The ONLY boys name I like is Arlo for a boy - why does my DH hate it so much?

Your DH hates it so much because it's a terrible name.

It sounds like a girls name?

What about Arnaud?

I think that is a nod to the O trend but in a more classic albeit French way!!! Still think it has a bit more longevity though.

You have to choose a name the two of you BOTH love. Regardless of whether it is unusual/poncy (though I wouldn't class Arlo poncy like hHugo or Jasper but hey) or common or traditional. We are all different, I hate some of the more popular choices on here but as long as the parents love it and can explain why they chose it to their child - who cares about my opinion?

RE teasing: in my experience (London, Inner city) kids don't give a rats arse about other children's names. They accept a multicultural world and don't even question it. I don't think I have ever seen a kid teased for their name (posh or 'chavvy' or rhyming or a name that doesn't translate well - Perver). And tbh as a teacher, I struggle to think of 'unusual names I have taught' because it's just THEIR NAMES. Actually, I found 'Blue' took a day to get used to. But generally, it's a non-issue. I guess if you live somewhere provincial, maybe it's a worry... thank god I don't.

I really like Arlo. Yes, it is becoming quite 'trendy' but hopefully it won't become too popular/common.

William is ok, less trendy, but the potential teasing potential (Willy) would put me off. I have a 6 year old ds and know how silly they are .

i was going to call my ds3 Arlo, but two weeks before i had him another lady i knew at toddlers, had a baby boy and used the name

anyhow i went on to have ds4 who is called Rudi Arlo, after the song message for you Rudi and Arlo guthrie, son of woody guthrie we love the name

good luck with choosing a name you and your dh can agree on, it ican be a bit of a nightmare!

I worked with an Arlo fourteen years ago. I thought then, as I do know, that it was a great name.

I do like William though, nn Will. However, I would never use it as I can't stand Billy and wouldn't risk Willy jibes.

William - shortened to Billy

(I have known two cats named William)

Would you consider Ivo -- old name, unusual...

Or Willem?

I agree that names like Arlo will date far more than a name like William. It's also far more popular than you think. I know two under two and I'm not in London.

And of COURSE your partner has a say on what his son is called. How could it be otherwise?

I think you have to open your mind a little bit, and make a longer list, as does your DP. You should find common ground somewhere.

(I speak as someone whose DH was exactly the same, and who vetoed what I thought were perfectly reasonable names, like Leo, on the grounds that they were a bit too girly, but in the end we settled on what is probably the most boring name in the world, which I now LOVE, and it's actually a very uncommon name these days. I am now quite grateful that my DH was so stubborn about my list of names, as my DS would now be in a class with another two Leos....)

I prefer William I am afraid.
Arlo is getting very popular in a 'Felix' kind of way.
I work on post natal ward and have seen loads of Arlos lately.
William is smart and classic and strong (and I am not usually one for this type of name but i love Wiliam). Bill, Billy and Will are lovely nn.

Arlo will be dated 2008 - 2013 i think.

You cant use a name your husband hates - you can just hope he changes his mind when ds is born (mine did twice ).

I like Arlo. Very cool imo. Can honestly not see what would be teaseworthy about it.

William is ok, but a little dull and Willy is indeed a likely nickname on the school playground.

Arlo is a nice name, I know an Arlo, think it is becoming more popular now.

Adults don't tease about names - do they colditz ?

Of course the dh "deserves a say" in naming his child. What a bizarre thing to say.

You both need to look at more names, I'm sure you will come up with something that you both like and are happy with.

Some names however much you love them just don't make it - Arlo would be a good name for a cat/dog in the future (not sure about William though)

Lots of them in my family too, Breadandroses, also called Con, or Conn.

It's impossible to pick a name unless you both come up with a list of 20 each. This will force your DH to take a walk on the 'wild side', as the trad names will run out pretty fast.

Calm down colditz! My DH vetoed all those...
Every boy round here is called Jack or Oliver- it's nice to have something different.

Cornelius is a very old, non-posh Irish name!

I know 2 in their 60's (my dad's mates)

They are both called Con.

This depends where you live imo. In most countries (at least those I've live in) and in London teenagers are well brought up and accept most names, especially in an ever global society. Perhaps there are still parts of the UK where the (ridiculous) focus on class is prevalent and people get teased if they have a 'posh' or 'chav' name...

.. another reason why we'll be sending our children abroad to University.

colditz, I live 250 miles from London, and Arlo would be a perfectly standard name at my son's school. It is just as well I also went for the kind of name you despise, or else my son would have been bullied for being called something normal.

I think Arlo is a fine name. OP: does your DH really deserve that much of a say? When I came up with DS's name, I presented DH with a shortlist from which he could choose one. I put my favourite on it, along with six other names that were so outlandish (to his mind) that I knew he would choose my favourite one. He loves the name now.

But if your DH really has to have a big say, I think you do have to ditch both Arlo and William and start from scratch. FWIW, if I were having another boy, I'd call him Humphrey.

Rufus......just dont let him anywhere near Harlow with that name!!!!!

Don't just think about a cute baby ...think about the teenager!!!!

cant go wrong with a good old Keith, Kelvin, John, David, Jack etc....

Must admit that any teenage boy with a poncey name will get picked on...Can remember the day a very reasonable Martin in class turned very uncool when we found out his middle name was Cornelius...there is has stuck with me for over 25 years!!!!!!

yes little boys get silly. Big boys get nasty.

Well my ds's class (Y1) has a little William who does get called Willy a lot. Has nothing to do with poshness - little boys don't care about class, they are just being silly/childish!

the thing is - a child might be called Willy a bit when he is 7 or so, but that will become dull by the time he's 15.

Whereas Arlo will tap RIGHT into the class consciousness of 19 year olds at university. I was a roaring inverted snob at nineteen (and yes, that DID make me a twat) and I wouldn't have bothered speaking to anyone called Arlo, or Hugo, or Kester, or anything else that clearly screams "I may have taken a career break to have this baby and I may jolly well never have a job that uses my abilities again as a result of this career break but MY GOD everyone is going to know that I have a degree!"

there are two Williams at ds's school. Neither of them get called Willy. And I assure you it is NOT a posh school.