Hello, I’ve posted a few times but still need help please! I’m due with my second son in [name]April[/name] and we are having the hardest time with a name this time. It’s stressing me out!
My almost 2 year old is named [name]Donovan[/name] [name]Michael[/name]. I love his name. I like that it is more than one syllable since the last name is [name]Brown[/name]. And not very popular (ssa #254). I think it flows well, 3-2-1 pattern.
So now I’m trying to find something with similar criteria for baby boy #2. More than 1 syllable, not very popular (though if I love the name this may not be a deal breaker, definitely not top 10 range). I’d prefer to stay away from D names but if I loved it I could compromise.
Our list:
[name]Xavier[/name]- You may have seen and voted on my poll. I thought this was the one I can’t get over the different pronunciations. Out.
[name]Gabriel[/name]- Feels like our "back up“. [name]Don[/name]'t love how popular. But I can’t let it go.
[name]Landon[/name]- Our new “crush”. Wish it wasn’t as popular (#24) although I live in NY and it is in the #70 range. Does it have a similar style to [name]Donovan[/name]? The soccer player named [name]Landon[/name] [name]Donovan[/name] doesn’t bother me.
[name]Cooper[/name]- My fiance likes this one. To me it feels like a nickname. Maybe a Mn option.
[name]Declan[/name]- Another fiance pick. Sounds harsh to me? And too matchy with [name]Donovan[/name].
Middle name options:
[name]Tate[/name]- After my dad
[name]Mitchell[/name]-After my fiance’s dad
[name]Cooper[/name]- FI’s pick
So for now we have:
[name]Landon[/name] [name]Gabriel[/name] (our current top pick)
[name]Landon[/name] [name]Cooper[/name]
[name]Gabriel[/name] [name]Tate[/name]
[name]Gabriel[/name] [name]Mitchell[/name]
Sorry for the book, thank you so much for the help!!
[name]Donovan[/name] is my favorite boys name! I also love [name]Gabriel[/name] and the other names you have picked except I don’t love [name]Landon[/name] with donovan because the seem too similar. I didn’t realize there were different pronunciations for [name]Xavier[/name].
Some other favorites of mine since it seems we have similar taste
[name]Rhys[/name]
[name]Abraham[/name]
[name]Ronan[/name]
[name]Sawyer[/name]
[name]Malcolm[/name]
[name]Sullivan[/name]: doesn’t really go with [name]Donovan[/name]
[name]Lincoln[/name]
[name]Isaac[/name]
[name]Miller[/name]
[name]Baron[/name]
[name]Seamus[/name]
Cullen
Phineas or Finnegan
Fletcher
Asher
Magnus
Micah
Niall
Garrett
Morgan
I really love [name]Donovan[/name] and [name]Gabriel[/name] together.
I think [name]Landon[/name] [name]Gabriel[/name] is a great match, as is [name]Gabriel[/name] [name]Mitchell[/name]. I do think [name]Landon[/name] and [name]Donovan[/name] are quite similar though, and share many sounds.
I would stay away from anything too Irish or starting with a D; also ideally avoid names ending with N. no Bs, either, given the surname is [name]Brown[/name]. Thoughts:
I too love the name [name]Donovan[/name]! [name]Xavier[/name] is wonderful too but I understand your concern. [name]Gabriel[/name] is very handsome although I understand how it is a bit familiar next to [name]Donovan[/name]. Like PP I also don’t love the name [name]Landon[/name]. I can’t explain why very articulately though. I also don’t care tremendously for [name]Cooper[/name] and [name]Declan[/name], I agree about [name]Declan[/name] sounding harsh and feel that way about [name]Connor[/name] too.
Here are some names that your list brings to mind to me:
[name]Callum[/name] (Celtic like [name]Donovan[/name] if maybe Irish rather than Scottish)
[name]Connor[/name] (Overlap with cooper, Scottish like [name]Donovan[/name])
[name]Gideon[/name] (Biblical and starts with G like [name]Gabriel[/name])
[name]Gregory[/name] (Hard G like [name]Gabriel[/name] but rarer and very handsome like [name]Donovan[/name])
[name]Everett[/name] (surenamish like [name]Donovan[/name], has a V like [name]Donovan[/name] and [name]Xavier[/name])
[name]Finnegan[/name] (long Celtic name, if Irish rather than Scottish I think)
[name]Jameson[/name] (Surnameish and Scottish, although I know some find the whiskey association negative, it’s very handsome)
[name]Lachlan[/name] (more Celtic cousin to [name]Landon[/name]?)
[name]Lionel[/name] (L like [name]Landon[/name], just fits with [name]Donovan[/name] to me)
[name]Malachi[/name]/[name]Malachy[/name] (Biblical like [name]Gabriel[/name] but rarer, if rising, [name]Malachy[/name] is the Irish variant)
[name]Malcolm[/name] (Scottish like [name]Donovan[/name], while I don’t love this name, it’s got plenty of fans)
[name]Oliver[/name] ([name]Ver[/name] like [name]Xavier[/name], O like [name]Donovan[/name], Er like [name]Cooper[/name])
[name]Quentin[/name] (Unusual first letter like [name]Xavier[/name])
[name]Quinlan[/name] (ditto, plus a Celtic feel)
[name]Rafferty[/name] (Dashing surname like [name]Donovan[/name])
[name]Roman[/name] (romantic feel like [name]Xavier[/name], to me)
[name]Vincent[/name] (V like [name]Donovan[/name] and [name]Xavier[/name], surnameish, handsome)
[name]Wyatt[/name] (surname like [name]Donovan[/name])
I’m sure there are more but I hope this helps - good luck!
[name]Nathaniel[/name] (Biblical like [name]Gabriel[/name], but I think a little rarer, romantic like [name]Xavier[/name] to my ears)
[name]Lennox[/name] (Scottish surname with cool letter X like [name]Xavier[/name], also some sound overlap with [name]Landon[/name]).
Thanks, I do like [name]Gideon[/name], [name]Oliver[/name], [name]Everett[/name], [name]Roman[/name]… my fiance voted all of them He’s very confusing because he will say no but if I pair it with the right middle name he suddenly likes it. I love [name]Jameson[/name] but he also says no to this and I kinda worried about it being shortened to [name]James[/name] [name]Brown[/name] anyways…
Men’s name tastes can be so frustrating! (I’m sure ours can too). My own husband will [name]LOVE[/name] a name and then HATE it, and vice versa. Is there no hope to pair the vetoed names with the right middle? Didn’t think about that concern with [name]Jameson[/name] and your surname, I can see it, shoot.
BTW of your combos you are considering I like [name]Landon[/name] [name]Gabriel[/name] and [name]Gabriel[/name] [name]Tate[/name] best. [name]Landon[/name] [name]Gabriel[/name] is structurally very similar to [name]Donovan[/name] [name]Michael[/name] - a surnameish name in front and an archangel in the middle. It’s not beating over the head similar and it ties them together nicely. I like the long A sounds in [name]Gabriel[/name] [name]Tate[/name] and [name]Gabriel[/name] [name]Mitchell[/name] is perfectly fine but the repeated L endings maybe aren’t ideal.
There may be hope for some of them paired just right. I guess I haven’t found one I love enough to push it more… [name]Donovan[/name] was a little bit of a battle until paired with his name [name]Michael[/name] lol
I’m an 80s baby too and also think of that with [name]Raphael[/name] but the name is handsome enough to my taste that I’d consider it. Although now that I think of it with [name]Donovan[/name] sharing the start with [name]Donatello[/name], that might not be ideal : D.
I love [name]Donovan[/name]! What about [name]Lachlan[/name]? It’s so underused. It could be a great compromise if your fiance likes [name]Declan[/name] and you like [name]Landon[/name] but are deterred by its popularity.
Too bad about [name]Xavier[/name]! Great name. I wouldn’t be swayed by pronunciation worries, but I understand your hesitation.
I like [name]Landon[/name] [name]Gabriel[/name], [name]Landon[/name] [name]Tate[/name], or [name]Landon[/name] [name]Cooper[/name]. [name]One[/name] of my favorites is [name]Linden[/name].
My first thought with [name]Donovan[/name] was [name]Calloway[/name].
My friend’s SO is named “Xanivan” which I had never heard before. If you like “[name]Xavier[/name]”, maybe it would work for you? He pronounces it “Sha-nee-vahn”, and often goes by [name]Xan[/name] (sounds sort of like “[name]Shawn[/name]”).
Thanks everyone. Of the suggestions nothing is jumping out at me. [name]Rafferty[/name] and [name]Lachlan[/name] sounds a little harsher than I prefer. I do like [name]Sullivan[/name] by my SO doesn’t, they are a bit matchy also. [name]Josiah[/name] is a favorite but we have a close family member around the age of my son named Jesiah. [name]Xavian[/name] is a cool name. I’d like something a little easier to pronounce though. Hmm… I’m not trying to be so difficult! Keep em coming if you got them
I can’t get over the different pronunciations. Out.
He’s very confusing because he will say no but if I pair it with the right middle name he suddenly likes it. I love [name]Jameson[/name] but he also says no to this and I kinda worried about it being shortened to [name]James[/name] [name]Brown[/name] anyways…