Lisa writes:
We’re due with our first baby on Oct. 16, though he’s breech, so we have a c-section scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 7. I realize I’m reaching out to you at the last minute, but thought I’d give it a try anyway :)
Our last name is Rodriguez, which is fairly common, so I’m hoping for a more unique name, and of course my husband is more traditional with the options he’s sharing. I think we’ve settled on Jax Diego… Jax is my top choice, Diego is his. Although we wanted to give our son his own name (and not name him after a family member) we like how his name starts with a “J”, the same letter as both my father and my husband’s father, so it’s a bit of an indirect tribute to both of them. If our son doesn’t like his name at all, we feel the initials JD give him a more common option. I struggled with having Diego as a first name (and some of the other options my husband liked, like Marco and Mateo) because of the ethnic angle. neither of us look Hispanic. some of my other favorites were Colt, Cole, Grant.
It sounds like you’ve got your baby’s name! Good luck on Thursday!
I have never heard of Jax, but seeing as how it’s a modern take on Jack (a name I love), I say go for it! It sounds cool without being too “out there.” :)
I think Jax Diego sounds better than Jax Colt or Jax Cole. The X, then C trips me up. I think sharing the initial is awesome and Jax Diego Rodriguez is a great name!
I think the name you have already is a winner. If you are, however, concerned about the ethnic sound of Diego with Rodriguez, maybe you should consider a different middle name. However, I feel like you might just be having last-minute second thoughts. Go with your gut. Blessings for the C Section!
Have you considered naming your son Jack instead of Jax, which you could still call him as a nickname? Jax is a trendy name, with no history, recently created from Jackson to Jaxon (a creative/nonstandard spelling of Jackson) to Jax, the name you’re considering for your baby boy. Jax could also be seen as a combination of Jack and Max.
On the other hand, Jack is a solid, classic boy’s name with a fine history and namesakes, including President John “Jack” Kennedy. Jack is a much more masculine and strong name than Jax.
I want to add that I am the lucky nana of 5 young boys (ages 1-7) who are of half Hispanic heritage. All 5 have classic English language names, even though three brothers are being raised bilingually by their mother. The youngest of the three is named Nicholas Alberto (mn after his maternal grandfather) and sometimes called “Nico”. Those three have our rather common English surname, but the other two — twins — have their Mexican father’s Spanish surname.
I like your idea of giving your son a Spanish name as well as an English name. My Korean grandsons are named that way: classic first name followed by a Korean middle name.
I think Jack Diego Rodriguez would be a fine name for your son, from now when he’s a baby, through all of his school years and into adulthood. I hope you will consider spelling Jack the standard way.
Best wishes!
I think my post above may be confusing in regard to the five grandsons I mentioned. They are cousins — 3 brothers in one family and twins in the other. The three brothers are named Christopher (sometimes called “Cristo”), Alexander, and Nicholas (sometimes “Nico”). Their mother is from Ecuador.
The twins are James David (middle name after my husband, their paternal grandfather) and Andrew Leon(their father’s name is Leonardo).
My Korean grandsons are named David, Jonathan and Henry (ages 4, 2 and baby). As I said above, they have Korean middle names.
In many parts of this country, children of non-European heritage are among the minority students in their schools. I think that was one of the considerations when my sons and daughter (adopted by us from Vietnam and Korea) decided to give their sons strong, classic, well-known, English language names, just as we gave the 4 boys and 3 girls we adopted.
That’s why I think the name Jack, rather than Jax, would be an asset for your son, just as John, Robert, James and Michael have been for our sons when they were growing up and in their professions.
It sounds like you have pretty much found your baby’s name, but are having last minute commitment issues. While Jax is too modern for my tastes, the world would be a boring place if every baby was named to suite my tastes : )
With that said, I can’t help but weight in on the other options because that’s what I do – heh.
Exotic names are being used more frequently now, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use a name of Spanish heritage if you want. What I like about exotic names is that they are currently fashionable, but they also have history, making them fresh, but less likely to become trendy. While I feel Jax Diego is fine, I wouldn’t hesitate to use Diego as a first name, except for maybe the Dora the Explorer reference. But I really like your husband’s suggestions of Marco and Mateo. Personally I would use Mateo before I would use Jax, but that’s just me. I really love that name Mateo, and the only reason I wouldn’t use it is because I have no spanish heritage whatsoever, and it just wouldn’t seem right.
And I probably didn’t help you at all, but rather made your task more difficult. Good luck.
What Frazzled Mom said to a T. I LOVE Mateo, you should use it. Jax is a good name, but Mateo? Swoon.
Either way though, your baby is going to have a great name. Good luck!
I love the name Grant. And I really like Marco on your husbands list.
I think JD is a great idea for a more common option.
Good luck today. My son Gavin was born on Oct.7 and is 11 today.
Lisa, Happy Birthday to your Gavin. My Australian SIL is called Gavin. It’s an excellent name!