So 3 of my favorite boy names are [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], and [name_m]Caspian[/name_m]. I also recently started liking [name_m]Calvin[/name_m]. But I’ve begun to notice a couple of things about them that bothered me, and I’m wondering if anyone has any thoughts regarding these potential issues.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] - I recently realized that this name can sound like seb+ass+chin. Does this bother anyone else? (Are there any nicknames other than [name_m]Seb[/name_m] and [name_m]Bas[/name_m]/Bash that avoid those sounds?) I can’t seem to unhear “ass chin” now!
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] - Can this name work with a last name similar to Dodwin? [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] Dodwin is pretty repetitive on the endings, but this is my favorite boy name and I’m wondering how much of a deal breaker it should be.
[name_m]Caspian[/name_m] - Aside from it being a bit “out there,” I’m worried about teasing: “Hey look, it’s [name_m]Cas[/name_m] peein’!” I also wonder if it’s “too much” name for the average person. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think it’s versatile?
[name_m]Calvin[/name_m] - Is this name too boring? And is it too associated with Christianity? I like its casual sound and the [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] & [name_m]Hobbes[/name_m] reference, but I really don’t like the religious connotation and I’m wondering if other people will immediately think of Calvinism when they hear/see it.
People wont automatically think of Calvinism no, maybe a rare few, likely just think of [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] and [name_m]Hobbs[/name_m] honestly.
[name_m]Caspian[/name_m] I like, casp-e-yn you can pronounce it however you like but I don’t think he would get teased, however my husband did Veto it because he doesn’t want to name him after a sea.
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] or any other name with a rhymey last name is really up to the parent, like carter [name_u]Parker[/name_u], its not amazing but depends on the actual names, sometimes it can work.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] -seh-baz-tin is how I say that, baz being the most common nn but the [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] I know just goes by his full name. Its never seemed an issue.
In general, just about every name has teasing potential if you look hard enough. So finding a name that’s impossible to twist into something tease-worthy is, well, impossible.
Some names do make teasing easier than others. I don’t think that’s the case with [name_m]Caspian[/name_m], mainly because of the emphasis/pronunciation. It is indeed a pretty hefty name, but the nickname [name_m]Cas[/name_m] makes it more accessible, I think. And with other hefty names like [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_m]Roman[/name_m] and even [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] on the rise, [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] feels less out-there.
Re [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], I think people generally lump the B sound with -astian (I say and hear suh-BASS-chin) so the “ass” sound isn’t obvious.
[name_m]Calvin[/name_m] — I think of [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] & [name_m]Hobbes[/name_m] first, then an elementary school classmate (whom I didn’t even know that well), then [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Calvin[/name_m]. While I assume [name_m]Nehemiah[/name_m] is from a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] (or Jewish) family, I don’t assume [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] is.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] - I’ve only ever known it as [name_m]Seb[/name_m]-ass-tee-an, there’s no ‘ch’ sound when I say it (Bash never made sense to me as a nickname until I took accents into account) so I suppose ass is still in there, but not enough for me to pick up on it as teasing potential. Personally I’d use [name_m]Seb[/name_m] or [name_m]Ian[/name_m] as the nickname, but that’s because if I used [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] it would likely be in honour of an [name_m]Ian[/name_m].
[name_m]Caspian[/name_m] - again I see the teasing potential now you’ve pointed it out, but never would have come to it naturally. I don’t think it’s too much. I relate it mostly with the [name_f]Narnia[/name_f] books (which I dislike) so that’s not a great link for me but I don’t think it’s a generally negative one.
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] - I don’t think it’s a deal breaker with your surname. [name_f]Lovely[/name_f] name.
[name_m]Calvin[/name_m] - wouldn’t have thought of Calvinism if you hadn’t mentioned it. I don’t think it’s boring at all! I hardly ever see it which makes it more interesting already.
[name_m]Caspian[/name_m] and [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] are two names on my long list and I’ve never thought of those pronounciations, neither has my brother whose best friends name is [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] and the both of them tease each other for everything and anything relentlessly. I think it’s something that requires an awful lot of thinking to conclude. I dislike [name_m]Calvin[/name_m], I prefer [name_m]Calum[/name_m], and [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] doesn’t sound bad with the last name but it’s not the best either.
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] ~ I don’t have that issue because I pronounce it se-bahs-tee-an.
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] ~ I don’t think it’s the greatest with your surname but not unusable.
[name_m]Caspian[/name_m] ~ I think it’s handsome. I wouldn’t worry too much about teasing.
[name_m]Calvin[/name_m] ~ [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t think of that at all. I like the name.
As a previous poster said, it’s easy to come up with something tease-able in a name if you think about it real hard. As they are, I don’t hear anything unpleasant out of [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]/[name_m]Caspian[/name_m]'s sounds.
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] Dodwin is a little repetitive but the flow is not horrible. I think it works and generally flow would not be a deal breaker for me if I adored the name otherwise. My own first/last name share a lot of sounds and the flow is far from ideal. But it hasn’t been an issue.
[name_m]Caspian[/name_m]: It’s not an everyday name but I think it’s more than usable. There may be people who feel it’s out there, but that tends to be based on style. If they like more traditional names it may just not be their thing.
[name_m]Calvin[/name_m]: Boring, no. I wouldn’t use it but I think it’s nice. And while I know about Calvinism I really don’t think about that when I hear [name_m]Calvin[/name_m]. I do think of [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] & [name_m]Hobbes[/name_m], or perhaps [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] [name_m]Coolidge[/name_m] first.
