Why are boy's names so difficult?!

[Starfishkiss]

I have a wonderful list of names as long as my arm if my baby turns out to be a girl, but I am really struggling to think of even a couple of boys names I really like!
Boys names are either too common for me (as in too many people will have the same name), or they are just a bit too modern or American sounding for me.

Please help me start thinking of some boys names for a potential brother for Samuel (Sam); our surname is Ryan.

Names I have considered for a boy are:

Joseph (but hate Joe)
Dillon/Dylan (too trendy right now?)
Fraser
James (too commonplace?)
Coby (too American?)
Daniel (hate Dan!)
Lucas
Evan/Ewan (we're not welsh?)
Douglas
Rupert (but don't like alliteration names)
Toby (too trendy right now?)
Cameron (love this name, but brothers called Sam and Cam?!?)

Thanks for your ideas!

Daniel is quite common - we rejected it for that reason.

Other names on our list were:
Edward
Edmund
Christopher
Alexander
John
Zac
David

Any use?

Love Douglas and Rupert from your suggestions! Classic but underused!

Or how about
Clement
Patrick
Quentin
Dominic

My youngest son is called Samuel.
My eledest son is called Finley.
I also like Harry .
Samuel and Harry
Evan is nice doesn't matter if your not welsh!
Finn? Sam and Finn?
Alexander? Sam and Alex?
Daniel is nice to and dan but don't like Sam and dan lol.

Oh gosh, no I couldn't call it Daniel! Daniel and Samuel! - I hadn't spotted that!

I like Edward, with perhaps the nn Ted/Teddy as a baby but my friend loves this I her next is a boy

I like Max a bit, but then another friends son is Max.

What about the name John, is is classic or boring? Same with James?

......Oh gosh I'm just going I have to hope that this little one's a girl I think!

I do like Rupert mayanna, but do you think Rupert Ryan sounds strange?

wafer I am REALLY on the fence with Finn, I quite like it but then I once met a baby Finn and for the life of me I could never remember his name when I saw him, which had now put me off?

If all that is putting you off Evan / Ewan is that you are not Welsh, then I'd go for it! DS is Bryn, it was the only (and I mean ONLY) name we could agree on, we are not Welsh, and I still adore his name now.

Fraser is really nice and Not too popular

James is very lovely. I would go for that rather than John but it's a personal thing. I also like Toby and Fraser, there might be the odd other one but tbh there's only one Jack in ds's school and that's been incredibly popular for years so I wouldn't worry too much.

Jonathan?
Joel?

Love Ewan, doesnt matter if you are not Welsh.

there is always Euan :)

or what about:

Andrew
Callum
Logan
Miles
Elliot

you don't have to shorten it. If you don't others won't until he is a secondary school and then his friends might call him anything!

how about
Isaac
Thomas
Marcus
Alistair

Imo Toby and Lucas go best with your surname from your original list.

I also like Edward, Edwin, Francis, Peter, Gregory, Jacob and Noah.

Rupert and Fraser get my vote. Both are on my 'not allowed to use' list! How about Nicholas, Gregor, Everett, Emmett, Ephraim, Flynn?

You CANNOT use Cameron with a Sam. It's like paying homage to the PM's vacuous wife!

I already have two DCs and have never met a young Janes or John so they are not that common. Having said that I know a little Jimmy who must really be a James.

Euan is no more reserved for the Welsh than Fraser is for the Scottish. I love both.

Michael
Aidan
Martin

Wouldn't go with Finn - two Irish surnames back to back. Rupert Ryan does sound a bit odd, although I like Rupert ordinarily. John's a good, solid name, but there must be millions of John Ryans worldwide. I think Fraser's my favourite from your list.

I know a Sam with brothers Alex and Theo. All lovely names. I do think rupert Ryan is a bit too samey, sorry. If you like John then you could have Jonathan and call him Jon. I think that's quite cool.

I think Rupert Ryan is a good name. Other thoughts:
Sebastian
Fergus
Kieran
Barnaby
Benedict
I like Toby a lot and actually not come across any on RL recently.
Ivor
Isaac
Anthony
Franklin
Connor
Lewis
James is nice and classic - although it is quite popular in my circle - I know 4 or 5 born in the last couple of years.

Sebastian
Arthur
Henry

All names I liked but dh has rejected for our baby. Like you we are finding boys names much harder to decide on.

I do like Sebastian actually. And I love Henry but Henry Ryan sounds strange to me.

What do we think about:

Ethan?
Nicky (Nicholas)?
Maybe even Sidney! (But then a Sam and a Sid??)?
Christian?

Thanks a lot!!

Ooh Barnaby is cute!!! (Ill ask DH, no doubt it will be a veto tho )

Thinking a bit more about this, I think I'd stay away from names that could be a surname - so James, as could be Ryan James, or James Ryan - its not obvious if you've put first name or surname first iyswim?
Think your second list is better than first. Barnaby is good. Like Christian and Sebastian also. Also like Douglas from the top list.

You sound like you have quite similar taste to me as a lot of the names on your list are ones I was considering - we have a James and an Alexander. I love Sam, but it was vetoed by DH for some weird reason.

Of your list I really like Douglas, Sydney/ Syd, Sebastian, Edward (Ted), John.

Personally I wouldn't go with Christian unless I was one, if you see what I mean, but I like Christopher. Also like Toby and Jonathan.

Ethan
Edward
John

I adore Samuel and have always thought that Samuel and Joseph fit perfectly.

Adore Sebastian but i think seb is too similar to sam sorry. What about Jed? You could use the NN Kit for christian. Sam and Kit. Rex is quite nice too.