Boys Names

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

Hi, its my first posting here.
I find out what gender baby I am having on Monday. I don't intend telling anyone what it is...hence this posting being in advance whilst I don't know!!

My partner and I have really struggled with names. We spookily agree on everything else in life but are poles apart re names. We can just about agree on a couple of girls names but boys names we don't have a clue despite trawling through tens of thousands of names.

I have 3 main criteria:
1. The name has to look good on a CV - ie not twee / nickname / non gender specific / or plain daft - for example my nieces are called Princess and Frankee....I know!! It doesn't have to be too formal though either...just normal!
2. The name needs to be able to be shortened to a nickname that I like - because I never had one as a child and I longed to have one. I have found several names that I like as either a full name or as a shortened version but not many for both.
3. I want it to be a little bit more unusual without being too way out ie I dont want it to be one of 4 Thomas's in the class.

However if I really liked a name then I would comprise! I like Storm and Blaze for example - but wouldn't give a child either because its kind of labelling them as angry - and also Cosmo/Cosimo, Orson, Oriel, Oberon, Oscar which all would struggle to be shortened. My partner hates all of these :(
He tends to go the opposite way and wants something very plain and ordinary like David or Mark. He doesn't get the nickname thing and thinks if you want to call a child Toby then just call it that and not have Tobias on its birth certificate (BTW thats just an example).

Have you any ideas for slightly more unusual boys names? I really like pagan / earthy / gods names but am open to any suggestions all round. My partner won't go for anything which doesn't sound vaguely english!

Thanks in advance.

Comments

[anapology.livejournal.com]

Lucas
Theodore
Sebastian
Xavier (ZAV-ee-ay)
Leo
Callum
Maximillian/Maxwell

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

Thanks for these!
Theodore is top of my list but my partner hates it. I like Maxwell but its got other meanings. Xavier is an interesting one! I suspect my partner would like Callum as he likes Connor but I don't really like them. I am not sure re the other two but they are very much along the lines of what I was thinking of. Thanks. Any more ideas?!

[arbus.livejournal.com]

i am a big nickname person, as well. almost all of the boys name on my list have the ability to be shortened.

here are some thoughts that fit your other criteria...

william (shortens nicely to many many things, take your pick)
samuel (sam)
maddox (max)
luca/lucas (luke)
finnegan/finley (finn)
alastair (al)
oliver (ollie)
elijah/elias (eli)
leonardo/leonard/leon (shorten to leo)
jackson/jonathan (shorten to jack, or jon)

ps: i am curious what your girls names picks are!

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

Thanks for these!!
I like Oliver but its one of those where I dont like Ollie as a nickname. William, Samuel and Jonathan are very common here in the UK. I like Finnegan and Finley. I also like Leonardo but I suspect my partner won't like them...but I can try! I will see what he says to the others as well!! Thanks!

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

Girls names...I like things like Tabitha, Matilda, Natalie, Anastasia, Isolde, Amabel, Daisy, Jemima....

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

My partner adores Zachary! I am not so sure. There's some interesting ideas in that list. Thanks for sharing!

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

adrian/ian
jonas/joe
oscar/oz
gareth/gary
asa/ace
lucius or lucian/luke
finigan/finn
torben/ben
julian/jude
graham/grey
elias/eli
silas
colson/cole
axel/ax
ezekiel/zeke
archer/arch
theodore/theo
sebastian/seb or bastian or ian
jasper
calvin/cal
merritt/mitt
phineas/finn
leland/lee
walter/walt or wally
judah/jude
samson/sam
morgan
robin/rob
jesse/jess
august/gus
nicholas/nico
cameron/cam
talon/tal
brennan/bren
brendan/bren or dan
corbin/cory
lachlan/lach
abel/abe

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

Thanks for these! Theres some I really like like Nicolas/Nico, Oscar/Oz, Theodore/Theo and Cameron/Cam. I have to get them past my other half now!! Thanks!

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

if he wants the "normal" names, you could probably convince him of nicholas/nico and theodore/theo -- theo and nico are slightly more uncommon, but if your son doesn't like them for whatever reason and grows out of them, there's always the more conventional nick or ted(dy) for him to go by. i think it'd work as a compromise, and they're both great names with a lot of options for him.

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

Believe me I have tried Theo to death but he says its too posh :(
I love it....
His mother has told me to wait until I am in labour and then try for the name I want!!!
Meanwhile I keep throwing even more unusual names at him and he's starting to think that Theo is better than the rest!! Ha ha!

[bobinwales.livejournal.com]

Haha, I am exactly the same - My bf hates Theodore with a vengence, while it's my favourite name! I keep throwing 'odd' names at him, like Sirius and Caspian in hopes he'll like Theo in comparison!

[adamantplatypus.livejournal.com]

If you like Oscar, how about Oliver? You can shorten it to Ollie, but it's just different enough your SO might agree to it.

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

I once looked after an Oliver...and I love the name Oliver but I am the one who doesn't like the shortened version of Ollie :(

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

Girls:
Adara [nn. Ada/Dara]
Aurora [nn. Rory]
Cadence [nn. Cady/Cate]
Charlotte [nn. Char]
Cordelia [nn. Delia]
Gwendolyn [nn. Gwen]
Jocelyn [nn. Josie]
Kylie [nn. Ky]
Lillian or Lilith [nn. Lilly/Lil]
Lisette [nn. Lis]
Lorelai [nn. Lori/Rory]
Victoria [nn. Vicky/Tori]

Boys:
Anderson [nn. Andy]
Elliott [nn. Eli/Leo]
Gabriel [nn. Gabe]
Graham [nn. Gray- at least the one I know goes by this]
Jackson [nn. Jack]
Jefferson [nn. Jeff]
Killian [nn… not quite sure, you could call him Kill… maybe Lee?]
Lennon [nn. Len]
Nathaniel [nn. Nate/Nathan/Nat]

Idk, I tried for “different but not obscure”… hopefully there’s one or two in there you like! And I tried not to make repeats. I think I may have with one or two.

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

Thanks for these. I think we are ok re girls but I like Elliot and Gabriel from your list (however my OH doesn't! Grrr!!) It's hard finding names we both like!! Nathaniel is one I hadn't really considered tho...so will test that one out!! Thanks!

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

Also... something that my parents did for both my sister and I was listen to songs that they both liked for inspiration. ie. I am named after "Melissa" by The Allman Brothers and my sister is named after "See Emily Play" by Pink Floyd. Maybe you could name your child after a song/singer/band you both like?

[solagirl.livejournal.com]

My ex boyfriend wanted to name his/our future daughter Melissa after Sweet Melissa! Didn't work out, but I love the name!

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting idea. I was named after a winner of a beauty competition. My sister reads the newspapers for inspiration.

[alexandria-skye.livejournal.com]

i really like orion which, to me, fits your list of orson, oriel, etc. orion can be shortened to rion/ryan. oberon could be called ron :) (i'm lobbying hard for you to be able to use that--it's awesome :D )

[rainbowshine.livejournal.com]

Orion is nice! Thanks for that!