Hello!
I am stuck. I have one little boy – Conrad – whose name I absolutely love and adore. Maybe too much because it’s making me not be able to choose another boy name!
I’m due in September with baby #2. We aren’t finding out the gender, but if it’s a girl the name will be Gigi (runners up: Gemma, Penny, Nova and Zara).
I need some boy name ideas. I guess I’m pretty picky because 1) I love Conrad so much and 2) my “requirements”…
-Easy to say
-Easy to understand (I never have to repeat myself when someone asks his name)
-Easy to spell (I’ve never had to spell it for anyone either)
-It’s not a “nickname” for a longer name (I grew up with a nickname my whole life and hated having to correct people when my full name was used)
-More uncommon name, yet known enough to know it’s a name (I’ve only met 1 other Conrad, ever)It seems like all the boy names I find that fit most of the requirements are too boring or too popular. Some names I like but don’t *love* to give you an idea of what interests me are: Jay, Dean, George, Rome, Clark, Dax, Rocky, and Banks. With the exception of the last two, they all just feel so bland to me.
Last name is Moody. Sounds like Booty which adds to the difficulty… for example: Harry Moody sounds like Harry Booty. I’m sure I’m over thinking this part but the last name adds some limitations because it’s more of a word not a last name to me.
I would LOVE any suggestions or help!
Thank you,
Lexi
I am going to start with the nickname issue, because you mention you don’t want a nickname name because you grew up with one and didn’t like it—but your girl-name choice is Gigi, a nickname name; and one of the runners-up is Penny, also a nickname name. Even if you didn’t have a particular objection to nickname names, I would still be pointing out that Gigi seems like a fairly lightweight choice for a girl, particularly when you have a son with the solid serious name Conrad. If your son’s given name were Benny or Alfie (or Jay or Rocky or Dax), then Gigi would still seem lightweight to me, and would still be a nickname name, but it would work with the sibling set; as it is, it sends the presumably unintended message that boys need solid serious names but girls don’t. I strongly recommend reconsidering, and perhaps using Gigi as a nickname for Gemma G_____ Moody, or for Georgia/Georgiana/Geneva/etc.
Some of the names on your boy-name list also strike me as odd with an older brother named Conrad. It isn’t that you must keep to the same style, of course, and in fact the practice of using honor names for a firstborn means people are fairly accustomed to the firstborn having a name of a different style—but it seems wise to consider it going in. Conrad and Jay makes Jay seem lightweight to me; I also grew up with a ton of Jasons going by Jay, so it feels like a nickname as well as a stand-alone name. Conrad and Rome is a startling combination to me (Conrad and Roman would work). I would be throwing my support behind Banks (it’s on your list; you don’t find it bland; it works fine with Conrad) except that I found I disliked the way all -s/-ce names combined with Moody. That’s highly subjective, however, so although I didn’t put them on my list, that doesn’t mean they don’t work.
For a boy, the name that came to mind before I even consulted my baby-name books was Desmond. Similar to Conrad in solid seriousness, it is also fairly easy to pronounce and spell. Conrad and Desmond. More options to consider:
Aidric Moody; Conrad and Aidric
Alfred Moody; Conrad and Alfred
Alistair Moody; Conrad and Alistair
Arthur Moody; Conrad and Arthur
Barnaby Moody; Conrad and Barnaby
Broderick Moody; Conrad and Broderick
Cedric Moody; Conrad and Cedric
Declan Moody; Conrad and Declan
Edmund Moody; Conrad and Edmund
Franklin Moody; Conrad and Franklin
Frederick Moody; Conrad and Frederick
Gideon Moody; Conrad and Gideon
Gordon Moody; Conrad and Gordon
Joel Moody; Conrad and Joel
Leon Moody; Conrad and Leon
Leopold Moody; Conrad and Leopold
Malcolm Moody; Conrad and Malcolm
Miller Moody; Conrad and Miller
Murphy Moody; Conrad and Murphy
Russell Moody; Conrad and Russell
Stanley Moody; Conrad and Stanley
Sullivan Moody; Conrad and Sullivan
Thatcher Moody; Conrad and Thatcher
Thompson Moody; Conrad and Thompson
Torsten Moody; Conrad and Torsten
Victor Moody; Conrad and Victor
Vincent Moody; Conrad and Vincent
Warren Moody; Conrad and Warren
Whitman Moody; Conrad and Whitman
Winston Moody; Conrad and Winston
Gigi also had me wondering to be honest. Would it be a nickname for Gemma or Georgia maybe?
Also, a note on Swistle’s suggestions, I’m 95% sure that Alistair Moody is a Harry Potter Name, if that matters at all. It’s a shame, because I can see it with Conrad.
Was just coming here to say this about Alastair. It’s Alastor in the books, but you’d definitely need to be prepared for looks from HP fans if you went that route.
A lot of these sound kind of like book characters to me (Malcolm Moody’s Bad Day, Barnaby Moody Comes to Tea), but that effect seems lessened to me w/ a one syllable name .
I have a little boy named Conrad. I adore the name as well. He is our second, with an older brother named Deacon and younger brother named Monroe. Other names on the short list for our 3 boys were: Gideon and Watson. I also loved Dean, but my husband wasn’t a fan.
I love Conrad! Here’s some names that would strike me as a great pairing:
Barrett
Garrett
Julian
Heath
Gideon
Landon
Malcolm
Leon
Isaiah
Spencer
Atticus
Ruben
Tristan
Addison
Vaughn
Griffin
Graham
Archie
Perry
Grant
Soren
Oscar
Harvey
Alistair
I think the writer meant that she doesn’t want the child to go by a nickname, not that she doesn’t like nickname-y names. So she DOESNT want to name a girl Georgia and then call her Gigi and have the girl correct her teachers on the first day of school that her name is Gigi.
Anyway, I agree that Gigi feels too light as a given name, especially in contrast to Conrad. And the runners up feel very different from Conrad or also too light. What about Nora?
Yes, I think it’s this exactly about the nickname names, and I’m in the very same situation – I’m a Katherine who goes by Kate and got (get!) very tired of having to say it and/or think about when to use my legal name and when to just use Kate. Actually, we had nearly all the same requirements for our son’s name, and his name is Brennan.
That’s how I understood the letter writer, too.
Gina?
I’m here to to say go for Dean!! It’s a lovely name and I never hear it.
I do think Swistle’s suggestion of Desmond is lovely and it pairs well with Conrad. I also love one commenters suggestion of Heath. A few others that I think sound nice that aren’t nickname names:
Malcolm
Declan
Adrian (popular but I never actually hear it)
Percy or Perry
Fraser
We have a Declan and (sadly) it is mispronounced alllll the time. Usually at doctor’s offices. We get dee-CLAN, DE-clan, Del-can (?!?!), and on. So it may not work for her requirements. But I do agree Conrad and Declan sound good together.
Perry can get mistaken. I’ve a Kerry and people have at one time or another misheard it as Terry, Gary, Perry, Jerry, Mary (when he was littler and less obviously a boy), and/or Larry. And there was that one old guy who went through the ENTIRE LIST of English-language ‘errys. Had to say “Like Cary Grant” twice. lol Bless him, he must be rather deaf.
What about Gigi as a nickname for Gemma Grace (G.G.)
For boys, I like William, Wilson, Declan, Drake, and Theo with Conrad!
Not much to add except I really like Swistle’s list of suggestions: so many good, easy to hear, easy to spell, non-boring options on that list that seem to coordinate with Conrad (Winston! Malcolm! Gideon!).
And yes to Hazel’s comment: Alistair Moody doesn’t work in my opinion because of HP.
I understood the poster’s “non-nickname” rule as in if she wants her daughter to go by Gigi they’ll use Gigi not a formal name with that as the nickname. Same as if she wanted a boy Gus not to name him August with Gus as a nickname. While many people feel the opposite (use a long formal and call them the nickname) I know plenty of people who feel the same way as the poster, and I say use the name you love. If Gigi decides she wants to go by something else she could always pick a longer name to be her nickname!
Here to say LOVE Conrad, and had two pop cultures references to share in case they hadn’t been considered. One in agreement with some else above that Alistair Moody is a Harry Potter character making that a non-fit for me.
Second is that a popular, current tv show (The Resident), stars Dr. Conrad Hawkins and he has a daughter named Gigi, so when I hear Conrad and Gigi, my mind goes directly to that show. It’s not a negative association by any means, but a father/daughter name combo on a popular show may give me pause about using the same names in a sibset.
Boy suggestions shared that I think go especially well with Conrad are ones with pointed consonants, Victor, Broderick, Malcolm, Grant, Dean, Derek, Gregory…..oooooh, what about ALEC?! Alec Moody. Conrad and Alec. LOVE!
Girls, stylistically I’d love a strong consonant name with Conrad here, too. Nadine is a favorite of mine. It always fell into the easy to say, easy to spell, no nicknames arena and isn’t overused. Conrad and Nadine.
That is a fair point about the TV show, but to provide a counter-point – I’m someone who watches a decent amount of TV and I’ve never heard of that show! I think major franchise movies/book characters are worth avoiding but TV shows don’t usually have nearly the same level of cultural penetration.
With Conrad I *love* Warren or Gordon from Swistle’s list. They both also go well with Moody.
Gigi is a cute name. I would be surprised to meet a Gigi where that was her given name and not a nickname but I wouldn’t think it was bad, just different! It could lead to what you’re trying to avoid, however: people asking her what her real name is when she introduces herself as Gigi. I have an unusual name and people ALWAYS ask me what name it is a nickname for.
I immediately thought of Gordon and was pleased to see it on Swistle’s list. I also love Desmond, which is my son’s middle name.
And I agree that Gigi and Penny are both nicknames. What about Gloria or Georgette
Yeah, it’s definitely a YMMV sort of thing. A friend of mine is named simply Jenny (born during the Jennifer boom) so people make the same assumption about her and it’s a low-key irritation for her, too. She also wishes she had a more formal version for serious things, though not enough to go through the hassle of a name change.
I know a kid called Rocky who’s full name is Rockford, and though I didn’t initially like the name, I acrually think it’s pretty cool now. I think Rockford has the same weight and reliability as Conrad. Conrad and Rockford strike me as a couple of solid upstanding men.
Banks Moody makes me hear Spanks Booty. Might just be me and my delightful brain.
Duncan
Donovan
Jasper
Gavin
Nolan
Bowen
Ian
Ronan
Hudson
Evan
Ethan
Luke
Reese
The Conrad we know has a brother named Jonas. Jonas could nickname to Jay easily while still having a full and real name.
Really though you should just stack the last syllable. Conrad, then Radley, then Leland…. 🤣
Agreed that Gigi seems very fluffy next to Conrad. If I met a Gigi I would want to know what it was short for. I like Gemma and Zara.
Boys names… I like Desmond a lot! I like Dean too.
Ideas:
Dexter
Douglas
Dylan
Damian
Raphael
Robin
Brooks
Forrest
Reed
August
Felix
Julian
Seth
I’m here for boy suggestions, cause your girl list is great – and I’m also in the Name Them What You’ll Call Them camp (my daughter has a nicknamey name on paper and much anecdotal research confirmed it would stand the test of time and be less hassle than going by a formal name or a middle name.)
I am however into balanced sibling names where possible, and agree Conrad has a certain style not echoed in some of your list. But I like your ‘rules’ challenge, and I’d think you’d want to also avoid names that sound like other more popular names (example I thought of Alec and Flynn but they’d likely get mistaken for Alex and Finn too often.) Conrad is on my list of names to recommend more often because it’s awesome and underused, so here are others on that list:
Ivan
Scott
Linus
Simon
Ross
Clark
Dane (love it instead of Dean!)
Bruce
Magnus
Conrad and Magnus is a powerful combo!! I love that
I also immediately thought of Roman when I read that you like but don’t love Rome. Roman and Conrad are GREAT brother names!!
I know twin boys named Conrad and Jude and I love that combo as well.
If you want a more formal name for Gigi, Gianna might also be of interest! I also love the idea of Gemma and call her Gigi sometimes (or all the time, whatever!).
Absolutely LOVE Conrad! Though I agree with Swistle that it seems like a different naming style than most of the other names on your list.
I second the suggestions of Simon, Donovan, and Duncan! And how about Rupert?
Leon! Wow that one jumped out at me. Love Warren & Winston as options for you too.
Conrad and Gigi seem like a prince and princess. I do think that instead of correcting teachers who use her whole name Gigi will have to continually answer that she does not have another longer name. This may leave her feeling like she is lacking something that most others have. Although it may be cool and freeing to be different. My boy has a nickname that is used instead of his full name 95 percent of the time and it happens to be a name in its own right. (Ari) It’s kind of sad that his given name is never used. He’d rather have a name like Conrad I bet! Another thought is that kids are a sibling set for such a short time in their lives. Give your kids the name you want to give them and consider them individuals because they are!
On the topic of another boy’s name I like Wilder, Evander, Declan, Lachlan, Graham, Dominic, Isaac, and Luca.
When I see Conrad I think Otto… Both give me that German vibe.
I also like Magnus/Marcus as siblings. They have the same kind of impact in my mind.
Not such a fan of Roman as I feel it repeats some of the sounds of Conrad and the two names come out a bit thick and confused when I say them together.
As for the girl options, I agree with everyone that Gigi and some of the other main contenders do not have the same style, seriousness, meaning, and weight as Conrad, and that bothers me too.
I know a Gigi short for Genevieve and if Is had another girl she would have been Georgeanna called Gigi. I say go with the longer name and nickname or pick a less nickname first name.
For boys I love Warren, Angus, Otto, Marcus and Roman. Dean is also very cool and makes Conrad a little more cowboy.
I too had concerns when I read that you are thinking of naming a daughter Gigi and am in agreement with Swistle’s reasons for not using it as your daughter’s given name. Gigi is very CUTE — for a baby, young girl, or teenager, but a grown woman might prefer something more substantial, like her brother’s name Conrad.
I think the use of Gigi as a girls’ name or nickname may have originated with the musical by that name. But Gigi wasn’t the given name of the ficticious GIgi, whose full name was Gilberte.
I think a girl called Gigi would often get questions about what her full name is, with the expectation that she has a more substantial given name like her brother Conrad.
I like the suggestion of Gemma Grace “Gigi”.
Conrad and Gemma “Gigi”
Greta?
Thinking of Gemma “Gigi” led me to similar in sound Greta (just Greta, not “Gigi”) and think it could be an excellent sister name with Conrad. Both Conrad and Greta are Germanic/Northern European names. They both are solid and serious names; both are stand-alone names — not having or needing a usual nickname. (Yes, Greta originated from Margaret, but it has been a name its own right for a long time.)
Greta meets all of your criteria plus it is far less common than Gemma. In the SSA baby name rankings for 2021, Greta ranks at #827, while Gemma is far more popular at #191. Conrad, ranking at #534, is about halfway between the two.
Conrad and Greta sound like they belong together as sibling names.
I agree about Gigi. I love it, but it is definitely more of a nickname name and not a Given Name and I do think she’ll constantly have to explain that it’s not short for anything.
Of your boy names, George stood out to me as a great fit with Conrad. I also really like Dean & Clark-though with Clark I wondered about the alliteration with the names? Dax, Rocky and Banks all feel wrong with Conrad to me.
Without looking at Swistle’s list, I thought of Malcolm, Reuben & Frederich. After looking at Swistle’s list, the only comment I have (just in case you didn’t know) is Alistair Moody is a character from Harry Potter.
There are some nicknames that I think work just as well on their own – Jack, Nora, Liam, Molly… There are others I prefer as nicknames, but I feel they can stand alone okay – I would put Penny, Dax, and Lexi in that category. But there are a handful of nicknames that I find just too light to work as full names – they just feel silly when I picture them on a resume or diploma or wedding invitation. Gigi is solidly in that category to me. (Rocky is in that category too, but not as strongly)
Gemma is lovely (and goes wonderfully with Conrad), and you could use Gigi as a pet name, but use the full Gemma most of the time, so she doesn’t feel like she has to correct people. I honestly think that the way the parents handle the nickname can strongly affect the way the child picks up on it – if you go back and forth and treat both as her “real name” she’s more free to decide for herself if the nickname is worth the trouble of correcting people.
I totally get it, though, if you’re just totally against the nickname thing. I definitely have my own name pet peeves that I just don’t want to deal with in my child’s name, simply because I’m so tired of dealing with them myself.
I actually really like Conrad and George together. They feel so stately and classic, and I feel like it’s a pairing where each name makes me like the other a little better. George draws out the regal side of Conrad, while Conrad draws out the quirky spunk in George.
Other ideas: Lionel, Leonard, August, Walter, Edwin, Edgar, Edward, Cyril, Raymond, Gabriel, Harold, Claude, Felix, Benedict, Tobias, Gilbert, Oscar, Nolan, Milo, Gordon, Albert, Quincy, Xavier, Adrian, Julius, Clarence
A few more: Jasper, Vernon, Maddox, Garth, Heath, Pax, Solomon, Dominic, Gerald, Hank, Hector, Earl, Jerome, Roland, Willis, Clive, Clint, Hugh, Bernard, Bruce, Cyrus, Clement, Arthur, Ambrose, Colin, Curtis, Kirk
If you have the Baby Name Wizard book or can get ahold of a copy (my library has it!), you might have luck perusing the style lists in the back. Conrad is included under Saints, Shakespearean, Stately Classics, and Timeless (every entry is indexed), but you could also try looking up all the other names on your list, since they seem to cross a variety of styles.
Conrad is such a fun name to try to pair with – I’m fascinated to see what you end up going with!
What about Calvin for a boy? I know a sibset with the names Conrad and Calvin and I think they go well together.
How about Alfred? Another name that’s easy to say and spell, but that you hardly hear these days. I think Conrad and Alfred make a very fine siblings set.
Other suggestions:
Hugo
Bruno
Kai
Felix
Good luck!
I was coming to suggest Nolan or Garrett.
Grant was my first thought. Conrad and Grant.
I do like the suggestions of Magnus for a boy, if not too Germanic for you. And Greta for a girl is awesome. Right now Greta has a strong female namesake which is great.
Maybe Hugo would work? Conrad and Hugo.
Fritz is another high personality, no nickname name, again Germanic sounding. Conrad and Fritz.
Best of luck!
Conrad and Hugo is a winner in my book. What a great pair!
Hans, pronounced Hawnz. Hans Moody. Conrad and Hans.
For 2021, only 127 boys were named Hans.
I also like Derek, George, and Jordan.
Ginger might be a girl name to consider. It’s still playful like Gigi but has just a bit more gravitas and lends itself well to Gigi as a nickname.
Ingrid is another possibility and I like Gemma as well.
Best wishes to you!
Malcolm immediately popped into my head as a brother to Conrad that fits your wishes! Redford would also work. I also think Duncan, Ivan, Felix or Axel would also sound great next to Conrad and fit your wish list!
I would avoid Dane as it sounds like someone saying Dang moody.
I agree with other peoples sentiments about Gigi being too lightweight and young to me, but I’m also in the midst of cocomelon overload thanks to my toddler and all of those names are similar to that (Tom Tom, YoYo, JJ). Also really reminds me of Gilmore girls which is not necessarily a bad association just something to be aware of.
I know you’re not asking for girl’s names, but: Ramona.
I came to suggest Gilbert. Conrad and Gilbert.
I also love Magnus, if the double M’s doesn’t bother you.
I understood the writer to say that she liked nicknames as names, not nicknames as nicknames for longer names. I really like Warren the best, easy to spell and understand, not really a possible nickname, but I also like Atticus, Oscar and Graham for those reasons. I like Alistair but I don’t think it meets the easy to spell requirement, since I see it spelled a few different ways just throughout the comments. I love the name Asher and always recommend it, it seems, and it makes me think of another recommendation – Dash. Best of luck to you!
Gianna (Jee-ah-na) lends itself to nickname Gigi. I know a Gianna who goes by Gigi some of the time.
Conrad and Gianna seem like a good sibling set!
I have a sibling who has always gone by a nickname and didn’t like the hassle, so all of his kids are named what they’re called. His daughter actually has a two-repeated-syllable name like Gigi or Coco (but not those).
Conrad is great. My first thought was Dean, which is on your not-quite-it list. I also like:
Curtis
Davis
Drew
Harvey
Grant
Lee
Oscar
Otto
Rhys
Walter
Waylon
Sorry for any repeats
Conrad and..
Duncan
Malcolm
Gideon
Desmond
Leland
Otto
Wolfgang
Burton
Ronan
Warner
Jonas
Kaiser
Morris
Carl
Shepherd
Garrett
Jericho
Tobias
Oswald
Casper
Oscar
Ulysses
Ulrich (ul-rick)
I get not wanting to use a full name only to just use a nickname but for me, Gigi fails the “would I want this as my own name” test. She would probably appreciate having a name with a bit more flexibility. Gemma Jean, Georgia Grace, or Georgia, Gianna, Gia, Ginger, Grace, Greta, Gretel etc paired with the right middle starting with a G would all lend to Gigi.
I don’t think it even has to have a G middle name! I know a Gigi whose name is Brigid, a Fifi whose name is Sofia, and a Mimi whose name is Marie. As far as I know, none of them have Gi/Fi/Mi (or even G/F/M) in their middle name.
I immediately thought of Walter and Albert; one of my 8yo’s classmates is a Walter. I don’t know any Alberts, or Conrads for that matter, under 60
Conrad & Walter
Conrad & Albert
Conrad & Felix
Conrad & Arthur
Conrad & Edward
Conrad & Edwin
Conrad & Angus
Conrad & David
Conrad & Martin
Conrad & Tristan
I’m kind of in love with Conrad & Zara, though I’m apparently the odd man out there
Cyrus? I think it meets all your criteria!
I also liked many of the other suggestions above, but particularly Victor and Clark.
I know a sibset of Roderic, Gregory, and Conrad. I like Roderic with Conrad, but am not sure if it fits your style.
I’ll throw in Frank (just Frank, not Franklin) – Conrad and Frank, Frank Moody – very snappy, very cool.
Also Victor, Vincent, Martin or Oscar. I like Martin Moody but I know alliteration is not everyone’s cup of tea.
I want to add to the cautions around Gigi – I think it will fail on the “easy to understand, easy to spell” front. It just goes by so fast, and is so unusual – I think people are going to say “what was that, sorry?” and wonder about spelling too.
Loving Conrad and Magnus as a sibset!
For a girl, I suggest Phoebe: sounds similar to Gigi, but it’s formal name.
i agree with other commenters that if you’re aiming for a name that doesn’t prompt a lot of follow-ups or requests for more information, gigi might not be the one – i think she’ll end up answering a lot of “oh, what’s that short for?” questions.
ideas for a boy:
declan
magnus
jonah
george
lewis
harvey
ideas for a girl (trying to go for the style of gigi, but with a bit more standalone heft):
emma
una
cora
lily
phoebe
ruby
Lexi, as someone with 3 friends named Gigi, I have to tell you: you are bound to repeat yourself. Didi is the most common “”alternative”” spelling. 😅 And like Lulu / Lu, Gigi is one of these names people commonly have a “mental block” viewing it as a full name.
Oh! And for a boy – Lando, Victor, Hector and Francis are my ideias.
I originally read the OP’s no nickname preference the same way Swistle did but now that I’ve gone back and re-read it, I see how it could be the opposite, as several people have commented, so I’m just going to shy away from girl name advice, except this: I like Gemma & Zara a lot for this family.
For boy names, I like Dean best from the maybe list and Cedric (if you don’t mind repeating an initial), Declan, and Roman best from Swistle’s suggestions. Roman goes beautifully with Conrad, I think. How about Elliott, Ethan, Malachi, Nolan, or Owen?
sibling set at a school I worked at. – Conrad & Simon!
I like Dorian with Conrad—intuitive spelling, pronunciation, no nicknames, not popular but not unknown, sounds great with big brother’s name.
For a girl, I really like Zara.
I meant to share before, some other names that I think are excellent with Conrad would be Nigel and Roger.
I know someone with brothers Conroy (similar to Conrad) and had a brother Waylon. Perhaps that could work?
Some suggestions:
Oscar
Ogden
Webster
Asa
Abram/Abraham
I met a Franklin the other day. It was all turtle for me before this, but it was adorable on a little boy.
I’ve seen a lot of suggestions for Hugo, but what about Hugh? I also wonder if Surnames used as first names might meet your criteria for the name to be familiar but not too common.
Hugh
Smith
Ford
Alden
Anderson
Beck
Meyer
Maybe Raymond or Ramon/Ramone?