Two nerdmates without a clue. Suggestions?

Boy Names
1

I’ll start off by giving a short introduction, because while I’ve lurked here for two years, I’ve never posted. Everyone has such wonderful ideas, so I shyly hold back. Here is my toe dipping into the water, though!

My husband and I have been officially TTC with infertility help for two years with a loss last [name]November[/name], and recently I began my first cycle of Clomid. There are no other children in our lives. :frowning: We’re in the 2WW period and to keep me calm, I’ve been scouring through names (planning is therapeutic for me!). Before the loss, we went through so many names. My husband never agrees on anything, but he finally did accept one. I don’t hate it, but I want something that will better fit the baby.

Personality-wise, we are both nerds. Bookworms, video game lovers, cartoon addicts. The only major difference between us is that I absolutely love nature and the outdoors, and he absolutely loves playing video games and sitting in front of his computer. We like mythological names, historical names, literary names, and names with a rich background and a strong meaning, such as wise friend, intelligent, virtuous. He has put his foot down on any traditional names.

Our last name is [name]Peterson[/name]. The baby girl name we finally settled on is [name]Wren[/name] [name]Carys[/name]. The first name of the boy that is questionable is [name]Dresden[/name]. I have held on tightly to the MN [name]Conall[/name], so I’d like to keep that unless something really, really good comes along.

Please help if you can. I have spent the last year looking through this website, through other baby name collections (Nameberry is still the best though!), and from listening to people talk about their own children and hearing what names they’ve collected. I’m sorry my post was so long!

2

The name for a girl [name]Wren[/name] [name]Carys[/name] is absolutely beautiful, I love it and it seems like it will suit your naming style fantastically! I think that [name]Dresden[/name] [name]Conall[/name] works really well, so if you love it go for it! I know this isn’t much help sorry. Good luck on TTC!

3

Well first off, I’m excited you finally decided to post on NB!!!

I actually don’t think [name]Wren[/name] [name]Carys[/name] or [name]Dresden[/name] [name]Conall[/name] come across as super nerdy.

I don’t know how mythology, nerdy you want to go. If you want to be all the way out there you might be better off waiting for [name]Ottilie[/name] to respond. She’s got the most stunning lists. Below are some a little more tame (at least I think they are).

Names that strike me as cool, nature or similar to [name]Wren[/name]:
Girls: [name]Echo[/name], [name]Lyric[/name], [name]Zoe[/name], [name]Cyan[/name],
Boys: [name]Link[/name], [name]Skylar[/name], [name]Zane[/name], [name]Slate[/name], [name]Onyx[/name],

Names that feel similar to [name]Dresden[/name]:
Girls: [name]Molly[/name], [name]Geneva[/name], [name]Oriel[/name], [name]Valencia[/name],
Boys: [name]Henry[/name]/[name]Harry[/name], [name]Lonnie[/name], [name]Oberon[/name],

Others:
Girls:[name]Hyacinth[/name], [name]Marigold[/name], [name]Mimosa[/name], [name]Teagan[/name], [name]Violetta[/name],
Boys: Hawthrone, [name]Russet[/name], [name]Yarrow[/name], [name]Merrick[/name], [name]Arthur[/name]

4

Aw, thank you. :slight_smile: My husband has been a lot more open about girl names (I think three or so passed his scrutiny!), but I absolutely fell in love with [name]Wren[/name] [name]Carys[/name] and was delighted that my husband did too. I am happy that you like it!

I don’t think [name]Dresden[/name] is a bad name at all, I just think that it is a mouthful to say with our last name. My favorite was [name]Liam[/name] [name]Conall[/name], but he won’t budge on it and he also shot down first names [name]Rowan[/name], [name]Conall[/name], [name]Callum[/name], [name]August[/name], and [name]Alden[/name] recently. I’m a frustrated panda, ladies.

5

Thanks for replying Lexiem! I love your female names and for the boy names, I tried for a couple days to get [name]Merrick[/name] and [name]Zane[/name] by DH. It wasn’t happening, sadly. When I mentioned [name]Hawthorne[/name], [name]Oberon[/name], [name]Link[/name], and [name]Slate[/name]… if only looks could kill, I’d be one dead lady! Thank you for your suggestions. A lot of them are very similar to our style.

I wish a friend of ours didn’t have a daughter named [name]Teagan[/name]. Beautiful!

6

I’m sorry for your loss. Fingers crossed for this time around!

[name]Do[/name] you mean that the first name you’ve both kind of agreed on is [name]Dresden[/name] (perhaps [name]Dresden[/name] [name]Conall[/name])? I like it. In that same vein (and that of [name]Wren[/name] [name]Carys[/name])…

[name]Alistair[/name] [name]Conall[/name]
[name]Hugh[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (means “mind, intellect”)
[name]Barnaby[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (nn [name]Abe[/name] or [name]Barnes[/name] or even [name]Barney[/name]; literary from Dickens and historical from St. [name]Barnabas[/name]; and there is a comic strip with this name, though I have no idea if it’s any good)
[name]Rhett[/name] [name]Conall[/name]
[name]Silas[/name] [name]Conall[/name] ([name]Silas[/name] Marner; means “woods”)
[name]Atlas[/name] [name]Conall[/name]
[name]Finch[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (you wouldn’t want a [name]Wren[/name] and a [name]Finch[/name], but it captures the nature and lit cred from [name]Atticus[/name] [name]Finch[/name])
[name]Danton[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (“enduring”; related to [name]Dante[/name] with a feel not unlike [name]Dresden[/name]; not sure how you feel about this ending with [name]Peterson[/name])
[name]Lysander[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (“liberator”; [name]Shakespeare[/name], of course)
[name]Wilder[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (I looove this. Has a kind of natural vibe; related to [name]Laura[/name] Ingalls and [name]Thornton[/name])
[name]Nash[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (meaning is mildly about nature; [name]Nash[/name] [name]Ogden[/name] the poet and [name]John[/name] [name]Nash[/name] the mathematician)
[name]Whitman[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (meaning is so-so, but [name]Walt[/name] [name]Whitman[/name] has enough cred to make up for it; love nn [name]Whit[/name]; not sure how you feel about this ending with [name]Peterson[/name])
[name]Thackeray[/name] [name]Conall[/name]
[name]Homer[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (“security, pledge”; Iliad and Odyssey; just have to not mind the [name]Simpson[/name] association)
[name]Langston[/name] [name]Conall[/name]
[name]Roald[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (“famous ruler”; love [name]Roald[/name] Dahl)
[name]Truman[/name] [name]Conall[/name] (“loyal one”; [name]Truman[/name] Capote and a character from the Motley’s [name]Crew[/name] comic, though I have no clue if that’s a good reference, haha; love nn [name]True[/name]; once again, not sure about this ending with [name]Peterson[/name]…)

7

[name]Dresden[/name] as in the [name]Dresden[/name] Files? Awesome! And [name]Wren[/name] [name]Carys[/name] is beautiful.

8

I really like [name]Wren[/name] [name]Carys[/name]! It’s a lovely choice. Cant think of anything wrong with it. I would recommend against using [name]Dresden[/name]. Here’s an older thread about [name]Dresden[/name] that would probably be worth reading through: Nameberry - Welcome to the Nameberry Forums

9

Thank you so much for replying everyone! Yes, it is [name]Dresden[/name] we’re working on. The girl named is settled, and I’m starting to see how good of a choice it was! :slight_smile:

ellenelle - I really liked [name]Atlas[/name], [name]Rhett[/name], [name]Barnaby[/name], and [name]Truman[/name] (the nn [name]True[/name] sold me), but as soon as I mentioned them to DH, it was a pretty quick shutdown.

jessicat11 - Embarrassingly enough, yes! We DEVOUR books, and right now that is perhaps one of our favorite series. It makes it even more special that it was me who introduced him to it before we got married. The character is strong, passionate, loyal, humble, and selfless. He had some pretty close calls, but he keeps putting one foot in front of the other.

nono - Yes, that is the only thing wrong with [name]Dresden[/name] that we’ve found, and that I immediately pointed out to DH. The only other name he -ever- accepted was [name]Declan[/name], and because of the tv show Revenge, I’m not a very big fan of it.

Thank you all for helping point out better suggestions and your concerns. They’re all very helpful, even if DH is as stubborn as a mule.

10

Maybe he’d like [name]Dryden[/name]? It’s very similar, but would get away from some of the negative assocations that come with [name]Dresden[/name].

Or maybe even [name]Drystan[/name], a Welsh variant of [name]Tristan[/name]? Very similar to [name]Dresden[/name], but with an esablished history of use as a first name, and once again a bit more removed from some of [name]Dresden[/name]'s less desirable associations.

Or maybe …

[name]Deacon[/name]
[name]Lachlan[/name]
[name]Espen[/name]
[name]Deverau[/name] / [name]Deveraux[/name]
[name]Destry[/name]
[name]Altair[/name]
[name]Caius[/name] ([name]Cai[/name]?)
[name]Vale[/name]
[name]Corentin[/name]
[name]Inigo[/name]
[name]Peregrin[/name] / [name]Peregrine[/name]
[name]North[/name]
[name]March[/name]
[name]Dashiell[/name] ([name]Dash[/name])
[name]Jove[/name]
[name]Leander[/name]
[name]Riordan[/name]

11

I am married to a videogame nerd as well and I am the bookworm in the relationship. My hubby has been pretty stubborn too. However through the stubbornness he has made a few decent suggestions. He likes [name]Leo[/name] and [name]Locke[/name] (both from Final [name]Fantasy[/name] 6) and I like those names too since I put my foot down on [name]Link[/name] and [name]Zelda[/name] because that’s way too obvious for me. I am currently loving [name]Caspian[/name] from the [name]Narnia[/name] books. I’m not so sure about [name]Dresden[/name] but love the girl’s name! I am considering [name]Wren[/name] as a mn my self. Anyway I’ll try to come up with some other suggestions, if you do a videogame name I would try to do something less obvious. [name]Hope[/name] this was helpful, good luck!

12

What about [name]Shepherd[/name] [name]Alastair[/name]?

[name]Shepherd[/name] is both outdoorsy and could be a reference to [name]Shepherd[/name] Book (if you like Firefly).
[name]Alastair[/name] is classy, and a nod to [name]Alastair[/name] [name]Reynolds[/name] if you like his science fiction.

Another idea I have is Gaias [name]Cormac[/name].
Gaias for Battlestar Galactica.
[name]Cormac[/name] for [name]Cormac[/name] [name]McCarthy[/name].

Sorry. I’m not exactly sure what writers, video games, nerdy stuff you guys like.

Oh, and I also think [name]Caspian[/name] would be a good first name. It’s nature (reference to the [name]Caspian[/name] Sea) and nerdy cool because of Chronicles of [name]Narnia[/name].

13

Hey! [name]How[/name] about [name]Odin[/name]? He is the Norse God of the Arts. Has a [name]Dresden[/name] sort of sound.

14

[name]Welcome[/name] to Nameberry, avenrii! I love your description of yourselves as a couple…you sound just like me and my husband! Well, except that my husband’s name taste is more practical than mine, so between the two of us he is the more “traditional.”

I knew [name]Dresden[/name] was a [name]Jim[/name] [name]Butcher[/name] reference as soon as I saw it :slight_smile: I think the name is great, we’ve considered it ourselves. He’s such an amazing character!

Mythology, literature, history…rich backgrounds and strong meanings…no traditional names. Got it. Here goes!
[name]Atlas[/name] - I always associate this name with exploring and grand adventures. The myth of the Titan who carries the world.
[name]Teague[/name] - Irish meaning bard or poet
[name]Emrys[/name] - a variant of [name]Ambrose[/name], meaning “immortal”…also rumored to be [name]Merlin[/name]‘s real name.
Sammael - my favorite alternative to [name]Samuel[/name]. Translated both as “poison of God” and “medicine of God” which I find fascinating as a student of herbal medicine. He’s also the bad guy in the Wheel of Time series though.
[name]Taliesin[/name] - “radiant brow”, a bard who is featured in Arthurian legend and The Mabinogion…believed to be the first Druid
[name]Magnus[/name] - obviously, this means “great” in Latin. But a little nerd-trivia: [name]Magnus[/name] is the middle name of [name]Erik[/name] Lensherr, X-Men’s Magneto.
[name]Constantine[/name] - “constant, steadfast”. Of course there are the various emperors…but the real draw of this name (at least for me) is the badass comic series (turned [name]Keanu[/name] movie)
[name]Bernard[/name] - If you ARE a [name]Jim[/name] [name]Butcher[/name] fan, you will know that [name]Bernard[/name] is awesome. And his name means “bear-hardy” aka “brave as a bear”
[name]Phineas[/name] - Hebrew for “oracle”, the [name]Anthony[/name] Trollope novel
[name]Bram[/name] - Eragon (well, [name]Brom[/name] anyway) and Stoker. Meaning is disputed…there’s the “father of a multitude” bit in Hebrew when [name]Bram[/name] is short for [name]Abraham[/name] (another uncommon literary/historical/Biblical favorite), “thicket of wild gorse” in Dutch, and “raven” in Gaelic
[name]Jasper[/name] - Persian for “bringer of treasure”, a beautiful stone used for healing and protection, and considerable literary references (Sir [name]Walter[/name] [name]Scott[/name], [name]James[/name] Fenimore [name]Cooper[/name], [name]Thomas[/name] [name]Hardy[/name], etc)
[name]Melchior[/name] - means “city of kings”, a personal guilty pleasure. [name]One[/name] of the magi.
[name]Sebastian[/name] - one of my all-time favorite names ever. Twelfth [name]Night[/name], the [name]Tempest[/name], [name]Bastian[/name] from The Never-Ending [name]Story[/name], [name]Baz[/name] Luhrmann director of Moulin Rouge, Bastion the indie game with the best soundtrack ever, and of course the ultra-sexy demon butler from Kuroshitsuji ([name]Black[/name] [name]Butler[/name]…if you’re into anime/manga).
[name]Tristan[/name] - Legends of the Fall, [name]Le[/name] Morte d’[name]Arthur[/name], [name]Tristan[/name] and [name]Isolde[/name]
[name]Tiberius[/name] - “of the Tiber river”, a [name]Roman[/name] emperor, [name]Captain[/name] [name]Kirk[/name], and two [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] characters
[name]Lucius[/name] - “light” found in everything from [name]Shakespeare[/name] to Batman
[name]Cael[/name] - Irish meaning “slender”, a zodiac angel and a mythological Irish warrior
[name]Orion[/name] - the mythological hunter and the vivid, easily recognizable constellation…also the middle name of [name]Sirius[/name] [name]Black[/name]
[name]Verne[/name] - “place of alders”, the famous science fiction author
Eddard - “rich in blessings/guard or protector” obvious Game of Thrones reference, but it can also be a reference to all the fabulous Edwards in literature and history, as [name]Edward[/name] is probably too common for you
[name]Malachi[/name] - prophet whose name means “my angel” or “messenger of God”…love the potential nickname [name]Kai[/name] which is Hawaiian for “sea” and a main character in several fantasy novels and anime series

My own personal nerd-isms, that may or may not be helpful:
[name]Caspian[/name], Tumnus, Aslan, [name]Edmund[/name], Rillian, [name]Shasta[/name], [name]Cornelius[/name], Drinian, Fledge, Glenstorm, Tirian, Digory, [name]Kirke[/name], Ramandu, [name]Corin[/name], Rhince, Silenus, Trumpkin–[name]Narnia[/name]
[name]Bernard[/name], [name]Tavi[/name]/[name]Octavian[/name], [name]Valerian[/name] (Araris), [name]Gaius[/name], Fidelias (Valiar [name]Marcus[/name]), [name]Maximus[/name] (Antillar), [name]Aldrick[/name], Crassus, [name]Demos[/name], Doroga, Ehren --Codex Alera, [name]Jim[/name] [name]Butcher[/name]
Auron, Balthier, [name]Cloud[/name], [name]Locke[/name], Seifer, [name]Leon[/name], [name]Tidus[/name], Vaan, [name]Vincent[/name] ([name]Valentine[/name]), [name]Zack[/name], Zidane, [name]Sora[/name], Riku, Ventus (another [name]Dresden[/name] Files reference…ventas servitas anyone?), Ansem–Final [name]Fantasy[/name]/Kingdom Hearts
Kenshin (Rurouni, Himura), Sano, Saito, [name]Ryu[/name], Ichigo, [name]Alphonse[/name], Syaoran, Ashitaka, [name]Light[/name], Vash, Lupin, [name]Goku[/name], [name]Ciel[/name]–various anime
[name]Eli[/name], [name]Rush[/name], [name]Adama[/name], [name]Galen[/name], [name]Felix[/name], [name]Anders[/name], [name]Malcolm[/name], [name]Simon[/name], [name]Jayne[/name], Book, Firefly, [name]Corbin[/name], Solo, [name]Kirk[/name], [name]Jean[/name]-[name]Luc[/name], [name]Fox[/name], [name]Neo[/name], [name]Dominic[/name], Riddick, [name]Emmett[/name] ([name]Brown[/name]), [name]Nemo[/name], Castiel, [name]Theron[/name], [name]Roland[/name], [name]Morpheus[/name], Firenze, [name]Frodo[/name], Aragorn (Strider), [name]Sparrow[/name], [name]Thorin[/name], [name]Peregrine[/name]/[name]Pippin[/name], Theoden, Kvothe, Bast, [name]Caliban[/name], [name]Nico[/name], Kelsier, [name]Locke[/name], [name]Xander[/name]–various sci-fi/fantasy

sorry…I got a little carried away >_>

15

I am totally in love with [name]Wren[/name] [name]Carys[/name]! In fact, when I went into labor with my daughter, we still hadn’t chosen between [name]Carys[/name] and [name]Nora[/name]. We ultimately decided on [name]Nora[/name] because it just “fit,” but we still adore [name]Carys[/name]. [name]Wren[/name] is just gorgeous with it. I’m surprised this is your first time sharing as you have such wonderful taste!

Anyway, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to help, but here goes (suggested nicknames in parentheses)…
[name]Lyle[/name]
[name]Vance[/name]
[name]Rafe[/name]
[name]Milo[/name]
[name]Phoenix[/name]
[name]Lorcan[/name]
[name]Leland[/name]
[name]Drake[/name]
[name]Draco[/name] ([name]Drake[/name])
[name]Dexter[/name] ([name]Dex[/name])
[name]Linus[/name]
[name]Amos[/name]
[name]Rhys[/name]
[name]Levi[/name]
[name]Thaddeus[/name] ([name]Thad[/name])
[name]Reef[/name]
[name]Zed[/name]
[name]Zane[/name]
[name]Moss[/name]
[name]Basil[/name]
[name]Vaughn[/name]
[name]Gideon[/name]
[name]Pierce[/name]
[name]Achilles[/name] (Ach)
[name]Cornelius[/name] ([name]Neil[/name])
[name]Atticus[/name]
[name]August[/name] (Auggie or [name]Gus[/name])
[name]Lionel[/name] ([name]Lio[/name])
[name]Archer[/name] ([name]Archie[/name])
[name]Alfie[/name]
[name]Crispin[/name]
[name]Penn[/name]
[name]Cyrus[/name]
[name]Quinn[/name]
[name]Noble[/name]
[name]Clive[/name]
[name]Jude[/name]
[name]Tudor[/name]
[name]Severus[/name]
[name]Neo[/name]
[name]Remus[/name]
[name]Phineas[/name]
[name]Roman[/name]
[name]Harvey[/name]
[name]Tavish[/name] ([name]Tav[/name] or [name]Tavi[/name])
[name]Arlo[/name]
[name]Grey[/name]
[name]Caspian[/name]
[name]Bartholomew[/name] ([name]Bart[/name])
[name]Magnus[/name]
[name]Talon[/name]
Rennex ([name]Rex[/name])
[name]Reed[/name]
[name]Tobin[/name]
[name]Rune[/name]
[name]Denton[/name]
[name]Wiley[/name]
[name]Roscoe[/name]
[name]Cormac[/name]