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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Help with boy names

30 replies

TransatlanticCityGirl · 30/12/2013 04:32

Just found out before Christmas that we are having a baby boy. However really struggling with finding a name we both like (never mind love!)... we had a ton of names we liked for girls, but feel so uninspired by boys names.

Here's a short list of names I have come up with so far. It's not the strongest list because I don't love any of them yet. I like less common but not totally 'out there' names. Avoiding all names in the Top 10 if we can help it.

Ryder
Finley
Benjamin
Maxwell
Harvey
Greyson

This baby will be a brother to Amelia (HATE the commonality of this name, but it had sentimental value to us).

Thoughts on the above? Any other name ideas also welcome.

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Original poster
TransatlanticCityGirl · 30/12/2013 22:27

CarryOnDancing - Thanks, we've just tried that website. Out of the Top 500 names, DH only chose 4 - he's SO not helpful. His were:

Maxwell (+ Max)
Riley (after I read out all the suggestions above he's now added this to his list)
Bailey
Mason

Bailey always appeals to me for the first 3 seconds, then my attention shifts to liquor quite quickly... I could become an alcoholic if I were running around saying 'Bailey' all day.

I could live with Riley though it strikes me as slightly effeminate or am I being too harsh? Mason is a definite no for me.

While I prefer Max to Maxwell (and would use the shortened version most of the time) we can't have a 1 syllable name as the middle name is likely to be 1 syllable as well. Same goes for Ben and Finn.

We are really averse to classic boy names. If it was on Kate Middleton's long list, it really isn't our cup of tea.

Out of the other suggestions I like Cooper and Hunter - DH turned his nose up however. (how he can not like those names yet still like Mason I don't understand....)

:)

OP posts:
CarryOnDancing · 30/12/2013 20:54

OiMissus has reminded me of the website "namedtogether" where you can independently tick the names you like and then it shows you any matches. I think it only shows the top 500 though.

I like Grayson but know a lot of people have a aversion to surname names. I like Maxwell but prefer Maximus. Same with Ben-I prefer Benedict. The other names on your list have a really different feel to me and I'm not keen on any.

snowpink · 30/12/2013 17:53

I like Greyson best. But then I like surnamy names. Max, Ben and Finn are nice but way too popular for my liking.

MoonHare · 30/12/2013 17:45

Hmm, the only two on your list that aren't commonly used are Ryder and Greyson but I'm not keen on either of those - too surnamey - so can't help with your own list but to throw some others out there how about;

Aidan
Gabriel
Rory
Noah
Gregory
Peter
Toby/Tobias
Jonah/Jonas
Caspar
Seth
Reuben
Lawrence
Wyatt
Oscar
Rohan
Jasper
Milo

Feel inspired by any of them?

ToffeeJungle · 30/12/2013 17:21

Like Finlay and Grayson but would spell them like this.
Maxwell is good too.
Prefer Benedict to Benjamin (hate Ben / Benny / Benji though).
Don't like Ryder or Harvey.

Cooper
Wilson
Fletcher
Dexter
Spencer
Fraser
Drake
Hunter
Riley
Xander

BaileysOnRocks · 30/12/2013 16:22

I like Ryder and Greyson but I would spell it Grayson

What about Parker?

Rtfairy · 30/12/2013 16:12

Benjamin is the best on your list followed by Finley, Maxwell (prefer just Max though) and Harvey. Sorry don't like the other names.

HyvaPaiva · 30/12/2013 15:33

Finley: hate that spelling, too popular a name.
Maxwell: too Kerry Katona for me.
The others are also very surname-y.
Benjamin is nice.

GreggsOnLegs · 30/12/2013 15:32

My friend has just had a baby Arlo, which I love and would go well with Amelia.

RoseHoney · 30/12/2013 15:28

I have a Maxwell, he's the only one I know and we are definitely not Chavvy.
Never heard anything bad about his name either (except for this thread lol) and most people say how nice it is compared to Max or Maximilian.

Onesleeptillwembley · 30/12/2013 14:53

No, Rafferty is definitely a 'butty' eater. Grin

Puddles1234 · 30/12/2013 14:51

If Rafferty is not classic enough for you, then what about,

Edward
Edmund
Albert
Frederick
Tobias
Felix

Oh and OneSleepTillWembley, Butty?! Don't you mean Sandwich darling?

Onesleeptillwembley · 30/12/2013 14:03

Rafferty? Classic? Oh dear. It sticks out in that list like a bacon butty at a kosher buffet.

Puddles1234 · 30/12/2013 13:59

Finley / Finlay NN Finn is very popular.

Agree with previous poster that Maximillion/Maximus is better than Maxwell which, and I don't mean any disrespect to anyone who has named their child this, is rather chavvy.

How about classic names.

George
Alexander
Tarquin
Rupert
Jasper
Rafferty
Hugo
Henry

pygmy · 30/12/2013 09:39

I like Benjamin and Finlay (spelt this way). Both very popular though.

OiMissus · 30/12/2013 08:19

Just an idea, when DH and I were struggling to find names, we downloaded the excel file of the previous year's Top 1000.
I looked through it first, and put a 1 in the next column of all those I liked. I then hid the column, and DH did the same. We then sorted the columns so that those we both liked came to the top, and from that we made our shortlist. (You can also see which are the most common and avoid them).
Easy!

shabbiegurl · 30/12/2013 08:05

Have you tried looking at meaning for any of those names & seeing if it strikes a chord that way?

Just off name Maxwell is nice but probable nickname is Maxie i don't think I could do that to future ds that may one day be playing rugby for England :/

shabbiegurl · 30/12/2013 08:04

Have you tried looking at meaning for any of those names & seeing if it strikes a chord that way?

Just off name Maxwell is nice but probable nickname is Maxie i don't think I could do that to future ds that may one day be playing rugby for England :/

ZenNudist · 30/12/2013 08:01

Love Benjamin
Max is nice (not maxwell)
Both quite common

Other ones are not good. Sound chavvy to me.

Can't you get inspiration by working backwards from top 100 or 150. Agree with you about not wanting too common a name.

Amelia is lovely btw. I'd choose it myself but for being over-used. Is she surrounded by Amelias at school?

ElBombero · 30/12/2013 07:56

Love Greyson

Madamecastafiore · 30/12/2013 07:56

Depends Suz, Max isn't common here. We have lots if Arthur's, Joshua's, Archie's and Ethan's. ( phone putting punctuation in ).

MyNameIsSuz · 30/12/2013 07:54

I'd say if you don't want anything too common, avoid Maxwell - Max is super common, and it would almost certainly get shortened. I'm not keen on Ryder or Greyson, I love Finley though. I had similar names on my list, we went with Franklin in the end.

Lebkuchenlover · 30/12/2013 07:52

If you're bothered by the popularity of Amelia, I would avoid Finley/Finn, Max and Ben as they are all fairly fashionable these days.

BabyStone · 30/12/2013 07:36

Max (not Maxwell)
Benjamin
Finley

one of them is DS' name and the other 2 were on my list but cant use

Twinsplusonesurprise · 30/12/2013 07:24

Harvey's nice.
I know a lot of Finley's
Congrats too on soon to be DS.