One minute, you think naming your son Shane is going to give him a chaps-wearing leg up in life by bestowing him with all the quiet coolness of a 1950’s movie cowboy. The next, you’re sure naming him Shane will make him the poopy-pants, wheezy outcast who sits out gym class because he forgot his inhaler.
It’s a big job, naming a human being.
I ran my current short list of baby names by a name expert, Pamela Redmond Satran (developer of addictive site Nameberry.com and coauthor of the new book, “Beyond Ava & Aiden.”) As far as I can tell, she is the baby name maven. And man, she despises one of my beloved names.
I’ve also included some of your comments and suggestions, which I must say I have loved receiving, especially after discussing the topic with Adam Carolla and Bald Bryan on a recent podcast. Thank you so much for your feedback. Me and Baby No Name adore hearing from you.
Here’s what I got so far:
James
Prototypical "Jim"
Me: You know the trouble with this one: the nickname Jim. Jims seem like nice guys, I just don’t want one. I am told by many who have written to me that Jim is an old school nickname, and that James can remain James. Can this be true? Also, how common is James? And have girls overtaken the name James? Those greedy little girl parents are taking everything.
The Name Expert: For me, James is really good. And doesn’t have to be Jim (though I actually like Jim). I have a Joe who has never, ever been called Joey, at least by anyone who lived to tell about it. There are lots of Jameses – but not in your neighborhood. Unless they’re girls. I really don’t think the girls are taking it over, though, not en masse outside the hipster ghetto.
What you say: I counted 18 pro-James comments.
Jaime says: “My best friend is named Jim, and has 99% of the time successfully avoided being called Jim.”
Michela says: “If you like James, what about Jay? There is literally no nicknaming possible!”
Catherine says: “The Jim fear shows the generational gap. I don’t know any Jims younger than 40, every other James I’ve ever met has gone by “James” or “Jamie” so I think you should put James back on the table. I think Jim and Jimmy came from families back in the day when everyone was named after an older family member, so you’d end up with seven men named James and you had to differentiate.
To sum up, my vote: JAMES”
James says: “I was always fascinated by strangers that no sooner did I introduce myself as James, they jump right into calling me Jimbo. Really? Jimbo is where you started? Know a lot of Jimbos do you? But I didn’t get annoyed by it too much because it was often a good way to weed out the douche bags.
I just had a son on Saturday but opted for Jack. I am the third James in the family (and the only one actually called James) but the name will end on three. I wish you all the luck in choosing your son’s name.”
Mickey
Mickey Goldmill. Definitely a Jew.
Me: One word: Rocky. You know, “Cut me, Mick.” Burgess Meredith, who played Rocky’s grizzled old trainer, was iconic as Mickey. I also love Denis Leary’s sponsor/cousin, Mickey, from “Rescue Me.” Mickey loans you money. Mickey will drive your sister home when she’s drunk and not even consider feeling her up. Mickey plays pool but won’t shark you. However, does it sound too much like Nicky? And does one have to start with the name Michael to get to Mickey?
The Name Expert: You want to know what I really think? You can’t name a kid Mickey. Yes, there’s the mouse, Mickey Rourke, and I dunno, do you really want a son who’s the movie sidekick, too good for his own good? Plus, what if he wants to be a bond trader (you’re a writer, this could be a good thing), except they won’t let him into business school because he’s got such an infantile name? I repeat: You can’t name a kid Mickey.
You say: Mickey was suggested by one person. Oddly enough, Micah was the king of the “M” names from you guys, which also included favorites Max, Miles, Milo and Mitchell.
Finnegan
Me: This is the only really quirky name on my short list. I like juxtaposing ethnicities, an in-your-face Irish first name with a crazy Polish last name. And the book “Finnegan’s Wake” took, like, 17 years to write, and I like the idea of someone slaving over a book most people can neither read nor understand. And I love the nickname Finn. Is this getting too Aiden/Jaden/Caden? Is Finn trying too hard? Are girls co-opting this one, too?
Finn McCool. Definitely not a Jew.
The Name Expert: I actually think Finn is really the better name. Finn McCool is the greatest hero of Irish mythology. Why does everyone think they have to pick Finnegan or Finnian or Finlay and then call their kid Finn? It’s not like Jim. That rant over: Yes, it is getting too common. It is very easy to like, and that’s its problem. Ah, alternatives to Finnegan: You mean Irish surname’y names? Are you Irish? Do you have any in your family? I do kind of like the Maguire/O’Brien thing, but I think the name’s got to be real to pull it off. Here’s an Irish name that’s totally undiscovered: Piran. Patron saint of miners.
You say: Finn was suggested, as were Finbar, Felix and Fred. As far as unusual names go, you guys were not at a loss. Some of my favorites include: Hoagy, Balthazar, Cabot, Miller, Lazare, Kyd, Spider, Stosh, Zeno, Jaspar and Taytum.
You sent some great Irish-sounding names, too, including Declan, Gavin, Ian, Liam, Colm, Caleb (very popular), Logan, Dylan, Lachlan, Rowan, Rylan and Seamus.
Shane
Shane: Nameberry hates you.
Me: My husband has all but closed the swinging saloon door on this one, but I still like it because Shanes are always hot. And the Polish cowboy thing still calls to me. The Mr. thinks it’s too cute and maybe too precious and trying too hard. He has started giving me the stink eye every time I mention it.
The Name Expert: Absolutely no. You’re birthing him, not dating him.
You say: Lots of love for the name Shane, but some disdain, too.
Dignan says: “Teresa, I love you, and I hate to crap on your waffle, but my parents named me Shane and I hated it. I remember being two years old and hating my name. I’ve never stopped hating it. Also, I’m sad to report that not all boys named Shane are attractive.”
Shanesmommy says: “My husband hates trendy names and also loved Shane because it was different without being trendy or as TACS says, “F’ed Out”.”
Edward
Me: This is racing toward the top for me. Eddie and Ed are cute nicknames. Edward was my grandfather. Sure, he was manic-depressive, but he always had a freezer full of rocky road ice cream and he once made me feel like a genius for getting the word “mauve” in a game of Boggle when I was eight.
Is Edward too boring? Will there be too many Edwards in his world? Sometimes my husband test drives this one by saying “Edward” very sternly to my belly. It feels right.
The Name Expert: This is what we wanted to name our second son (now 16). We were going to call him Ned. We loved it, and I still do. But our older kids, aged 10 and 4, said it was a nerd name and they would hate him if we called him Ned, so we didn’t do it. And now he thanks us. But I still have regrets and think the “Twilight” Edward has substantially increased the hotness factor. I love this name and definitely think it’s the best on your list.
You Say: Several of you wrote in to suggest Edward. Other “E” names you sent my way include Eamon, Eli, Elijah (very popular), Elliot, Enzo, Eric, Ethan, Evan, Ewan and Ezra.
The baby is already sucking my blood, right?
My grandpa, Edward
Tags: baby names, Pregnancy
How about Alexander? Alex is an awesome nickname and its root is a noble, manly name. Worst case scenario is that it comes down to Zak…which is cool and unusual in and of itself. Another weird but cool offset is Lex.
Just about anything that it derives into for nicknames is sophisticated, if only for some of the least used letters in the alphabet: Z and X. It also was the name of the Greek conqueror and of a Michael J. Fox character.
I meant “Tracy.” My name is not actually “Tract.”
Hi T, now that all 3 of my kids are named (Sasha, Sophia, Eva), I can enjoy the naming process again from a distance, because up close I’m overly thoughtful. At this point, I see that people around me choose a name and own it. When I had to choose, I felt totally anxious that people would get it wrong, not like it, or modify it. But I’m thinking now that people have to conform to the name you choose. For example, when I thought I might have a boy, I wanted Michael but not Mike; I asked my friends who have a Michael and they seemed surprised that I would worry about that. Now I see that because you’re proud of the name, you will change others’ perceptions, too, as they get to know your kid (also, I think they just don’t care as much about my kid’s name as I think they do). In my opinion, all four of the names you mentioned are absolutely great, really. Fear not because your good taste is showing. (Oh and the other thing is that it does take me a little while to have the baby and the name become unseparable. My Eva is 15 months old, and she has only just reached the point for me where “she is such an Eva.”) Best wishes – you’re in for a treat.–Tract
T. I don’t know if you’re still reading these responses about names, but I’m gonna comment anyway. I don’t have a specific name to suggest to you. I will suggest avoiding very common names. My name is John. Probably the most common name in the english language. Well it was anyway. Nowadays if the name doesn’t have a x, y, or z in it, it aint happening. Anyway, my point is don’t go too common. The reason: I feel like a schmuck when I call people, that I know well, on the phone and have to present them with my first and last name. I assume that everyone knows ten Johns and therefore I have to tell them which John is calling.
With that said. I strongly encourage you to avoid any stupid trendy name. I don’t think you need that advice because you are not a dimwitted teenager who wants her kids initials to spell “JEM” (this actually is what someone I know did.). Good Luck Teresa. No matter what you name the buster, it wont change the fact that you’ll be a terrific mother.
John -
Thank you so much. Of course I’m still reading these responses, because little Buster still has no name. I’m glad you commented, because you have crystalized my greatest fears about the name Ed. My son will probably have to explain which Ed he is from time to time.
That being said, I’ve always loved the simple, humble, sweet vibe of John – there are too many in my husband’s Catholic family, so he won’t go for it.
Again – thanks for your feedback. So appreciative.
T
Finnegan sounds like a pretentious snooty brat just waiting to get his ass kicked.
No love for Finnegan.
[...] My Top Five Names: A Baby Name Expert HATES One of Them … Do You … [...]
Love, love, love Finn. The legend of Finn MaCool is one of the BEST. Maybe I’m biased because thats my son’s name. Finn has my vote, naturally!
I personally like Finnegan and I have two boys. Oldest is Emeric and youngest is Breckan. I found looking over baby name websites that let you narrow down “where” the name comes from the most helpful. I then wrote down ones I liked and ran them past my husband. We chose family names for the middle names. And for the car seat, just go for something that straps in easily to the car and around the kid, your willing to lug or push around and that you really want to spend the money on. They grow out of them quickly and they get dirty fast!
Congrats and good luck…
Orion or Paul or Nadeem
Richard(nicknames: Rick, Ricky, Rich, Richy, Dick, Dicky, Chard, Ricardo).
Lederhosen!
Ok Fin is the cutest!! Go with that!!!
T-
I always love yours and Brian’s visits to Adam’s podcast the best. Kind of odd not having Brian there for the latest one but if he’s still on his honeymoon, all is good.
Mickey is a solid choice. Or, better yet, Mick. Solid, short, easy to spell. Mickey makes you think of Mickey Rourke but Mick makes you think of Mick Jagger and we all know Jagger is way cooler. It’s kind of got that old school vibe while still being totally uncommon, no way is it F’d out. Plus, it might go well with whatever long/crazy Polish last name he might have (the Mr. IS Polish, right?). Mick Kapowski/Jablonski/Whateverski is good and strong.
Actually, my brother’s name is Mick. But to be fair his full name is Micky but it always got paired with his middle name, which fit it well: Micky Ray.
Funny but true fact. I was named after my mother’s father, Nicholas. So yes, my brother and I are Nick and Mick. No, we’re not twins, he’s 3 years younger. I always joke that the only sound my mother could make post delivery was “ick.” I might have to agree with poster Wendy above, Nicholas is good. Some of my really close friends call me Nico – you got to be able to pull off saying it though. It means “father” or “saint.” Nick’s your bud, your pal. But Mick’s good, too.
Maybe you could shift your second choice to the middle, give the kid 2 middle names even. Might I suggest Harry Seaward. Adam would definitely approve. LOL
All the best.
I think all of the names you have picked out are excellent names. Not too common, not over the top crazy. It’s a good balance.
I really like Shane, not necessarily more than the other but I don’t think you should rule it out because the name expert says she doesn’t like it and one of your readers named Shane doesn’t like it. (if your husband doesn’t however…)
I hated my name for until about a year ago. From the age of about 6 I was constantly picking out replacement names for myself. That god eight years olds don’t pick their names. Crystal, Candy, Brandi all sound like potential stripper names. I hated “Sarah”. It was plain, common, with religious undertones. I loathed it. But I’m convinced I would’ve loathed anything my family gave me. I too had a mother who didn’t seem to put an over emphasis on the welfare of her kids. Hating my name was hating my connection for my crappy family.
You’re going to be an excellent mother. Your kid won’t hate their name for the usual reasons.
The best way of going about giving the child a name they will like is a name with a variety of options that isn’t overly common. (I was once in a class with 5 Sarahs out of 25 students!)
By a variety of options I mean nicknames. A name like James is great because it gives your kids was options to work with, especially if you pair it with a good middle name. James, Jamie, Jim (if he wants,), Jimmy and depending on the middle name he can have the always cool initials nickname, like JJ, JD, JB, etc. If your boy was 4 different nickname options and still hates his name, there’s nothing you could’ve done.
A name that is in between Finnegan, Shane and James is Seamus. Pronounced Shae-muss. It’s an Irish version of the name James. Sounds a bit like Shane too. It include the uber-Irishness of Finnegan as well.
Whatever you pick will be better than my pregnant friend’s choice of Valkerie Von D Cipher, which ins’t including their last name.
Go with your gut.
Another option – plug the names you like into http://www.nymbler.com to see what inspiration might ensue.
From your list, I’m most keen on Edward (my fave nn is Ted) due to the family connection and I also like James (nn Jay or Jamie).
Personally, for you, I’m thinking:
Milo
Gideon
Ezra
Davis
Otto
Vaughn
Jasper
Marek
Merritt
Archer (Archie??)
Barnaby
Fritz
Felix
Rufus
Charles, nn Charlie
Tobias or Tobin, nn Toby
Sebastian
Abraham, nn Abe
cant go wrong with wiley
OH, and Im so glad you’re staying away from Aden, Caden, Bladen, Shaden, Baden, Haden, and anything with -aden attached to it. People really think they are being creative with these new-school names which are just mixtures of other names with different letters put on the beginning. Its so stupid and very immature sounding.
Hey T! Miss you on the show, I loved you and your pics here are amazing, really, you look gorgeous.
Okay, even though Im a man, I always think about names because I regretfully but involuntarily judge people by their names sometimes.
SHANE is cool and i have friends named Shane…but it represents, in my opinion, a high school DUDE to me. I feel like everyone named Shane are supposed to stay in h.s. An adolescent name and one that doesn’t POP. Sorry
EDWARD no no no no! Its kind of creepy…NED is ten times worse. The name expert’s kids were right. Edward, Ed, Eddie…they are all traditional but not flattering.
when you hear someone’s name, it should kind of jump out at you…like Teresa or Adam or Emily or Ethan..these are names that catch your ear when you hear them.
MICKEY is awesome! It’s totally different, its actually a tough name (see Snatch, Brad Pitt’s character, he’s the leader and folks revere him). With soooo many F’d out names these days, Mickey is unique and you can picture respect being given to that name. I love it, hope it stays in your top list of names!
FINN(EGAN) is nice and different…but the Irish thing is really overrated. People think its cool to be Irish these days and have the mean little man attitude…but its not cool. Pushing the Irish thing is not that good of an idea in my opinion. Ten times better than Ed or Shane, though.
and JAMES…please dont. Its sooooo common and really common with middle aged and older men that nobody cares to remember because there is sooo many. Its very F’d out and not traditional. keep away.
Sorry for the longevity here but its important. I like your ETHAN suggestion, thats a great name as well. There’s not a ton of Ethans and its very simple but people really respond to it positively. It simply sounds classy and pure. So does MICKEY. I explored European names (Spanish and French and Greek) and they are very interesting and powerful names. Give it a shot. Thanks T and I enjoyed the AC podcast today. Best Regards, Erick
Has anyone suggested Bryan Adams?
I was seriously going to name my son Charles Cole and call him Charcole since my last name is Briquette. But that was seriously vetoed by the family. I still think it would have been a really cool name. We settled with Austin. He’s my awesome Austin. I even made up a cheer for him but I will spare you with that….. Good luck with the baby!!
Jennifer
I think Shane and Mickey are really cute names!
I never met a james I didn’t end up hating with all of my heart, be careful with that one, just incase names have someting to do with personality.
Nice Cans T-Bone!
I was lucky enough to convince my wife to submit to a “naming contest’ a la the NCAA tournament bracket. We picked 16 names ourselves, “seeded” them 1-16 and opened up voting to our friends.
While we secretly promised to “sway” the voting in the manner that we wished, we did not. As the the voting played out, we grew more and more attached to the remaining names and finally fell in love with the name Cooper.
I am, as you seem to be, a cynical liberal. But Democracy can work when you most need it to. Best of luck. And no matter what, your child will somehow seem to grow into his/her name.
Mahalo.
Hi Teresa, love your blog. I have a suggestion for a boy name – Gavin James. You look beautiful. Hope to hear you soon on a podcast.
to add another opinion, based on what worked for us, naming after the baby arrives. “maria” wasn’t even on the list but she looked (and acted, to the extent a 8 day old can…) like a maria. 9 years later, still the perfect name. same policy for the second gal, same great match.
Hello T,
I agree with all the folks who said name your own kid – no budinski’s allowed … but by way of contradiction, you mentioned considering something as a tip-o-the-hat to your peeps … I moderate a huge internet group for the parents, friends and families of preemie kids which has an international membership. Two of my favorite members are Israeli parents who have both hilarity and extreme intelligence/education working for them… though they had picked another name for their son before his early and treacherous birth, they named him Alon (hebrew for “Oak” as in the mighty Oak tree). I always thought it was a groovy story and a cool name, especially since in Israel they don’t have the propensity to shorten or nick names so he wouldn’t worry about being “Al” or “Lon” – but then again, his parents were definitely more the “here hold my Uzi while I take a leak” than “can I do your taxes and look at your investiment portfolio” kind of Jews so naming their son after a hardwood known to live hundreds of years made sense.
You and Batman will make a fantastic choice. Don’t worry. In the meantime, look at it like shopping for china patterns – you can make all kinds of snarky comments about the stuff that other folks think are attractive.
=S
I wouldn’t listen to any suggestions.. Go with what you like. I have only gotten AWFUL suggestions. I think people are trying to be way too creative with boy names these days and most of the names I hear are totally stupid. The lists I have received have included names like Sterling, Brek, Grayson, Caden, etc. No, no, no and No. Go with a classic. I have a nephew named James and I don’t know of anyone who calls him Jim. If you refer to him as James, then so will other people. when he gets older, he can decide if he wants to go by Jim, Jay, Jamie, etc.
I sound like my mother but here it goes:
James sounds so un-Jewish (my mother would probably refer to it as a goyish name). Not that Finnegan sounds Jewish, but I like it better than “James” or “Jim”. Maybe I like it because it sounds somewhat exotic. If you like “James”, do you like “Jamie”/”Jaime”? I’ve known a number of Jewish Jamies. (Incidentally, I’ve only met cute Jamies.)
There’s a trend in my Jew network of 30 somethings to use Hebrew names. I think that on some level they’re trying to bring it back and encourage multiculturalism. “Jonah” is also big this year. Maybe you could leaf through a dictionary and find a word that’s meaningful that would make a nice name? (Or look to dead relatives that you liked.)
Don’t forget to do the school yard test (will his name get him teased?) and consider how the first name sounds with the last name. I think that two and three syllable names go well with three syllable last names.
When in doubt go with “Daniel”.
my last name is finnigan, i think its a bad idea for a first name, but i’m bias, in school i got a lot of “your last name is vinegar?” and singing “there was a man called michael finnigan, he had whiskers on his chinagen” ugh, it might just be british kids that do that though.
Although when i hear finn, i imagine it to be an australian surfers name
Hey T! I have loved you since I first heard you on 97.1 with Adam.
Firstly, names are quite tricky – I for one have hated the fact that I have the most boring and used name in the world. For many years during my elementary school time I had to go by my first name and last initial (Sara G.) due to the fact that there were 4 others in my class with the same name. Though, I am not a big fan of weird names just for the sake of sounding eccentric.
That being said, I actually do love Shane – he may have issues with it early in life – but I have never met a Shane who was not hot & successful as an adult. Overall, stick with your women’s intuition – it’s always right.
And please, get back on the air.
Any pro-James person forgets that not only will everyone assume he likes being Jim, he will be Jimmy or Jimbo. Jimbo is your drinking buddy who never stops drinking at the appropriate “drunk but no blackout” button. Jimbo is the guy who gets sloppy drunk at a party and starts fights that ruin everyone’s fun.
I really don’t get why a name expert would outright reject Shane. Unless Baby No Name is unlucky enough to grow up fat and ugly, think about how girls are going to drool over a guy named Shane. As soon as he’s 13 or 14 and starting to date, he’ll not only be a great looking guy, he’ll have a name they’ll love saying over and over.
Mickey…Mickey itself is really a nickname. You can get Mickey out of Micah, sometimes Mitchell, but usually Michael. As nice as Mickey may seem when attached to Mickey Rourke, remember that Rourke is the guy who was in a lot of movies in the 1980s that were quickly forgotten about and has a nerve disorder from boxing, plainly had too much botox and now has a weird beard. If you like Mickey at all, you should have Baby No Name be named Michael so at least he has the option of going with Mike, Michael, or Mick when he’s older.
I think Finnegan is a terrible name for somebody with a polish sounding last name. Even if Batman really is mostly Irish, the last name will ruin this one if it’s anything but typical Irish.
Name your kid whatever you want. I think people who are overly concerned about what other people think of what they are going to name their baby shouldn’t be allowed to name it. They should have it picked randomly from a hat.
If you click my name it will take you to my pregnancy blog (documenting my feelings during my wife’s pregnancy because gods knows we already have enough female opinions on the subject). I have a list of rules on my blog and #5 is: I don’t give a crap if you don’t like my baby name.
I’m just trying to help you out, name him whatever you want. If you go with the popular vote then your kid will be named Aiden or Jaiden or Caden…
Hey T,
My grandfather was a James (well, called Jim). Look at that word: Jim. It sounds like the name of a piece of the metal tubing that makes up your sink.
My grandfather allegedly would’ve paid for my college if I was named after him (well, he claimed he’d pay college for the first grandson named after him). My mother knew a boy in middle- or highschool named James who gnawed on his hand warts. His knuckle, brah. Bad times.
So, my middle name is James. In the end, my grandfather didn’t pay for college (middle name didn’t cut it) and I have a younger cousin named James.
Say No To James. You obviously have good instincts, T. There are definitely more negative James stories than positive ones… for a reason? Probably.
Name dat baby, T!
Teresa,
I too recently had a boy and desperately wanted a girl. Even during the birth process, I wasn’t truly, truly excited. When he was placed on my chest, I wasn’t blown away.
Now, 6 months later, I am so in love with our little sweetheart. He is a treasure and a sweetheart, smiling and laughing and playing and making us wonder. I know you too will be this happy!
I, after having two children of my own, think that you should go with your gut feeling and not listen to anyone else. I regret the name I gave my first daughter, it’s ok, but it’s the only one my husband would agree to. My second daughter got the name I wanted her to have. It means something to me and to my family, and since the girls were 10 years apart, I didn’t even ask my husband’s opinion. Believe me, after having this baby, you won’t ask anyone’s opinion again either!! You’re doing all the work, you deserve to name the baby the name YOU want!! I loved you on the radio. Hope all goes well with the birth and after
I really love this, makes my day to read it:)
Congrats on all of your success in radio and television. I like seeing you on TV Guide Network and I imagine working with Adam Corolla must be a hoot.
I was wondering if there is any way to get an autographed photo of you sent to me.
All the best,
Kenneth Coker
755 E. Main St.
Dresden, TN 38225
Finnegan is my fave on the list. I Really think its both fun and qurky but also smart and cool,
Dave out!
What about a Hebrew name?
What about the name Nicholas? I love the nickname Niko…
names that get shortened are problematic in that the TSA is requiring that airline tickets match I.D.s. So if james is on the passport, then james must be on the ticket.
my suggestions for the baby: Dean or Dale.
Hi Teresa,
Seven.
I think you saw the episode.
I love the name James! I have a good friend who has NEVER been called Jim…although Jimmy is cool. Jimmy sounds like the bar keep who serves the hipster Shanes of the world.
Although, this is coming from a girl who was named SISY by her hippy mother. Later on in life I found out I was named in honor of a Judge named Sisy who was well known for not wearing panties under her robe.
First off, love the blog, a friend told me about when I told her I was pregnant and thought we had a lot of similar feelings on the whole bun in the oven, anyway…I need your opinion, HELP!
My “partner” aka ex boyfriend, father of my child, are not married although he wants to be, I’m not really into the idea anymore. I mentioned wanting to hyphenate the baby’s name and he freaked! What do you think? I’m not sure we’ll ever get married and he already has a son to carry on his name, do you think it’s the fathers right or should he be glad that I’m hyphenating and not just leaving his name off entirely?
Hi Teresa!
I know you probably aren’t looking for more to try and chose from but I though I’d throw mine out there that I’m holding onto for when I have children.
Atticus (To Kill a Mockingbird)
Huxley (Aldous Huxley)
Grant
Calvin
Chase (Got that from watching House)
Marshall
Hope I could be of some help! Keep up the awesome blogging, I love reading it!
Stay away from James-Jamie. In spanish, Jamie is pronounced “Hymie”.
You are f’ing hilarious.
I named my son Daniel, Danny for short, because all of the Dannys I’ve ever met have been cute. Oh shit, what’d I do???
Although it makes for interesting reading, you’re probably over-thinking the baby naming process. But, I guess said process is different for everyone. I’ve heard of people having a name all picked out, but when the baby comes and they see her/him for the first time another name jumps out at them.
My wife and I are due to have our first child in December. We had names picked out shortly after we started dating (Stephan Henry for a boy and Audrey Eileen for a girl). I think Audrey is a solid name for a girl, but Stephen has potential to be messed with. My only fear is that someone will call him “Stevie.” A Stephen can be smart (like Mr. Hawking). A Steve is a solid dude (like Mr. McQueen). But, Stevie? The only Stevie that comes to my mind I find a bit annoying (like Ms. Nicks).
I guess what I’m saying is, how about considering Stephen? It kind of rolls right off the tongue; Stephen Wojohowitz. Of course you could always do what Danny did and just write down names until you run out of room on the form.
Best of Luck!
My dad’s middle name is Michaeal, and he is a Mickey, or Mick to his really close friends. For some reason, when his friends say it, it doesn’t sound at all like an ethnic slur. I think Mickey is a great nickname, but Michael gives the kid the option of avoiding the endless mouse jokes.
My older brother’s name is Edward. My family calls him Ward. Please, in the name of all that is just, do not do this to your child. Perhaps it’s not an issue in the post-Nick-at-Nite era, but no kid deserves to to hear, “Ward, you were a little hard on the Beaver last night” every time he sets foot on the school bus.
I have no doubt you’ll choose a dignified and fitting name for your bambino. Don’t worry too much about whether the kid will hate you for the name you choose. His seething rage over your public chronicling of his prenatal development will undoubtedly overshadow any petty name-related grudge.
Seriously, though, the blog is great. Every fetus should have such a clever mommy.
I thought I would never have children, and when I didn’t think I would, I chose 2 crazy names. While I was in Spain, I met a man named Inaki, it’s Spanish and there’s the other “n” that sounds like en-yay, so like Inn-ya-ki…Anyhoo, I thought that was way cool b/c I’m half Mexican and that’s like a cool indian name…(mexican natives)
The other name I chose was for a girl. While I was traveling in New Zealand, I met a bartender named Tui…like Too-ee…Tui one of the most revered native birds of the Maori (the indigenous people of NZ) and the country…ALSO, it’s the name of a beer!!
Needless to say it was a conversation starter my boyfriend loved to bring up. When I actually got pregnant I had a much longer list of girl’s names than boys. I knew in my heart I was having a boy…and I did. My short list of boy’s names were: *Ethan, too many of them?? *Malachy, from Angela’s Ashes…sad book, nice ‘n Irish, though…my boyfriend was not havin’ it! *Donavan, kinda sounds like a dude that plays football. I also had the Elijah, Isaiah, Micah, etc…
I looked at all the websites I could find and looked in all different languages.
The only name we could agree on was Quinton!!! I love it cuz we can call him Quin, but we usually just call him Q. His middle name is Dale…OMG, total white trash, but it was his late grandfather’s that passed away 3 months b4 he was born. Now he’s a QD forever…get it…cutie.
Well, I’ve ranted long enough. I hope you love the name you choose and he does, too. I really wish you all the best, it is a big job naming a human being…I agree!!!!!
Dude, naming a baby is super stressful. I am fretting constantly about what to name out 3rd baby, due in October.
You are so brave to put your name list out there like that.
I don’t care for James, but I have personal reasons. My aunt named her three kids Jimmy, James and Jamie. In that order. And so I have come to really dislike that name. Also, no matter what, some people will call him Jim, Jimbo or Jimmy.
I agree with Pamela when it comes to Mickey. Although, my husband has an uncle named Dominic and they call him Mickey for short. That’s kind of nice. Very italian, though.
Shane sounds dated to me. I love Finnegan, that’s my favorite on your list. And I also do love Edward.
Bottom line? You have to like the name. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. And the kid will grow into the name, no matter what you call him.
P.S. Have you ever checked out youcan’tcallitit.com? Elisabeth who writes it also has amazing taste in baby names and posts wonderfully modern, yet classic suggestions. She’s guested on nameberry. You should definitely check out her blog if you get a chance.
The boy’s name Eitan \e(i)-tan\ is a variant of Ethan (Hebrew), and the meaning of Eitan is “firmness, long-lived”.
You should name your baby, Alan
I love your blog. Personally, I didn’t really stress over the baby name thing with either of my kids. My husband and I had a plan that worked really well for us, and really took a lot of stress out of the equation. I made a list of names I liked, then my husband chose a name from that list (we waited until the baby was born too, because every baby has a personality all their own, and I didn’t want my kids to be hearing “you don’t look like a (insert name here)” their whole life. both my kids’ names fit their personality too.
Hope you and your baby enjoy the name you settle on