See the results of this poll: BEST FIRST BOY NAME
Respondents: 57 (This poll is closed)
- Shepherd : 27 (47%)
- Frederick : 11 (19%)
- Cormac : 9 (16%)
- Holden: 10 (18%)
I personally voted for [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] because I love it! I’m a little on the fence with [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m], but honestly, its a great name 
Thanks so much!! I appreciate the input! I love [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] too. [name_m]Just[/name_m] a little more in love with [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m], especially with last name [name_m]Smith[/name_m].
I love [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m]! It’s a great underused name. I really like your other choices as well.
Thanks so much! It’s good to know I have decent taste! It’s so hard finding a name! I haven’t heard [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] much as a first name either but it has a lot of meaning to us. Again I am just worried that we might saddle our child with a name he’s embarrassed of! I love [name_m]Frederick[/name_m] and think [name_u]Freddy[/name_u] is adorable, but [name_m]Fred[/name_m], just sounds so bland to me.Ugh, so hard!
[name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] is lovely! I also really like [name_m]Frederick[/name_m]. It’s on my own list.
[name_m]Frederick[/name_m] and [name_m]Holden[/name_m] are my top two
I find [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] to the be the nicest name on your list. 
It’s not too “out there” at all. I am not a huge fan of FN starting with the same letter as the surname, but with the right MN(s) to break it up it an be pulled off nicely.
[name_m]Frederick[/name_m] for me, because I like a nn option and I’m not a fan of [name_m]Shep[/name_m].
Thanks so much for your feedback! I love [name_m]Frederick[/name_m] too, I am sure it is going to make a big comeback.
Thanks so much for your input! This forum is great!
Yes, I get what you mean! Yes, [name_m]Smith[/name_m] is a pretty boring last name so maybe [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] would spruce it up?! I haven’t even started thinking about middle names, oh no!! Thank so much for your feedback!
I would have to admit I am not that enthusiastic about [name_m]Shep[/name_m] as a nickname either, but even less so with [name_m]Fred[/name_m]. I think the nickname for [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] would be [name_m]Mac[/name_m]? But then, sometimes, by middle school, kids get a nickname that has nothing to do with their first name. I knew a kid who fell off his skateboard and his nickname still to this day is ‘SPLAT.’
Thanks so much for your feedback and getting me to reconsider the shortened version.
I feel rather neutral about [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m]. I like [name_m]Cormac[/name_m]. I love/adore [name_m]Frederick[/name_m], [name_u]Freddy[/name_u], and [name_m]Holden[/name_m].
Thanks so much for weighing in! I love your listed names!! So how do you feel about just [name_m]Fred[/name_m]? I can’t shake this goofy vibe that [name_m]Fred[/name_m], on it’s own, gives me. I wonder if as an adult, my son would find [name_u]Freddy[/name_u] too childish? As you can see I worry a lot!
I think [name_m]Fred[/name_m] is absolutely fine. It is a name that fits well with other older names that are becoming popular again, like [name_m]Henry[/name_m] and [name_m]George[/name_m]. I think [name_m]Fred[/name_m] is a name that is fitting for many different personality types. I knew a man named [name_m]Frederick[/name_m] that only went by [name_u]Freddy[/name_u], his son [name_m]Frederick[/name_m] went only by [name_m]Fred[/name_m]. [name_u]Freddy[/name_u] fits in very well with all the nickname names that are so popular these days, especially in Europe. Many adults are called nickname names, in many different fields. [name_m]Just[/name_m] taking a look at the names on the directory of United States of Reps shows this. Representatives | house.gov
I would not call what you are doing worrying. Naming an actual human being is very, VERY different than creating a list. It’s easy for people to give opinions about things but naming an actual child is stressing. The most important thing is that you end up choosing a name that you truly adore and love. All names can have what ifs. Try to focus less on those worries and focus on what names really jump out at you, what names truly feel special to you.
I voted for my fave, [name_m]Cormac[/name_m], but I like them all. I think [name_m]Smith[/name_m] could def use a less mainstream name. [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] is great! I also like [name_m]Holden[/name_m].
I’ll admit it’s hard for me to imagine Shepherd as a real name, right now it’s in “middle only” territory for me. I understand not liking Fred but have you thought of Rick or Ricky? I also think Frederick Shepherd is a handsome combo.
Wow, thank-you so much for this!!! I found the link incredibly helpful. It made me recall a recent article that stated that the most successful people were named either [name_f]Mary[/name_f] or [name_m]John[/name_m], but I think it had to do with how common those names were for the decade they were born in.
As well, thank you for the advice. It is really stressful naming a human being! I try to think of every form of potential teasing that could happen with any of the names on my list and the what ifs, as you said, are endless! I really appreciate your feedback! And I do love these old style names SO MUCH!
Thanks so much for offering your opinion! I just recently spotted [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] on this site, and instantly loved it! It has a unique edge. And I do love [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] [name_u]McCarthy[/name_u]!