Hello, I am hoping for some real magic on this thread! My partner and I cannot find any common ground at all on names. We know we're having a boy. We're at 34 weeks now and have been talking about names since early on but always end up giving up because we don't get anywhere.
I'm looking for the classic "unusual but not too wacky/traditional but not common" combo. And I by common I mean names that were very common in my generation (Dan, Tom, Peter, Chris, Matthew, Robert, Edward etc) as well as names that are very common or getting common now (Oscar, Oliver, Arlo, Milo, Noah etc). He hardly likes any boys' names and the only ones he likes are very traditional but very common or in my mind very boring names.
We have talked so much and sought so many suggestions from others that I am genuinely thinking we may have no hope. You will see from the extensive list of rejected names below that we are in trouble! We will probably face justified accusations of being too picky but it feels like such a responsibility, we can't just pick any old name. And moreover if you don't like a name you can't really change that! (unless anyone has any tips on how to do that...?!) And I have actually suggested lots I'd be happy with, he just really hardly like any names. And the very few he does like I reeeeeally don't!
SO. Examples of names I really like but he has vetoed are:
Silas
Jesse
Albie
Frankie
Lawrence (Laurie)
Jude
Solomon (Sol)
Otis
Luca
Rudy
Asa
Examples of names that he likes that I have vetoed (he hasn't come up with many):
John
Steven
Alan
The closest we have come is:
Ted - but he would only have it if it was short for Edward, me if it was short for Theodore. And now I've realised Teddy is getting common.
Fred - which I still like, he briefly said maybe and has now changed his mind
Jack - we both like the name a lot but for me it is just too common, has been in top ten for years and years, plus I work in a very small team and one of the guys is called Jack and it would just feel weird
Scott - he likes it, I don't hate it as much as the others but don't like it
Gabriel - he likes it a bit, for me it's a bit too religious and I don't like the shortening Gabe
Neither of us are too keen on the old fashioned coming back into fashion names like Arthur, Reggie, Ralph.
And just to help you out a little more (!) here are some names that have also been considered and rejected - meaning I have liked them enough to put them on a list at one point, but am not in love with any of them, and he has rejected all of them:
Felix
Reuben
Rowan
Gus
Asher
Flynn
Austin
Patrick
Marlow
Rex
Louis
Elwyn
Kit
Beau
Casper
Jasper
Archie
Dominic
Sebastian
Dexter
Finlay
Jake
Joseph
Henry
Patrick
Robin
And some more that neither of us like or can't be used for some other reason (close relatives, ex boyfriends etc):
Seth
Nathaniel
Max
Nicholas
Tobias
Guy
Josh
Issac
Billy
Charlie
Alex
Any name that shortens to Ben
Ethan
Elliott
Elijah
Leonard
Aidan
Owen
Lots more but I should really stop now. You see, we're in trouble!!! If ANYONE can think of a name that we both like I will seriously send you a bottle of prosecco or other gift of your choosing in the post.
If you've made it this far, well done! And HEEEEEEEEEELLP!