We're seriously lost over here.

[belle-m.livejournal.com]

I'm due with a boy in about a month, and I have absolutely no idea what to name him. My SO and I just aren't crazy about any boy names this time around, and while we scour name books, Nameberry, Behindthename, Nymbler and everywhere else, it usually just results in the same set of name-savvy, popular-to-the-site names going through the revolving door. It's not that I dislike those names at all. In fact, I like most of them, but they just don't give me that Archimedes in the bathtub moment.

On our extraordinarily lackluster (to us) list, we have things such as:

Asher: It's...nice; I like it, but I worry about it's surging popularity. I like its sounds and its softness.
Anders.: My SO adores this. It's his #1. I'm very 'meh' toward it. It has things I like: Scandinavian origins and rarity while still having pronouncibility, but he would be resigned to being called 'Andy', without a doubt.
Hudson: I've been warned by many that this is very trendy with it's last-name-as-a-first-name quality. It's popularity worries me, too.
Finn: Originally, one of my favorites. However, now all I can imagine is a shark's fin or the word for "finished" in French.
Benjamin: My all-time favorite boy name. My SO dislikes it very much, and I could never use it as a first name because of its level of popularity. It will most likely be the baby's middle name though.
Quinn: This was a top contender for us if the baby was a girl, but since it's unisex, we just added it over to the boy list. It's hard to see it on a boy after picturing it on a girl, though. Have the girl's taken over this name now?
Julien: Not Julian. My family is French, so I can only ever imagine this name with an 'e' in it. It doesn't wow me though. It's Julien. Plain old Julien.
Henry: I love Henry. I think it's sweet and lovely. My SO thinks it's the whole wheat bagel of names: boring, boring, boring.
Declan: I don't know why this is on our list. We both sort of like it. On paper, it looks cool and sounds nice. When spoken, it feels weird.

Other mentionables on the list: Calvin, Harrison, Henrik, Jonah, Milo, Orson, Griffin, Jude, Lachlan, Leif, Johan, Soren.


Yeaaah. Help? I'll take any advice you have whether it's in the form of new names or just help on the ones we have.

Comments

[starcrossed.livejournal.com]

I like Henry best from your list but it sounds like you guys seem to agree on Asher and Hudson best. I wouldn't care if it was trendy if you both liked it.

Other names you could maybe consider (with Benjamin with the middle name)
Ross Benjamin
Noah Benjamin
Payton/Peyton Benjamin
Oliver Benjamin
Samuel Benjamin (Sam)

[speakunique.livejournal.com]

Harris, Ari, Aris, and Max were on our boys list but we had a girl!

[audiobiblio.livejournal.com]

Man, we have similar taste in names, lol. My 7 month old son is named Calvin and Griffin, Jude, Milo, and Harrison were all on my list. As for the rest of your names, there are none that I outright dislike. But if I were to make an outright suggestion based on your list, it would be Anders Benjamin. Though I obviously don't know your last name, so it's hard to say how well that would flow. But I guess the way I look at it, in this case, you and your SO would each get to use a name that you love. Not to mention that Anders helps you stay away from something popular and trendy. And IMO, it's a very nice name and not one that I had ever really considered before.

Hudson is most definitely a very trendy name and while I like it, I don't know that I'd use it because of that. I mean, Asher, Finn, Henry and Declan are all becoming more popular, but it feels different to me. I can't explain it. I love the name Asher and it would have been on my list if my name weren't Ashlie, ha ha. And then my cousin used it on her son (who just turned one), so it was off the table anyway.

Since we have similar taste in names, I figured I'd throw a few other names your way that were on my list for my son... Hugo, Gideon, Callum, and Angus. Out of all f of the names on my list with my son, had he not been a Calvin, he looks most like a Hugo. Griffin was actually my top choice while Calvin was my husband's, and he doesn't look at all like a Griffin to me now. But I still believe that he could pass as a Hugo, ha ha.

[pinkmeetsred.livejournal.com]

LOVE Callum!

[speakunique.livejournal.com]

How could I forget, Jude was our #1 boy name. Love it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

I think Quinn is completely unisex. It's like Morgan for me, I can see it for both equally fine. I think of Quincy when I hear it on a boy. Quinlan is another full name for a boy with Quinn as a nn. Before my miscarriage, we were set on Emerson as a middle name for a boy. I had a hard time with it because it's become so popular for girls. Ultimately, I love the name and I still think it sounds masculine. So we are going to use it when and if we have a baby boy.

I really like Lachlan and thought of it instantly when I saw the rest of your names. I love Lach as a nn. Soren is great too but a guilty pleasure for me. It's not a bad name but I have no Scandinavian heritage so it would be too much. Calvin is amazing, love that name. On the Irish note: what about Seamus or Desmond?

I'd be more worried about Henry, Declan, and Finn for popularity vs. Asher. I think it IS rising, but I doubt it'll be the next Jacob. I agree that Hudson sounds trendy but I've always like the name after a friend had an awesome dog named Hudson. Names like Asher to me are Ezra and Silas.

What about names that sound sort of like Anders? Alistair, Archer, Andrew (call him Anders for short), Adrian, Ares? I can see how Asher would make the list because it has kind of the same feel.

I'm afraid I'd go straight to the sites you listed so I probably wouldn't be more help.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

Also, when we picked out a boy name (we've been trying for years to have a baby so we honestly have names picked out already) we didn't have that "AH-HA!" moment really. I've always loved Louis (the name I want to use) and I had to let my husband grow into it. He eventually said "I really love Louie" and I said "well you can call him Louie 95% of the time!" and we said that's that: Louis is the name. As a side note: since Louis is French it could be a suggestion for you as well. I'm pronouncing it the English way (loo-is) but I'm assuming you'd say loo-ee with being French. Perhaps it's too classic and boring though.

We DID have an "omg that's it!" moment for our girl name. We were driving home, talking about names, and my husband blurts out "Rosemary!" and I was like THAT'S IT! We had been trying to think of Rose inspired names and it just clicked.

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

I love that you love Rosemary. I am Rosalie, and we Roses really are a rarity, in spite of the fact that everyone says, "what a beautiful name."

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

:-)

Rosalie is so pretty too! I love Rose related names. We will call our daughter Rose, Rosie, or Romy, depending on which fits. I love it! Rose is a common middle name but I find it's rather uncommon as a first name.

[stacyinthecity.livejournal.com]

Well, do you care about meanings? Are you looking for something that is not popular? Are ethnic names or spellings ok? That might help you narrow things down a bit and make you think that a certain name really isn't so bad or bring some new ones to light.

Milan has a good nickname in Milo and isn't very popular (yet - though Shakira just named her son that so it is bound to go up in the next year or two). You like the name Milo so that could be a nice variant.

You mentioned Henrik, which could satisfy both your love of the name Henry and your husband's opinion that Henry is too boring.

[lil-cherub.livejournal.com]

My oldest is Benjamin. Names that I considers are Issac, Noah, Samual, Jacob(his middle name), Jack(my husband loved this), Alex/Alexander, Thomas, Joseph.

I like Julien, a friend just named their baby Julien. I also love Juliet for a girl. Julien Asher, Julien Anders, Benjamin Anders, Anders Julien (AJ), Anders Jacob.

[chillinbabejodi.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I'm no help, I just wanted to say that I love Anders. The Anders (ok, he's called Andrew, but has always gone by Anders) and I've never once heard anyone call him anything other than Anders, so I don't think Andy would be a problem unless your son choose to use that name. Also, I love the combo Anders Benjamin.

[mela-chan.livejournal.com]

I like Henry. Finn could be a nickname for Finnegan, and you could head off the "Andy" for Anders by using Drew.

My favorite boys' name is Steven, which I will never get to use because it is my brother's name. My sons are named Rhys Cameron Louis and Zachary Vincent. Baby #4, if a boy, will be Patrick Christopher.

I'd suggest doing what I had to do when my daughter was born. Find a very large baby names book that is separated by sex. Buy it or check it out, go through and make a list of all the names you like. Then compare lists. You read his and he reads yours, and you each mark any names you absolutely cannot stand on the others list, as well as names that you really like. Then discuss. Talk about middle names. How does it sound with your last name? What nicknames would be used with the name, and do those nicknames turn you off of the name? What would baby's initials be? (I cannot stress the initials enough. I went to school with a kid whose initials were "ASS" and another whose initials were "PMS".) When you put the whole name together - first, middle, and last - do you like it?

Then take your top 3 or 4 contenders and sleep on them. If you wake up hating any of them, or grow to dislike them, talk it over. And then wait until baby is born and give him the name that seems to fit best.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Ephraim
Gaius/Caius
Tate
Benedict/Bennett (of course, with Benjamin's popularity, there will probably be a lot of kids going by Ben, which would also be the default nn for these)
Quentin (could go by Quinn, which is all boy to me)
Julius
Hugh
Donovan
Callum
August/Augustus
Jonas
Miles
Judah
Cormac
Simon

The Scandinavian names that caught my eye going through the list on BtN:
Aleksander/Alexander (nn Anders?)
Casper/Kasper
Isak
Magnus
Mathias
Oscar/Oskar
Stellan
Tobias

[so-there.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's lackluster.. sure there are a few boring ones on there but certainly not the whole list. definitely work-able. would the middle name be somethign also from this list or something different?

I was gonna say I knew a boy named Quinn but then I remembered it's actually Quentin.

[so-there.livejournal.com]

oh and as for Anders, just call him by that his whole life and it might stick. I knew brothers, their mom called them Joseph and James forever, and while Joseph did start calling himself Joe after a while, James stuck with James and never Jim or anything like that.

[quinnthevixen.livejournal.com]

I really like your taste in names! I have a few of these on my list as well. Some thoughts/suggestions:

My cousin is an Anders. He grew up n Nebraska and no one ever had trouble calling him Anders and not Andy, to the best of my knowledge, so I think you could easily avoid that nickname.

Henrik is my stepdad's name, and I've always quite liked it! Word to the wise though, some people may confuse it with Hendricks or Heinrich. However, this seems like the perfect compromise name because baby could have Henri/Henry as a nickname!

[behindgrey-eyes.livejournal.com]

I love Benjamin, Henry and Finn. I know a few Declans but I've warmed to the name recently because one of my new colleagues is called Declan and he like the little brother I always wanted :p

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

If Benjamin is the middle name, you can't really use most of the names on your list because they end in -in or have -en within them. That would be a mouthful.

So, I went with the French theme and have come up with some to consider:

Alain (I really like this with Benjamin)
Anton
Bruno
Henri (you have Henry on your list, and I like it, but I wonder if this French version would make your hubby feel like it's cooler?)
Louis (this is a name that I am beginning to like)
Tristan

[smasharash.livejournal.com]

Maybe when you meet your son you will know :)

[madeyemads.livejournal.com]

I like Henry and Benjamin best. But Asher is okay.

[hermione-vader.livejournal.com]

You've got a really solid list, so you can't really go wrong. I wouldn't worry about Asher's, Hudson's, or Finn's popularity. Like someone said, they're rising, but I don't think they've made any huge leaps on the SSA list. They're more popular among the name-nerd crowd than the general populace. On the other hand, I've met 3 Henry's in the last year (two preschool-age boys and one baby), but I'm smack in the middle of the Midwest, so Henry's popularity may be very different in your area.

Also, in regards to Finn: it's the name of a major Celtic mythology hero, Fionn MacCumhaill (pronounced "Finn McCool"), so that gives it some weight.

Here are some combinations based on the various names from your list:

Asher Henry/Henrik
Anders Benjamin
Declan Jonah
Henry Jude
Asher Griffin
Benjamin Leif
Julien Milo
Asher Lachlan
Hudson Johan
Calvin Asher
Griffin Henry
Orson Milo
Soren Jude
Lachlan Jonah
Henry Quinn

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

One thing that helps me eliminate names quickly is if I can easily see it as the name of a house cat or other pet. (for me, that automatically eliminates Calvin, Milo, and Griffin, but that may be different for you).

Also this may sound a bit silly, but do you like the way it looks written in script? I have just a few letters that I really love the way they look in script and so I realized I tend to like names that begin with those letters because of the way they look in my handwriting. Totally superficial I know, but for some reason it makes a difference, haha. For me those letters are L, D, B, and J.

As for your list:

I think Asher is a great name! I echo others who have said that if you love it, then don't worry about the popularity. I also thought about how you like Julien but it doesn't wow you. What about Asher Julien and having the option of calling him A.J.? (You could also do this with Anders) Or finding a name that starts D or R to call him J.D./D.J. or J.R./R.J.? Julien Declan, Declan Julien, Julien Richard/Rhys/Ryan, etc.

You could also do that with B for Benjamin since your spouse hates it but you like it. Maybe B.J. for Benjamin Julien? Just some ideas.

I also LOVE Finn, and while you say right now all you can think of is a shark's fin, or the french "Finished," if you named your kid that, then you wouldn't think those things everytime you looked at him because HE would become your association with the name.

I also have a hard time seeing Quinn as a boy's name even though it is unisex. I feel like it's beginning to take on more of a femininity.

I actually know a girl named Soren and I liked it very much on her. i think it works both ways.

Hudson is a name I was neutral on until I met a little boy named Hudson and realized how much I disliked it. It just doesn't seem to fit a little kid riding around on a tricycle. Even though it's his first name, it never sounded like it made the smooth transition to first name....I felt awkward calling him that, like I was calling role call by last name life Ferris Bueller: "Hudson.....Hudson....Hudson...." Plus, there's really no good nicknames that you can get from it without totally reaching or nicknaming him something unrelated. And I always think of the Hudson River and it feels like a geographic location, not a name. Just my opinion, though. (Harrison and Orson fall into this category for me as well.)

Johan is out for me because it always makes me think of Johannes Sebastian Bach.

Lachlan is cute, but I'm having a hard time coming up with a cute nickname. The same for Declan, though I like it very much.



Honestly, my favorite name that fits all the criteria I just word vomited at you (haha) is Soren, Asher, and Jonah.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

My friend has a son Lachlan and calls him Lachie (locky...but more lawky than lock-y)

[blueorange94.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I had a completely different thought with BJ as initials. *cringe* Which is one of my criteria for banishing names. If it can sound like, or rhyme with, something mean, vulgar, or gross, it's out. One of my friends, who named her youngest Zakareya but hates the name, had the proverbial nail sealing the coffin of hate when her father-in-law said, "The playground kids will call him Zakareya Diarrhea!"

[theljfromheck.livejournal.com]

I love Asher but I worry about the popularity also. Harrison is on my list of names I really love and want to use. Jonah is really nice too(my son's name is Jonas, both names are great.) I alos really like Anders and Soren.

[piperwest12.livejournal.com]

My votes of your list: Milo Benjamin, Jude Benjamin or Asher Benjamin
My list: Ezra Benjamin, Ari Benjamin, Noah Benjamin

[sayga.livejournal.com]

I like Henrik, Anders, Leif, Johan. Different, all completely pronounceable (though the occasional person may actually pronounce Johan with a J/juh sound, but no biggie).

I think Soren, Declan, Milo, Finn/Quinn, Jonah, and Jude are all getting popular now.

What about Silas... or Asa?

[forthemorrow.livejournal.com]

OMG yes Asa. We also had Aubrey but it's wayyy to girl only now. Still mad about that.

[belle-m.livejournal.com]

How is Asa pronounced?

[forthemorrow.livejournal.com]

Ay-sah.

[forthemorrow.livejournal.com]

What about Desmond. Winston. Garrett. Orson. Emile. (I'm also French). Ignatius. Wystan. Tristan.

[blueorange94.livejournal.com]

As the mother of a Henry, I'm certainly biased. ;-) Henrik is nice too.

But I also like Finn, Benjamin (Frenchifiable, important to me too since my family's francophone), Jonah, and Calvin. I'm curious, though, I've only ever heard the name Soren in Star Trek: Generations. A fan, or just a coincidence? :D

[belle-m.livejournal.com]

Totally a coincidence! I've never seen Star Trek at all. :)

[shinkuchi.livejournal.com]

i like quinn but i prefer it on a girl i also like asher and declan

[roseofjuly.livejournal.com]

I don't think people would call a kid named Anders "Andy" if he always introduced himself as Anders. I like ANders

I can't see Quinn on a boy now, especially with two popular television characters (Quinn from Glee and Quinn from Scandal) with the name.

I like Jonah and Jude, too, and Julien. I also love Henry. Yes, it's "boring" but names, IMO, are supposed to be kind of boring. Just sweet and kind of classic.