Any good suggestions along these lines?

[User24689]

DP and I are expecting first DC in August, very excited but can't agree on names. DP has suggested a few, but i'm finding that his choices don't feel right to me and the only ones I suggest he seems to veto!

DP's Girls names:
Arya/ Aria - don't like as too GoT
Joni - As in Mitchell. Don't like as think it will get shortened to Joan

DP's boy names:
Jack: Like this a lot, but feel like there are heaps of them.
Reuben: Not sure about this, feels a bit posh.
Ewan: Taught one that was a nightmare which has tainted it.
Aaron: Like, but middle name will begin with S so initials will be ASS
Ronnie: Corbett

My girls names:
Isla: I have loved this for YEARS, since I was a teenager and met an Isla - it was very unusual then and made me think of the scottish island. Now I'm put off by how popular it is and gutted tbh. Not sure whether to go for it anyway.
Alexa: DP hates. Thinks it will become Lexy, which he doesn't like.
Lila/ Lyla: Similar sound to Isla, like that it is pretty and unusual but not weird.

My boys names:
Dylan: Number one choice, welsh connections, DP not keen.
Rowan:DP says it makes him think of Mr Bean
Ethan: Like Isla, very fashionable atm and we have close friends with one.

That's pretty much it!! Feel really fussy!! Middle names will be Samuel or Rose (family names).

Surname begins with S, so no names ending in S. We like names with character, and don't really want flowery or old fashioned names for girls. Feel like we've read the top lists of names over and over and nothing is grabbing us.

Does anyone have any suggestions that they think we might agree on??!

Thanks in advance! :)

[Serafinaaa]

Joni - won't be shortened to Joan I don't think. I've taught a Joni and I don't think anyone ever thought of shortening her name.

Isla- I know exactly how you feel about this name! We considered Iona or Orla as alternatives but decided that we would still go for Isla if we had the opportunity to use it.

[StaircaseAtTheUniversity]

Love Dylan but we have no Welsh connections so didn't think we could pull it off.

Don't like Isla or Ethan much anyway but they are now ten a penny, so don't use them. Your kid will be one of 14 in its year group and that's just miserable.

Girls names that I think you might like: Eden, Sadie, Layla, Skyla, Lola

For a boy: William, Nathan?

[Jackieharris]

I prefer your names to dps!

I'd pick Isla and Ethan.

[Bowlersarm]

If you both like Aaron you could put an extra middle name in to solve the problem of ASS.

[User24689]

Thanks for the replies! Serafina, interested you have taught a Joni! Thanks for the insight. When DP suggested it I was a bit wtf, I have never come across one! I think it might be a bit out there.

Love Iona, unfortunately it is the name of one the big private schools in the city we live in, so everyone knows it as the school and would be weird as a name! Not too keen on Orla.

You're right Staircase sigh. Eden is a bit religious for us and Skyla/ Sadie sound odd with our surname but I do like Layla.

Thanks Jackie... I prefer my names too There seems to be no real pattern with what DP likes, the other night he decided he wanted Jim. Baby Jim.... I said no.

[Paddingtonthebear]

Boys: Nathan, Dylan ( I know several and none have Welsh connections), Sebastian, Adam, Jake, Robin ?

Girls: Ayla, Lana, Lara, Anna, Julia. Elin, Sara, Jodi, Josie, Sylvie

For what its worth I don't think you need to have a connection to "foreign" names. Lots of people called Isla, Dylan, Claire, Megan, Michelle, Euan etc etc etc with no connection to Wales/Ireland/Scotland/France.

Of your names listed I know at least two Ethan's, Lola's, Isla's, Jack's under 5. Very popular names, our nursery only takes 20 children and there are two of many of the same name, particularly Jessica, Isla and Lily

[User24689]

I thought of that Bowler, and it is an option. But I don't LOVE it if you see what I mean, and will consider it as a backup in case we find something we both really love.

[User24689]

Thanks Paddington. Fwiw we live in Australia where Isla is not top 10, but I'm sure it is a matter of time before it gets here! I don't want her to be one of a crowd of Islas though, that would be so annoying for her.

I like Nathan and Robin thanks, will suggest. How do you pronounce Ayla, is it the same as Isla in which case it will get misspelled due to the crowd of Islas? Like Lara actually, hadn't considered that and it goes well with our surname.

[Paddingtonthebear]

If it's mega popular name you like but you still really love it then go for it, it probably won't bother you that there's others in their class with that name if you truly love it. My friends chose top five names and are not fussed about the popularity because they really love the name. Nothing really grabbed us when we were trying to choose a baby name. Then we came across the name we chose, decided instantly and haven't heard it again since.

[PunkAssMoFo]

Boys:
Theo
Curt
Asher
Deacon
Dominic

Girls:
Leah
Erin
Thea
Halle
Macey
Cara

[Paddingtonthebear]

Ay-La.

But yes it might be confused with Isla.

Tbh there are lots of similar sounding names, but really there always has been. I supposed for example Ella and Ellie will get mixed up at school at some point, but then you might have four Darcey's in the same year too. There were 5 Rebecca's and 5 Victoria's in my school year, very few of us were the only children who didn't share a name with someone else in our class.

We considered Lana but didn't think it suited the surname. Sometimes I do wish I had picked it!

[weegiemum]

What about Ailsa for a girl?

[ScaryChicken]

I like Joni and wouldn't think of shortening it to Joan

[ScaryChicken]

Lyra?

[Thurlow]

For Joni, you could always do Joanna with Joni as a nickname?

Also for Alexa and its variants, if you stick to not shortening or choosing a shortening you like (Ally, Alex etc) then there's no guarantee they will be a Lexi. Or at least not in your hearing!

[InfantHercules]

My friend has a beautiful little girl called Joni, who is full of character. It's a wonderful and and have never heard her referred to as Joan.

[InfantHercules]

Meant to say it's a wonderful NAME! Autocorrect has a mind of its own!

[User24689]

Thanks everyone! I do like Joni, and I'm pleased there are others out there that don't think it's strange. I think I was concerned that it was too nicknamey but Thurlow that is a good idea, to use it as a nickname.

I actually love Lyra! Thanks for that one.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, they have definitely given me some inspiration! I will take them to DP and let you know how I get on

[InfantHercules]

So hard to choose! We are finding boys names very tough. In a fog of preggo hormones I was obsessed with Heathcliff for about a week. (I would have been first in line for arm waving and wailing round the cot). Thankfully I saw sense. Good luck OP.

[User24689]

Infant, we talked about Heath! Then decided it sounded weird with our surname as the th and s run together. Good luck to you too :)!

[RabbitSaysWoof]

I love Joni
Other suggestions
Aine (pronounced Onya)
or Maeve

[MsCoconut]

To strengthen the argument for dropping Alexa and Aria from the list, if you are ruling out boys names that begin with A you might want to rule out girls names beginning with A too (unless you insert another middle name).

ARS is only a smidgen less rude than ASS!

[D0nnaO]

Isla & Rowan

Love them both & they're the names we've chosen

found out we're having a boy so Mr Bean it is!

[myotherusernameisbetter]

Ailsa instead of Isla?

Evan instead of Ewan?

[GingerLDN]

Myla, Kyla, Kayla, Ayla, Ayda, Tara.
Ailsa always makes me think of Ailsa from home and away!