Our list of names for Little Baby (boy-version)

Boy Names
1

My boyfriend and I are expecting our first baby in the end of [name]March[/name], and we have worked out a top 15 + 8 list. We are both artists and we love nature, and we want a name that conjures images of trees and water and green & blue things… We are not telling our friends and families about our names, we don’t want them to say mean things. However, we want you to speak your mind, good, bad and ugly!

We have been through a lot of baby name books, and basically everywhere on the internet (we think) but if you have any suggestions we’d love to hear them! (updated version of list on page 3)

[name]Didier[/name] (eliminated)
[name]Evron[/name] (eliminated)
[name]Forest[/name] (eliminated)
[name]Heron[/name]
Hevel (eliminated)
[name]Indiana[/name] (eliminated)
[name]Meredith[/name] (eliminated)
[name]Nero[/name] (eliminated)
[name]Orfeo[/name] or Orpheus
[name]Quinn[/name] (eliminated)
[name]River[/name] (eliminated)
[name]Robin[/name]
[name]Ulric[/name] (eliminated)
[name]Wilder[/name]
[name]Zooey[/name] (eliminated)

We also really like Chayyim (eliminated), [name]Clyde[/name] (eliminated), Elior (eliminated), [name]Jasper[/name] (eliminated), [name]Lazarus[/name] or Lazaro, [name]Storm[/name] (eliminated), [name]Vasiliy[/name] and [name]Wolf[/name] (eliminated).

edit: updated our changes/eliminations.

2

[name]Didier[/name]- Is it “did ee ay” or “did ee er?” I feel pretty neutral about this one. Unusual though.
[name]Forest[/name]- I like this a lot. [name]One[/name] of those direct nature names that’s also very substantial. Prefer [name]Forrest[/name].
[name]Heron[/name]- [name]Love[/name]. On my list.
Hevel- Sounds like “hovel” to me.
[name]Indiana[/name]- It’s got a great sound, but the [name]Indiana[/name] [name]Jones[/name] assoc is too strong for me. I do like that it’s kind of a macho name that also sounds feminine.
[name]Meredith[/name]- I think it’s gone to the girls.
[name]Nero[/name]- Well it’s pretty heavy, because of ya know… [name]Nero[/name].
[name]Orfeo[/name]- Are you opera lovers? Or the [name]Orpheus[/name] myth? I think this one’s neat, but it wants a down-to-earth nickname- maybe [name]Feo[/name] or O?
[name]Quinn[/name]- NMS
[name]River[/name]- [name]Love[/name] this. See [name]Forest[/name].
[name]Robin[/name]- Very cool on a boy.
[name]Ulric[/name]- Feels vampiric to me. Somehow [name]Aleric[/name], [name]Cedric[/name], [name]Derek[/name] feel friendlier to me.
[name]Wilder[/name]- Beautiful, especially as a middle name.
[name]Zooey[/name]- Big fans of [name]Franny[/name] and [name]Zooey[/name]? Only time I’ve heard it on a boy. I think it could work, but the [name]Salinger[/name] connection is very strong.
Of your others I like Chayyim, [name]Clyde[/name], [name]Jasper[/name], and [name]Wolf[/name].

3

[name]Hunter[/name], [name]Huckleberry[/name], [name]Fox[/name]?

4

[name]Didier[/name] – This could work really well in some places, but I would never be able to get away with it here. It has a nice sound, though may be difficult for many non-French speakers to grasp.
[name]Evron[/name] – Reminds me of Chevron (with Techron!), which reminds me of petrol. I don’t really like this.
[name]Forest[/name] – My grandfather’s name is [name]Forrest[/name], which I think works better.
[name]Heron[/name] – I could definitely see this working! I never even considered it as a name before, but it’s really nice.
Hevel – I love the idea of this name, but I can’t get on board with the sound. It reminds me too much of hovel.
[name]Indiana[/name] – Too closely linked to Mr. [name]Jones[/name] for me.
[name]Meredith[/name] – I love [name]Meredith[/name] on a boy and would be really happy to see this.
[name]Nero[/name] – Not something I like, but it could work.
[name]Orfeo[/name] – Too much like Oreo.
[name]Quinn[/name] – I like this. [name]One[/name] of my favorite one syllable names for boys.
[name]River[/name] – This is a bit like [name]Forest[/name] for me. Also, I can’t get [name]River[/name] [name]Phoenix[/name] out of my mind.
[name]Robin[/name] – [name]LOVE[/name] this one! I would love, love, love to see a little boy named [name]Robin[/name]! This is my favorite.
[name]Ulric[/name] – Very A [name]Knight[/name]'s Tale with [name]Heath[/name] Ledger. This was on my list for quite a while, but I decided to replace it with Elric, which I felt had a softer sound. Very nice name.
[name]Wilder[/name] – I can see this working, but it’s not a favorite.
[name]Zooey[/name] – Too closely attached to [name]Zooey[/name] Deschanel (for most people) right now. As much as I love [name]Franny[/name] and [name]Zooey[/name], I just don’t see this being accepted by most as a boy’s name.

5

I love…

[name]Jasper[/name] - love its spunky vibe

I like…

[name]Meredith[/name] - You could probably get away with this name for a boy in [name]Britain[/name]. It’s pretty well all-female across the pond.
[name]Lazarus[/name] - Cool name that has a heavy history.
[name]Didier[/name] - [name]May[/name] have spelling and pronunciation issues anywhere other than a French-speaking country.
[name]Quinn[/name] - Short and strong unisex name.
[name]Vasiliy[/name] - Russian name that isn’t bad but I prefer [name]Basil[/name] myself.
[name]Forest[/name] (mn only) - [name]Forrest[/name] Gump could be a cause for teasing but if it’s in the middle spot, who will know?
[name]Heron[/name] (mn only) - Blends in with [name]Caden[/name]/[name]Jayden[/name] and the like but this bird name is a little more “out-there” than [name]Lark[/name], [name]Wren[/name] or [name]Robin[/name]
[name]Wilder[/name] (mn only) - [name]Will[/name] your son be a wild man, wilder than his siblings or the wildest of all? Proceed with caution.

I dislike…

[name]Evron[/name] - sounds like an oil company
Hevel - Unfortunately, this Hebrew name may just look like [name]Revel[/name] or Level with an “H”.
[name]Indiana[/name] - [name]Jones[/name]? Not my favourite place name. Too feminine in [name]North[/name] [name]America[/name].
[name]Nero[/name] - Cool sounding name but it comes with too much baggage
[name]Orfeo[/name] - A little too much for a boy to live up to. It’s almost on par with naming your child [name]Zeus[/name].
[name]River[/name] - Not my favourite nature name. Tied to tragic [name]River[/name] [name]Phoenix[/name].
[name]Robin[/name] - Ok but I have a female cousin with this name so it seems too feminine for a boy.
[name]Ulric[/name] - heavy and unattractive
[name]Zooey[/name] - [name]Zoe[/name] is fine for a girl but [name]Zooey[/name] is cutesy and terribly spelled for a boy.
Chayyim - I prefer [name]Chaim[/name] spelling
[name]Clyde[/name] - too equine
Elior - looks like [name]Eliot[/name] misspelled
[name]Storm[/name] - a name best left for superheros
[name]Wolf[/name] - Three images come to mind: boring CNN reporter [name]Wolf[/name] Blitzer, a predator and the sound that a dog makes.

6

Aah, now all I can see is hovel when I look at Hevel. It’s pronounced heh-vehl, it’s a hebrew version of [name]Abel[/name] and means “breath”.

emmabobemma: We do love [name]Franny[/name] and [name]Zooey[/name]. And opera! [name]Didier[/name] is pronounced deed-YAY.

lucylu: [name]Fox[/name] and [name]Hunter[/name] are on our middle name list, and we’re adding [name]Huckleberry[/name] (boyfriend really love it)!

dovah: [name]Evron[/name] is yiddish for [name]Ephraim[/name], maybe that would be better. i don’t want a name associated with petrol! And we really love Elric as well (anything ending in -ric really).

thanks so much for you comments, it’s very helpful!

edit:

mischa: Basil! Thank you, it’s now on our list!

lori: we both LOVE Moss, unfortunately it’s a city in Norway known for it’s horrible odour, and most of my family is in Norway. We do love your suggestion of Sage, Viridian and Spruce! Willow is my favourite girls name ever, but can’t use it as boyfriend’s name is Will and our last names are very w-heavy.

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I love; [name]River[/name] and [name]Indiana[/name] the most - both are perfect!

[name]Wilder[/name], [name]Nero[/name], [name]Quinn[/name], [name]Forest[/name], [name]Heron[/name], [name]Jasper[/name] and [name]Clyde[/name] are all handsome too.

[name]Ulric[/name] reminds me of ulcer, [name]Zooey[/name] looks silly and made up, [name]Orfeo[/name], Hevel, Chayyim are quite odd.

[name]Wolf[/name] would make a cool middle name, as would [name]Robin[/name], [name]Meredith[/name] and [name]Evron[/name].

Other ideas…
[name]Maxim[/name]
Lior
[name]Linus[/name]
[name]Lysander[/name]
[name]Hero[/name]
[name]Damon[/name]
[name]Angus[/name]
[name]Edison[/name]
[name]Lyle[/name]
[name]Rafferty[/name]
[name]Eden[/name]
[name]Hawk[/name]/[name]Hawthorne[/name]
[name]Sylvester[/name]

8

[name]Didier[/name] - I have never heard this! It’s dreamy and unique and I love the rich meaning.
[name]Evron[/name] - I honestly thought Chevron immediately, even before reading PP’s comments. I would hold this one loosely or let it go altogether
[name]Forest[/name] - beings to mind exactly the images you’re looking for. A straightforward, beautiful nature choice.
[name]Heron[/name] - [name]LOVE[/name] this. I’m partial to nature names, and this brings to mind the most evocative images of peace and tranquility and majesty. I’m actually going to geek out for a moment and share with you a quote about [name]Heron[/name] medicine: “A [name]Heron[/name] totem teaches balance; the ability to progress and evolve–to walk into deeper waters without fear.” Such a powerful, meaningful name to bestow on a son! (And with all the [name]Aaron[/name]'s and [name]Erin[/name]'s in the world, it won’t likely be a source of teasing or negative reactions)
Hevel - This one does not give me good feelings…like a mixture of hovel and revel
[name]Indiana[/name] - [name]Jones[/name]. Or the state. The former is not a bad namesake, if an obvious one. This name is just not my cup of tea.
[name]Meredith[/name] - Daring choice, as most [name]Meredith[/name]'s these days are girls. I can definitely see the appeal, and I’m sure with all the research you have done into various names that you realize the possible implications for the child if he has a cross-gender name. I would not do it, but I have strong opinions against cross-gender names, having grown up with one myself. I do think it’s a strong, beautiful, wistful sort of name, and on a boy it would make me thin of [name]Ireland[/name]'s craggy misty coastline.
[name]Nero[/name] - So here’s the thing with [name]Nero[/name]…I love the sound of this name, the spelling, everything. And I have long lamented its origin, because I can never ever use this name because of the association. I would recommend a closer look at this one. No matter how beautiful the name, it comes from a homicidal, suicidal, matricidal bonafide insane emperor who burned half of [name]Rome[/name] to make room to expand his palace, led a particularly bloody religious persecution movement, and periodically declared half his retinue guilty of treason and had them executed. :frowning: [name]Way[/name] to ruin your name for the rest of us, [name]Nero[/name]! Perhaps [name]Nemo[/name] as an alternative? A much more fascinating namesake from literature.
[name]Orfeo[/name] - With this particular spelling, Oreos spring to mind. Would Orfio or Orpheo or [name]Orpheus[/name] work as well for you? I do love the name, it’s only the spelling that throws me.
[name]Quinn[/name] - This name has been growing on me for a long time. I don’t think I would ever personally use it, but on someone else I would find it absolutely charming.
[name]River[/name] - A personal favorite. [name]Rivers[/name] have the same moods, the same highs and lows as we do, from peaceful to raging and back. A brilliant namesake. <3
Robin - Not my favorite…probably because of “Batman and…” There are other nature/bird names that I think have more richness to them and less stigma.
Ulric - I had a dream once when I was a teenager. I was walking down a red dirt road with a brown haired boy named Ulrich. I had never seen or heard the name before and was surprised a few years later to discover it existed. Funny how sometimes names come to us in a dream. I like this one for the associations with both the dream and a favorite anime character, but those are both personal reasons that I can’t really separate from my feelings about the name itself.
Wilder - I’m a fan. There’s the Almanzo Wilder/Laura Ingalls Wilder association from my childhood, which means I will forever associate this name with log cabins and deep thick woods.
Zooey - Hm. I like Zoe and to a lesser extent Zoey, especially as a nickname for Horizon. But I am not a fan of the Zoo spelling, or of the name on a boy, because of the Zooey Deschanel association it just seems awkward on a boy, in my personal opinion.

Chayyim - Do you say this “cha-YEEM?” I’m not a huge fan of the double Y, but points for originality!!
Clyde - Struggling to find something to like about this name. Too many associations, I suppose: Bonnie and, Is Your Mama a Llama, and Clydesdale horses (although they are beautiful, it just seems odd on a child). I don’t like the sound of it either…perhaps because it’s similar to the word sly, it just makes me think of a used car salesman. I don’t meant to offend, just giving my impressions :slight_smile:
Elior - I actually prefer this to Eliot, although I feel that it may be frequently mistaken for Elinor
Jasper - A particular favorite of mine. It’s a beautiful and powerful stone. I love the name and the meaning. If you’re concerned about popularity however, you may want to give this one another thought…due to the Twilight associations and the vintage male names making a comeback, this one is spiking in popularity
Lazarus - Another love! You have such eclectic taste, it makes me happy. There’s a lot of rich and beautiful lore associated with this name, and it has such a complex unique sound. A good choice :slight_smile:
Storm - Another favorite…I’m really digging your nature names! Have you heard The Storm by Blackmore’s Night? An excellent song guaranteed to make you fall in love with this name even more!
Vasiliy - Another one I’ve never heard before…it’s hard to know how I feel about the name without being able to pronounce it in my head, but it has elements that I like, and a noble meaning.
Wolf - I can’t decide if I prefer this or the Wolfe spelling…either way it evokes the mystery and majesty of those elusive creatures. A powerful medicine name <3

You have some incredible evocative choices! I really love your naming style. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but if pressed I’d have to go with Heron. The imagery of it just really speaks to me! And while it is clearly a nature/word name, it’s not so obscure as to raise eyebrows and invite cruelty.

Good luck with your decision! I can’t wait to hear what you choose :slight_smile:

9

Also, I wanted to add, if you haven’t looked through [name]Llewellyn[/name]'s Complete Book of Names: For Pagans, Witches, Wiccans, Druids, Heathens, Mages, Shamans & Independent Thinkers of All Sorts it’s a fantastic resource for clever, unusual, evocative names. I’m not [name]Pagan[/name] myself, so there were some moments where I had to just take a deep breath at some of their more scathing statements about certain [name]Christian[/name] names and move on. But if you’re still looking for inspiration, it can’t be beat!

([name]LOVE[/name] the suggestion of [name]Sylvester[/name] for you!! With a meaning like “the wild wood” it could be a perfect fit!)

10

The ones I really like just from the sound of the name are:
[name]Forest[/name] - Reminds me of serenity
[name]Indiana[/name] - Reminds me of creative adventure
[name]Nero[/name] - Reminds me of Strength
[name]Quinn[/name] - Reminds me of music and creativity
[name]River[/name] - I love this one. It reminds me of nature, calm blueness, breezy
[name]Wilder[/name] - Very cool. This is my favorite. It reminds me of all of the above!

11

I like [name]River[/name] the best. Some more ideas that fit your nature theme:

[name]Wesley[/name]
[name]Aspen[/name]
[name]Linden[/name]
[name]Sylvan[/name]
[name]Sorrell[/name]
[name]Cormac[/name]
[name]Demeter[/name]
[name]Ash[/name]
[name]Raven[/name]
[name]Cordovan[/name]
[name]Auburn[/name]
[name]Roan[/name]
[name]Cedar[/name]
[name]Ranger[/name]
[name]Hudson[/name]
[name]Berilo[/name]
[name]Jarek[/name]
[name]Kai[/name]
[name]Phelan[/name]

12

I particularly like [name]Sylvester[/name] for you too. If that’s too much, [name]Sylvan[/name] is a favorite of mine (meaning “from the forest”). You might also be interested in [name]Roscoe[/name] (deer forest) or [name]Irving[/name] (green river). Has [name]Walden[/name] been mentioned? Not a direct meaning, but evocative. I was also thinking that the word Mere might be useful as a middle/second middle.

13

[name]Orfeo[/name] is one of my favorite names, I wouldn’t use it because I love [name]Ofelia[/name] more and they sound too similiar.

I like:
[name]Didier[/name]
[name]Nero[/name]
[name]Robin[/name]
[name]Jasper[/name]

I didn’t know and find interesting:
[name]Evron[/name] I really like the sound of this one
Hevel
Chayyim

I prefer Lior to Elior.
[name]Storm[/name] and [name]Wolf[/name] are fascinating but not my style.

14

[name]Didier[/name]: I like the sound, meaning and feel of [name]Didier[/name]. I think it’s relatively straightforward to pronounce and spell.

[name]Evron[/name]: like the others, I think this is sufficiently unfamiliar as to not appear name-y to the average bloke, and people might free-associate to an exxon/chevron feel. Much prefer either the original [name]Ephraim[/name], or the Turkish name “Evren,” which means “cosmos.”

[name]Forest[/name]: this is perfectly fine, but it feels tamer and less interesting than the other names on your list.

[name]Heron[/name]: I think it’s distinctive, clearly nature-inspired, and very unique without being over-the-top. Paired with something dashing and classical (like-- randomly-- [name]Tiberius[/name] or Damocles-- it would be amazing. [name]Tiberius[/name] [name]Heron[/name]? [name]How[/name] cool would that kid be?!)

Hevel: I want to think of Vaclav Havel. I do. But I, too, see hovel.

[name]Indiana[/name]: I find this a very curious and incongruous choice for you. It’s a very uninspiring state in the US (it would be like naming your kid [name]Milford[/name] Keynes); it’s typically a female name, and-- how to phrase this politely-- it’s typically favored by ‘teen mom,’ somewhat chavvy elements. I think you can do far far better.

[name]Meredith[/name]-- I think in [name]Wales[/name] this is an old-man name (and not in the cool sense, more in the [name]Floyd[/name] & [name]Wilbur[/name] sense). So in most of the anglophone world it would be seen as a girls’ name, but in its place of origin, it’s leagues out of fashion. Perhaps instead Merlyon (“sea-lion,” an epithet of [name]Merlin[/name]), Merriman, Meriton, [name]Merrill[/name], [name]Merrick[/name]?

[name]Nero[/name]: I could never condone naming a child [name]Nero[/name]. It would be like calling him Stalin.

[name]Orfeo[/name]: I love the [name]Orpheus[/name] myth and even know an [name]Orpheus[/name] in real-life (he’s a very good radiologist who specializes in the liver). I understand how you might prefer the [name]Romance[/name] -o ending. But the ‘f’ kills it for me. You know how when people transliterate certain low-class British slang dialects, all the 'th’s become fs? Like “nuffink” for nothing? That’s how I read “[name]Orfeo[/name].” It takes all the elegance, charm, and mystery away. I’m not sure Orpheo would work, but I think it’s lots better.

[name]Quinn[/name]: blah. Not for everyone would I say this, but for you-- blah. It’s a unisex Irish filler name, the new “[name]Lynn[/name]” and “[name]Ann[/name].” If you’re considering [name]Heron[/name] and Chayyim, [name]Quinn[/name] has to go.

[name]River[/name]: I prefer nature names to be a bit more rarified, but it’s certainly nice. You could also think of the name of certain rivers (i.e. Orinoco, Rubicon, Yukon, Iriri). This to me would be a great way to conjure your desired image of “blue and green things” without beating people over the head with it.

[name]Robin[/name]: so sweet. At once medieval and modern.

[name]Ulric[/name]: this is a strong and distinctive name. I quite like it-- especially as a nod to your Nordic heritage. Since you like -ic names, you might also like [name]Alaric[/name] (a king of the Visigoths, meaning ‘leader’); [name]Aldric[/name] (“old, ancient power”); Amalric (another Visigoth king, meaning ‘the power of work’); [name]Edric[/name] (“rich, blessed ruler”); Godric ("God’s power, not just a Gryffindor); Mederic ("powerful ruler); and [name]Osric[/name] (“divine riches”).

[name]Wilder[/name]: this is both fun and problematic. The fun part comes from how evocative the name is; the problematic part is that it’s an everyday word, the meaning of which you might not necessarily want applied to your son as a 2-yr-old or a teen.

[name]Zooey[/name]: I get the literary roots, but think it’s a no-go.

From your also-rans, I like nearly all. I would simplify Chayim to 1 y; change [name]Lazarus[/name] to [name]Lazaro[/name] to avoid the leper association (though that’s pretty ancient so I’m not sure how problematic it would realistically be); and keep Elior, [name]Vassily[/name] (spelled thusly, the Greek way), [name]Wolf[/name] (?Wolfram?)and [name]Jasper[/name].

Suggestions:

[name]Conall[/name]
[name]Lyall[/name]
Leverett
Sitka
Taiga
[name]Silvanus[/name]
[name]Holt[/name]
[name]Vidar[/name] (“forest warrior” in Old Norse)
Cadfan (“battle peak,” and a Welsh saint)
Merrion
[name]Tyron[/name]
[name]Osmond[/name]
[name]Andor[/name] ("[name]Thor[/name]'s eagle")

15

Wowzah [name]Blade[/name] - [name]Tiberius[/name] [name]Heron[/name] is crazy but I love it! It’s kind of along the same lines as [name]Thelonius[/name] Monk.
What about Euphrates? Like the great river of the Fertile [name]Crescent[/name]. Euphrates [name]Heron[/name]?

16

Wow, thanks so much everyone! I love reading your comments. When we think of [name]Wilder[/name], we don’t think of someone wild, we think of the wilderness… we hope to raise a son/daughter who will be capable and self sufficient and who can find his/her way through one.

sheflies: We are putting [name]Sylvester[/name] on our list! It’s a fantastic name. [name]Rafferty[/name] is on a maybe list, we really like this one.

sleepysessha: Thank you for all your comments! I am going to get that book later today, it sounds fantastic!

eka215: [name]Wesley[/name] is lovely, but [name]Westley[/name] is on our middle name list (boyfriend won’t let me use this as a first). I love [name]Hudson[/name] and [name]Ranger[/name]! So cool!

tk: [name]Roscoe[/name] is a runner up, right after [name]River[/name] & [name]Robin[/name]. [name]Irving[/name] is gorgeous too, it makes me happy.

blade: [name]Tiberius[/name] [name]Heron[/name]! That’s a great name, thank you! We also love your suggestions of [name]Osmond[/name], [name]Andor[/name], Merrion, [name]Osric[/name] and Leverett.

So we are eliminating [name]Evron[/name], Hevel, [name]Indiana[/name], [name]Nero[/name] (can’t believe I didn’t think of [name]Nero[/name] & [name]Rome[/name], I’m such an idiot!), [name]Zooey[/name] and [name]Clyde[/name].

We are also considering changing [name]Lazarus[/name] to [name]Lazaro[/name], and [name]Orfeo[/name] to [name]Orpheus[/name].

17

[name]Tiberius[/name] [name]Heron[/name]? That is seriously great. I’m kind of scratching my head as to where my comments on your list went, ottilie. I’ll sum it up by just saying I [name]LOVE[/name] YOUR STYLE!

18

cool ottilie-- let us know how your list evolves!

19

I will. We just eliminated [name]River[/name] too, I completely let it slip my mind but rive means rip in norwegian, so river is ripping. Not so nice.

20

My favorites are [name]Forest[/name], [name]Heron[/name], and [name]Robin[/name]. They’re all pretty straight-forward ‘nature’ names, and they definitely do give me a “green” vibe. [name]Heron[/name] is especially lovely, like others have said, and feels the most unique from this first list. (Names that lean more toward the “blue” end of the spectrum to me are things like [name]Anders[/name], [name]Carlisle[/name], [name]Ellery[/name], [name]Marron[/name], [name]Reef[/name], [name]Severin[/name], or [name]Vale[/name]).

[name]Jasper[/name], [name]Storm[/name], and [name]Wolf[/name] are all nice, but feel a bit plain in comparison to your others and might be better suited to be middles?

Elior and [name]Vasiliy[/name] are the two that especially intrigue me. The rich vowel sounds which make them feel so elegant and lyrical. I know you tend to favor more of the softer boy names and I think these are very prominent and unique choices. I also fully support any of the -ic names as well. =]