Still struggling with boys names!

Boy Names
1

I have posted a few times and we are still struggling so much to find boys names we can agree on! At this point I feel like I have literally looked at every boy name there is and can’t find anything we can agree on that goes with our last name, isn’t ‘off limits’ because of friends/family, or isn’t too popular. Our last name is especially hard to match, one syllable starts with “Re”. Names starting or ending in “r” and ending in “-ry” are out, and ending in “-er” doesn’t really work (but not as bad as [name]Henry[/name] Re**) & so are one syllable names. My husband and I don’t exactly see eye to eye, and then he gets frustrated because I am so picky (I [name]Don[/name]'t blame him LOL). I’ve posted some names on here as we have been going through them and currently here is where we are at:

We both kind of like [name]Oliver[/name]. I feel like it kind of sounds like a pet name. It has the same -er problem, however hubs totally doesn’t see this as a problem. I didn’t really notice until some people pointed it out on here and now I am hesitant about -er ending names.

I really like [name]Keagan[/name]. He isn’t loving it, but is willing to keep it on the board, but I’m not seeing him loving it. A couple I haven’t totally decided I hated on my list are [name]Thomas[/name], [name]Xander[/name] & [name]Julian[/name] (girly?).

He gave me a new list he came up with, and the ones I didn’t automatically delete are [name]Nico[/name], [name]Alexi[/name] (girly sounding?), [name]Victor[/name] & [name]Kato[/name]. And again, [name]Victor[/name] ending with “r” makes me hesitant, but it is probably my favorite on the list.

To give you an idea of what I like, girls list is [name]Amelie[/name], [name]Celia[/name], [name]Cosette[/name], [name]Cordelia[/name]. (the C thing is total coincidence, and I am pretty sold on [name]Amelie[/name]). Also, we don’t like surnames, biblical names (although not completely opposed), prefer not to have a nick name. I want it to be easy to say/pronounce. I would love to find a name that honors one of our heritages (I am french/welsh/english/dutch and he is part hawaiian (which he mostly identifies with). I prefer “nice” sounding names like [name]Liam[/name] & [name]Henry[/name] (both taken). I like Lucus, but my brother’s name has [name]Luc[/name] in it (french name) and I don’t know that it is too close (I am not sure I want to name a kid after him either).

Any opinions on these names or others would be very appreciated! What do you think of -er ending names with our ln? What do you think of his list? I feel like I just need outside fresh opinions because I am feeling so anti boy names right now! And as you can see I am SOOO picky. Also, middle name possibilities include [name]Kenneth[/name], [name]William[/name], [name]John[/name], [name]Merrill[/name] & Akana (family names). Thank you and sorry for the long post!!

2

Out of the names I have seen on your list I like [name]Oliver[/name] (does not look like a pet name at to me), [name]Thomas[/name], [name]Julian[/name] (does not look girly to me) and [name]Victor[/name]. If I had to pick an absolute favourite I would say [name]Thomas[/name].

I don’t know if you want or need any more suggestions, but maybe you would like

  • [name]Adam[/name] (Has that classic feel to it like [name]Thomas[/name]. Not one syllable. No ER ending)
  • [name]Daniel[/name] (same as above)
  • [name]Samuel[/name] (same as above)
  • [name]Milo[/name] (has the same kind of feel as [name]Nico[/name])
  • [name]Vincent[/name] (instead of [name]Victor[/name])
  • [name]Evan[/name]
  • [name]Michael[/name] (again classic…)
  • [name]William[/name] (same as above)
  • [name]Joseph[/name] (same as above)
3

I loved Keagan. May I also suggest Keiren or Teegan?
I have always been on the fence about Julian too, might want to delete that one
But if you like the sound of it you may like Jude, short and sweet
My brothers middle name is Henry, his first name is Brian, that could work, or even Ryan could still flow with your last name

4

From your names I prefer [name]Oliver[/name], [name]Thomas[/name] and [name]Julian[/name]. I don’t care for the newer suggestions - [name]Victor[/name], [name]Kato[/name], [name]Nico[/name] or [name]Alexi[/name]. I also don’t care for [name]Keagan[/name] - it sounds vaguely 90’s and it sounds too close to “girls” names like [name]Reagan[/name] or [name]Teagan[/name].

If you like [name]Liam[/name] and [name]Henry[/name] how about [name]Owen[/name], [name]Evan[/name], [name]James[/name], [name]Logan[/name] or [name]Collin[/name]?

5

I like [name]Thomas[/name], especially paired with your unique heritage middle name, Akana. [name]Thomas[/name] Akana “[name]Reed[/name]” has beautiful flow, a perfect balance of sounds, and the classic [name]Thomas[/name] really shines next to the unusual Hawaiian name.

Would you like [name]Julius[/name] instead of [name]Julian[/name]? No worries about gender confusion there, and [name]Julius[/name] Akana [name]Reed[/name] sounds really smashing.

I think [name]Victor[/name] is rad, and the -R ending isn’t ideal but not the end of the world by any means. Same thing-- [name]Victor[/name] Akana [name]Reed[/name], very hip.

6

I don’t think the -er issue is such an issue that names should be struck from the list for it, esp. since you have trouble liking enough to make a short list! Names that “slide” into one another are only problematic [name]IMO[/name] if the slide creates a weird sentence or new compound word (like [name]Violet[/name] [name]Tyson[/name] could sound like “violet ice, son” or something). And if you didn’t notice/weren’t bothered by it until someone else pointed it out, then I’d say you’re safe.

[name]How[/name] much would sibling names’ stylistic coherence matter to you? [name]Amelia[/name], [name]Celia[/name], [name]Cosette[/name], and [name]Cordelia[/name] are all soft, feminine, a little flowery, and a little vintage. Some of the names of your psuedo-boys list share those qualities, but others don’t [name]IMO[/name]. If you were to have a son and then a daughter, how much would you want their names to “fit” together (or would just loving the name be what mattered)?

Trying to distill your post into a few names you like, it looks like your sort-of list is:
[name]Oliver[/name] - I don’t think this is a pet name any more than [name]Lucy[/name], [name]Maggie[/name], [name]Max[/name], [name]Jack[/name], [name]Chloe[/name], etc. Human names are being given to pets more and more frequently. I just think that’s a trend of its own. I would definitely not say that [name]Oliver[/name] was a distinctly pet name. I think [name]Oliver[/name] is smart, unusual, full of youth but good with maturity, etc. I also think this would fit with any of the girls names you like (and it has ties to many cultures in your backgrounds: [name]Oliver[/name], [name]Olivier[/name], etc).
[name]Keagan[/name] - [name]Keagan[/name] is sharp, fun, and youthful (though historian [name]John[/name] [name]Keegan[/name] helps ground it in my mind). While I like it, I do find it a tad trendy and distinctly Irish, which doesn’t match the sounds of the girls names you like.
[name]Thomas[/name] - I like it, though it is Biblical and I wonder if it would be hard to avoid [name]Thom[/name]/[name]Tom[/name] (is that alright with you?). Would go nicely with [name]Celia[/name] or [name]Cordelia[/name] if you were to have a daughter with those names.
[name]Julian[/name] - I don’t think this is girly; I really like this one for you. I think it translates easily without too much change between the French and Dutch versions, so this would honor those roots well. I think it goes fabulously with all your girl choices!
[name]Xander[/name] - feisty, boyish, a little edgy, tad trendy. I wouldn’t place it in a subset with any of your girls names, though again that might matter to me more than you.
[name]Victor[/name] - I think [name]Victor[/name] is fab: rooted in history, a refreshed classic. I love it with your girls’ list.
[name]Nico[/name] - little more casual/exotic since it reads (to me) as a Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, etc.) nickname. Not sure it fits the girls’ style.
[name]Alexi[/name] - I think spelling it [name]Alexei[/name] would make is more clearly masculine instead of a letter short of [name]Alexis[/name]. Its softer sound lets it fit in with the girls’ style (I think).
[name]Kato[/name] - also on the edgy, exotic side with a trendy K in place of the traditional spelling’s C. I would prefer [name]Cato[/name]. This doesn’t jive (in my mind) with the “nice” sounding names or girls names you mentioned liking.

Of these options, I think these combinations are spot-on:
[name]Oliver[/name] [name]Merrill[/name]
[name]Victor[/name] Akana
[name]Julian[/name] [name]Merrill[/name], [name]Julian[/name] [name]Kenneth[/name], or [name]Julian[/name] Akana
[name]Thomas[/name] [name]Merrill[/name]
Runner-up: [name]Alexi[/name] [name]William[/name]

I know I’ve already written a ton, but here are some more ideas for you:
[name]Alexander[/name] - I know that it is prone to nicknames, but you have two different variants on your list already ([name]Xander[/name] and [name]Alexi[/name]). If [name]Xander[/name] feels too modern/edgy and [name]Alexi[/name] too girly, what about the original? I would say it is “nice” sounding, classic, easy to spell, and you could use [name]Alexi[/name] (or [name]Xander[/name]) as a nickname if you wanted.
[name]Nicholas[/name] or [name]Nicolas[/name]- again, if [name]Nico[/name] didn’t quite cut it, what about the original?
[name]Colin[/name], [name]Cavan[/name], [name]Cassian[/name], [name]Crispin[/name], [name]Cillian[/name], [name]Ciaran[/name], [name]Keenan[/name], [name]Cameron[/name], [name]Cabot[/name], [name]Corin[/name], [name]Caius[/name] - [name]Keagan[/name] and [name]Kato[/name] (as well as [name]Nico[/name] and [name]Victor[/name]) share a hard C sound that might make one of these appealing alternatives…
[name]Evan[/name]
[name]Eli[/name] or [name]Elias[/name]
[name]Leo[/name] or [name]Leon[/name]
[name]Graham[/name] - I know your last name is one syllable, but I think this could be a strong pairing
[name]Hugo[/name]
[name]Andre[/name] or [name]Anders[/name]
[name]August[/name]
[name]Gabin[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name]

Good luck!