E. writes:
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
PatrickWe 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
GrahamMy husband likes these, and I will never agree to them:
Carrick
Riley
JudeCan 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.
I like the suggestions of Everett and Elliot. A lot of the Irish names Swistle listed are good, too.
Graham is nice. Maybe your husband would like Garrison, Garrett or Griffin better.
I think Ethan, Maxwell, Nathaniel, Peter, Seth or William could be good for you.
I love Patch as a nickname for Patrick.
Everett and Eliot are great suggestions. Might Duncan or Dexter work out for you in either position?(although I do love you using your surname as a middle).
Also for Patrick, I like the nickname Patch for a kid. Maybe not much as he ages, although I call a friend Patch on a regular basis, and he’s in his mid thirties.
As to Dock, I have a friend with your last name, and the middle name P*e*ter. I always joke that if his parents had only gone with Richard, they could have had the trifecta of slightly dirty names. So yeah, I wouldn’t go with Dock, because I’m a thirty year old female and not a thirteen year old boy and the idea of Dick P*e*ter YourLastName, is hilarious every time I think about it. Which I swear isn’t mean, it’s just where my mind goes, especially if connected by a name that also refers to a certain male member.
I really like Henry, it works very well with your last name! What about Harris? Nicholas is also lovely and stands the test of time, Cole is a nice nickname. I also like the nn Nico.
I wonder if you would like Oliver, or
Brendan – nice Irish connection
Ryan
Sean
Kieran
Something quite different: Ezra
With your short list in mind, I suggest:
Charles
Finnegan
Grady
Miles
Nolan
Simon
Xander
Good luck!
I also love Graham but can’t quite convince my husband. I think that Elliot, Curtis, Neil, and Evan from Swistle’s list are great. Other names you might consider are Oliver, Reid, or Simon. Good luck!
If you like the nickname Cole, but are concerned about Nicholas’ popularity what about Colton (modern for your hubby) or Collin (more traditional for your tastes)?
I also really like the irish name Callum, with nickname Cal. Its a traditional name with a modern sound.
Awesome suggestions! We have stayed away from Peter OurLastName because of the obvious male reference. Other names we thought might verge too close to the jokes are Hugh and Harry. While I’ve loved Dock, I swear, I never once put it together with the famous shoes or variety product until Swistle! Thank goodness for blogging! Keep those suggestions coming. The husband is actually enjoying the open forum and someone not 9 months pregnant and cranky making unbiased suggestions;)
I love Henry, but with a last name suitable for “dirty” pairings, the possible nn Harry is just too much. lol. We were in the same boat with the name. So sad!
I LOVE the name Cole, and never thought of Nicholas as being prime for that nickname! That’s my vote for you. Awesomeness. If you love multiple names, why not use all of them? Nicholas Henry T___m “Bronson” is a beautiful name, and sounds so classic!
I like Swistle’s suggestions of Frederick (Freddie or Frankie- so cute! Although those nns do sound VERY common with your last name), Everett and Elliot, and commenter Kimma’s suggestion of Colin or Callum to give a nod to Ireland AND get the Cole nn.
I know not one, but two people named Everett “Bronson”.
I like them both, so I have no further comment, I just thought it was interesting that you brought it up.
And I strongly caution against Dock.
I’m a “Bronston” and even we got teased about this (my grand father is Dr. Bronston, and some kids found about Doc Bronston, and it was bad).
Oh! And as a Bronston named Jennifer and born in the early 80s, I would HIGHLY advise against the most popular names, given the popularity of your last name. There are three people with my EXACT name, down to middle initial, just at my dentist’s office.
And my credit report has been spliced into another Jennifer Bronston’s credit report THREE DIFFERENT CREDIT RUINING TIMES. I had to petition to get items removed, etc. Having a common first name might be alright, but when paired with a very common last name, it can actually be a logistical nightmare, in my opinion.
Pack is a nickname for Patrick that you might like, given your affinity for Dock. Pack or Packer would be very cute.
You chose an excellent name for your little boy. Congratulations on the birth of Andrew Porter!