HELP! less than 5 weeks to go and we can't decide on a name!!?

[Grendalynn]

HELP!! We have less than 5 weeks to go and DH and I cannot decide on a name... I feel like time is running out fast and I could go any day now... We have narrowed the name thing down to two names, and the middle name is set at James after my Dad; we just can pick which name we want to go first.......

How did you decide or settle on a name?? DH said to flip a coin, but that just seems so... not right? Naming a baby is a big deal, we shouldn't decide from flipping a coin.....

Here are our two choices; (Sh--- is our last name so folks know what they are working with):

Gabriel James ____

OR

Callum James _____

What does everyone think and why?

 

[mamato2princesses]

Gabriel James

I like the way it sounds. But, you know what? When you deliver, you may just look at him and say "......." GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!

Shannon

mom to Olivia Faith & Delia Hope

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Gabriel is my all time favorite boys name, so this was an easy one for me. Not that there's anything wrong with Callum, but Gabriel is wonderful. James is a middle name I've considered if I ever get to name a Gabriel of my own.

Good luck!

 

[glass slipper girl]

CONGRATS!!!

We are expecting baby boy #3 here and had a time and a half coming up with names! We are out of boy names now. LOL Our first was easy. Our second we got the first name quickly but I defered the middle name choice to DH because I had insisted on using my Dad's first name as a middle name for our oldest so I figured I'd give DH the opportunity to pick one for DS #2 in case he wanted to use a family name too. He debated about it but wasn't sure. I ended up saying that I liked Grant for a middle name. DH was sort of "eeehhhh" on that. I said fine, he could have till the hospital insisted on having the birth certificate to decide but if he couldn't, I was using Grant. The day we were to go home a person called from hospital admin and told us that the only thing holding up our discharge was that they needed the birth certificate. Not wanting to fool with the paperwork of amending it later with a name, I looked at DH and said "now or never, buddy. What do you want?" End result....DS #2s middle name is Grant.

When we found out this one was another boy the big reaction was "oh no....what are we going to name him????" I have a list I like and DH has one he likes but we don't agree. This one has a first name finally (Aidan) but no middle name yet. DH does not want his father's name (James). We have said that Christopher or Matthew would do as a middle name. DH isn't wild about Matthew and I am hesitant to use Christopher b/c we have a good friend with that name but we don't want it to look like we named the baby after him (he's not THAT good a friend!). We have 6 weeks left so this one will come down to the wire for us too.

For your name chocies...I like them both but I would pick Gabriel as well. One of the reasons for me would be because he'd be prone to the nickname CJ if you used Callum and I am not overly fond of initial nicknames...but that's just me. That would be a "pro" for the name Callum to lots of people!

 

[lovesmurfs]

I think Gabe would get much fewer wisecracks in school. Callum looks like a medicine of some kind.

On the other hand, a Callum James could reasonably be called C.J., which would be cool.

But CONGRATS, and good luck with either one.

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

I love the name Gabriel. If our last had been a boy, (obviously we had a girl), he would have been named Gabriel. However, the in-laws were mean and said they would call him "Gabby" like you say it for a girl! I said, "No, he would be called Gabe or Gabriel." Sometimes in-laws just don't get that they aren't parenting for a 2nd time around and have no say in certain things.

Anyway, LOVE the name! Congratulations!

 

[emer95]

I think Gabriel James is a strong, masculine name. My friend has this pre-requisite for all of her children's names. She starts out with "Supreme Court Justice ___________".
Gabriel James sounds professional, and nice for a little boy and an adult man. Callum sounds more trendy and little boy-ish (IMO).

 

[hidmickey:myantidrug]

This one has a first name finally (Aidan) but no middle name yet.

This is my all time favorite boy's name! I put Joshua as a middle name with Aiden. (obviously spelled differently)

To the OP...first off, Congrats! I voted for Gabriel simply because I like the name better! Best of luck naming and raising this bundle of joy!

 

[Alanna]

I vote for Gabriel, as well. But sometimes it doesn't matter what you decide...my story:

I had my heart set on Nicholas for a boy, couldn't decide on anything for a girl. Fortunately, my sonogram showed a boy so I took to calling him Nicholas or Nicky right away. It was so nice to have it already chosen and only have to pick a middle name, which wasn't a big deal. Family and friends knew his name before he was even born, and it didn't take me anytime at all in the hospital to fill out the birth certificate.
Well, after a few weeks I just couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't a 'Nicholas'. It just didn't fit him. He looked more like a Matthew, lol. So when he was two months old I had his birth certificate and social security card changed to Matthew, kept the same middle name. People thought I was crazy that I just up and changed his name- and it didn't help that at the time I was obsessed with the t.v. show 'Friends' and Matthew Perry. All my co-workers insisted that I had named him for my favorite actor
But almost 7 years later, I am so glad I changed it. He is definitely a Matthew!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Truthfully, I like both names very much! I like names that are common enough that they don't sound strange, but unique enough that there probably isn't another kid in his class with the same name. (In 2nd grade there were FOUR other girls in my class with the same name as mine!)

If I had to choose, I prefer Gabriel over Callum.

 

[Benducci]

My mom always says the best way to decide upon a name is to go out your back door & scream the entire name & see which one sounds better because at some point they are going to get into trouble & the entire name needs to flow nicely when you are yelling at him in the yard. It worked for me!
She also says you never know what name relly fits a baby until you see him/her. Sometimes the name you pick out does not fit the baby. Good luck! We didn't name Julianna until hours after she was born.

 

[Groovee]

I love Callum. It's a typically scottish name which I just adore.

 

[ryka]

When I was pregnant with my son I couldn't think of any names that I liked. I was so worried that I would never come up with a name. I even went to have him and still didn't pick out a name. When I was ready to leave the hospital the nurse ask for his name for the birth certificate. I looked at him and said Joseph Christopher. I have no idea where it came from but it fits him perfectly and as another person said it sounds fine when I have to scream his name out when he gets into trouble.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

I like Callan, better than Callum. But if choosing between Callum and Gabriel, I would choose Gabriel.

 

[ilovejack02]

I think Gabriel James is a strong, masculine name. My friend has this pre-requisite for all of her children's names. She starts out with "Supreme Court Justice ___________".
Gabriel James sounds professional, and nice for a little boy and an adult man. Callum sounds more trendy and little boy-ish (IMO).

LOL that is funny!!!
I like Gabriel James... Its a nice strong manly name.

 

[wrldpossibility]

Sometimes knowing the other names helps decide which one fits better with his siblings. That said, I love BOTH your names (some help, I know!). Gabriel has been on our short list through all three of our sons' births! One of our sons' name is Calvin (I had preferred Callum, but DH liked Calvin better). We call him Cal most of the time.

I think without knowing your other kids' names, I'd go with Callum. I hear Callum/Calvin/Cal less often than I hear Gabriel/Gabe. I like to go with the less popular ones. But I love them both and you can't go wrong!

 

[minkydog]

I like both names. Sorry, no help from me But i wanted to suggest that you don't have to be sure of the name before you deliver. you have some very nice choices. Why not wait and see your baby, then decide? That's how we got our Eleni--she was just too dark haired and gypsy-looking to be a Georgette

 

[Oceana]

It may be a good idea to have 2 names to see who the baby is.

My second son we had it narrowed down to 3 names... after my labor and birth with him my elder son (who attended the birth and was 2 at the time) announced the name. Strangely it was the name I was thinking after having been at the birth

Finnegan Chance

Everything about him getting pregnant, my pregnancy, my labor, i didnt know I was in labor till he was 10 mins away from arrival. I also told my husband 2 mins before he was born that he would be born in another 12 hours. Oh and this was a drug free labor... my second so one would think I would have known. But it was so easy I couldnt be;lieve it. He was born 4 weeks early.

As for Finnegan, he was born with a birthmark in the middle of his forehead just like Fionn Maccool... so he is who he is and earned the name he recieved

He is totally a Finn... and the chances of the rest of it happening like it did is mind boggling. So Finnegan Chance.

Unless you need something personalized before you go in, giving him a say in his name is nice and makes for a better surprise for the family

julie

 

[rt2dz]

It's a tough decision.

When I named DS#1, I was 14 (didn't have him until 26). It was a name in a favorite book at the time and it just stuck. DH liked it, luckily. It was really the only time we ever agreed on a name.

When DS#2 was born, we couldn't agree. We ended up letting DS#1 name him since he was the only one with any definite opinions. Shhh, it's my favorite name of all.

When DS#3 was born, we still didn't have a name. And they wanted one immediately as they were whisking him away to NICU. I just said a name, it was one I liked and always made it to the short list, but always rejected. Somehow I figured this might be my last chance and since it always came up... DH just went with it. With all that was going on, I don't think he would have dared said anything no matter what I said. Regardless, it just fits him. I think it was rejected just to wait for him--and he is soooo different looking from our other kids.

Perhaps just waiting until he's born might make the decision easier on you. One will fit or not. Anyhow, I went with Callum. DS#1 has had a different Gabriel in his class for the last 3 years & we have two neighbor kids named Gabriel. I like names that are a little different.

 

[sully7]

My mom always says the best way to decide upon a name is to go out your back door & scream the entire name & see which one sounds better because at some point they are going to get into trouble & the entire name needs to flow nicely when you are yelling at him in the yard.

I agree!! That was my main criteria for naming my 4 kids!!! It works! If a name flows nicely when you are mad it will flow nicely for any occasion! (eg. Weddings, Presidential innaugurations etc!)

Based on that I would go with Gabriel James!

Good luck! and Have Fun!!