We’re thinking [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]. [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] is a hand me down name, dad and grandpa, but we would use [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] perhaps call him [name_m]Ace[/name_m] as a nickname. What do y’all think?
I expect to be in the minority, but I’m not a fan of [name_m]Atticus[/name_m].
It’s just too closely associated with To Kill a Mockingbird, and nothing else, if you see what I mean (although I have no idea where it’s derived from; it may have some long, rich history of which I am unaware, but I think TKAM is the modern-day association). And I find it vaguely pretentious, for reasons I can’t articulate.
[name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] has a little rhyme, but I like it. [name_m]Ace[/name_m] is nms, but sure, it could work as a nn. Some other possibilities:
[name_m]Abner[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]
[name_m]Abram[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] (nn [name_m]Abe[/name_m]?)
[name_m]Angus[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]
[name_m]Anson[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]
[name_u]Asa[/name_u] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]
[name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] is a nice, solid, easy-to-wear name. I love the character [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_u]Finch[/name_u] but I agree it’s very strongly associated with TKAM; only use it if you actually like the book and/or the character! (If you haven’t read it and don’t plan to, I wouldn’t advise using it because I can see people trying to start a conversation about it because of your son’s name.)
I can see the attachment to TKAM and we are fans of the character. I think he’s a strong man that stands up even when it’s not easy, which is what you want for a little boy. Although [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] also makes me think of gladiators for some reason. But does anyone else feel it sounds pretentious?
Thank you for the other suggestions as well. I like [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] but hubby isn’t a fan!
I like [name_m]Atticus[/name_m], and I don’t find it pretentious. I think people often forget that a key component of the definition of pretentiousness is that the trait (a name in this case) signals a level of culture, etc which eclipses that which is actually possessed. So…as long as you’ve actually read TKAM and that isn’t an outlier (i.e. it’s also not the only book you’ve ever read), there’s nothing wrong with using it.
I’m not a fan…I loved TKAM and the [name_m]Gregory[/name_m] Peck movie, yet nothing about the sound of [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] is attractive to me…it makes me think of rats scratching in an attic. Plus it does strike me as pretentious, and worse, misguidedly so…in that if you want your child’s name to proclaim “My mommy is a highly literate reader!” you don’t name them from a book practically everyone had to read in middle or high school. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if you genuinely love the character and aren’t trying to impress anyone, people aren’t going to know that just from hearing the name, especially if they’ve heard it on several other young boys already.
That said, it’s a legitimate male first name, so overall it’s not so bad. [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] is very nice, and gives him a good fallback if he doesn’t like [name_m]Atticus[/name_m].