Boys: help!! Bruce, Eugene, Leonard, Lawrence, Otis, Patrick, Abraham, Reginald, Peter, Donald

[Leapoffaith]

38 weeks and still struggling for a boy's name, having known our girls' choice from about 14 weeks...

This is our list, I like them all, but I'm not in love with any of them...
Bruce
Eugene (on bc, but may shorten Gene)
Leonard (Lenny)
Lawrence (Laurie/Lol)
Otis
Patrick (Patch)
Abraham (Bram)
Reginald (Reg)
Francis (Frank)
Peter
Donald (Donnie)

I don't think my criteria are too demanding...

1. Classic but not too popular (I know it's virtually impossible to tell what will be popular...)

2. Prefer something with a few nickname options so that DS can shorten as he wishes later.

3. I'd also hoped to find one that wouldn't indicate a particular class/background, but think I might have to ditch that criteria.

Comments and suggestions welcome - please

Bruce - no, can't shake the Aussie stereotype
Eugene - really different, but a bit feminine
Leonard - ok
Lawrence - like this
Otis - bit gimmicky
Patrick - good but only when it's not shortened
Abraham (Bram) - meh
Reginald (Reg) - no
Francis (Frank) - too unisex
Peter - my fave!
Donald (Donnie) - like this a lot

Like
Leonard
Lawrence

LOVE
Reginald

Bruce I love it!
Eugene - I like it.
Leonard (Lenny) _ I like it!
Lawrence (Laurie I like, Lol I do not like)
Otis - bit predictably urban chic or something
Patrick (Patch) I love patrick, not sure about Patch tho'. I don't DISlike it though.
Abraham (Bram) -ok
Reginald (Reg) -no
Francis (Frank)-ok
Peter - I really like it. Like Patrick, and underused classic.

Donald (Donnie) EXCELLENT - love it.

what about Victor or Howard!? I think you stole my dance moves old list.

Hmm. I quite like Lenny - I love all Jewish uncle names. Not keen on any of the others, though at a pinch Donnie and Patrick.

I think my criteria were the same as yours and we chose Peter (now 2yo) with a much more unusual middle name that is from my family. I felt it was a name that works for whatever path you choose in life i.e if your Dr was a Peter or if your plumber was a Peter that would be fine. In 2008 it was about 135 in the popularity stakes (450 Peters born in England and Wales). Since his birth I have met one other Peter who is under 2 which was nice actually as I liked that someone else had chosen it too. The reaction from friends/family and strangers has been v positive especially amongst the over 50s (I think because it's not perceived as wacky ). Peter is only 2 so early days on whether he likes it, but he has been slow starting to talk but could say his name as one of his early words and he now seems to love saying "Peter" at every opportunity, so positive so far.

Now, if I could just decide on a boys' name for DC2 due next month I would be v happy. From your list I like Patrick but DH has said no because he has an Uncle Pat. I like Lawrence too but apparently it doesn't work with our surname.

Peter, Patrick or Bruce.

Lawrence at a push.

Peter, Patrick or Lawrence for me!
Not keen on the others, sorry.

How about Douglas (Dougie)? I know a cool teenager called that and it really works.

Using your nickname criteria, I would propose:

Alexander
Benjamin
Thomas

All got a number of variations.

Bruce -- too caricaturishly Australian
Eugene (on bc, but may shorten Gene) -- like
Leonard (Lenny) -- love Lenny, shame it comes with Leonard. Prefer Leo
Lawrence (Laurie/Lol) -- dislike
Otis -- nice but Otis Redding has big shoes to follow
Patrick (Patch) -- Love, love Patch and love Paddy (no need to be Irish; St P was Welsh)
Abraham (Bram) -- Love, and love Bram
Reginald (Reg) -- just a little too old-mannish for my taste
Francis (Frank) -- Love, love Frank and Frankie
Peter Love, and love Pete can't go wrong (I know a little Peter Francis, aged 3)
Donald (Donnie) -- ok

Suggest Nicholas, Benedict, Dominic, Michael, Edmund, Matthias, Tobias.

I like Abraham, although you'd have to like Abe too I suspect

I don't like Eugene, but I do like Gene (and Gino too)

Also Laurence with Laurie

I know a few adult Patricks, known as Patrick, Rick and Pat. Patch is OK for a little boy, but for me it is slightly more of a name for a puppy.

I think I prefer Frances for a girl really.

Peter is likely to turn into Pete - all the adult Peters I know are called Pete.

My ds id Patrick, He is sometimes Patch at home but he has always been Patrick everywhere else- it just hasn't been shoryrnrd except sometimes to Pat on the football field, for example, when his team mates need sonething short to yell.

Fab name, And we've never met another one thet'a not an older member of our family! Or in Ireland, obviously.

Patrick is getting popular round here (SW London), if that influences you. I like Otis, but Peter is good too.
And how about Timothy?

DD has a Francis known as Frank in her class, they are 13, it really suits him!

Love Laurie - only know one who is a serious banker type in his 50s but it would really suit a little boy too.

Patrick gaining in popularity here, know of a couple of little Patricks now.

Patrick or Francis!

lawrence is the best

Bruce -- too Australian
Eugene (on bc, but may shorten Gene) -- like Gene but not so keen on Eugene
Leonard (Lenny) -- really like Lenny and Leo
Lawrence (Laurie/Lol) -- really love
Otis -- lifts !
Patrick (Patch) -- Patch is quite sweet but not so keen on Paddy
Abraham (Bram) -- Love Bram, like Abe. Probably my favourite on your list
Reginald (Reg) -- Kray
Francis (Frank) -- Really like full name and potential nn's
Peter -- Has bad connotations for me, but is a good name
Donald (Donnie) -- Duck

I think we had similar criteria for ds. We had Laurence, Dominic, Gilbert and Fergus on our list. Ended up with Fergus (he is mostly Ferg atm but is sometimes Gus)

Love Laurie, like the boy next door in Little Women. Or was that Lawrie? Also love Patrick but not Patch. Peter is fine, but as it's my dad and brother's name I'm probably biased. Some others are just bizarrely middle aged - Leonard? Reginald? Awful IMHO!

Hmm, this is actually more encouraging than I expected, I think I'm getting warmer with boys names.

Better than an idea I posted a few weeks ago of Christopher shortened to Chip, which was shot down in flames!!

I love a lot of the suggestions on here too - Nicholas (Cole), Alexander, Douglas and Michael would have been on the list if it hadn't been for bad associations or other people using them.

Although I really don't mind which we have, I'm almost hoping for a girl because the name would be so easy in comparison!!

Thanks all, it has given me some outside opinions without actually having to tell people and endure the raised eyebrows in real life