Ashley writes:
I am due with our second boy in early July. Like a previous poster, my husband and I strongly disagree on names and usually strongly oppose each others’ choices. Currently, we have one son, Leo James Radecki. My husband is Leonard John (he goes by Len). His father and grandfather are Leonard Leo Radecki Sr. and Jr. respectively, so my husband is not a third. The name of my first son was primarily my husband’s choice and he offered it up at the time of his delivery, but I loved the name Leo (and was glad he didn’t say Leonard!) and James is my father’s name. We both would like a name that is not popular and also we both like traditional names, but in a different sense. My husband would also prefer to have a name after a saint. All of the names I like are very popular on the SSA popularity list (i.e. Matthew, Evan, Nicholas, Ryan) and all of the names my husband likes are traditional, just not my taste (i.e Francis, Frederick, Henry, Jacek). Our first son’s name is actually a great example of what we both love in a name, but can’t quite get a hold of anything this time around. My husband is Polish/Lithuanian and I am 100% Scottish. As Leo is a Polish name, I have found the name Alec recently and love that one as well…being that it is Scottish, short for Alexander (who is a saint) and not on the SSA list. We were also looking at giving him the middle name of John, but it is not a definite and are open to whatever sounds good with the chosen first name. Do you have any ideas that would fit our picky criteria?
What does your husband think of your Alec John idea? I think it’s terrific.
I also went to the “Saints” section of The Baby Name Wizard and wondered if you guys might agree on any of these:
Adrian
Evan
Jude
Julian
Nicholas
Oliver
I know you said Evan and Nicholas are already on your list so I assume your husband doesn’t like them—but they’re both saint names so I thought I’d bring them up again.
My favorite option is Oliver. First, because I love that name. Second, because it’s a perfect brother name for Leo. Third, because I think it hits that perfect sweet spot between popularity and tradition. Fourth, because I think it’s great with your surname and possible middle name: Oliver John Radecki.
What about Sebastian? Or a version of a saint’s name — Matthias instead of Matthew, Ian instead of John (though Ian and Leo may not flow easily), Lucas or Luka instead of Luke. Although, I like Alec John very much as well!
I like swistle’s suggestion of Oliver a lot, and would add to her list the following: BTW, these are all pretty popular names (but not too high, like Michael or Jacob) that I think go well with John as a middle, with Leo as a brother (note the Luke and Leo might be too much L sound) and are all saint names unless noted otherwise:
Benjamin
Christian
Christopher
Colin
Dominic
David
Felix
Gabriel
Kevin
Luke/Lucas
Noah (not a Saint, but biblical, and great with Leo and John)
Owen
Patrick
Samuel
Simon
Stephen
Thomas
Timothy
Tobias
Xavier
A lot of these names are Scottish or Irish too – maybe you will find something you both agree with?
I very much like Alec also, if your husband will go for it.
I like Alec John. Sounds great together: Alec John and Leo James. Very traditional MN with a more unique modern first name. Let us know!
I love Alec John and also Oliver John. Good luck!
I like these suggestions so far!
Some more:
Cormac
Edmund
Cecil
Vincent
Edgar
Isaac
Ezra (I’m on a roll with the E names!)
Graeme
It’s natural for me to jump to pair Leo & Felix, as Erin suggested (and many baby name books, as well). Maybe it’s the Scrabble lover in me. I see Ezra as a nice match, also. :)
I’m too lazy to look up saint’s names so I took the pre-checked list as a starting point. I like almost all of them, but these are my favorites:
Benjamin
Christopher
David
Felix
Owen
Patrick
Simon
Thomas
Timothy
How about Alec Jude? I think it flows better with the longer vowel sound in the mn.
Other suggestions that may satisfy both of you: Brendan, Antony, Patrick, Aidan, Blane, or Bryce (gleaned from http://www.albanach.org/scotsaints.html).
Oliver!!!!!!! love it
Another vote for either Alec John or Oliver John.
I’m also a huge fan of Ezra, and I think it goes well with John and Leo.
I like the nn Nico for Nicholas, and it sounds similar (although maybe too similar??) to Leo.
Love Alec. I think it’s modern, yet traditional and has the saint’s name as a perfect tie-in.
I like the “ec” found in both Alec and Radecki. Alec Redecki. It flows well. Go with your gut, Momma!
I, too, love Oliver John. Although, I do think of John Oliver (from The Daily Show). Not a bad connection, though – John Oliver is great!
I’ve never been a big fan of Alec, because to me, it sounds kind of like a mispronunciation of Alex. But that’s just a personal preference!
I also just have to mention that my word verification is “borat”. Priceless!
What about Frank? It’s traditional but not common. It’s a saint (Francis). And it goes great with Radecki.
Frank Radecki. I love it. I don’t understand why Henry gets all the love and poor Frank is left out in the cold.
I think Leo and Frank work. I don’t know, but I like it. Maybe it’s just me.
No, Anonymous, I like Frank too. I keep pushing Frank, but I also like Alec, Oliver, Jude and Felix. I don’t think Jude John would work though. I think Felix is my top pick.
I know an Alec who is grade school age and will introduce himself as “Alec with a ‘C’ not an ‘X'” He very often gets called Alex because it is more common. They are also right next to each other when typing, so it is easy to slip. His mother regrets going with the name because of the constant confusion. Just my two cents.
You know, I was going to say that Alec is one of those names that SEEMS more common than it is due to the similarity to the common Alex and Alexander / Alex. With that said, I still like the name. I think that is how Alec Baldwin spells his name. But I don’t follow Celebrities, so if I’m wrong and someone feels compelled to correct me, be gentle please!!! : S
I have always liked the name Alec, so I think you have a great name right there! I also like Swistle’s suggestion of Oliver also. Good Luck!
Does it bother anyone else that the r at the end of Oliver and the R at the beginning of Radecki will blend together? I don’t typically go for first names that end with the same letter as the first letter of the last name. It might end up sounding like Oliver Adecki or Olive Radecki… Just a thought.
Hashak makes a very good point! I can’t believe I didn’t notice that before. In that case, I think I may have to second what Clare said about Sebastian – but maybe that’s just because I have a longstanding love affair with the name! And like others have said, I think Felix would make a great sibling pair, too.
I love the name Evan and I think Leo and Evan sound cute together. John is a great middle name for Evan.
I super love JUDE!