Help needed coming up with a name my husband and I can both do more than agree on. We have found a few names that we are okay with, but there is nothing that jumps out that we both love. All of the names feel a bit like settling to me.
I (Jera) like: softer, cozier names or ones that are less common
Examples: Miles/ [name_u]Milo[/name_u], Bennett, Tycho, Ian, [name_u]Owen[/name_u], and Ellis
The names we agree on more are ones like: Carter, Elliott, Levi, and Liam but none of them feel quite right or really make us excited.
We have a son named [name_m]Alan[/name_m] [name_u]Reid[/name_u], and the fact that there was a space/technology connection (Alan Turning, [name_m]Alan[/name_m] Shepard) for my husband and a literature connection (A.A. Milne and “Read”) for me helped a ton on the divide.
We would both like to avoid super popular names if possible, and so many of the names that fit our shared catergory space are either rising right now or were popular about 30 years ago, so we know people with those names.
I also feel like nothing sounds quite right with our last name (Hoffmann). It took us until I had my first son to finally agree on a name, and I would love to not have that stress again.
Your son’s name AH flows so well, it’s a very smart name! I see your category as timeless/solid, mature, internationally-recognised, handsome-man names. I don’t see Alan as an outdoorsy/“southern” name (but I’m outside US, mind) like I do Owen or Carter for eg. I would try to find something in this sort of area, not the cute, everyday boy name (Joel, Liam) nor the hip boy name (Otis, Milo).
What about (and these are names that I think go wonderfully with your last name and complement Alan, and almost all have a sci/tech and/or literary connection):
Michael
Toby alone (or Tobias nn Toby)
Benjamin
Edwin, Edward or Edison nn Ed/Eddy/Ted/Teddy
Claude (Claude Tycho is swoony!)
Louis (Lou-ee pronunciation)
Peter
David
Stephen
William is on your DH list and I think it’s very handsome with your last name - or even Willem or Will alone.
Thomas (though not as keen on S ending name with Hoffman as makes it Soff/Soft - that’s also why would want scientist Lou-ee not writer Lewis).
Sean
Percy
John (so sleek with your last name, and Johnny would be fab)
Neil (or Nils which I really like - and would be a lovely nod to your husband!)
Hugo (if you’re good with alliteration - Hugh would sound lovely too esp as a duo with Alan)
Charles nn Charles (so handsome and both science and literature related)
Dylan (also sounds great - but rats, too close to Alan!)
Orson
Max (but maybe not best with your last name, has that S/running into H thing)
Not super keen on repeat A’s but there’s August as well.
Walter (goes so well with Alan, though think many of the others better with H)
Winston
I like Tycho - I’d probably use as a middle name just to keep a little more equity across the siblings (Tycho is far less established and also more artsy than Alan). Meanwhile, Keats or Rainer could be very cool middles. Back to firsts, Ian while in same group, is too close to Alan. Adam is also too close. And I think Levi is too far away. Ellis has last letter S so it’s crossed off for me. I think Everett and Bennett are the best of your lists but not sure about flow (?). Elliott does flow really well so maybe that one will start to sparkle. Otherwise, hope some of the ones here or on the thread appeal to the both of you, complement Alan (at least to some extent - more important you love the name on its own terms), and flow to your last name. You could of course also look at women writers/artists and scientists and adapt their names.
I’ll suggest [name_m]Linus[/name_m]. It’s a name my husband likes (and I like too) because of [name_m]Linus[/name_m] from Peanuts. It’s also apparently a familiar name in IT (which he works in) thanks to [name_m]Linus[/name_m] Torvalds and his [name_m]Linux[/name_m] product. There’s also the scientist [name_m]Linus[/name_m] Pauling.
So it has a bit of science/literary connection, is unusual today (not in the SSA top 1000) and I think it sounds good with brother [name_m]Alan[/name_m] and with your last name.
[name_m]Linus[/name_m] [name_u]Everett[/name_u] Hoffman or [name_m]Linus[/name_m] [name_u]Bennett[/name_u] Hoffman would be my picks.
Totally feel your pain and having the same issue naming our second boy. We can’t agree on anything and if we do mutually like a name, we just like it, it doesn’t feel like THE ONE.
Would [name_u]Edison[/name_u] fit both of your preferences? I would consider that a classic name, but it also has a similar ending sound as [name_u]Owen[/name_u]. [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] [name_u]Edison[/name_u] would be a connection to an inventor. I think [name_m]Alan[/name_m] and [name_u]Edison[/name_u] sound nice together as a sibling set. I think [name_u]Edison[/name_u] Hoffmann flows nicely as well.
I know it’s been suggested lots already, but I so love the idea of [name_m]Edwin[/name_m] for you: soft sounds like [name_u]Owen[/name_u], space connection with [name_m]Edwin[/name_m] Hubble… I’m not coming up with much on the book front but Winnie-the-Pooh was originally [name_u]Edward[/name_u] Bear… EdWin?
[name_m]Edwin[/name_m] [name_m]Booker[/name_m], [name_m]Edwin[/name_m] [name_u]Story[/name_u], [name_m]Edwin[/name_m] [name_m]Leif[/name_m]? (Like the leaf in a book). And it sounds nice with [name_m]Alan[/name_m].
Other options…
[name_u]Neil[/name_u] (deGrasse [name_u]Tyson[/name_u], [name_m]Armstrong[/name_m], Gaiman)
[name_m]Stephen[/name_m] (Hawking)
[name_m]Albert[/name_m] (Einstein, too close to Alan?)
[name_m]Ernest[/name_m] (Rutherford, E.H. [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m], but not sure [name_m]Ernest[/name_m] is ready for a comeback)
[name_u]Howard[/name_u] (E.H. [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m], lacking space/technology)
[name_m]Sirius[/name_m] (star, [name_u]Harry[/name_u] Potter)
What are you favourite books?
Charles/Charlie (Darwin, Dickens, Messier)
[name_u]James[/name_u] (Webb. And surely there’s a book or author?)
I am an [name_f]English[/name_f] teacher, so that is a really hard question for me! [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u] is near the top, but we have a close friend named [name_u]Austin[/name_u]. I really like that [name_u]Reid[/name_u] is a homophone and not too in your face obvious. I thought [name_f]Paige[/name_f] would be so cute if it was a girl.
With [name_m]Alan[/name_m], the connection was a nice bonus that helped us love the name, but I don’t think it is a requirement. For me, I would rather a shorter name that doesn’t lean towards nicknames too much. I’m much of the mindset of name them what you want to call them the majority of the time.
[name_u]Neil[/name_u] is growing on me, but DH just hears “kneel.” Others that I like are [name_m]Kipp[/name_m], [name_m]Clark[/name_m], [name_u]Andy[/name_u], and [name_m]Grant[/name_m], but he isn’t sold.
[name_f]Girl[/name_f] names are so much easier! [name_f]My[/name_f] list there could be a mile long!
