Jordan[/name]
[name]Frederick[/name] [name]Valentine[/name] [name]Jordan[/name]
[name]Desmond[/name] [name]Lionel[/name] [name]Jordan[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name] [name]Douglas[/name] [name]Jordan[/name]