American seeking to honor child's British side.

[Kendall1]

Hi ladies I was just wondering if you would be able to help me. I'm an American living in America pregnant with a half British baby. My ex boyfriend was born and raised in Bradford.

I would love to honor that British side. My ex passed away at the end of August. Back when he was alive we talked about giving our child a name to honor that side. I found out today I'm expecting a little boy and I'm a bit lost. I don't remember many common names in England except for a few that wouldn't be perceived well where I live. If it was a girl she would of been Amelia Ruby/Ruby Amelia.

I was wondering if anyone could help me??

Thank you!
-Kendall

Bradford (Brad) is really nice

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.

In terms of traditional British given names, I don't think you can go far wrong with one of these;

George
David
Andrew
James
Henry
William/Billy
Alfred (Alfie/Fred)
Charles/Charlie
Edward (Eddie)
John/Jonathan
Thomas
Matthew
Christopher
Luke
Richard
Robert
Peter
Lee
Sam
Jack- very popular here.

And the slightly more weird...
Nigel
Stanley- always reminds me of Yorkshire!
Bernard - a bit French, but popular in the early 20th.
Robin- as in Robin Hood :-) You can't get much more British than that!

And there's a whole host of lovely Scottish, Welsh and Irish names - e.g. Evan, Ewan, Hamish... Allistair....

Names like Taylor and Tyler aren't traditionally British as given names and are a bit trendy, in my view... And sound American ;-) but that's perhaps just me.

All the best, I'm sure you'll find the perfect name to suit baby! :-)

London

Tell us names you like and we'll tell you which sounds British.

How about Bradford?

Very sorry for your loss OP. How about Ridley?

Arthur or Alfred are old English names.
Albion is a good suggestion.
Hugh and William seem quintessentially English to me.

Could you ask your late DP's whether there are any family names?

Brad (Bradford) sounds v American to my ears.

there is a Very British Spencer on 'Made in Chealsa' the tv show

and lets not forget it is the Family surname of Princess Diana

Spencer would be a good choice here imo

Hello OP my husband is American and our children were born in the USA so we had to figure out some names that would work in both cultures. As your son's father was British he will have dual nationality and can live in the UK or Europe in the future unless laws change, so I'd find a name that would work on both sides of the Atlantic.

I don't see Albie working well in the US as much as I love it. Spencer and many other boy's names (such as Kendall!) have become feminine in the US. I would stick to a solid masculine name that is used in both countries with a direct link to his father (hometown etc) as the middle name.

A name I hear a lot more in the UK than the US is James. Nicknames in the UK are Jamie and Jim. I think Jimmy on little boys is due for a big comeback so I would consider that as an option.

For quintessentially English (not British) I would go for Bertie - as in Bertram Wooster - or just Bert if you don't want silly ass connotations.

Bradford's great actually, or the Dad's surname unless it's completely impossible. And George or Alexander this year of all years going to be a big British honour :-)

Bert and Bertie will not work well in the US unless you don't mind your son being ridiculed.

I would go with a strong, masculine, classic name especially because this little boy will not have his biological dad around. So sorry to hear of your bereavement OP I hope you have support and love where you are.

Why would a Bert be ridiculed? (Genuine question)

It's just a name that does not work well in the USA. I think all our connotations such as Royalty and the tongue-in-cheek cheeky chappie (Bert from Mary Poppins) fall dead in the US. They have none of those cultural references which are all very British. So a child is left in a very modern US culture with virtually no visual history around him compared to the UK (ancient buildings, winding streets) in suburban Dallas, Texas with what Americans would consider a dorky old fashioned name.

I did know of a fashion-forward trendy American family in Seattle that called their youngest child of four Clive.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Bradford
This might help

Remember that your child won't just be half british. They'll be half Yorkshire! Yorkshire is the largest county in the UK with a very proud tradition. I say that as a Lancastrian, A yorkshireman's deadly enemy . Have a look online at Yorkshire. There are some incredible places to visit, not least York and the Yorkshire Dales. If you ever have the opportunity you and your DC should make a visit to the County. Yorkshire has some great football teams, including Bradford City and rugby teams such as Bradford Bulls. It may be nice to go online and order a few things for the baby (they will probably have baby clothes in the teams colours).

Good luck with the baby and what a wonderful thing you are doing to honour their heritage.

Bert & Ernie, Sesame St., methinks.
I know several small Jimmys.

George
Henry
James
Charles
Paul
Edward

I'm so sorry for your loss. What. Devastating situation. I hope your little new brings you much comfort and peace.

Another American expat here, so I know what you mean when you say "British names"

I think it's not as easy as you would first think to find a name that Americans would recognize as "British" that really is a name that Brits would use. Some that come to mind are Simon, Alfie, Martin, Dominic, Oliver, Oscar, Alistair, Archie, Hugh, Jude. George may seem particularly British at the moment, but in the States it's pretty common too.

We've got a Tristan, which is Cornish, but becoming more common in America.

Good luck with your choice and the remainder of your pregnancy

Sorry about all the typos! stupid iPad!

Sebastian is pretty unusual in the US and Oliver is another you hear much more in the UK. Both would be fine in the US. Names like Hugh, Duncan, Fergus, Alastair, Lewis and Harvey are more unusual in the UK but perhaps still recognisably British and not unfeasible in Texas.

I would avoid Sesame Street names and names from teen dramas (like Spencer - a female character - from Pretty Little Liars). Same with Alfie (too like 'Alf') and Felix or Oscar ('Odd Couple').

Good luck with the baby. I think using the BF's name for a middle name would be a nice idea, or his father's name if you wanted to go further back through the generations. This might be a good idea if the grandparents will play a part in their grandson's life, which they may well be very keen to do.

I agree with joni, it's great to honour your child's Britishness, but the Yorkshire connection is almost a different thing.

Having grown up just outside Bradford and knowing that area well, you have a rich seam of history and heritage to mine there. Please do call on us West Yorkshirites for anything, and I think what you are hoping to do honour your partner and keep him in your child's life is a wonderful thing. I wish you the best of luck.

I think Bradford as a middle name is a great choice.

Long time lurker who has registered as I heard a name today I wondered might suit. Yorkshire connotations which I thought was apt.... Hallam.

I really liked it even if no-one else does!