♦️The Limited Naming Pool for Latinos – Thoughts on our List?

Hey all! We won’t be ready for our first child until a couple more years, but I thought I could get some opinions now either way! I have always been a person concerned about popularity, & even though I find many Latino names handsome, I wish I could choose something a little different. My SO is set on names that sound good in both English and Spanish, which is a reasonable priority considering most of our families speak mainly Spanish. I guess I am a lot less worried over pronunciation because I believe that those who have trouble saying baby’s name could always just call him by a nickname. I would name my first son Evander, Caspian, or Everest in a heartbeat but either:

  • He doesn’t like how they sound in Spanish.
  • He doesn’t think they sound like a name/he isn’t a fan.

I think his taste is a lot on the safer side of naming, but not too common that it is overwhelming, so basically names somewhat in the middle. Considering that we live in Texas, a lot of Latino names are ranked a lot higher here than in the US. It seems like the naming pool for Hispanics & Latinos is a lot smaller, and we have plenty of repeats.

What are your thoughts on our list? I think most of them hit that sweet middle spot, but I’ve listed the main concern we have next to each. Your thoughts & opinions are appreciated!! :slight_smile:

In order from highest ranked in the US to lowest ranked, these are the names we agree on:

  • Luca/Luka #67 & #163 – Nice, but I know a handful of babies named Lucas & Luke already. This one is most likely out.

  • Santiago #71 – Handsome, but it’s at #7 in Texas, and it’s been climbing the charts in the US for the past 20 years.

  • Abel #181 – Love it, but I feel like it is too popular. For the past 20 years it has stayed between #124 to #362 in the US.

  • Atlas #189 – Love this, easy to say in both languages, but is it too trendy? Or is it a solid option for us? We’ve also considered putting it in the middle name spot.

  • Orion #326 – This is one we both LOVE, but are concerned over how Latinos will pronounce it, or they might tease him and say it sounds like something unfortunate in Spanish!

  • Romeo #377 – Another we both LOVE, just worried if it sounds a little too sweet? Help me be confident! lol

  • Apollo #448 – A strong contender we both love, easy to say in both languages.

  • Rio #783 – Love, but what are your thoughts? Sell it to me!

  • Santos #966 – This one is the opposite problem lol, how would his English-speaking teachers and peers pronounce this?

Names he would consider only if we had a second son:

  • Milan #429

  • Evander unranked

  • Leandro #642

  • Silas #100

[name_m]Apollo[/name_m], [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] and [name_u]Rio[/name_u] are all great choices! I adore [name_u]Atlas[/name_u] too

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I love [name_m]Santiago[/name_m], but I would avoid it if popularity matters to you. [name_u]Luca[/name_u] is a handsome choice, but the same goes for it as [name_m]Santiago[/name_m]!
[name_u]Atlas[/name_u], [name_u]Orion[/name_u], [name_m]Romeo[/name_m], and [name_m]Apollo[/name_m] seem like great choices for you!

I also adore [name_u]Rio[/name_u]!

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Latina here!

I love [name_m]Abel[/name_m], [name_u]Rio[/name_u], [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] and [name_m]Santiago[/name_m]. But [name_m]Santiago[/name_m] is pretty common here in Latin [name_u]America[/name_u] (at least in Colombia…).

Some names you may like:
[name_m]Rafael[/name_m], [name_m]Felix[/name_m], [name_m]Samuel[/name_m], [name_m]Ramon[/name_m], [name_m]Leo[/name_m], [name_u]Elias[/name_u], Adrian/Adriano, [name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m]

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@Greyblue Thank you for your input! Those are some of our top contenders too

@EllieWilbury I feel you’re right! I might have to let them go, unfortunately :sob: Unless I can get past their rankings. But Thank you!! Rio is so nice, it’s been growing on me thanks to Good Girls :sweat_smile:

@Magnificent-Sunflowe Ahh yes, Santiago is so handsome! I’m not surprised it’s common in Latin America as well. From your suggestions we love Felix & Elias, and I wish he loved Adriano & Lorenzo as much as I do! Lol

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You have a fantastic list!

I too would rule out [name_u]Luca[/name_u] and [name_m]Santiago[/name_m], due to popularity/commonness in your area.

I personally don’t find [name_m]Abel[/name_m] to be popular as I’ve never met one or heard of one! I love the name.

I don’t find [name_u]Atlas[/name_u] popular enough for me to call trendy. It might get there yet, but I think [name_u]Atlas[/name_u] is amazing. I definitely think it’s great for your list, and you say you love it which is a good sign.

I can’t offer any opinion on your concerns about [name_u]Orion[/name_u], as I am not Latinx and don’t speak Spanish.

I love [name_m]Romeo[/name_m]! I’d definitely encourage you on this one too! The association may be romantic or tragic, but the name itself is amazing!

[name_m]Apollo[/name_m] and [name_u]Rio[/name_u] are awesome! I adore [name_u]Rio[/name_u], and have considered it myself. I don’t know if it’s inappropriate or odd for me to use, as I mentioned I have no Spanish connection. But that isn’t an issue for you, so go for it. I love that it’s a nature name, and the sound is so spunky. It’s short and easy and recognizable, but not common.

I could see [name_m]Santos[/name_m] getting pronounced with an a- as in cat as opposed to an ah- sound (assuming that’s how your pronounce it. Those may be the same in some accents). When said that way I think of [name_f]Santa[/name_f] lol. It’s not my favourite, but I don’t know that it makes it unusable.

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[name_u]Orion[/name_u], [name_m]Abel[/name_m], [name_m]Apollo[/name_m], [name_u]Atlas[/name_u] & [name_u]Rio[/name_u] are great names
[name_u]Rio[/name_u] would be an adorable middle name ex. [name_m]Abel[/name_m] [name_u]Rio[/name_u]

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I love [name_u]Luca[/name_u], [name_m]Santiago[/name_m], [name_m]Romeo[/name_m], and [name_m]Apollo[/name_m]!

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I know [name_m]Santiago[/name_m] is very popular right now and could be dated to this generation if that’s something that concerns you.

I like [name_u]Atlas[/name_u], [name_u]Orion[/name_u] and [name_m]Apollo[/name_m], but I would classify all of these as trendy – but I also wouldn’t want trendiness to stop you using the name you love.

[name_m]Romeo[/name_m] doesn’t sound too sweet to me, but my surname lends to [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] jokes and my brother gets them nonstop, and while it’s all in good fun I’m hesitant to recommend this name!

[name_m]Santos[/name_m] is my favorite from your list! I think there would only be a slight difference between [name_f]English[/name_f] and Spanish pronunciations.

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I love [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] and [name_u]Rio[/name_u]! To me, [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] is a classic name, and only slightly tied to [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] & [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]. [name_u]Rio[/name_u] is a great name, a fresh take on [name_m]Leo[/name_m]. I know a guy whose last name is [name_u]Rio[/name_u], but he goes by [name_u]Rio[/name_u] and it works. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!

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@columbiacharm Ahh thank you so much!! I feel much more confident in my list, especially for Atlas, Romeo, & Rio :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: I think that if you love Rio, it’s completely fine to use it, even if you aren’t Latinx! Atleast I think it’s fine :slightly_smiling_face:

@skylarhope Thank you!! You know I hadn’t even thought about Rio in the middle spot, but I think that’s a great option too! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

@aliciamae @Momofplenty Romeo seems to be very popular, I’m glad to hear, and helps me feel better! Thank y’all so much :heartbeat:

@acajou I think you’re so right, why would I let trendiness stop me from using a name I love. Thank you so much! & I’m happy to see you love Santos!! I keep going back and forth on it, but I might just be brave enough to use it someday :slight_smile: I’m also surprised about your brother being made fun of! With Romeo being so high up on the US charts, but thanks again for the warning, I appreciate it!!

@novembermom I hadn’t thought about Rio being a fresh take on Leo, but you’re right! It does sound like a nice choice when I think of it that way, thank you so much!! :blush:

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[name_m]Evander[/name_m] is one of my favorite names! I think [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] [name_m]Evander[/name_m] sounds gorgeous and strong. I’m kind of obsessed, actually. I also really like [name_u]Rio[/name_u] and Luca/Luka, which I think is a very different name/feel than [name_m]Luke[/name_m] or [name_m]Lucas[/name_m]. You really have some great options here.

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Hmm…

Luca/Luka ~ it’s a nice name but popularity seems like a concern for you so I would avoid

[name_m]Santiago[/name_m] ~ absolutely love [name_m]Santiago[/name_m] but similar to Luca/Luka due to the popularity of this name in [name_u]Texas[/name_u] I would avoid

[name_m]Abel[/name_m] ~ I’m the other side of the pond (English) and I don’t think [name_m]Abel[/name_m] is popular. Looking at your statistics I also don’t think you can say [name_m]Abel[/name_m] is popular really the likelihood of your [name_m]Abel[/name_m] meeting another [name_m]Abel[/name_m] of the same age is slim as he’s outside the top 100 baby names. I really love [name_m]Abel[/name_m].

[name_u]Atlas[/name_u] ~ great choice personally it’s not popular enough statistically speaking to be considered trendy also the fact that [name_u]Atlas[/name_u] works in [name_f]English[/name_f] & Spanish is brilliant. Great choice.

[name_u]Orion[/name_u] ~ I think if there is potential for teasing that you’ve noticed others will notice it also so I would avoid

[name_m]Apollo[/name_m] ~ a lovely strong name, not popular at all and easy to say in both languages I would say [name_m]Apollo[/name_m] is a strong contender for you.

[name_u]Rio[/name_u] ~ lovely name feels fresh, vibrant and outdoorsy a cool twist on [name_u]River[/name_u] which is increasingly in popularity. Personally think [name_u]Rio[/name_u] is great, translatable very strong contender!

[name_m]Santos[/name_m] ~ feels like a very classic Spanish choice I would pronounce the name SAN tos Like how it looks but I think it’s not as translatable for [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers like others on your list are.

Favourites: [name_m]Abel[/name_m], [name_u]Atlas[/name_u], [name_m]Apollo[/name_m] & [name_u]Rio[/name_u]

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@Bellarinareader16 Thank you!! That is a lovely thought about Romeo; I’m feeling more optimistic about hopefully using it someday! :hugs:

@lisshie Romeo Evander is actually on my list, too, actually! :blush: I could probably get away with putting Evander in the middle, so that’s a strong contender. Thanks so much!

@tori101 I’m so glad you love Abel! That’s fair enough to say the likelihood of two Abel’s coming across is very slim. I’m also happy to see Rio is one of your favorites; I’m falling more and more in love with it. Thank you so much for your feedback; it really helps a lot!! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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@VioletMoon I completely forgot to add my thoughts on [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] :woman_facepalming:t3: Personally I’m not a massive fan I think [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] is a bit cheesy probably because I associate it with my mum calling any boy that plays the field as a [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] :joy::joy: I’m a fan of [name_m]Roman[/name_m] which is similar but very popular so probably not what your looking for I also like [name_u]Rome[/name_u] which again is similar but a rare gem

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@tori101 Lol that’s funny about your mom! :joy: And I definitely LOVE Rome & Roman too, they were on my list, but my BF is so picky!! LOL Hopefully he will be a bit more lenient when the time does come :sweat_smile:

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[name_m]Apollo[/name_m], [name_u]Orion[/name_u] and [name_u]Atlas[/name_u] are my favorites! What are you worried about [name_u]Orion[/name_u] sound like in Spanish?

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@VioletMoon honestly mum can be so funny at times! I get OH being fussy but hopefully when the time comes he’ll be less so naming is hard though

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@TeaJay I was worried that Orion sounds too strange in Spanish, that the first thing people associate it with is either the word crybaby, which is spelled “Lloron”, or with the word for Urine :persevere: lol. My SO and I love this name but feel it would be too risky

aah I can see that! Some other suggestions are:

Reynal/Reynaldo
[name_u]Julian[/name_u]
[name_m]Rafael[/name_m]
[name_m]Augustin[/name_m]
[name_m]Marco[/name_m]
[name_m]Mateo[/name_m]
Mathias/Matias
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m]
[name_m]Antonio[/name_m]
[name_m]Cristian[/name_m]
[name_m]Emilio[/name_m]
[name_m]Hugo[/name_m]
[name_m]Salvadore[/name_m]

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