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Baby names

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

Original poster

Names for baby boy

42 replies

BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw · 25/06/2026 21:33

Husband and I can’t agree on any potential boy names for baby. He doesn’t seem to like any at all and just keeps suggesting we call a baby boy Paul after his dad and cousin 🙄

Baby boy names I like:
Elliot
Isaac
Declan
Niall
Patrick
Harvey
Nathan
Dexter
Stanley
Axel
Marcus
Marshall
Ambrose
Anderson
Jack
Hayden
Callum
Fraser
Samson
Austin
Jake
Darcy

I feel like I have suggested so many names and he literally hates ALL of them. Are they really so awful?

OP posts:
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Marwoodsbigbreak · 01/07/2026 06:36

From your list I like Nathan and Dexter

Wibz · 27/06/2026 13:39

timoteigirl · 26/06/2026 19:00

Timothy
Morris
Robert
Rupert
David
Reuben
Liam
Ethan

Rowan
Ashley
Reed

not heard of Clio before, just Cleo.

Renault Clio…

timoteigirl · 27/06/2026 11:33

Maybe the hubby just wants to please his relatives?

Tryagain26 · 27/06/2026 09:39

tarheelbaby · 26/06/2026 18:11

No doubt the good MN-ers will be on to tell me I'm all wrong but I haven't met a child called Paul so whilst it might not seem to coordinate with other names in the family, why not go with it? Many families have a few similar style names and then an outlier ..

She said they already had several Pauls in the family. Her father in law and her husband's cousin are Pauls but also more importantly she doesn't want to use that name.
OP I would ask him to choose some other names. The names you have agreed on for girls names are non traditional it's interfering that he is willing to consider unusual names for a girl but not a boy..
Could you try one of those name choosing apps that work a bit like dating apps. I've know. A could of people who have agreed on a name by using them

patooties · 27/06/2026 09:34

I like John Paul and Paul John (JP and PJ) I know multiple lovely people called both names

NamingNoNames · 27/06/2026 09:29

user1492757084 · 27/06/2026 08:39

I like Paul.

Paul John is a strong and handsome name.

Apolla John
Pavlos John
Patrick Paul John - Tricky Paul - same initial as Paul.
John Dominic Paul
John Nicholas Paul
John Lennon Paul McCartney
Charles Paul John
Thomas Paul John

Use John as the first name

John Paul Surname is smart. Nick name Beetle

Edited

Why not Paul John George Ringo?

John Paul sounds dated - Pope John Paul, John Paul Getty, John Paul Jones etc.

user1492757084 · 27/06/2026 08:39

I like Paul.

Paul John is a strong and handsome name.

Apolla John
Pavlos John
Patrick Paul John - Tricky Paul - same initial as Paul.
John Dominic Paul
John Nicholas Paul
John Lennon Paul McCartney
Charles Paul John
Thomas Paul John

Use John as the first name

John Paul Surname is smart. Nick name Beetle

NamingNoNames · 26/06/2026 19:18

@timoteigirl , Greek goddess of history and lyre playing.

timoteigirl · 26/06/2026 19:00

Timothy
Morris
Robert
Rupert
David
Reuben
Liam
Ethan

Rowan
Ashley
Reed

not heard of Clio before, just Cleo.

NamingNoNames · 26/06/2026 18:43

@tarheelbaby , Paul was a top 10 name in the 1950s - 1980s, currently number 586. Number 1 name in the mid 1970s.

tarheelbaby · 26/06/2026 18:11

No doubt the good MN-ers will be on to tell me I'm all wrong but I haven't met a child called Paul so whilst it might not seem to coordinate with other names in the family, why not go with it? Many families have a few similar style names and then an outlier ..

NamingNoNames · 26/06/2026 17:14

BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw · 26/06/2026 16:17

Oh I remember this happening obviously but I didn’t remember the name. I’m not sure people would make the obvious connection in the same way they would for Adolf

Show quote history

You seem flippant about it.😦It was national news and people will not forget it, and nor should they. Absolutely shocking tragedy.

patooties · 26/06/2026 17:13

I quite like Paulie as a nickname - it’s a proper name Paul, nothing wrong with it

NamingNoNames · 26/06/2026 17:11

@littleoneandme , Congratulations. Nice name.

Original poster
BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw · 26/06/2026 16:17

Tailsoftales · 26/06/2026 14:37

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Southport_stabbings

Show quote history

Oh I remember this happening obviously but I didn’t remember the name. I’m not sure people would make the obvious connection in the same way they would for Adolf

OP posts:
littleoneandme · 26/06/2026 14:41

My nephew was born on Tuesday, they have called him Joseph, which he really suits.

Tailsoftales · 26/06/2026 14:37

BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw · 26/06/2026 11:31

@Tailsoftales who has ruined Axel in the same way as Adolf??

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Southport_stabbings

2024 Southport stabbings - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Southport_stabbings

Wibz · 26/06/2026 14:18

BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw · 26/06/2026 13:19

He’s white from Essex so no 🤣

Show quote history

From ChatGPT - anything on the list below that you like?

Essex has a mix of ancient Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and East Anglian heritage, so many traditional names associated with the county are old English rather than uniquely “Essex.” If you’re looking for names that would have felt at home in historic Essex villages from the medieval period through the 19th century, here are some good choices:
Old English / Anglo-Saxon

  • Edmund – associated with East Anglia and common across Essex.
  • Edwin
  • Oswald
  • Leofric – a very old Anglo-Saxon name.
  • Godric
  • Aelfric (Ælfric) – borne by the Ælfric of Eynsham, whose works circulated widely in Anglo-Saxon England.
  • Wulfric
  • Cuthbert
Medieval Essex favourites Names commonly found in parish records from Essex include:
  • John
  • William
  • Thomas
  • Richard
  • Robert
  • Henry
  • Geoffrey
  • Walter
  • Roger
  • Ralph
  • Simon
  • Nicholas
Tudor and Stuart Essex By the 1500s–1700s these were especially common:
  • George
  • Edward
  • James
  • Samuel
  • Benjamin
  • Isaac
  • Joseph
  • Nathaniel
  • Daniel
Distinctively East Anglian feeling These names have a particularly traditional East Anglian character:
  • Edmund
  • Oswald
  • Aldred
  • Aldwyn
  • Everard
  • Wilfred
  • Cecil
  • Percival
Rural Victorian Essex If you’re imagining a farm labourer or village blacksmith from 1850–1900:
  • Albert
  • Arthur
  • Ernest
  • Frederick
  • Alfred
  • Sidney
  • Herbert
  • Cecil
  • Percy
  • Horace
Rare but authentically old
  • Aldhelm
  • Ecgbert
  • Hereward
  • Dunstan
  • Swithun
  • Alwin
  • Godwin
  • Wilmot (historically used for men as well as women)
If you’re after names that sound unmistakably rooted in old Essex, my favourites would be:
  • Edmund
  • Godwin
  • Leofric
  • Aldwyn
  • Alfred
  • Arthur
  • Edwin
  • Oswald
  • Everard
  • Cecil
These evoke the county’s long Anglo-Saxon history while still feeling recognisably English. If you’re interested, I can also suggest names that are specifically documented in medieval Essex parish registers or from the Domesday Book for an even more authentic county-specific
Original poster
BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw · 26/06/2026 13:40

NamingNoNames · 26/06/2026 13:33

Apollo nn Paul 😆 Why not Leopauld?

Edited

I quite like Apollo nn Paul 🤣 not keen on Leopold - my cousin is Leothric (Leo) and I think that’s quite enough to be getting on with

OP posts:
NamingNoNames · 26/06/2026 13:33

Apollo nn Paul 😆 Why not Leopauld?

user293948849167 · 26/06/2026 13:29

I don’t mind Paul, or John Paul (if you make it clear you’re calling him just John not “John Paul” day to day)
Or how about Apollo with Paul for short?

Original poster
BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw · 26/06/2026 13:19

Wibz · 26/06/2026 13:07

He sounds very traditional - is he from a specific part of the country or a culture / religion you could tap into for unusual names?

He’s white from Essex so no 🤣

OP posts:
Wibz · 26/06/2026 13:07

He sounds very traditional - is he from a specific part of the country or a culture / religion you could tap into for unusual names?

Sparklinggreen · 26/06/2026 12:55

From you list I only really like Marcus and Elliot

you have chosen relatively uncommon girls names, if you wanted to continue similarly for the boy what about

Hugo
Casper
Vincent
Julius / Julian

Original poster
BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw · 26/06/2026 12:05

waltrs55 · 26/06/2026 12:04

Isaac is my favourite. I also like Fraser and Jack (which is related to John).

What about Leo, Arlo, Ezra, Miles or Jasper?

We have a Leo and a Jasper in the family already.

I did have Miles on my list but I seem to see it everywhere nowadays

OP posts: