# What's the boys' alternative for Eleanor? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Name Discussion\ **Created:** [November 14, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511 "2015-11-14T16:44:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ashthedreamer/32/166395_2.png) [@ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ashthedreamer)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/1 "2015-11-14T16:44:38Z")
Hear me out. šŸ™‚ Itā€™s for a story, but I posted it here because itā€™s more searching for a specific characteristic in a name, rather than searching for a name to suit a character. Iā€™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 childrenā€“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? Iā€™m not sure [name\_f]Eleanor[/name\_f] fits all of those requirements, but it fits a few, and seems to embody what Iā€™m looking for. Thereā€™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 doesnā€™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 Iā€™m looking for, but Iā€™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! ---
**Author:** ![OpheliaFlora](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/opheliaflora/32/59065_2.png) [@OpheliaFlora](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/OpheliaFlora)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/2 "2015-11-14T17:09:10Z")
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]. ---
**Author:** ![christabel](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/christabel/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@christabel](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/christabel)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/3 "2015-11-14T17:45:01Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![armadura](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/armadura/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@armadura](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/armadura)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/4 "2015-11-15T15:37:00Z")
[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] ---
**Author:** ![ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ashthedreamer/32/166395_2.png) [@ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ashthedreamer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/5 "2015-11-15T16:28:04Z")
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 @christabelā€™s signature, as well! Iā€™m not sure itā€™s what I was going for, but the guy Iā€™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 Iā€™m still not sure Iā€™d use it. I think my problem is that I sort of see him as a [name\_m]Ben/name\_m, but thatā€™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. šŸ™‚ Any other ideas? ---
**Author:** ![ottertails](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ottertails/32/5371_2.png) [@ottertails](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ottertails)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/6 "2015-11-15T16:35:36Z")
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 didnā€™t realize you had already thought of [name\_m]Reuben[/name\_m] in your other post! Another ā€œ[name\_m]Ben[/name\_m]ā€ sounding one is [name\_m]Eben[/name\_m]. Or even [name\_u]Tobin[/name\_u] or [name\_u]Sabin[/name\_u], even if they donā€™t have [name\_m]Ben[/name\_m] in the name. ---
**Author:** ![ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ashthedreamer/32/166395_2.png) [@ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ashthedreamer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 7:28am UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/7 "2015-11-16T07:28:39Z")
Thanks, @ottertails! I really love the idea of a [name\_m]Leo[/name\_m] name for him, although Iā€™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 canā€™t really see [name\_m]Leonardo[/name\_m] and [name\_f]Eleanor[/name\_f] as siblings. Iā€™ll keep at it. šŸ™‚ [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 donā€™t know. All the Reubens that I have known have been sort of swarthy, mind-numbingly dull sorts of people. I canā€™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 ā€œWooā€ because she couldnā€™t say [name\_m]Reuben[/name\_m] very well when she was little is really cute. šŸ™‚ Itā€™d have to grow on me, though. At least I have a couple options now, though. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![ottertails](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ottertails/32/5371_2.png) [@ottertails](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ottertails)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/8 "2015-11-17T01:03:11Z")
Since you like [name\_m]Leo[/name\_m] names what about [name\_m]Leon[/name\_m] or [name\_m]Leonce[/name\_m]/LĆ©once? Woo is an adorable nn; I love ones that come about when siblings, or the child, canā€™t say the name correctly! ---
**Author:** ![ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ashthedreamer/32/166395_2.png) [@ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ashthedreamer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/9 "2015-11-17T13:55:15Z")
My childhood baby sitterā€™s husband was a [name\_m]Leon[/name\_m]. šŸ™‚ I canā€™t seem to detach it from his Mennonite farmer persona. He was a great guy, but I donā€™t see the imagery with [name\_m]Leon[/name\_m] that Iā€™d want for him. And [name\_m]Leonce[/name\_m] is intriguing, but perhaps too out-there for what Iā€™m going for. I think if heā€™s going to be a [name\_m]Leo[/name\_m], heā€™ll probably just be [name\_m]Leo[/name\_m]. Iā€™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] ā€œWoo/[name\_m]Ben[/name\_m]ā€ [name\_u]Corbin[/name\_u] ā€œ[name\_m]Ben[/name\_m]ā€ [name\_m]Leo[/name\_m] [name\_m]Matthias[/name\_m] ā€œ[name\_m]Matt[/name\_m]ā€ [name\_u]Everett[/name\_u] ā€œ[name\_m]Rhett[/name\_m]ā€ [name\_m]Patrick[/name\_m] ā€œ[name\_u]Pax[/name\_u]ā€ [name\_m]Peter[/name\_m] [name\_m]Julian[/name\_m] ā€œ[name\_u]Jules[/name\_u]ā€ [name\_m]Dominic[/name\_m] ā€œ[name\_m]Dom[/name\_m]ā€ [name\_m]Lewis[/name\_m] [name\_m]Sebastian[/name\_m] ā€œ[name\_m]Seb[/name\_m]/[name\_m]Bas[/name\_m]/[name\_u]Ash[/name\_u]ā€ [name\_m]Frederic[/name\_m] ā€œ[name\_u]Freddie[/name\_u]ā€ [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] Iā€™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 Iā€™m working on, so I feel like I shouldnā€™t use [name\_u]Elliot[/name\_u] twice, and I really only liked it to get to [name\_m]Leo[/name\_m]ā€¦) and [name\_m]Aaron[/name\_m]. WDYTā€“any you think I should eliminate because they donā€™t fit? ---
**Author:** ![LAINY](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/lainy/32/89462_2.png) [@LAINY](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/LAINY)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/10 "2015-11-19T14:39:29Z")
I really like the feel of [name\_m]Frederic[/name\_m] and [name\_f]Eleanor[/name\_f] together! ---
**Author:** ![ladyalouette](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ladyalouette/32/7936_2.png) [@ladyalouette](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ladyalouette)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/11 "2015-11-19T14:51:50Z")
I was going to suggest [name\_u]Elliot[/name\_u] before I saw that you had already eliminated it. šŸ˜‰ I think that youā€™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 ā€˜cowboyā€™ 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, Iā€™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! ---
**Author:** ![LAINY](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/lainy/32/89462_2.png) [@LAINY](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/LAINY)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/12 "2015-11-19T15:15:49Z")
Also [name\_m]Arthur[/name\_m], [name\_m]Philip[/name\_m], [name\_m]Warren[/name\_m], [name\_m]Wilhelm[/name\_m]? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://d3e4s07haqhh9y.cloudfront.net/original/3X/b/b/bb0f52bb29e5c9ad6002ee7f1a92d42d308ffe28.png) [@system](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/13 "2015-11-19T15:40:06Z")
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] ---
**Author:** ![ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ashthedreamer/32/166395_2.png) [@ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ashthedreamer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 10:06am UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/14 "2015-11-20T10:06:59Z")
Thanks, everyone! @lainy, I agreeā€“I think [name\_m]Frederic[/name\_m] is great for him, but heā€™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 heā€™d be an [name\_m]Alfred[/name\_m] or a [name\_m]Frederic[/name\_m] yet), so maybe Iā€™ll keep him for later. I love [name\_m]Frederic[/name\_m], but heā€™s just not a [name\_u]Freddie[/name\_u], and I dislike [name\_m]Fred[/name\_m] and [name\_m]Eric[/name\_m] (and heā€™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. šŸ™‚ Iā€™m also thinking about [name\_m]Edward[/name\_m], but Iā€™m not sure if itā€™s more of a FN or MNā€“again, he doesnā€™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 youā€™d get that! The only [name\_u]Corbin[/name\_u] Iā€™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. šŸ™‚ I do like [name\_m]Matthias[/name\_m] a lot, thoughā€“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. Iā€™ll have to give it some serious thoughtā€“the only problem would be if it doesnā€™t suit him, and right now I canā€™t really tell. Iā€™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 Iā€™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 Iā€™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 thatā€™s not the best idea? I donā€™t like to repeat names if I can help it between storiesā€¦ @alchemicallypurplefairy - I like [name\_m]Lucas[/name\_m] a lot, but I donā€™t think it suits him terribly well. ā˜¹ The others I think are more suited for a MNā€“Iā€™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 doesnā€™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 theyā€™re never used in the story itself, it helps to form the character in my mind. So hereā€™s where Iā€™m at with FNs now, I think: [name\_m]Reuben[/name\_m] ā€œ[name\_m]Ben[/name\_m]/Wooā€ [name\_m]Leo[/name\_m] (iffy. [name\_m]Leo[/name\_m] and [name\_f]Lena[/name\_f]?) [name\_m]Matthias[/name\_m] ā€œ[name\_m]Matt[/name\_m]ā€ [name\_u]Everett[/name\_u] ā€œ[name\_m]Rhett[/name\_m]ā€ (again, iffy. Iā€™m not entirely convinced that it suits him like some of the othersā€¦) [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]ā€¦) [name\_u]Rowan[/name\_u] [name\_m]Christian[/name\_m] [name\_m]Calvin[/name\_m] [name\_m]Grant[/name\_m] Any more weigh-ins? ---
**Author:** ![wool\_gathering](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/wool_gathering/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@wool\_gathering](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/wool_gathering)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 1:19pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/15 "2015-11-20T13:19:45Z")
[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] ---
**Author:** ![ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ashthedreamer/32/166395_2.png) [@ashthedreamer](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ashthedreamer)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/whats-the-boys-alternative-for-eleanor/259511/16 "2015-11-22T17:47:01Z")
@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 doesnā€™t really suit him. Iā€™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 Iā€™m about to start a thread on the Writersā€™ Corner forum, if anyone would like to weigh in on combos. I figured that didnā€™t really belong in this forum, since Iā€™ve moved on for looking for a particular type of name. šŸ™‚ Iā€™ll edit in the link to the post once itā€™s finished. šŸ™‚ Thanks, Berries! ETA: Link to the other thread: [Nameberry - Welcome to the Nameberry Forums](https://nameberry.com/nametalk/threads/210197-The-Unwitting-Heir?p=3122172#post3122172)