We have a little boy on the way, due in [name_u]June[/name_u], and are looking for a name. We are a Swiss-Nepali family living in an international context. His mother tongue will be [name_f]English[/name_f], but he will also speak [name_m]German[/name_m], [name_u]French[/name_u], and Nepali. He will have Swiss [name_m]German[/name_m] cousins and we are expecting he’ll be spending quite a bit of time with them.
To reflect our son’s identity, we would like to give him a Western first and an Eastern or Western second name, along with his Nepali last name. We are looking for a beautiful sounding first-second name combination with a strong, positive meaning. The first, Western name should be recognisable and easy to pronounce across international and Swiss contexts (if it is, it will be recognisable in Nepal too) and be pronounced the same in [name_f]English[/name_f] and [name_m]German[/name_m] (easier said than done!). Preference is for non-biblical names and none borne by currently living members of the [name_f]British[/name_f] royal family… The second, Eastern or Western name can be a bit of a wildcard. We love [name_m]Jahan[/name_m] but are open to others. The most important thing is that it looks and sounds nice together with his first and last name and has a beautiful meaning. Our last name is three syllables, and starts with [name_m]Ra[/name_m]. Together, the three initials should sound and look nice as well. Quite a challenge, right?
Funny enough, after all our fretting over names, we came up with our favourite so far within 24 hours of learning that we were having a boy:
[name_m]Alexander[/name_m] [name_m]Jahan[/name_m]
We both love this name and the strength and meaning behind it, so it is at the top of our list. However, we just can’t help but wonder if there might be anything else out there that would work even better: I’m not the biggest fan of the nickname [name_u]Alex[/name_u], although I could get used to it. Similarly, any of the nicknames I’ve come across for [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] just don’t seem terribly exciting (except for [name_m]Xander[/name_m], which we both like - although it works much better in [name_f]English[/name_f] than in German). Also, [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] ending with an “r” and three syllable last name starting with an “r” seems a bit borderline, although it doesn’t seem to be extremely bothersome in this particular case.
Another name we love is [name_u]Sol[/name_u]. It is minimalist, strong with a beautiful meaning. Definitely less recognisable and will require more explanations than [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], but perhaps because it’s just three letters and pronunciation is straightforward, the potential for confusion seems limited. Any thought on this? Am I being too optimistic thinking it’ll be pretty straightforward name even if it isn’t so common? [name_u]Sol[/name_u] [name_m]Jahan[/name_m] as a first-second name combo seems to pair well.
I also like [name_u]Evan[/name_u]. I am just wondering if it packs the same punch as stately [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and strong and to the point [name_u]Sol[/name_u]. Perhaps if we found a beautiful Eastern or Western second name to pair with it - any suggestions? I also love the nickname “Ev”, so easy to shorten and say. [name_m]Even[/name_m] is however a bit less recognisable in Switzerland. It does feel a bit “foreign” in the Swiss context but is just familiar enough that this may not be a dealbreaker.
Further boy names I like are [name_u]Julian[/name_u], [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m], [name_u]Elliott[/name_u], [name_m]Zev[/name_m], [name_u]Owen[/name_u], [name_m]Hal[/name_m], [name_u]Leon[/name_u], [name_u]Maxwell[/name_u], and [name_m]Cassian[/name_m] (the last being my favourite of the bunch). The issue with the first two is how differently “J” is pronounced in [name_m]German[/name_m] and [name_f]English[/name_f], I think it would be awkward. [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] may be a possibility but I’m not sure we are in love with it. The other names I listed aren’t common enough in Switzerland and would always need to be explained and spelled out, and they also sound very different in [name_f]English[/name_f] and in [name_m]German[/name_m]. I would love [name_m]Cassian[/name_m] though and am wondering if there is a way to make it work.
I have scoured name websites for months and have looked at what I feel is every classical non-biblical non-current royal first name for boys. So far, these are my slim pickings.
I’d love any of your comments on these names, especially [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] vs. [name_u]Sol[/name_u], and any other ideas you might have for us first-second name combos, new first names we haven’t thought of, beautiful second names that may work etc. Thank you!! 
Great ideas on nicknames too. I like [name_m]Zander[/name_m] in particular.