Help us choose a baby name

[NotUrsula]

It is so hard to hear, and doesn't sound girly at all!

That one is a bit difficult. Your complaint about it is one that is often heard about traditional Irish feminine names; very few of them sound girly to American ears. (Persian and Arabic tend to have the same problem.) Irish is a gutteral language, and a lot of people feel that old Irish names don't sound "pretty" enough for girls, which has led to the creation of a lot of fake-Irish girl names that are popular with Irish Americans -- Caitlyn and Meghan being at the top of that list. The most popular feminine traditional name in Ireland for several years now has been Aoife (pron. "Eva"), which doesn't even have a spot on the popular radar in the U.S.

The Irish have real hang-ups about old names because the English made the use of them illegal for many years, and the Catholic Church was also very stringent about refusing to baptise any child who did not carry a saint's name. Most of the old names all but disappeared in favor of English or biblical names that were considered politically safe, but have begun a resurgence just in recent years. My parents were each from families of nine, and seven of their siblings had names in common; in their time, having an unmistakeably Irish name meant never getting a good job when you went to England to find work.

One note about men asking for children named after themselves: for them this is usually a LOT bigger than just liking the name. We women almost never expect this particular tribute, at least not until we are much older, but for men it can be a very important thing psychologically. I think that if your DH really wants a namesake, it's best to try to honor that desire, or at least meet it halfway.

BTW: "Aden" is a port city in Yemen, quite a beautiful place, but it is also the port where the destroyer USS Cole was blown up by terrorists. See what I mean about alternative spellings sometimes having unanticipated associations?

 

[abaldacci]

I like Carter and Aiden. Not so much Brooklyn. Sounds a little too girly.

Congratulations!!!

my DS middle name is kendall after his father and he hates it because it is girly I would not do broklyn he will not like it at all at age 8-9.
His first name is Tanner which would go with Conner.

 

[JERSEYGIRLINSI]

That one is a bit difficult. Your complaint about it is one that is often heard about traditional Irish feminine names; very few of them sound girly to American ears. (Persian and Arabic tend to have the same problem.) Irish is a gutteral language, and a lot of people feel that old Irish names don't sound "pretty" enough for girls, which has led to the creation of a lot of fake-Irish girl names that are popular with Irish Americans -- Caitlyn and Meghan being at the top of that list. The most popular feminine traditional name in Ireland for several years now has been Aoife (pron. "Eva"), which doesn't even have a spot on the popular radar in the U.S.

The Irish have real hang-ups about old names because the English made the use of them illegal for many years, and the Catholic Church was also very stringent about refusing to baptise any child who did not carry a saint's name. Most of the old names all but disappeared in favor of English or biblical names that were considered politically safe, but have begun a resurgence just in recent years. My parents were each from families of nine, and seven of their siblings had names in common; in their time, having an unmistakeably Irish name meant never getting a good job when you went to England to find work.

One note about men asking for children named after themselves: for them this is usually a LOT bigger than just liking the name. We women almost never expect this particular tribute, at least not until we are much older, but for men it can be a very important thing psychologically. I think that if your DH really wants a namesake, it's best to try to honor that desire, or at least meet it halfway.

BTW: "Aden" is a port city in Yemen, quite a beautiful place, but it is also the port where the destroyer USS Cole was blown up by terrorists. See what I mean about alternative spellings sometimes having unanticipated associations?

This is even better....
My dh is William Christopher, his df is William Michael
My df is William (no middle name).......and my brother is Rodney William
FUNNY THING IS....He didn't bark at all about my first ds being named after him(them)...wanted Christopher then also...
I may just have to let my wall down and go with Christopher as his middle name.....Carter Christopher? It just doesn't flow for me
Riley Christoper? Ditto

 

[Gillian]

For the person who didn't understand the idea of sibling names sounding good together, I don't think it's really about that. It's more about having names that are equally substantial, or maybe of equal importance in the family.

For example, if your first son is a Jr, which is very important, and your second son is named after no one, that's not good. Or if your first child has a very exotic sounding, hard to spell name, and your second one is Joe, that's not good either.

 

[mom2aredhead]

Believe it or not...
I'm also a Yankee lovin' Met hatin' Jet season ticket holder Jersey girl living on the island...
DH is a city employee (not a cop), and he has that rule for his job too. We were both born/raised in Jersey, and I have to admit it was a little bit of a culture shock for me when we first moved here, but I'm OK with it now...took a while. It still makes me laugh when I hear people refer to the mud along the bay by Hylan Blvd as the beach!!
Congrats on the new baby - and good luck with the names! My DS just turned 3 and we're on the south shore - how old is your first DS?? Maybe we'll run into each other at the park sometime...
Edited to add:
Don't forget that for some reason (yes I'm generalizing here) people in SI tend to shorten everything and add a "Y" to the end - Mike-y, Joe-y, etc - I have a neighbor whose poor son is named Christopher, but is actually called Chris-sy by his family - UGH! That, or they call their own kids "mommy". I don't get that either.

PS - and off topic - can someone please help me figure out what's wrong with my ticker down there - the ticker factory isn't cooperating for me. TIA!

 

[tjlovespooh]

Good luck on choosing a name. DH and I didn't decide until after our DS (Trevor) was born!
As a teacher I always associate specific names with certain children I've had in class (which made choosing a name very difficult ). That being said, Parker reminds me of a pretty good student. Aiden has become very popular. And Carter ... well, let's just say kids, like it or not, can be very cruel and it's a good idea to think of rude nicknames in advance of choosing a name (ie Carter the farter). Hopefully this is helpful to you. Good luck, hope you are blessed with a healthy, strong, & happy baby boy!

 

[badblackpug]

My input here. I have seen way too many "add-a-ayden" names Aidan, Caden, Braeden, etc. Also the "add-an-er" and "add -a-son" trends are rampant: Carter, Slater, Jackson, Addison, etc. Since they are family names I like "Michael Christopher" but I am a traditionalist. I am with Ursula on "creative" spellings, it just looks illiterate.

Try "behind the name" at www.behindthename.com

 

[Perditamarie]

Congrats...just want to throw my 2 cents in:

Asher
Griffin

 

[lovehoney]

Only use Carter if your last name isn't also a president's name.


If you're set on a C name what about Craig? It's sort of old fashioned and strong sounding like Jack.

Also if you ever name a child Jack don't give them a middle name that begins with S. Otherwise they might be called Jack S.

 

[kanga24roos]

PS: If you want another Irish name that is similar in sound to Aidan, two suggestions I would throw out would be Tiernan or Ronan. Either one would eliminate your "two c's" problem. (Personally I never like naming multiple children in a family with the same initials -- it becomes a practical hassle when they have to mark their belongings for school, etc.)

That is sooo funny that you mention those names. I have 4 sons and a very Irish sounding last name ( it's actually Scotch) so we looked for traditional Irish names when choosing we have Sean, Liam, Tiernan and Quinn. Others on my list were Seamus, Declan, and Ronan.
Congrats to OP and good luck with your search.

 

[tjlovespooh]

Riley...thank you, I threw that out first (kind of knew that it was going to be a boy) Dh says that he doesn't like Riley....he thinks its a girls name. I really like it though! Thanks for reminding me...I will get that back out there.

Just wanted to add that I had a very nice Riley as a student once, a girl. Just keep in mind that, as a rule, boys get picked on more for having androgenous names than girls do (kids definately view names as girly even though adults may not).

 

[kanga24roos]

I did a search for Irish boy names, and found Tiernan...a mouth full for me.

Sorry to say I disagree, as Mom to a Tiernan it is not a mouthful but actually a very beautiful uncommon name. It translates to little King which is exactally what he is, his name is Tiernan James and after he was fiist born I thought of calling him TJ but it doens't fit he is a Tiernan and we always get positive feedback when he tells people his name. Also like Colby.

 

[LaraK]

Sorry to say I disagree, as Mom to a Tiernan it is not a mouthful but actually a very beautiful uncommon name. It translates to little King which is exactally what he is, his name is Tiernan James and after he was fiist born I thought of calling him TJ but it doens't fit he is a Tiernan and we always get positive feedback when he tells people his name. Also like Colby.

I like Tiernan a lot...it's unique. But be a little careful, I remember being crushed as a child because they never had anything with my name spelled correctly on it. That said, I like Tiernan (and Liam)

 

[hvivona]

A friend of mine named her son Bridger. Its such a cool name! Unfortunately, I've been blessed with all girls. I'd like to try for a boy, but my odds don't looke so good.

 

[tjlovespooh]

Although I am biased, Trevor is Irish, complements Connor pretty well (try saying the two names together out loud & see how you like the sound of it), & Trevor rolls off the tongue much easier than Tiernan. But again I am biased!

 

[bookgirl]

Be careful with giving your kids the same first initial. My brother's twins have the same initial and the insurance company gets claims from the doctors (when they both go in) and since they go in on the last name and first initial and the same insurance number the company almost always refuses one because they think they are being double billed. What's funny is that they said they really try to catch that but since they're twins they have the same DOB as well.


Also if you have kids with the same first phonic sound you call the kid by the wrong name sometimes.

Go with something other than a C is my advice.

I like Parker, but my favorite name is Henry at the moment, but an old fashion one might not work.

If you really want another C name how about Cooper, or Colin.

Seems you like the two syllable ones how about:
Peter, Robert, Mitchell, Samuel,Astor, Adam, Ryan, Patrick, Thomas, Jordan, Nathan, Evan, Gavin, or Martin.

 

[MeLaNie9]

I just had my 2nd son - he is 2 months old already! We didn't find out the sex beforehand either time so picked a boy and girl name each time. We already had our Nathan and had a really time picking out a boy name this time. Aiden, Connor, and Brady (names with Irish flair) are extremely popular around here and we tend to steer away from names that are trendy/popular, plus we are not Irish! Our new son is Brett and we love it. 2 boys is great!!! Good luck and enjoy!

 

[MommyWithDreams]

Well popular or not..I love the name Ayden.
My son is Ayden Michael.
I had never thought of spelling it the way we did until his dad wrote it out one day like that and I really loved the way it looked.
Congrats and good luck

 

[JERSEYGIRLINSI]

Believe it or not...
I'm also a Yankee lovin' Met hatin' Jet season ticket holder Jersey girl living on the island...
DH is a city employee (not a cop), and he has that rule for his job too. We were both born/raised in Jersey, and I have to admit it was a little bit of a culture shock for me when we first moved here, but I'm OK with it now...took a while. It still makes me laugh when I hear people refer to the mud along the bay by Hylan Blvd as the beach!!
Congrats on the new baby - and good luck with the names! My DS just turned 3 and we're on the south shore - how old is your first DS?? Maybe we'll run into each other at the park sometime...
Edited to add:
Don't forget that for some reason (yes I'm generalizing here) people in SI tend to shorten everything and add a "Y" to the end - Mike-y, Joe-y, etc - I have a neighbor whose poor son is named Christopher, but is actually called Chris-sy by his family - UGH! That, or they call their own kids "mommy". I don't get that either.

PS - and off topic - can someone please help me figure out what's wrong with my ticker down there - the ticker factory isn't cooperating for me. TIA!

Thanks! Smaller world then you thought huh!? I don't know many islanders that aren't Yankee/Jet oriented....really We live in the Bulls Head part of the island, but my dh works out of Hylan Blvd. My son Conner is 3 March 30...and I am reallly hunting for day cares right now...and I am not impressed! We always go to Liberty Park in Jersey City....my hometown! But we visit the carosel park when open and the weather cooperates...(because I don't do the heat or the cold very well)m and feed the ducks there too. Limited action here...outside of the mall and Target, it's a wrap!
I know the whole Chrissy thing is like nails on a chalkboard for me...I can't take it! It is just what they do here..but you feel my pain right!

 

[JERSEYGIRLINSI]

Only use Carter if your last name isn't also a president's name.


If you're set on a C name what about Craig? It's sort of old fashioned and strong sounding like Jack.

Also if you ever name a child Jack don't give them a middle name that begins with S. Otherwise they might be called Jack S.

Last name is NOT a presidents name...check
It's not a "C" name that I'm looking for..just something that is nice, masculine, not over the moon.