A sibling for Atticus.

[raze--the-rose.livejournal.com]

A couple years ago I posted asking for opinions on the boy name Atticus. We went with it and now we're expecting number two. We don't know the gender yet but are having trouble finding a name to match up to Atticus!

I like the name Galen. My husband is afraid it will led to teasing because it sounds like "Gay". On babycenter it was suggested that another pronounciation is more like "Gah-len" and I like that too, but not as much.

My husband loves Hudson (too popular for me), Markus (I have a cousin mark so don't want to use it), Wyatt (not a fan) and Whelan (not a fan). He also likes Perrin.

I love Dominic but it's the name of an uncle my husand never sees so he doesn't want to use it. Galen is my top contender. Thoughts? Thoughts on teasing potential or pronounciation?

Comments

[lisasimpsonfan.livejournal.com]

No matter how you pronounce a name it will still get pronounced the most popular way most of the time. So while you may call him Gah-len most people will see his name and think Gay-len. I am not a fan of names that have built in nicknames that could be used in a hurtful way.

[jexia]

This.

[redfield79.livejournal.com]

This

[what-is-written.livejournal.com]

Agreed

[jexia]

From Atticus, Galen and Dominic, nymbler.com suggests:

Lucius
Cicero
Alexander
Amadeus
Ignatius
Oliver
Noah
Devyn
Julius
Roman
Ulysses
Augustus
Falco
Cornelius
Maximilian

I thought it was interesting that Lucius was first on the list. Your names had made me think of Lucien.

[halliwell66.livejournal.com]

I pronounced it Gay-len since I've never seen it before. I agree with your husband.

Have you thought about Gale?

[raze--the-rose.livejournal.com]

I had thought of Gale but to me it would just sound too feminine, like Gail.

[saltskin.livejournal.com]

I would never think to pronounce Galen as Gah-len, and I feel the potential for 'gay' teasing is just too much.

Of your other options, I like Hudson best followed by Markus. The others just don't 'roll together' for me, if you know what I mean, though I don't dislike the sound of Perrin.

I have a few suggestions, in case you're interested. I like the idea of Avery. Or what about Achilles? Of course, if you're against the idea of same-initial siblings these won't work, but personally I've never seen a problem with it. =)

[raze--the-rose.livejournal.com]

I didn't think of Gahlen either until I asked on Babycenter. One reply was from a woman who had babysat two different Galens, both with the "gah len" pronounciation. It makes sense, I suppose, since the name derives from Galenus. But you're probably right that most people would never think to pronounce it that way.

[what-is-written.livejournal.com]

I love the name Markus but I prefer the spelling 'Marcus'. I also love Dominic and think Dom is a cute nickname.

[smallandneedy.livejournal.com]

I have terrible associations with the name Galen because he was a horrible, evil villain in a part of a book series I love. :P However, I don't have an issue with the "gay" part of the pronunciation as gay meant happy long before it had anything to do with sexual orientation.

I'd find something in the same style as Atticus though so Dominic is too popular for my taste if I was pairing it with Atticus. What about something like Lucian, Cornelius, Konstantin, Augustus, something rare but also awesome at the same time?

[raze--the-rose.livejournal.com]

Hmm I'm surprised people don't feel that Galen is in the same style as Atticus as they are both ancient greek. I guess I thought the pair would be more liked. When I asked on Babycenter I got quite a few comments that the two name went very well together due to the positive connotations of both.

[smallandneedy.livejournal.com]

Oh, I think I phrased myself a little weirdly there, sorry about that. Galen is in the same style as Atticus, the style thing was more to the other options :)

[breezy-boo.livejournal.com]

I think that the teasing really depends on the kid. Ive known 2 Galens, neither of which ever got teased, but they are both strong confident kids. You cant really predict what your child is going to be like.
I would not automatically count it out for that reason though.

[ealexsism.livejournal.com]

Hopefully by the time your kid is old enough to be really teased, gay will not hold negative connotations. Right?

[raze--the-rose.livejournal.com]

That's my argument, that "Gay" won't be a derogatory thing soon. Hopefully.

[kitchen-poet.livejournal.com]

I love Atticus. It was on our potential list, but we actually jettisoned it because--you're totally right--nothing else goes with it!

I've never met a Galen. I personally think of Gale, from the Hunger Games. (Not a bad thing! I'm a youth librarian! :) I wouldn't be 100% sure on the pronunciation, but I'd probably go with GAY-len. I guess I'm not as bothered about the teasing, as kids are going to tease anyway? That said, Galen and Atticus seem like totally different naming styles to me!

If not Markus, what about Marius? I like Dominic, too. Maybe Oscar, Ari, Cormac, Toby, Hugo...?

[raze--the-rose.livejournal.com]

Galen popped into my head because it is a name in a similar vein to Atticus, actually; they are both ancient greek. Galen/Galenus was a greek physician so in my mind its a good strong match for Atticus (who also has positive connotations thanks to "to kill a mockingbird").

[bambiblake007.livejournal.com]

i like Whelan.

i have seen the name Galen b4 bc of Galen Gering (a soap actor). it's not really my style, but if you used it you could always nn him Len at a young age and then most ppl could just call him that instead.