[name_m]Just[/name_m] curious what everyone thinks of [name_m]Declan[/name_m]. It was our number one contender for a long while with our firstborn, and we immediately came back to it when trying to find a name for number 2.
We loved it a lot and thought everyone else would to. Wrong. When I told my family, all of their reactions were bad. They all said it sounded or looked like something else. Deck him, declaw, decathlon. They brought up awful nicknames (sounds like deck… You get the picture)… And now we just aren’t so sure.
It goes the best with our sons name, I think ([name_u]Jameson[/name_u] nn [name_u]Jem[/name_u]). Our other options are [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] and [name_u]Flynn[/name_u]. Can’t find any others that are just jumping out.
Our original combo was [name_m]Declan[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m] which I still think is just amazing. Also can’t find a good nickname though, besides possible [name_m]Dax[/name_m] which isn’t terrible. I think a nice nickname would seal the deal. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t like Dec or [name_m]Dex[/name_m] though. We think ducky would be cute for a little boy, but I think he needs a different nickname to grow with him.
I love [name_m]Declan[/name_m] but I am biased because it’s my nephews name. A lot of my family had never heard of it before and some of them were quite negative about it. [name_m]Even[/name_m] I didn’t like it at one point because it reminded me of decking someone (punching). But it just grew on me and especially now that he is here I can’t imagine him as anything else. It really suits him and I haven’t heard anyone make any negative comments about his name since he’s been born. I personally think it’s a nice strong name, an Irish saint name, ages well is not too common but not too out there
either. [name_u]Jameson[/name_u] and [name_m]Declan[/name_m] sound great as brothers. I also like [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] and [name_u]Flynn[/name_u] but if you love [name_m]Declan[/name_m] the most don’t let other people’s reactions deter you.
As for nicknames I can’t really help. Maybe one will come naturally if/when he comes.
I really like [name_m]Declan[/name_m], for the reasons mentioned by the previous poster. It is a strong, handsome name with an interesting Irish history.
Another suggestion is [name_m]Ronan[/name_m], which is also an Irish saint’s name. 
Thank you both! I love [name_m]Ronan[/name_m] and [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], but DH can’t stand them 
I really like [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] best with [name_u]Jem[/name_u]. [name_u]Olly[/name_u] and [name_u]Jem[/name_u] would be really cute together. [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m] is a handsome combination. I’m not really a fan of [name_m]Declan[/name_m], I think its the lack of good nicknames. Plus the Clan part throws me. If you are still looking for more contenders, have you considered:
[name_m]Desmond[/name_m]
[name_m]Conan[/name_m]
[name_m]Cormac[/name_m]
[name_m]Quentin[/name_m]
[name_m]Weston[/name_m]
[name_m]Franklin[/name_m] (I don’t know if you’ll like this, but [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] and [name_u]Jem[/name_u]? So cute)
@tarynkay- I definitely love [name_u]Ollie[/name_u] and [name_u]Jem[/name_u], but [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] just seems to ‘lack’ something that [name_u]Jameson[/name_u] has? Maybe?
Have you considered [name_u]Jameson[/name_u] & [name_m]Harrison[/name_m]? Nicknames could be [name_m]Harry[/name_m] or [name_u]Sonny[/name_u]? Or what about [name_m]Greyson[/name_m]… [name_u]Jem[/name_u] & [name_u]Grey[/name_u]? I also like [name_u]Remington[/name_u] a lot, nn [name_u]Remy[/name_u]. [name_m]Harrison[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_m]Greyson[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m], & [name_m]Reminton[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m] all sound very nice to me. And by the way, I love the name [name_u]Jameson[/name_u]! I’m big fans of [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] & [name_u]Flynn[/name_u] too. Quite honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of [name_m]Declan[/name_m], because for me it carries multiple negative associations. But where I live, [name_m]Declan[/name_m] is quite a common name among toddlers (I personally know 3), so I could easily imagine it breaking the top 100 in the US within the next few years.
[name_m]Harrison[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m] nn. [name_m]Harry[/name_m] or [name_u]Sonny[/name_u]
[name_m]Greyson[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m] nn. [name_u]Grey[/name_u]
[name_u]Remington[/name_u] [name_m]John[/name_m] nn. [name_u]Remy[/name_u]
I used to really like [name_m]Declan[/name_m], then heard it used on an actual child and now it feels like fingernails on a blackboard to me. I can’t stand how it sounds.
I love the suggestion of [name_m]Desmond[/name_m]! [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] is great also. Anything but [name_m]Declan[/name_m].
I really like [name_m]Declan[/name_m] and we strongly considered it for our firstborn as well. But we had the same experience that others didn’t care for it at all. If you love it, use it! The other name from your list that I also really like is [name_m]Oliver[/name_m]. It fits with [name_u]Jameson[/name_u] best. [name_m]Declan[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m] or [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m].
Unattractive in my opinion
I think [name_m]Declan[/name_m] is amazing! I think your family will get over it if you choose that for your son. I also like [name_m]Duncan[/name_m], similar sound. What about [name_u]Drew[/name_u], [name_m]Connor[/name_m], [name_m]Oscar[/name_m]?
I love [name_m]Declan[/name_m] so much with [name_u]Jameson[/name_u]! Did you decide again [name_m]Declan[/name_m] to go with [name_u]Flynn[/name_u] and [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] as your top contenders?