Baby Boy Names, again

[saraml13]

I posted a while ago about baby boy names, and we've narrowed it down some since then.

We are team green.  We like fairly traditional names and Biblical or saints names.  We also would like to use family names when possible, definitely for middle names.  Last name is 2 syllables, similar to Lacy.

DS1 is named Thomas Michael.  Thomas after DH's grandfather and Michael after my father.

Our girl name is Margaret Mary.  Margaret after my great aunt who was the matriarch of my family, and Mary after my mother.

For a boy name, we keep coming back to William.  It was neither of our first pick's, but it's a very common name for both our families that hasn't been used in our generation or our children's generation yet.  We've also struck out with most of our other male family names, which either are really not our style (Norbert, Bartholomew) or don't go well with our last name.  We're leaning towards using DH's fn, Andrew, as the mn, and think William Andrew is a solid name with good flow.

I guess I have 2 hesitations with the name.

1. William is so common now.  I think it's #5 on this year's list.  I really would prefer a slightly less common, but still traditional name.  (Thomas is also more common than I would like, but it was really important for DH to name DS after his grandfather.)

2. We came to William more through process of elimination than through being in love with the name.  It's growing on us, but I think that's mostly because we haven't been able to agree on any good alternatives.  

So I guess I'm looking for feedback on if using a family name would outweigh a resistance to using a top 10 name.  And also, did you choose a compromise name that you grew to really like, or did you end up never really loving a compromise name?

[Widget123]

I prefer William as a middle name, but I agree William Andrew is a solid name. Have you ever thought of using Andrew William instead?

I agree that using a family name helps outweigh the popularity dilemma. Also, despite William being top 10, the percentage of the population actually using the name is a lot less than a generation ago.

Maybe you need to take a break and think about it again in a few weeks? Maybe reconsider some of your alternatives again at that point if necessary?

[seamonster]

William is a great name. Definitely a smaller percentage of kids using it as a name than popular names of the same ranking in past generations. So even with a top 10 name, he might not have to be William L in school.

[bromios]

I never grew to really love the name that was the biggest compromise in my family. Suggestions to go with Andrew as a mn:
Benedict Andrew
Christopher Andrew
David Andrew
Edward Andrew
Edmund Andrew
Francis Andrew
Harold Andrew
Isaac Andrew
Jonathan Andrew
James Andrew
Laurence Andrew
Peter Andrew
Sebastian Andrew
Willem Andrew

[saraml13]

May 9, 2016 12:21:19 GMT -5 Widget123 said:

I prefer William as a middle name, but I agree William Andrew is a solid name. Have you ever thought of using Andrew William instead?

I agree that using a family name helps outweigh the popularity dilemma. Also, despite William being top 10, the percentage of the population actually using the name is a lot less than a generation ago.

Maybe you need to take a break and think about it again in a few weeks? Maybe reconsider some of your alternatives again at that point if necessary?

DH would love to name a son Andrew, but although I like family names, I dislike direct naming of the son after the father. Just NMS. Even if the mn is different, I find that more confusing than a direct "Jr".

I'd prefer William as a mn as well. My favorite combo is Paul William, but we have no connection to Paul other than it's a name I like. DH doesn't hate it, but would like to find something with more meaning to us.

And you're right that I may just need to sit on it for a few weeks and revisit.

[saraml13]

FYI, other family names:

William (close to 30% of male ancestors)
Charles (we both hate Chuck, plus DS has red hair and we really don't want a red headed Chuckie)
James (DH hates Jim and we want a nn option)
Norbert (NMS)
Bartholomew (nope)
Elias (doesn't go with last name)
Louis (doesn't go with last name)
Cyril (NMS)
Vaslav (nope)
Joseph (ok, but I prefer William. Also prefer to use Josephine, also a family name, as our second choice / next girl name)
Michael (already used as DS1's middle name)
John (FIL's name. BIL is John Jr and we feel like we should leave John for BIL to use)

[joy]

I love William. LOVE IT. If my husband liked it then we'd use it. So... I just wanted to give you a little boost in that others do like the name!!

[cabbagecabbage]

I think William is lovely and great with your taste but if it never feels right, keep looking. You have until after he's born to pick.

I will say that choosing the name for our second baby feels different from our first. I'm confident in our choice but it was less of an electric jolt that my DD's name that I instantly loved.

[helenahhandbasket]

I love Margaret Mary so much.

William is a nice solid name, but if you don't love it, don't force yourself.

If you're open to suggestions:
Samuel
Raymond
Paul
Henry
Gregory
Timothy
Vincent
Maxwell
Adam
Nicholas
Ryan
Eric

[suelou18]

I like William Andrew. I think family name trumps popularity to me, especially with a name like William that has several nickname possibilities.

[billyhorrible]

Two thoughts:

1) Like you, popularity definitely factors into my name choices, however I think that popularity doesn't exist in a vacuum. Is the name popular because it's a good, strong, classic name? Or because it's trendy? I think William falls into the former category. It is used often because it is a classic name. There are also a host of nicknames, which makes it unlikely your son will have to be a William Lastinitial.

2) Since I've had my boys, both of their names have gone up in popularity. Which I wasn't expecting. My youngest is having a slow rise, but my oldest made HUGE jumps. From not being in the top 100 to being in the top 50 within a year. And it continues to rise. I think there's a draw to find less popular names, but when everyone tries to do that, the less popular all of a sudden become popular. Which means if you're solely focused on popularity, you might end up with a popular name anyway.

[dreadpiratebuttercup]

William is great, and goes so nicely with Andrew. This is my stepbrother's name. I do prefer Wilhelm or Willem.

I personally haven't had to compromise on a name. I have had to give up names I love, and I now regret DD1's name because I wish I had gone with something else. But I do still love both their names. Sometimes though, compromise is necessary.

Since you do still have time and aren't in love with the name, I would keep looking, but know that you have a solid name either way.

[partyinmytummy]

Are there any female family names you could use the masculine form of? Simliar to how you want to save Joseph for Josephine. DD1's middle name is Frances after both our grandmothers, but we would have used Francis for a boy in a heartbeat.

[seamonster]

May 9, 2016 23:04:47 GMT -5 corinne said:

May 9, 2016 13:25:24 GMT -5 saraml13 said:

FYI, other family names:

William (close to 30% of male ancestors)
Charles (we both hate Chuck, plus DS has red hair and we really don't want a red headed Chuckie)
James (DH hates Jim and we want a nn option)
Norbert (NMS)
Bartholomew (nope)
Elias (doesn't go with last name)
Louis (doesn't go with last name)
Cyril (NMS)
Vaslav (nope)
Joseph (ok, but I prefer William. Also prefer to use Josephine, also a family name, as our second choice / next girl name)
Michael (already used as DS1's middle name)
John (FIL's name. BIL is John Jr and we feel like we should leave John for BIL to use)

Could Jay be your nickname for James?

Jamie is another nickname for James.

[joy]

May 10, 2016 7:08:42 GMT -5 seamonster said:

May 9, 2016 23:04:47 GMT -5 corinne said:

Could Jay be your nickname for James?

Jamie is another nickname for James.

I love Jamie has a nickname for James. James would be my top boy choice but it's off the list for various reasons. James, nickname Jamie! Love.

[saraml13]

corinne, seamonster, joy, I dislike Jay for James, and although I know Jamie is a perfectly legitimate male name/nn, my first thought when I hear the name is that it's a girl. I've just known more girls who have gone by Jamie/Jaime than boys.

partyinmytummy, not many of our female family names translate easily into male counterparts. The most obvious is Antonia/Toni from DH's side, but neither of us really like Anthony/Tony.

Thanks for the positive feedback on William from many people. It's helpful to hear that the universal reaction isn't "Blah, too common and overused".

I think we will sit on it for awhile and see if it grows on us or we have any other good ideas.

[saraml13]

helenahhandbasket, @charlotte, thanks on the thumbs up for Margaret. Confession: I'd prefer a girl vs a boy this time, and a large portion of that is driven by being more excited by our girl name and having more/better girl name options.

[helenahhandbasket]

May 10, 2016 9:39:03 GMT -5 saraml13 said:

helenahhandbasket, @charlotte, thanks on the thumbs up for Margaret. Confession: I'd prefer a girl vs a boy this time, and a large portion of that is driven by being more excited by our girl name and having more/better girl name options.

Not flameful!

I feel like I could easily name 6 more girls but would struggle with a boy name.

[saraml13]

May 10, 2016 9:44:27 GMT -5 helenahhandbasket said:

May 10, 2016 9:39:03 GMT -5 saraml13 said:

helenahhandbasket, @charlotte, thanks on the thumbs up for Margaret. Confession: I'd prefer a girl vs a boy this time, and a large portion of that is driven by being more excited by our girl name and having more/better girl name options.

Not flameful!

I feel like I could easily name 6 more girls but would struggle with a boy name.

We want 3 kids. We are totally screwed if we end up with all boys because I have no clue what we would name a 3rd boy. But 3 girl names would be easy.

[chriskoo]

May 10, 2016 9:39:03 GMT -5 saraml13 said:

helenahhandbasket, @charlotte, thanks on the thumbs up for Margaret. Confession: I'd prefer a girl vs a boy this time, and a large portion of that is driven by being more excited by our girl name and having more/better girl name options.

I can totally relate. I'm also team green, I love our boy name so much and am struggling big time with a girl name. This is literally the only reason I'm secretly hoping for a boy.

[Deleted]

1. I think a top 10 name if named after a family member is fine. I have a top 10 name and a top 30 name for my kids. It is actually listed higher for DS, but there are variations that make it more popular. I don't love that it is super popular, but I love that it had meaning for DH.

I don't love William or Paul for that matter, but they are both good, solid boy names, and I do like the nn Will.

2. I think there is some compromise when naming. I liked DS's name, but I fought DH pretty strongly on the middle name because he chose the first name and the last name is his as well. For DD's name I gave DH a list of 30-40 names, and he only liked 4. From that list we lived with each name for a month or so, and then went with what felt right. Nick names were important to me too, so some were scratched because I didn't care for the nick name (Penelope/ Victoria). But if it is a compromise too far in one direction, then I don't think you will ever like it. But if you like the name, but can't find anything better then I think you will still like the name, if that makes any sense.

[honeylemon]

May 10, 2016 9:44:27 GMT -5 helenahhandbasket said:

May 10, 2016 9:39:03 GMT -5 saraml13 said:

helenahhandbasket , @charlotte , thanks on the thumbs up for Margaret. Confession: I'd prefer a girl vs a boy this time, and a large portion of that is driven by being more excited by our girl name and having more/better girl name options.

Not flameful!

I feel like I could easily name 6 more girls but would struggle with a boy name.

Same. Of course I had two boys and one girl. I think I'll forever have a little twinge of sadness that I never got my Juniper Imogen. 

[purple]

I think William is a great name and Will is a good nickname. Around here (Scotland) he'd be called Willie.

I completely understand your difficulty with boy names! We want three, and we've had two girls' names and a boy's name picked out since before we were married. But now we know two babies around my daughter's age who have our boy name, even though it isn't all that popular. I'm working on persuading H that that doesn't mean we can't still use it, especially since it took three times as long to agree on it as either of the girl names!

I am fascinated that you think of Jamie as a girl's name. The only female Jamie I've ever heard of is the younger sister in Judy Blume's Forever, and I always wondered why she had a boy's name. I would find a female Jamie as odd as a female John or William.

[partyinmytummy]

I wanted to add that I've known plenty of boys/men named Charles, and none of them have ever gone by Chuck. Usually it's Charlie or Charles, and I've also known a Chip and a Chaz.

ETA: men, not ben!

[brooklynesque]

May 11, 2016 23:21:36 GMT -5 partyinmytummy said:

I wanted to add that I've known plenty of boys/ben named Charles, and none of them have ever gone by Chuck. Usually it's Charlie or Charles, and I've also known a Chip and a Chaz.

What partyinmytummy said!  I like William a lot, but I think Thomas and Charles makes an even better sibset and I love the name Charles.  I don't think anyone is going to default to Chuck or Chuckie as a nickname; Charlie is the more common nn these days.  

[cabbagecabbage]

May 11, 2016 2:59:35 GMT -5 purple said:

I am fascinated that you think of Jamie as a girl's name. The only female Jamie I've ever heard of is the younger sister in Judy Blume's Forever, and I always wondered why she had a boy's name. I would find a female Jamie as odd as a female John or William.

As am 80s kid in America, certain nickname names were pretty common for girls: Jamie, Cory, Casey, Jesse/Jessie. I don't think of them as girl's names but they feel ambiguous in my generation, similar to hearing Chris or Terri/Terry in my parent's generation. If I hear Jamie at the playground, I expect a boy since that style has passed and now people are using Quinn, Parker, and new boy names for girls.

[saraml13]

May 11, 2016 23:21:36 GMT -5 partyinmytummy said:

I wanted to add that I've known plenty of boys/ben named Charles, and none of them have ever gone by Chuck. Usually it's Charlie or Charles, and I've also known a Chip and a Chaz.

Time for another confession. My family has always owned multiple cats and given them somewhat old fashioned names. There's a whole set of boys names that I can't picture using because I associate them with our cats: Charlie, Frank, George, Henry, Ralph, Oscar.

[wibblywobbly]

May 9, 2016 13:25:24 GMT -5 saraml13 said:

FYI, other family names:

William (close to 30% of male ancestors)
Charles (we both hate Chuck, plus DS has red hair and we really don't want a red headed Chuckie)
James (DH hates Jim and we want a nn option)
Norbert (NMS)
Bartholomew (nope)
Elias (doesn't go with last name)
Louis (doesn't go with last name)
Cyril (NMS)
Vaslav (nope)
Joseph (ok, but I prefer William. Also prefer to use Josephine, also a family name, as our second choice / next girl name)
Michael (already used as DS1's middle name)
John (FIL's name. BIL is John Jr and we feel like we should leave John for BIL to use)

I like Charles and if you always either called him Charles or Charlie you might never get stuck with Chuck.

You said Louis doesn't go with your last name, are you pronouncing it Louie or Lewis? Does changing the pronunciationmake it work with your last name?

Other options:
Henry
Simon
Samuel
Nicolas
Philip
Stephen

[joy]

May 11, 2016 2:59:35 GMT -5 purple said:

I think William is a great name and Will is a good nickname. Around here (Scotland) he'd be called Willie.

I completely understand your difficulty with boy names! We want three, and we've had two girls' names and a boy's name picked out since before we were married. But now we know two babies around my daughter's age who have our boy name, even though it isn't all that popular. I'm working on persuading H that that doesn't mean we can't still use it, especially since it took three times as long to agree on it as either of the girl names!

I am fascinated that you think of Jamie as a girl's name. The only female Jamie I've ever heard of is the younger sister in Judy Blume's Forever, and I always wondered why she had a boy's name. I would find a female Jamie as odd as a female John or William.

The US has some ...trouble... with names in that many misguidedly think that a boy's name on a girl is cool, strong, different, unique and/or badass. It's very telling when you look on name lists and see a name is super popular for boys in all countries except in the US where it's popular for a girl. I could give you many examples.

What's more is that people are taking boy names from other cultures, misspelling them and slapping them on girls. Example? Decklynn. It's embarrassing.

[saraml13]

wibblywobbly I was assuming pronouncing like Lewis (the two spelling are used interchangeably in family records), but neither pronunciation goes well with our last name.