Hi Swistle!
I am a first-time expectant mother and it goes without saying that I am more anxious than I have ever felt. It doesn’t help that I keep fearing my son being called “little guy” forever as we cannot decide upon a name. My boyfriend and I both agree that his name should be unique but not outrageous, which seems hard to do for a boy’s name! His middle name will be Andrew and his last name will be Decker. If we were having a girl the top two competitors were Ryne Faye and Emason Rey (after my great grandfather Emerson Reynolds). Our first contender for a boy’s name was Bentley but while testing it aloud one day we both agreed we no longer had an interest in it at all! After giving it a few months break I came up with Caden which everyone really liked until we realized it is very close to my younger brother’s name, Kasyn. As my due date keeps approaching I fear not having a name for my baby. Please help!!
Thanks, Caitlin
I think it would be fine to have a son Caden and a brother Kasyn; you could even spin it as a partial honor name, if you wanted. A bigger concern is that you’re looking for something unusual, and Caden belongs to “the -adens”: a group of names so large and prevalent, even some people not normally interested in baby names have become aware of them. The name Caden itself isn’t particularly common (though multiple spellings Cayden, Caiden, Kayden, Kaiden, Kaden do add up), but its popularity can feel combined with the popularity of Jaden, Hayden, Brayden, and the recently-top-10 Aiden.
The middle name Andrew is a little difficult to work with, because with your surname you end up with the initials _AD. Depending on how you feel about initials spelling words, this could rule out BAD, CAD, DAD, FAD, HAD, LAD, MAD, NAD, PAD, RAD, SAD, TAD, and WAD. I might be okay with HAD or PAD, and I can picture RAD or LAD being fun, and TAD would give a good nickname option, but I would avoid BAD, CAD, etc. I’m not sure how set the middle name is (that is, is it in stone, or could it be changed for the right first name?), so I’m making my list of suggestions below as if the middle name is still under discussion. If you love a first name that causes the initials to spell an unpleasant word, one option is to add another middle name: Brady Andrew Emerson Decker, for example, or Crosby Andrew Emerson Decker. (Reynolds is another good possibility, as is Rey, though then we get initials such as CARD and BARD and WARD, which at least are fine words to spell.)
Ashton
Brady
Bryson
Cade
Camden
Carson
Casey
Corbin
Crosby
Grady
Holden
Kai
Keane
Keaton
Keegan
Kieran
Lawson
Wilson
I wonder, too, if we could make an honor name out of your great-grandfather’s name, or if there are other family members whose names you could use. Greyson, for example, while possibly more common than you’d prefer, has the -rey- of Reynolds and the -son of Emerson. Reyson would be an uncommon possibility, but it sounds similar to raisin.
I like the idea of Rey, too: Rey Andrew Decker, or Rey Emerson Decker, or Rey Andrew Emerson Decker.
Or I originally had Grey on my suggestion list, but Grey Decker made me think of deck colors, not that that’s a terrible association. Grey Emerson Decker, or Grey Andrew Decker.
How about Guy Andrew Decker? I got the idea from the fact that you’ve been calling him the “little guy.” It makes a nice story, but also works as a name. I actually really like it with the middle and surname.
I actually think Emerson Andrew Decker sounds pretty good! And it avoids the many problems Swistle mentioned with initials _AD. It’s a little unisex these days, but I still think it’s a pretty good choice, and I like it when people use the actual honor name, rather than something only vaguely related, so that gets my vote.
Agreed. I like Emerson a LOT more than the other names you suggested. I think it is unusual but not outrageous–number 329 for boys names last year. Caden is nice because it sounds like your name, but maybe that is something you dislike about it? That’s a pretty personal decision.
A few selections with Es and Rs from 100-1000 level on SSA’s chart, to get unique but not outrageous:
Rory
Ronan
Royal (or Rey)
Rhett (Rhett Decker kind of sounds like a romance novel protagonist…that could be good or bad depending on your preference!)
Ruben (or Rueben, Reuven)
Emory (or Emery)
Edison
Emmanuel (or Emanuel)
My first instinct is to say use Ryne Andrew as Ryne is traditionally an Irish boys name. And you will also have the initials RAD.
The other two I might suggest are Kiel or Teague.
I actually really like the idea of using a nickname from the initials, and Tad was the one that stuck out for me right away. We call my son T@d or T@ddy (his given name is Th@ddeus), so I love it. I also know a man named Thomas A. B___ and he goes by T@b, and of course there’s John Ellis Bush — “Jeb.”
“T” names to consider can range from those with a more modern/trendy feel, like Tyler, or offbeat, like Talon, or more traditional, like Thomas. For boys, I personally love a good solid traditional given name with a more unusual/quirky/interesting nickname — it’s a great way to get “unique but not outrageous,” like you said.
FWIW I’m not a big fan of the -aden names, but Caden is by far my favorite of them. Good luck!
You could also simply go with Cade. Cade Decker has better flow than Caden Decker, to my ears, and avoids the popularity of the “en” endings. But I agree with Swistle about the initial thing, so if you choose this route I would recommend using another middle name besides Andrew. Cade Emerson Decker?
I like the idea of Cade, but with the last name I have trouble not hearing it as Kay Decker when I say it out loud. You seem to like the long A sound, so what about:
Cage
Gabe or Gabriel
Abel
Leif
Zane
Damon
Oh, I missed this. Good point!
I have a friend who named her son Emerson. I wanted to let you know that Emerson on a boy still works today. I think there is some hesitation to use it, because people think it has gone girl. I was surprised when I met the little guy how quickly I transitioned from “Hmm. Isn’t that a girls’ name?” to “Such a great name for him!” (those quotes are for my mental dialogue, not spoken out loud opinions)
I wonder if you’d like Cael? (pronounced like the leafy green – kale).
Instead of Caden, what about Alden. Alden Andrew. Alden Decker.
Bentley made me think of Gibson.
For a girl, you could also use Reyna as a subtle homage to your grandfather.
Good luck!
Caden is a beautiful name, and I love its sound in a vacuum. I don’t think there’s any problem in its sounding kind of like Kasyn–after all, aren’t Caitlin/Kasyn pretty similar in sound, and Caitlin/Caden, for that matter? As long as you can distinguish one from the other when someone calls them out, I don’t think that causes a particular issue.
However, if what you’re going for is a name that feels unique, I think you’ll have to consider something else–the popularity of the -aden names is literally a punchline among my friends who have had babies within the last few years. Its popularity has waned quite a bit, and yet I still it represented on dozens of birth announcements on fridges. This name is not going to generate an “Oh, how unique!” reaction in most American circles, methinks.
I really like Bentley! But, BAD. It’s worth revisiting Andrew as a middle name, even if you don’t circle back to liking Bentley. What about Bennett? Cameron? Cash?
An option to avoid the _AD initials would be to shorten Andrew to Drew.
Your girls names + Caden and Bentley make me worry that you might be disappointed with some of your choices in the long run. They are all very “of the moment” as far as trendy/popular sounds. I’d suggest browsing the top 50 or 100 names on the SSA’s baby name website. You might be surprised how many sound alikes you find. Don’t rely just on searching for the names you like, alternate spellings and rhyming names won’t show up that way, making your names seem less common than they may actually be.
I like Emerson and Rey for boys. Is Decker the father’s last name? If so, you may want to consider your surname as a first name option.
Wade, Presley, West/Westin/Westley, Emmett, Everett, Carter, Callen, Gage, Zane
I like Rhys a lot for you, although it would probably rule out a little girl Ryne later on.
I also think Reyson actually works pretty well. The similarity to Raisin doesn’t seem like a big enough deal to be a deal breaker, and I think it could be a great way to get a 1) sound that you like 2) unique name that fits in with “normal” boy names and 3) a lot of history and significance with the connection to your great grandfather. It might bother you that it almost rhymes with Kasyn…but I have a Larry, a Terri, and a Cheri in my family so I can promise that that’s not really a big deal.
Caden seems very trendy and not very unique to me. I do like the suggestion of Guy Andrew. If you are willing to use a variation of Andrew, I really like Drew (D)ecker. Drew Emerson or Drew Reynolds works. I also like Reynolds Andrew (D)ecker with the nickname Rey.
What about Easton Andrew Decker?
Here are some other unique but not outrageous boy names:
Stellan Andrew Decker (but then you get SAD)- I have never cared about initials as mine are ARM
Britton Andrew Decker (BAD)
Ryland Andrew Decker
Tate Andrew Decker
Gage Andrew Decker
Caden is both very trendy and close to your name.
I like:
Rey Andrew Decker
Emerson Andrew Decker
Rhys Andrew Decker
Coby Andrew Decker
Cale Andrew Decker
Brent Andrew Decker
Blake Andrew Decker
Reuben Andrew Decker
Rory Andrew Decker
Edison Andrew Decker
Everett Andrew Decker
Have you considered spinning Andrew into a first name?
Anders Rey Decker
Anderson Rey Decker
I like Reynolds, nn Rey, for you! Guy would be neat too.
Maybe Royce might work? I also like Errol for you.
I agree with Royce being a cool name for you.
Is Ryne pronounced like Ryan? If so for a girl I like Rhyan better. Emason, is that a made up name? . Why not just go with Emerson? If you want the nn name Emma you can just use the name Emma, it really is lovely. If you consider using Emerson, I think the mn Rey leans the name more masculine as Emerson Faye is distinctly feminine. I know you are having a boy but having some girl pairings picked out helps when deciding what you want your sibset to look like. I also think that with Andrew as a mn Emerson would work well for a boy too. Emerson Andrew Decker. Also why not just go with Ryan Andrew Decker. Yes it spells RAD but what guy wouldn’t love that!
Hm… I thought Ryne rhymed with “line.”
My daughter’s preschool class of 20 had 3 boys named C/Kaden (all with different spellings). My daughter referred to them as “the Cadens.” When I looked at a site that ranked the popularity of names with combined spellings, I was surprised to see that Caden was a top 10 name. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jI41vHXIDs05lTY7nGGu-2U01t04pRGLETLFXRnyjQQ/edit#gid=1862878943 I don’t think the name needs to be eliminated because of that I just wanted to pass along that information.
I recently attended story time at my local library out of the 7 children attending there was a Kayden, Jayden, Hayden and an Aiden! I also know several Kaydens all spelt differently, though I’m not too keen on the Aiden style names its not a bad option just not unique!
I love the suggestion of Camden its my number one boy name but unfortunately with my last name its unusable but a good option for you if your looking for something a bit different!
Other suggestions
Lincoln
Reid
Lawson
Marshall
Lennox
Bennett
Declan
Tanner
Good luck
My daughter’s initials are MAD and I still feel like we should have chosen something else for her middle name. She’s still a baby and doesn’t have an opinion on it, but I avoid putting her initials on things and sorry that she will dislike it. So if _AD is set in stone, I would look at first names that start with another vowel. I love Emerson and Easton! Great suggestions!
Caden reminds me of…
Haden
Haven
Deegan
Deacon
Jaden
Cade
Jade
Jayce
Lane
Dayne
I’m going to just ditto everyone else on Caden’s popularity as a name. My son (12) has had been in classes with several Cadens (different spellings), and is friends with 2 boys named Aiden. Also there was a Jaden and a Jaysin (but not a Jason).
I like Reynolds as a first name Reynolds Andrew Decker.
And if you want unique but not outrageous, I wouldn’t go with Emason for a girl (is it Eee ma sonne? or Ee May son? or Emma son? or Emma sonne?)
What about Kai for a boy?
I would definitely pass on Emason and go with Emerson instead.
what about kincaid who goes by caid?
I wanted to suggest Cadel as an alternative to Caden. There is an Australian cyclist called Cadel Evans who won the Tour De France a few years ago.
Rory Decker sounds great. My husband and I have tried to find less common boys names and have toyed with the following:
Reuben
Lewis
Otto
Jonty
Cadel is a great suggestion I love this name!