If you like unusual boys names, please give me your views...

[BedHog]

DC2 is due in a couple of months, and we are really struggling with boys names. We have our shortlist of girls names sorted, but boys names seem much more difficult as the majority seem to fall into one of the 'stereotypes' and that puts me off them.

Both DP and I have looked through enormous baby name books, websites etc., jotting down any names we don't hate. We've gradually whittled these down to the list below, some being my choices that DP thinks are OK, and vice versa. There isn't a single name that we both love, unfortunately.

The names are mostly on the unusual side, so apart from opinions, I am more interested in practicalities - are they a swear word in Spanish, or the name of some nasty gynaelogical disease, or the name of a foreign serial killer, for example?.

Nyjah
Soren
Laurie
Efryn
Asa
Ijah
Kit (but hate Christopher/Christian)
Lajni
Naoki
Enzo
Tanner
Coby
Nate
Coyan

Frasier's brother isn't called Nate, he's called Nils. (Niles?)

Never heard of some of them
Asa????
Acer spades??

also too many rear end possibilities. A(r)s(e) As(e) not good

Asa is Biblical.

It would never be my choice, though, as to English ears it sounds too feminine fora boy.

Acer is a different name, I remember Acer Nethercott who was cox of the Oxford Boat Race crew a few years back. That's probably from the Latin name for maple tree.

Sorry to leave the thread - I have been in soft play hell for the last few hours!!

Bit of a mixed reaction to Asa - I think the fact that many people think it's a girls name plus the arse connection have put me off. Thanks for the Isa suggestion but to me that means tax-free financial products, and that dreadful 'Isa Isa Baby' advert!!

Kester is a possibility if I really have to use a longer version. I really can't stand Laurence/Laurent though - probably Mr Llewellyn-Bowen's fault. I don't mind his programmes actually but the name shouts 'middle aged fop' at me.

Asa is not a girl's name but Isa definitely is, so not a good substitution. I like Asa-reminds me of Asa Briggs. It's actually the only one on your list I like.

I also like Asher, Judah, Ivor, Idris (sounds Arabic but is actually also a Welsh name), Bron, Gray (Scottish), Arne, Saul, Dara, Keir, Ezra.

Thanks for the lists EverSo and MrsDevere - I like Anders and Per, Levi and Asher. Some of the others we can't use for various reasons.

Forgot to say Atticus. I used it up on my dog because I wasnt going to have anymore DCs then I had DC 5 so couldnt use it.

Fab name.

From your list... I like... Soren, Laurie, Coby, Enzo and Kit.

I like Naoki and Soren.

I used to work with a Naoki- a lovely Japanese gentleman who was kind and warm hearted- so that has swayed me!!

If you like Scandi names... what about Anders or Rasmus?

What about Eason?

How are you pronouncing Nyjah, it looks to me like it should be Ni-yah, but people here say it sounds like Nigel?
Also I think the problem with very shortened names like Kit, is that the child is stuck with a name that sounds more like a nickname when they are an adult. If you name them Christopher or Christian, you can call them Kit, but they get more of a choice as an adult, same with lawrence and Laurie etc. Depending on what they chose to do in later life they might prefer to call themselves the longer name professionally, and the shorter name with friends.

Sorry I meant to say Nyjah sounds like it should be pronounced Nu-yah

In Scandanavia Anders is the name of Donald Duck -Anders And. And in some countries it is pronounced without the D so it sounds more like Anna's. Also as you asked about seriel killers, a Norwegian called Anders recently murdered 76 people, although it is an incredibly common name in Scandanavia so it is unlikely to be associated with him.

in sweden donald duck is kalle anka.... in denmark Anders And....

I didn't realise Donald Duck had so many names!

I've only come across the name Nyjah once, a young pro skateboarder, and he pronounces it Niger. The girls version is more common I think, spelled Nijah, and pr the same way.

I can see the benefit of having a longer name on the bc, but I would need to at least like the longer name, even if I don't love it.

And DP would just laugh and give me a withering look if I suggested Rasmus - it's the name of a band I used to listen to all the time, and he wasn't too keen to say the least!!

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions. I thought I was going to get lots of 'What's wrong with a normal name like James?' type comments.

Not that long ago I watched a film about a group of delightful young men.

So if I was, by some miracle to have another boy, I would name him Jared Caleb Nathan William (all the boys have to have a William or a Billy in there).

Best thing is my OH wouldnt have a clue what I was doing because he only really listens to Magic FM these days and I dont think they play The Kings of Leon much

I know 3 lawrences who are grown up.

One is Lawrence, one "lorry" and one " loorie" ( like floor)....don't know if that helps anything at all!

I have a Nate which is short for nathaniel. He is definitely Nate though...we never use his long name.

What about poor Matthew, MrsDV? He always gets forgotten!!

chimchar - did you always intend to call your DS Nate rather than the full version? And would you have put Nathaniel on the BC if you hated it, just to give him 'options' later?

Like Soren, love Humphrey (not on your list)

I think Efryn is great although I do prefer Ephraim as a spelling, but it sounds fab.

bedhog nathaniel is on his bc.. i really wanted him to have a "proper" name. he is known in the school register as nate, and not many people know his full name is not nate.

when i was pg, i had loved the name nathaniel, but actually now, i'm not that keen, lol. he just isnt nathaniel iykwim... however, he jhas now started to write his full name out on forms etc.. he likes having two names.

when he was born, i think we called him nat in the first week or so, and nate developed over the next few weeks.... the nn was a consideration, but not named soley on that basis... does that make sense?

my other kids have short "punchy" names with no nn..so we didn't follow on our theme of big names.

Like Kit, Laurie and Nate.

Anders is just the North European form of Andrew, surely? I've only met Swedish people of this name and they all pronounced it with a long a: "Aahn-ders".

Andrew is not common atm, well out of the top 100 despite being a classic name. It's not deeply unfashionable though, so won't date. Has a choice of short forms ie Drew or Andy, and travels quite well as it has equivalents in most languages. André, Andres, Andreas, Anders etc.

Anders means 'different' in German.

Ja, das ist eine andere Bedeutung. :)