We are due 4/2/11 with our first child, a boy. We are still struggling finding some names that fit our child. I tend to like vintage names while my husband tends to like modern ones.
Some names we have put on our short-list are:
Henry
Nicholas
Emmett
Samuel
Patrick
We hesitate to use Henry because of its popularity. With our VERY most common name, rhymes with Bronson, I fear Baby Henry would be one of thousands.
I really like Nicholas, nn Cole, and it doesn't seem as popular as the Henrys will be.
Emmett is one we just recently fell upon, but my name is very similar- sounds like Em-uh
Samuel seems over-used, especially in our town. Loads of Sams seem to be at the preschool these days.
And Patrick gives a nice nod to our love of Ireland. We traveled there last year just before getting pregnant. But there are no nice nicknames. Paddy, Pat and Rick just seem uncolorful.
The middle name would possibly be my maiden name, 2- syllable word starting with T and ending in M. It's a nice gender neutral name.
Other names that I love but haven't convinced husband about:
Alfred
Dock (family name and means 7th son of 7th son, does not appear on most baby name sites at all)
Curtis
Graham
My husband likes these, and I will never agree to them:
Carrick
Riley
Jude
Can you help us come up with some alternatives for our short-list? We plan to name the baby after we meet him, but it would be grand to have a few more names to choose from, seeing as we are so undecided about any one of them.
Thanks so much!
It is true I had male friends AND a brother so my associative powers might be uncommonly attuned, but I caution against Dock J___son: with a surname that can be used as a slang term for a Certain Male Part, I would avoid a first name that rhymes with another slang term for the same Part---especially when the whole name together, if it were Doc instead of Dock, is the name of a company that sells a Certain Variety of Adult Product.
It's hard to compare the popularity of Henry and Nicholas: Henry is #71 and rising; Nicholas is #32 and falling after spending a decade in the Top 10. Samuel is #27 and holding pretty steady.
I wonder if you'd like other Irish names? Another name that reminds you of your trip, maybe? Or: Brody, Connor, Corbin, Declan, Eamon, Evan, Finian, Flynn, Garrett, Grady, Ian, Keegan, Lorcan, Neil, Nolan, Owen, Riordan, Ronan, Tiernan. Do you like Riley any better if it's Rylan, or if it's spelled Reilly? Or Carrick better if it were Cormac or Kendric?
Since you like Emmett but it's similar to your name, I wonder if you'd like Everett instead? I love that name, and I think it's so dignified with your surname. I also love Elliot.
Since you like Alfred and he likes Carrick, would you like Frederick? I love that one, too, and think it's so underused.
Name update! E. writes:
We had our Baby Boy on March 31, 2011. We named him Andrew Porter. My husband never could come around to our top picks, so he chose Andrew out of the baby name book, and I chose Porter from the book as well. Neither has any family significance, but he definitely looks like a Drew.
