What's the boys' alternative for Eleanor?

General Name Discussion
1

Hear me out. :slight_smile:

It’s for a story, but I posted it here because it’s more searching for a specific characteristic in a name, rather than searching for a name to suit a character. I’m looking for a name for a character whose family comes from old money, and is probably very famous. When I was thinking of what kind of name would suit children (now adult children–they would have probably been born in the 80s) of such a family, I thought of something that would probably be a bit on the classic side, ahead of its time in style/popularity, maybe a bit on the pretentious side?

I’m not sure [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] fits all of those requirements, but it fits a few, and seems to embody what I’m looking for. There’ll be two kids, a boy and a girl, and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]'s the younger of the two. I need her big brother, though, and [name_m]William[/name_m] just doesn’t quite seem to do it (otherwise, I think [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] would be perfect. Maybe as a middle.). [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] or [name_m]Maximilian[/name_m] sort of seem to suit what I’m looking for, but I’m not a massive [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] or [name_u]Max[/name_u] fan, and I find that I have to like the names of the characters that are supposed to be likable for me to be able to do anything with them. [name_m]Henry[/name_m]'s a maybe (almost feels too classic, still, though, and too reminiscent of [name_m]Henry[/name_m] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] Tilney?).

So any ideas? What would be [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]'s masculine alternative?

Thanks!

2

The first name I thought of was [name_m]Hugo[/name_m]. I can also see [name_m]George[/name_m], [name_m]Vincent[/name_m], [name_m]Frederick[/name_m] or [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] as a brother to [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f].

3

I think [name_m]Julian[/name_m], [name_m]Simon[/name_m], [name_m]Franklin[/name_m], and [name_m]Victor[/name_m] could all fit.

4

[name_m]Christopher[/name_m], [name_m]Timothy[/name_m], [name_m]Patrick[/name_m], [name_m]Peter[/name_m], [name_m]Vincent[/name_m], [name_u]Maurice[/name_u], [name_m]Julian[/name_m], [name_m]Dominic[/name_m], [name_u]Tristan[/name_u], [name_m]Eugene[/name_m], [name_m]Lewis[/name_m], [name_m]Simon[/name_m], [name_m]Julius[/name_m], [name_m]Malcolm[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m].

[name_m]Timothy[/name_m] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_m]Patrick[/name_m] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]

5

Thanks, everyone! [name_m]Hugo[/name_m], [name_m]Patrick[/name_m], [name_m]Peter[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_m]Dominic[/name_m], and [name_m]Frederic/name_m seem like the best bets to me, although I was tempted by [name_m]Matthias[/name_m]/[name_m]Mattias[/name_m] in @christabel’s signature, as well! I’m not sure it’s what I was going for, but the guy I’m envisioning is fairly laid-back, so I can see [name_m]Matt[/name_m] suiting him, and [name_m]Matthias[/name_m] for his more prim and proper mother. [name_m]Matthias[/name_m] Covington or something of the sort sounds fairly wealthy, too! But I’m still not sure I’d use it. I think my problem is that I sort of see him as a [name_m]Ben/name_m, but that’s not really the sort of name I was hoping for. Maybe another [name_m]Ben[/name_m] name, like [name_m]Benedict[/name_m], [name_m]Bennett[/name_m], or [name_m]Reuben[/name_m]? Or [name_u]Corbin[/name_u]? I also really like [name_m]Henry[/name_m] and [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] for him. Lots to think about. :slight_smile:

Any other ideas?

6

I second [name_m]Victor[/name_m], [name_m]Frederick[/name_m], and [name_m]Vincent[/name_m].

What about:
[name_m]Augustus[/name_m]
[name_m]Cecil[/name_m]
[name_m]Fabian[/name_m]
[name_m]Leonard[/name_m]
[name_u]Lionel[/name_u]
[name_m]Percival[/name_m]
[name_m]Philip[/name_m]
[name_m]Reuben[/name_m]
[name_m]Sylvester[/name_m]

[name_f]Edit[/name_f]: Sorry! I didn’t realize you had already thought of [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] in your other post! Another “[name_m]Ben[/name_m]” sounding one is [name_m]Eben[/name_m]. Or even [name_u]Tobin[/name_u] or [name_u]Sabin[/name_u], even if they don’t have [name_m]Ben[/name_m] in the name.

7

Thanks, @ottertails! I really love the idea of a [name_m]Leo[/name_m] name for him, although I’m not sure about [name_m]Leonard[/name_m]? [name_m]Leopold[/name_m] feels too out-of-left-field, and [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] too flashy. I can’t really see [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] as siblings. I’ll keep at it. :slight_smile: [name_m]Philip[/name_m] is great, too, although maybe more for a middle.

[name_u]Tobin[/name_u] I love, but I can see [name_u]Corbin[/name_u] suiting him more. [name_m]Reuben[/name_m]'s nice, but I don’t know. All the Reubens that I have known have been sort of swarthy, mind-numbingly dull sorts of people. I can’t see my guy being like that, haha. I see him having lighter hair, having a generous, kind heart, and wanting to be known for his own person, not really as the next inheritor of the grand Winchester/Covington/[name_m]Davenport[/name_m]/etc. estate. I guess he could be a [name_m]Reuben[/name_m], and I think the idea of [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] calling him “Woo” because she couldn’t say [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] very well when she was little is really cute. :slight_smile: It’d have to grow on me, though. At least I have a couple options now, though. :slight_smile:

8

Since you like [name_m]Leo[/name_m] names what about [name_m]Leon[/name_m] or [name_m]Leonce[/name_m]/Léonce? Woo is an adorable nn; I love ones that come about when siblings, or the child, can’t say the name correctly!

9

My childhood baby sitter’s husband was a [name_m]Leon[/name_m]. :slight_smile: I can’t seem to detach it from his Mennonite farmer persona. He was a great guy, but I don’t see the imagery with [name_m]Leon[/name_m] that I’d want for him. And [name_m]Leonce[/name_m] is intriguing, but perhaps too out-there for what I’m going for. I think if he’s going to be a [name_m]Leo[/name_m], he’ll probably just be [name_m]Leo[/name_m]. I’m just not sure about [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], particularly since I was seeing [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] go by [name_f]Lena[/name_f]?

I think this is my current list:

[name_m]Reuben[/name_m] “Woo/[name_m]Ben[/name_m]”
[name_u]Corbin[/name_u] “[name_m]Ben[/name_m]”
[name_m]Leo[/name_m]
[name_m]Matthias[/name_m] “[name_m]Matt[/name_m]”
[name_u]Everett[/name_u] “[name_m]Rhett[/name_m]”
[name_m]Patrick[/name_m] “[name_u]Pax[/name_u]”
[name_m]Peter[/name_m]
[name_m]Julian[/name_m] “[name_u]Jules[/name_u]”
[name_m]Dominic[/name_m] “[name_m]Dom[/name_m]”
[name_m]Lewis[/name_m]
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] “[name_m]Seb[/name_m]/[name_m]Bas[/name_m]/[name_u]Ash[/name_u]”
[name_m]Frederic[/name_m] “[name_u]Freddie[/name_u]”
[name_m]Henry[/name_m]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] (nn [name_u]Rory[/name_u]? or maybe just [name_u]Rory[/name_u]?)
[name_u]Owen[/name_u]
[name_m]Damian[/name_m] (maybe nn [name_m]Ian[/name_m], or just [name_m]Ian[/name_m], too)
[name_m]William[/name_m]

I’ll have to go through and weed out the least likelies. I already eliminated [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] (I have a fairly prominent character named [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] [name_m]Lewis[/name_m] in another novel I’m working on, so I feel like I shouldn’t use [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] twice, and I really only liked it to get to [name_m]Leo[/name_m]…) and [name_m]Aaron[/name_m]. WDYT–any you think I should eliminate because they don’t fit?

10

I really like the feel of [name_m]Frederic[/name_m] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] together!

11

I was going to suggest [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] before I saw that you had already eliminated it. :wink:
I think that you’ve got a good list, the only one that I would eliminate would be [name_u]Corbin[/name_u], just because [name_u]Corbin[/name_u] is very ‘cowboy’ in my opinion. [name_u]Corbin[/name_u] wears flannel, a dingy, faded ball cap, and steel-toed boots when he checks on the cows in the morning. Then again, I’m from the heartland and all the guys do that, even the [name_m]William[/name_m]'s and the [name_u]Elliot[/name_u]'s.
My favorite from your list is [name_m]Matthias[/name_m], though. It has a wonderful ring to it. The only other names I would consider would be [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] or [name_m]Felix[/name_m]. [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is my favorite sibling combo.
[name_u]Cal[/name_u] and [name_f]Lena[/name_f].
Good luck with your story!

12

Also [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_m]Philip[/name_m], [name_m]Warren[/name_m], [name_m]Wilhelm[/name_m]?

13

I think [name_m]Maximilian[/name_m] fits well. [name_m]Henry[/name_m] feels a bit expected.

[name_m]Lucas[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m], [name_m]Robert[/name_m], [name_m]Richard[/name_m], [name_m]George[/name_m], [name_u]Francis[/name_u]

14

Thanks, everyone!

@lainy, I agree–I think [name_m]Frederic[/name_m] is great for him, but he’s not really a [name_u]Freddie[/name_u]. I love the idea of having an [name_m]Alfred[/name_m]/[name_m]Frederic/name_m as a main character, with the nn [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], but I think I already have a story in semi-development with a linguist for the [name_f]Air[/name_f] Force named [name_u]Freddie[/name_u] (not sure if he’d be an [name_m]Alfred[/name_m] or a [name_m]Frederic[/name_m] yet), so maybe I’ll keep him for later. I love [name_m]Frederic[/name_m], but he’s just not a [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], and I dislike [name_m]Fred[/name_m] and [name_m]Eric[/name_m] (and he’s definitely not one of those, either, lol). Your suggestions are nice, but all seem a little old for me? I am thinking about [name_m]Philip[/name_m] for his MN, though. It does seem properly rich-posh. :slight_smile: I’m also thinking about [name_m]Edward[/name_m], but I’m not sure if it’s more of a FN or MN–again, he doesn’t seem like an [name_m]Eddie[/name_m]/[name_u]Teddy[/name_u]/[name_m]Ward[/name_m]/[name_m]Ned[/name_m] to me.

@ladyalouette - thank you! ha, yes, I can see where you’d get that! The only [name_u]Corbin[/name_u] I’ve known is, well, a family with the surname [name_u]Corbin[/name_u], and they were all very nice. Both he and she were faculty at my high school, and neither was cowboyish or hillbilly. :slight_smile: I do like [name_m]Matthias[/name_m] a lot, though–it almost has that international flavor that I love so much, but tame and respectable enough that I can see a well-to-do family being taken by it. [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] is a great suggestion! I love the name, and would love to have a [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] in a story. I’ll have to give it some serious thought–the only problem would be if it doesn’t suit him, and right now I can’t really tell. I’m not sure why (probably all this talk about [name_m]Frederic[/name_m], since [name_m]Grant[/name_m] [name_m]Frederic[/name_m] [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] is my combo! But it also has a similar feel to [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] to me), but [name_m]Grant[/name_m] recently occurred to me, too, and I’m throwing that into the ring of consideration.

So [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] and [name_m]Grant[/name_m] are now considerations, as well as [name_m]Christian[/name_m] that hit me a while back (although I think I’m petrified that any [name_m]Christian[/name_m] in any novel is now too 50 Shades. le sigh). Although I have a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] in the series in my signature, so maybe that’s not the best idea? I don’t like to repeat names if I can help it between stories…

@alchemicallypurplefairy - I like [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] a lot, but I don’t think it suits him terribly well. :frowning: The others I think are more suited for a MN–I’m liking the idea of something properly classic ([name_m]Edward[/name_m], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Frederick[/name_m], [name_m]Philip[/name_m], [name_m]Richard[/name_m], [name_m]George[/name_m], [name_u]Francis[/name_u]) as his MN. It doesn’t seem to have quite enough personality up front, but it adds a bit of that feeling of richness to me, hidden away in the middle? I like giving MNs to my characters, because, even if they’re never used in the story itself, it helps to form the character in my mind.

So here’s where I’m at with FNs now, I think:

[name_m]Reuben[/name_m] “[name_m]Ben[/name_m]/Woo”
[name_m]Leo[/name_m] (iffy. [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_f]Lena[/name_f]?)
[name_m]Matthias[/name_m] “[name_m]Matt[/name_m]”
[name_u]Everett[/name_u] “[name_m]Rhett[/name_m]” (again, iffy. I’m not entirely convinced that it suits him like some of the others…)
[name_m]Henry[/name_m] (he would definitely need a more exciting MN, though. Like [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_u]Everett[/name_u] or [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]…)
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
[name_m]Christian[/name_m]
[name_m]Calvin[/name_m]
[name_m]Grant[/name_m]

Any more weigh-ins?

15

[name_m]Charles[/name_m], [name_m]Luther[/name_m], [name_m]Martin[/name_m], [name_m]Miles[/name_m], [name_m]Derek[/name_m]

16

@wool_gathering - [name_m]Miles[/name_m] would have been perfect! If not for the fact that I find it really hard to imagine a [name_m]Miles[/name_m], and the [name_m]Miles[/name_m] I do envision doesn’t really suit him. I’ve been inspired to add [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Miles[/name_m] as an option, too, though, which I had previously not considered!

I now have a nice little (okay, probably more big than little!) list going, and I’m about to start a thread on the Writers’ Corner forum, if anyone would like to weigh in on combos. I figured that didn’t really belong in this forum, since I’ve moved on for looking for a particular type of name. :slight_smile: I’ll edit in the link to the post once it’s finished. :slight_smile:

Thanks, Berries!

ETA: Link to the other thread: Nameberry - Welcome to the Nameberry Forums