Help with boys names

[Fenouille]

I'm still in the early stage of my second pg. Don't know what we're having yet. DS has a name I am not crazy about after DH imposed his wishes on me against my better judgement. I've told him that this time I'm choosing the name.

If we havea girl then she will get my all time favourite girl's name which DH vetoed last time.

For a boy I've now gone off the second name we had lined up for DS. I'm pondering on Abel but I wonder if the biblical story should put me off (I'm not religious but it's true that Abel doesn't come out of it very well). I also like Inigo but I think it would give me the same feeling of slight embarrassment that I get when telling people DS's name so i don't want a second child with a name I feel faintly embarrassed about. I also have a soft spot for German names (not totally outrageous as there are family connections with Germany).

So ... what do you all think? Here's a tentative shortlist but other suggestions are also welcome...

Abel
Inigo
Heino
Malte
Sascha

Heeeeeeeelp!

K/Conrad - will work in UK and Germany. Underused but known. What's not to like (biased!).

Are we allowed to know your favourite girls name choice to get an idea of what you like? Also curious now as to DS1's name! :-)

Oh I should perhaps have mentioned it in my OP - Frances. DH's main objection to it is that it's totally alien to his language, but that didn't stop him insisting on a boy's name that is totally alien to English

Sw11 - it's Scandinavian and does pop up on here from time to time. My objections to it were (and are) that it's not a name that is easy for my parents to pronounce right, there's no nickname and it has lots of vowels which are pronounced very differently in all the European languages (we live in a multilingual environment). A nickname is not essential but I would like a name that is slightly more international this time.

Blue - Conrad would be good (impeccable taste you have ) but I was at uni with a chap called Conrad who was a little strange so I'm afraid it's lost to me now.

Marius
Markus
Axel
Toby

I'll add Marcus to the list, thanks!

Timon
Elijah
Florian
Tobias
Alexander ( sascha)
Kristian
Teodore (Teo)

Andreas
Benedikt
Carl
Dominik
Edmund
Eduard
Felix
Ferdinand
Georg
Herbert
Hugo
Isaak
Ivo
Jakob
Jonas
Leo
Leopold
Linus
Lukas
Marius
Matthias
Nikolaus
Oswald
Otto
Philipp
Ralf/Ralph
Rudi
Sebastian
Stephan
Tobias
Torsten
Udo

Gunnar

Ooh, I like Rudi and Timon (what's the origin, I've not come across it before although I do know Kimon who's Finnish?) Trouble is there's already a small Timo floating round in the wider family. Like Philip as well (was on original list for DS)

Gunnar I do like, but is a bit too close to DS's name and I don't want people thinking we have Scandi theme going on particularly (although I know it's also used in Germany too, I think non Germans will think it's Icelandic or something like DS's name )

I also love Holger as a grown up name, but don't really see it suiting a baby or young boy IYSWIM? Or am I starting to over think things? Never thought I'd do one of these threads but I don't want fuck up like DS's name (which I do like, it's just totally impractical because you always have to repeat, spell it out and then 80% of people get wrong anyway )

The timon know is about 4 and lives in Germany. So I assumed it was German somewhere but could be something else. His sister is Amelie

It might also be Turkish or Greek origin (but I guess you would know about the latter ).

The Timon I know is in The Lion King!!

Not really keen on your shortlist. Sort of need to know DS1's name to see if they would go together.

Love Teo.

Theo
Max
Caspar
Hugo
Benedict
Kurt
Logan
Morgan

could be. isnt greek as far as i know (but that doesnt really mean anything!)

we have a greek surname, but live in england. our boys both have very english first names, greekish middle (but english enough), and like i said a ridiculous surname!

I love Arianna for a girl though

what is the girls name you like as an idea?

how about also:

Maxian
Andrei
Henry/henrik
otto
otis
alder
barrett
bruno
byron
ellery
emmett
ernest
jarvis
johan
leonard
milo
rory

Malte and Sascha are quite popular German boys names at the moment (although not top 10 super trendy). I like them both. How about Fabian or Florian?

I like Caspar (one of the three wise men) and Florian. How about Rainer on the German theme? Generally I like very trad names.

Hi again, thanks for all your suggestions.

I don't want to say my son's name as it will out me tremendously - oh what the hell, I'll have to name change after this anyway... it's E i n a r. So most people, if they know the German connection suppose it's Rainer and that's what a number of my acquaintances call him.

I love Malte but I suspect most of the rest of Europe will go, "Eh?" and as they already do with DS I'm not sure I can cope with that again. What do you English readers of this thread think?

My father was called Rainer. I think Einar's lovely. Have probably just outed myself btw. Bit tricky to comment vis the English readers of the thread; having a German father. Mine sparkle btw!

My DC go to school's with quite a significant continental intake and we live in an area which is quite international. I don't think you will have any problems with the names suggested in a similar area. Mine's bloody awful and rooted in the UK and I've just had to live with it. .

And I'm sorry I didn't mean to force the issue because of the reference to Rainer - it was made very innocently.

Oh, don't worry about it, I knew I would end up sharing sooner or later. Don't get me wrong, I do like DS's name it's just we always said we would chose an international name and we've now ended up with one that isn't international at all.

I think I'm keeping Abel and Sascha on the list and adding Marcus and Rudi. Still not sure about Holger, might keep it as a wild card Thanks for all the suggestions - still interested in knowing what purely English speakers think of Malte though, if anyone's still awake...

No boy would want to be called Holger.

Really.

IMVVVHO.

But all the Holgers I know are luffly and thoroughly good eggs. That's got to mean something, surely?

raul?

tbf, I am also vair, vair English as well as half German, I don't like Malte. It sounds to me like a nickname for malteser and I think a ds with that name who might not be blonde and blue eyed might take a bit of teasing. I know that's a frightful thing to say but children can be very cruel. It also smacks a bit of malted milk - a nice wholesome hot drink to send you to sleep.

If it's a girl what about Francesca as a compromise. I quite like Frenchie and Cheska - prefer them to the actual name.

I like Marcus. I know a vair, vair English Marcus. Lucas?

Marcus is definitely on the list, I know a couple of German ones and they are all lovely, nice to hear that the English ones are equally pleasant!. That's the only advantage (as far as I can see,) of choosing a name that's a bit 'out there' - no preconceptions!

Point taken about the Malte/malteser connection. I'm more worried about the pronunciation for an Englishman/women though tbh as whatever name you chose, if someone wants to bully you over it they will.

The girls name is absolutely not for discussion I love Frances and there's also a family connection so DH (and you lot) will just have to lump it! I'm pretty sure it'll be another boy though so it's rather academic