So I suggested this name without thinking it’d actually get chosen. Until a couple of days ago, husband said it’s his favourite. In fact, he’s pretty much set on it already. I really like the name, I just need to be sure I’m not making any mistakes.
Pros: we both like it, a badass meaning, unusual without being unheard of. Our previous top choices got crossed off the list because he met people he isn’t a big fan of with the same names , [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] seems rare enough to avoid bad associations.
Cons: Very different vibe from my overall softer, more romantic name list, so that adds a challenge in naming future sibling(s), not very nickname-y, and neither of us has any Scandi ancestry. It’d be such an unexpected choice in our families / where we live, not sure if it’s a bad thing or I’m just overthinking though.
Our baby is due in [name_f]December[/name_f]. While we still have time, I always find boys’ names to be harder than girls’, so I’d rather decide earlier if possible. Last name is two syllables ending in -er, if that helps.
Talk me into or out of this name. Thanks, Berries!
I think it sounds handsome, but I wouldn’t do it personally. I would find the name odd on someone whose family doesn’t have strong ties to Scandinavia, or at least a significant interest in old Norse myth/literature. I feel like unlike some other, more internationally usable Scandinavian names (Anders, [name_m]Soren[/name_m], [name_m]Stellan[/name_m], etc.) it’s just very obviously of old Norse origin and not used by non-Scandinavians, so it could raise some eyebrows. I’d personally pick another similar-sounding name like [name_m]Rainier[/name_m] or [name_m]Magnus[/name_m]. That said, if you feel like it’s the one for you, I feel like it does work with some of the potential sibling names on your list, like [name_f]Callista[/name_f]!
I do like Norse myth, but I wonder if that’s enough reason to justify the choice. I like [name_m]Rainier[/name_m], but somehow it doesn’t sound… right? [name_m]Magnus[/name_m] is actually our previous top choice and the only other Scandinavian name on the shortlist. For weeks I was convinced it would be the name, but then we met a [name_m]Magnus[/name_m] and my husband changed his mind. I didn’t expect naming an actual baby to be easy, but this is still a bit harder than I thought.
I think it could work, but everyone who hears the name will be asking you where you heard it and why you picked it, so you’d better be sure you feel super confident about using it.
[name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] definitely feels like a viking name with all of those good and bad associations. Also it sounds like Ragnarök which is basically the Norse equivalent of Armageddon, which everyone who’s seen the popular [name_m]Thor[/name_m] movie with be very aware of.
You say you want a name that avoids bad associations, but this name feels far from neutral to me.
On the plus side the name is unique and epic, a name fit for a warrior.
A couple of other names that feel similarly epic you might consider: [name_m]Thorin[/name_m], [name_m]Odin[/name_m], [name_m]Orin[/name_m], [name_m]Alaric[/name_m], [name_m]Perseus[/name_m].
I brought up the ragnarök too, but it didn’t bother him at all. I’m not 100% sure yet if I’m happy with the connection, which is one of the reasons I’m not fully commited to it yet. When it comes to myth-related names though, I realise there’s only few options that doesn’t have any “dark” stories attached.
Thanks! [name_m]Thorin[/name_m] is out because he had a dog named [name_m]Thor[/name_m]. [name_m]Alaric[/name_m] and [name_m]Perseus[/name_m] are actually on the list too. I used to mix a bunch of unusual names into combos for hypothetical kids, but now a real one is on the way I wonder how unique and epic we could go.
It doesn’t sound like you’re very close to choosing the one. I’d say there’s quite a big gap between your feelings and your husband’s feelings for [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] right now.
Your husband being pretty much set on the name puts you in a difficult position since there’s inevitability more pressure on you to accept it or find reasons to accept it.
But I think it’s important to treat [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] the same as you’ve done with any other names you’ve discussed. If your other favourites go on a short list, ask yourself if you like [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] as much as those names? If yes, then it can go on the shortlist for the time being. But I would want to make it clear to your husband now that other names are still on the table.
[name_m]Magnus[/name_m] was a name we discussed for our son but we decided to put it on a ‘back-up’ list instead of our shortlist because there was something holding him back. I wanted a back-up list in case all the names on our short list didn’t feel right when the time came. You never know if feelings might change on those maybes. Perhaps you could do the same with names your husband liked before changing his mind.
If you’re interested, an exercise we found helpful when we wanted to narrow things down further was to individually rank the names on our list as 1, 2 or 3 for most preferred to least preferred. We ranked them without the other seeing the rankings so we wouldn’t be influenced. Names that received a 1 from both of us were our front runners. Any names that received 3 were out of the running.
, [name_m]Ragnar[/name_m] seems rare enough to avoid bad associations.