Name Opinions/Suggestions Please?

[NotAllThoseWhoWanderAreLost]

Just looking for some opinions/ideas for names please! It's our first baby and we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet so have options for both. We like fairly strong, classic names, nothing wacky, hippy-trippy or cutesy, but not too try-hard either! We would use the shortened version where there is one. Surname is a shortish "Mc" name.

For boys our list is currently:
Alexander (Alex)
Daniel (Dan)
Nathaniel (Nate)
Elijah (Eli)
Reuben

And girls:
Elena
Catherine (Kate)
Evelyn (Eve - not Evie)
Esther

Not keen on any of your boys names, but Dan is the nicest.
I like all your girls names. I would go with either Elena or Esther

Names are quite popular ... Please tell me Elena is El-AY-Na not El-En-a

If so lovely but there is an Eleanor spelt Elena trend at the moment (just for the constant 'no it's ..." Comments)

There is nothing wrong with popular by the way!

I love Nathaniel.
Alistair?
Edward?
Dominic?
Patrick?

Elena is a legitimate (principally European) way of spelling Eleanor.

Like Elijah and Reuben.
None of your girls names out to me.
Amelia? Rose? Bethany?

Like Alexander and Reuben
Esther and prefer Eleanor than Elena

Bike I know but with the mc surname people will assume El-ey-na and it will always have to be corrected - is what I was saying.

Thanks all; Elena would definitely be El-ay-na, there is an (adult) Eleanor in close family hence I like the connection with it being similar but not actually using the same name. I hadn't thought about the other pronunciation tbh, or that people might say it differently because of a 'Mc' surname - is that the case? Hmm!

BikeRunSki thanks, I actually really like Edward but the Twilight connotation had put me off slightly - didn't want people to think we'd named our child after a sparkly vampire but that might have had its day by now?!

I really like the top 3 boys names listed. Nate is my favourite. But I'm not especially keen on any of your girls names. I quite like Eve but have never liked Evelyn for some reason (and Evie/Eva/Evelyn etc are so overused at the moment). So of your list I would probably choose Elena. I think it's a pretty name and I would pronounce it the way you intended (regardless of your surname). HTH

Thanks Seren - I think you're right about Eve, shame as I've always liked it but all the various versions of Evie/Eva/Ava etc. do seem to be everywhere at the moment. Plus I wouldn't want her (if a she!) being nicknamed Evie as I really don't like girly 'ie'-sound-ending names. Elena and Esther are probably our girl frontrunners, the boy options are trickier, I like too many of them!

Love Alex and Dan, Elena, Kate and Esther. Like Reuben and Nate (wd definitely have full name on the bc).

I find Elijah a bit annoying. And all Eve/Evie names are way too popular.

My favourites are
Nathaniel and Alexander
Esther and Elena - love the el-ay-na pn

I like Michael, but Michael Mc is probably a bit much! Suggestions: James, Luke, John, Edgar, Leonard, David, Rory?

From your boys list I like Elijah, Daniel and Nathaniel. I do not get the love for Reuben on here at all!

I think Evelyn would be nicknamed Evie by many people, and she may even choose it herself! So if you don't like Evie at all I would avoid.

Catherine and Esther, meh. Elena is beautiful.

How about Juliet, Jane, Rachel or Sara? Simple but pretty.

Love the name James but not so keen on like Jim/Jimmy potential nns. Michael is nice but doesn't sound great with the surname.

Having read a lot of threads on here for inspiration I also like of Seth or Christopher for a boy??

Evelyn/Eve is definitely out. Girl would most likely be Elena, with Esther as back up in case she didn't look like an Elena! Juliet and Sara/h are both really nice too - my cousin's 2 year old is Sarah and that's probably the only reason we didn't list it as I think it's a lovely, classic name.

Reuben makes me think of the sandwich, sorry...

Christopher would go really well with a 'mc' surname IMHO

Nathaniel/Nate definitely my favourite of your boy's names. Like Christopher too. How about Alasdair or Andrew?

I like all of your girl's names. Would prob go for Esther myself. How about Elspeth?

Nathaniel is my favourite boys name from your list. I'm not a big fan of your girls list.
I like Helena rather than Elena.
Would you consider Alexandra for a girl?

Hmm, not mad on Elspeth I have to admit; I like traditional names but I'm not into the really old fashioned name craze so much. Alasdair is nice for a boy though. We had considered Alexandra for a girl too, I quite like boyish names for girls sometimes and we would shorten it to Alex - I know a female Alex and it really suits her. The only issue would be I'd have to shoot anyone who tried to nn her Lexi as I really really hate that name!

Thanks again for all the suggestions, it'll help once we know what it is too!

El-en-a (like Ellen-a) is the correct Welsh pn of Elena rather than a trend or a mis-spelling of Eleanor (Welsh spelling Elinor, pn in Wales with the "or" more accentuated rather than an -uh sound) purplesky. I still prefer E-lay-na pn.