Mya writes:
Baby boy is due on May 2nd. I have not found a single boy’s name I like. Last name will be Gibson and Middle Name will be Isaac (after a dear relative who passed away). My name is Mya and my husband’s name is Chris. My father is Russian and my mother is Romanian and I was born in Israel. I want a name that is not in the top 100 and has an ethnic flair. We have considered the names Oliver and Oscar but worried they will keep rising on the popularity charts. If I was having a girl, we would either choose Nina or Paloma–both names we love without hesitation. I am looking for a boy version of one of these girl names and have had no luck over the last 9 months. I am worried we will be leaving the hospital with a nameless baby.
I would suggest Pablo (it has the round warm sound of Paloma), except that gives you the initials PIG. I would suggest Nico (it has the short bright sound of Nina), except that gives you the initials NIG. The middle initial is a problem: I would definitely avoid first names starting with N and P and I would probably also avoid first names starting with B, C, D, F, G, J, R, W, and Z—but that’s just my own preference to not have the initials spell anything.
Would you consider Isaac as the first name? I think it’s a wonderful name, and great with your surname: Isaac Gibson. I love it.
I’m not sure which ethnicity to pursue for flair. I think I will just look for names that have ethnic flair to ME, and perhaps commenters can give more suggestions.
Andreas
Arno
Auberon
Boaz
Carlo
Casper
Cyrus
Dominic
Felix
Hugo
Joah
Judah
Malachi
Marcus
Marek
Matteo
Otto
Rufus
Sebastian
Soren
Titus
Tobias
Torben
Torsten
Xavier
On that list I’m putting a vote in for Marek. It’s my nephew’s name, and not anywhere close to popular but so cute. His nickname is M-Rock. :)
I like Soren from your list Swistle!! I also agree that Isaac would be a great first name.
From Swistle’s list I LOVE Carlo and Felix. Super cool. What about Angus or Gustav or Augustus? (I love the nickname Gus, can you tell?)
I love Judah, Jonah & Lorenzo/Enzo
One way to add ethnic “flair” to a name is to look at an ethnic spelling. For instance, Isaac could become Isaak. I only say this b/c my brother’s name is Erik, which seems to be much more European than Eric (and it was meant to.) Something to consider?
How about Alexander Isaac Gibson (nn Sasha)
or Anton Isaac Gibson?
I agree that Isaac would work well as a first name. Dominic (or Dominik– I know a little boy who spells it this way) speaks to me as well.
Rio Isaac Gibson
Levi Isaac Gibson
Mason Isaac Gibson
Makail Isaac Gibson
Ezra Isaac Gibson
Esme Isaac Gibson
Oliver is definitely on the top 100 name list.
BTW, while Oliver and Oscar are both at about the same place on the Social Security list, Oliver is rising fast while Oscar is holding steady.
I adore Anton! And I love Tobias from Swistle’s list.
Here are a few more suggestions:
Alistair
Blaise
Caleb
Cassius
Elias
Florian
Flynn
Lars
Lukas
Matthias
Roman
Stefan
Viktor
(I don’t mind if initials spell out anything, as long as it’s not offensive, so I would only rule out N and P names in this case.)
Good luck! I can’t wait to read what you choose…
I love the suggestion of Dominic/Dominik. Dominic Isaac Gibson, nn Dom. I like it. (It has a bit of a repetitive sound with the first and middle names, but in a really appealing way I think).
Have you looked at Israeli names? I like Noam. (pronounced No – Ahm)
I can’t decide on which I like best. Top five from the suggestions so far:
Andreas
Anton
Hugo
Marek
Matteo
Noel – To me, this has a French sound to it like Paloma. It also has a meaning of “peace.” It’s number 426 in the US. (Initials – NIG)
Alexander – It honors your Russian heritage. I’m in Eastern Europe/ Central Asia right now. I just heard a kid calling for his brother, “Sasha! Sasha!” So cute. You could use the other spelling – Aleksander. (Initials – AIG)
Bogdan – While it’s #11 in the Ukraine, it’s not in the top 1000 in the US. (Initials –BIG) Bogdan aka Mr. Big. Love it.
Grigory – Grig is a nickname that would work well for a cuddly toddler or a grown man. (Initials – GIG)
Linus – It’s not in the top 1000 in the US. (Initials – LIG)
Bogdan is my favorite. Mya, Chris, and Dan.
Aleksandr
Adrian
Julian (love this one)
Luca
Maksim
Oswald
Sebastian
Good Luck!
To me, part of your predicament stems from the fact that you want to avoid a top 100 name (or maybe a name below the top 100 that is quickly rising) and you want an exotic name, but exotic names seem to be fashionable right now.
There are still some exotic names, however that the mainstream is still not gutsy enough to embrace. Rufus from Swistle’s list comes to mind. I love that name. I also like Felix, Marcus, Matteo, Soren, Tobias, Torben and Torsten.
I like the suggestion of Enzo too.
Sandro, Misko and Nico come to mind.
I like Avner Isaac and Ephraim Isaac (both Israeli/Hebrew names).
Good luck!