Ikaros

[GiannaK]

...and other names for a boy.

Thanks for lots of helpful feedback on girl names in my other post. Now I need your wisdom in case dc is a boy!

Blah blah partly Greek background etc. Here are a few I like best. Would like to hear how they sound to other English speakers as I've lost all objectivity.

Ikaros - I've never met one in either country but I like it (pregnancy brain?)

Alexandros/Alexander - probably top of my 'sensible' list. Useable in both cultures. But is it boring? Over popular? Would be always be called Alex?

Giorgos/George - Would be mainly out of familial obligation if we use this. Please help me love this name! I know how much it would mean to DH's family if we use it but I just don't love it.

Orfeas - think this has popped up on here before. I've always liked it and DH is really keen. But again - does it sound strange if you have no previous knowledge of Greek names?

That's it so far. Any other suggestions would be great!

Oooh, how unusual. Go for Ikaros! I love it instantly. I have met one (a boy at the same nursery as my ds1, so would be about 6 now), but as he lives in Alexandroupolis he's not likely to meet your dc!

I love Alexander/dros but yes, it would be Alex/ Alexis (not that there's anything wrong with that). And I don't think it's over popular. It's not totally unusual like Ikaros, but I wouldn't have thought it was too common either. Nice, classic, strong name, I think.

Sorry, can't help you with George/ Giorgos. I don't like it at all in either language. And let's face it, it's overused in Greece. And if you don't love it, you might come to resent having had to use it. Use it as a middle name if you have a family obligation.

I put Orfeas in the same category as Ikaros. I do like it, but then my ears have probably become conditioned to hearing Greek names! And let's face it, in the UK, people will hear names from every corner of the globe, so I don't think it matters if it is a little unusual in English. Alongside names of Indian/ Arabic/ Polish/ Estonian/ Armenian/ Masai/ whatever origin, will it really stand out? I don't think so.

Ohhh. I love both Ikaros and Orfeas.

Be prepared to get cats bum mouths though and all sorts of things said to you.

My DS is named "Eirik", I love it and it is the proper European spelling. Most people from the UK who hear it though automatically make a comment about it being the "wrong spelling" even my MW in labour laughed at me or we have been accused of "making up a name". :( The only person I know who automatically recognised the name was a family member from Sweden and also a man making name signs at the German Christmas markets here last Christmas, he didn't even ask the spelling when I told him the name.

I am half German and DP is just finishing a degree, when he is finished and set up we don't plan to continue living in the UK. That spelling was appropriate for us but a lot of people don't understand that and are negative.

You could go for Alexei instead of Alex. I have always loved Athanasios.

I have an Alexander and he has always been called Ally. Now he is 9 he tells people not to call him Alex if they do it too often as he doesn't like the name and he isn't an Alex!

Alexei is beautiful, as is Athanasios.

Is it Swedish/Norwegian Schro? Do you pronounce it Ay-rik or like Eric?

What about Vassos?

It's actually Norwegian but used in different forms in most places. I believe it should be pronounced "AY-rik", everyone used Eric though. :(

Watching with interest as pregnant with dc1 and dh is Greek...

I know a little Orestes - I wasn't keen at first but it has grown on me and it sounds lovely in Greek.

Ikaros is lovely. Easy for English speakers I would think.

I love Paris for a boy as well.

Generally, though I am very keen on Alexander .

For Ikaros, I would think of Icarus, the chap who flew too close to the sun.

I like the other names, but not so keen on Orfeas. Makes me think of Orpheus (and the underworld).

You should correct them! No reason in this day and age to mispronounce a name - my DS's nursery is full of European, Asian and African names

OP, I think Ikaros is great, but bear in mind English speakers will try to find a shortened version to call him - would he end up being called Ik? Ikki?

GiannaK did you look at the eortologio link I posted on the other thread? Loads of Greek names there! Anyway, I was just looking for it, to send to someone else (I stupidly wrote co.uk address without thinking and then wondered why it wasn't working!).

Sam Even DP doesn't want to use it and pronounces Eric. He reckons since everyone has been using it since birth and he replies to it, we can't change that now. :( Once we move it'll be getting changed though!

I think it's just a case of most people wont even believe us that the name exists in the first place.

OP What about Ptolemy? Most people in the UK know that name well.

I love Ikaros!

Incidentally Schro I really like Eirik, I much prefer it to Eric!

As do I. I'm just not getting away with it over here. :( It sounds much better and not so old man ish.

My DGM has just told me "no Eirik (correct pronunciation) sounds too girlish".

This is what I mean OP, be prepared to stand your ground.

You might find that the child corrects people himself. My ds1's name is Nikolas, pronounced the Greek way with the stress on the "o". English speakers always pronounce it like Nicholas, but he always puts them straight!

Nikolas is lovely, I love that.

DS doesn't know the correct pronunciation though as everyone calls him Erik. I kind of feel I can't change that now. :(

Thanks everyone!

Schro - interesting regarding the spelling thing. Something I need to prepare for too, as whatever name we pick is likely to be the Greek version of that name/out right not an English name and I can imagine it being annoying - but then if you love the name, you go with it. I already have experience of this with our impossible-to-spell surname. DC will have to put up with misspellings for life either way. Eirik is nice!

Good to hear positive feedback on Ikaros, too. I wa worrying that I am totally lacking any perspective and that my brain is thoroughly marinated in pregnancy hormones and it would be met really negatively by others.
It is true, many will think of the boy who flew too close to the sun but the nice thing about using mythical names (amongst Greeks) is that nobody bats an eyelid if the original bearer of the name met some horrible end or fell in love with their father etc. Same deal with Orfeas and the underworld.

Agreed that Alexi is a better nickname than Alex.

Orestes I like too, just not to use.

Keep them coming! :)

Ooh thanks about the link, I forgot! Heading there now!

That depends on how old he is, Schro. And also on how old he is when you move. Although I do know someone who was born in the UK, called Elena (prn el-AY-na) and then moved to Greece, where everyone started calling her ELL-ena. She must have been around 11 when she moved, and she got used to the new pronunciation, and now says she feels that is her name (she must be about 35 now). So you never know! Perhaps there is still hope for your son!

Just use the name you like the best. If you're prepared for all the repeated spelling and correcting then it should be fine.

I think my problem is Eirik is so close to Erik so it is confused very easily. That family member has a child called Tor as well, I bloody love that name.

He's only just coming up to 14 months. :) I have no worries that he would get used to it, it's his Dad and everyone else.

We wont be moving until he's a good bit older.