A boy's name that travels well!

[Peregrane]

I am due in weeks and need a name for DS2. I like classical names that are timeless and classless. DH would probably prefer something mellifluous/with artistic flair but still fitting into the classical category. Bonus points for a name that works in several languages as we are a multilingual family.

My preferred names were:

Peter (DH thinks it's too boring, doesn't like the nicknames in his mother tongue or in English. I pointed out that the child could just be called Peter, without the need for a nickname...)

Paul (again DH finds it boring and too short - I pointed out that shorter names work better with his surname)

DH has advanced some suggestions that just would not work - e.g. because they are too strongly associated with another nationality that we don't actually have any links to.

We would be both ok with Francis as a middle name (it's a family name on my side) but not as a first one. We both like William and Edward but they are taken. I would veto Lucas and Oscar as they are much too popular round here and I don't like them very much.

Any ideas?

Ah interesting WhattheFuckery - yak's probably not the best name :o

People here in rural Germany seem ok with well known foreign names (I also know a small half Vietnamese half German Joanna whom nobody seems to bat an eyelid at calling Joanna pronounced the English way, not Johanna pronounced yo-hannah! )

Patrick?

Andrew?
Thomas?
Peter?
Pick an apostle lol...

DP gets called Yak at least 3-4 times a week.

Some names just don't travel well. Like Noah, super popular in UK, here Noa is a super popular girls name pn just like the English Noah. It would be like calling your little boy Amelia in England. You just couldn't.

Also it's spelling. A popular boys name here is Joan (spelled like Joan the old lady and pn like Joanne).

It's crazy, you have to be so careful.

WhattheFuckery I guess that underlines that it's important to know which countries the international countries are!

I've never met a German George under the age of 70, which may be why people are happy to talk about prince George pronounced the English way. I have met a James and a Joanna who don't get called Yames and Joanna (or Johanna).

People here seem to like English names, though there's a tendency to look down on people who use them if they don't have an English speaking/ international parent. I liked Mattias but loads of Germans told me Mathew is nicer and I should use it because I can - Mathew falls into the middle aged accountant category a bit for me though, where to me Mattias sounded more interesting... We didn't use either in the end!

J, Th, and ch sounds are not the same in many other tongues.

This. And don't have a name ending in A, because that sounds feminine in some languages. Slightly different pronounciations can't be avoided, but as long as it works as a boys name that will be fine.

Simon
Tristan
Scott
Victor
Alex
Jasper (totally different in germanic languages but very beautifully so)
Toby
Max
Ruben
Castor

Although of course Simon is see-mon in German, which you might not want...

Very true catinasplashofsunshine. What countries OP?

I have a Tim for exactly the same reason.its pronounced the same in English and German.

catinasplashofsunshine "...though there's a tendency to look down on people who use them if they don't have an English speaking/ international parent. "

This is the reason I dislike using first names from different languages or culture. It's downmarket, and the names are often mispronounced and about 25 years past their peak.

Some names are newer in different countries.

Adrian in England would be very 70's/80's, yet her Adrian pn Add-re-ann is a very of the last 10 years name.

I have lived in France and Spain, Italy and America and Hugo would travel well in all of these. '

Wow, lots of ideas! Thank you.

The best combination I can pick out from the above list is Christian Muhammad... :D sorry, I could not resist :)

@MikeUniformMike, thank you so much for the tip-off on Peter in French!! I had no idea, and the name has to work in a French context (at least to the point of not being risible).

I think our background can be safely summed up as European (more than one region, and I am including the UK).

@catinasplashofsunshine, I am curious what name you gave to your DC3 :) DC1, like your other children, has an international name that is spelled/pronounced differently in various languages, but all the Western varieties are well known and he responds to more than one version of his name.

Biblical names are indeed one of the obvious places to look...

I could probably live with Adam, let's see what DH thinks. DC1 is plugging for Thomas, which I find unoffensive but it doesn't really call to me.

There's an Adrian in dd's class at her German state school WhattheFuckery but DD pronounces it the way he does (obviously - and especially because she doesn't know any English Adrians) but for the first few weeks my English ear assumed she was talking about a girl as it's Ah-dree-ahn (actually she talks about him an awful lot, perhaps we need to meet him )

I would say Adrian is more 1960s/1970s. It certainly doesn't sound new here (Rocky's "Aaaaay-dree-uuuun!")

We don't need to worry about Spanish or Italian, but we do about other major European languages...

What is the main language that affects your decision? Would something like Karl be ok? I wouldn't use it in Ireland or Scotland as it would be said as Karrel.
Does it need to be an English name that won't get mangled in France and Germany? Andreas and Johann work in most of Europe but is not so good if you live in the UK. Thomas works in most countries.

Theo is a nice name, I think

Markus works, just the c/k decision.

Peregrine I'm contemplating telling you our names, but then I'd have to name change myself :o

Dc1s name has been suggested (not by me) and is a splendid choice despite being pronounced different ways, I like all the pronunciations

Con (Conor, Conrad, Connie) names are no good in France, and Penny for a girl is out too.
Sebastian works but I don't like it.

Matthias or Tobias would work but are pronounced differently.

Theo is international but pronounced totally differently in other languages - I don't think there is another European language with the English "Th" sound. It's an ordinary name in Germany but pronounced more like Tee-o

Or actually more "Tayo"

Lucas?
Theo is Tayo in most tongues. It's nice enough but seems to have become popular after a teenager called Walcott started playing for England. Not many Theos over 12.

If Germany is relevant Lukas certainly works, but approximately 25% of boys under 10 are called a variant of Luka or Lukas, at least around here...

Philip and Felix also work.