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?

Olivier - it's easy to pronounce for non-French speakers, I'd say, and still very recognisable as a form of Oliver - unless of course people try saying it as Olivia... Maybe scratch that one.
Bruno.
Frederick.
Anthony.

Another thread where people think the whole of "Europe" speaks one language.

I think our background can be safely summed up as European

That is literally zero help in enabling people to suggest pronounceable names.

Daniel

Also David

We have a William and it's recognised (although very English!!) in most European countries, people know how to spell it and the pronounciation varies but still good. It sounds nice in French (I am French speaking and my family loves the name).

Going back to the OK, what's the nickname for Peter? I can't think if one.

Alexander
Henry
Jacob
Thomas
Isaac

I automatically think of Biblical names or Royal names (including foreign royals)on threads such as this.

Frederick
Alexander
Michael
Nicholas
Louis

Mathew
Daniel
Luke
James
Samuel
David

Pete is the nn for Peter

Michael

@LionAllMessy indeed, but I was not asking for help with names that are pronounceable in our specific languages.

I was fishing for a list of fairly international names as inspiration, on the basis of which we could decide for ourselves if specific names work in our specific languages or not. I.e. asking for the Alexander/Thomas type names, not the Humphrey/Grayson/Tyler type names... (which admittedly still leaves the door open for error on my part.)

I really don't think it would help if I gave the specific languages we need to work with because some of them are widely spoken and many posters will be familiar with them, and others are small languages that hardly any foreigners learn, so the only thing I'd achieve is possibly out myself.

European, however, is relevant in that one can assume that the Alexander/Thomas type names will feature across all those languages, as opposed to, I don't know, if we came from a Tzotzil Maya background mixed with Maori. I haven't seen anyone in this thread thinking that the whole of Europe speaks one language, and surely a multilingual family will be the last to make that assumption!

How about Boris? Gregor? Magnus? Erik?

In our extended family on 3 continents almost all the post 1970's males have as first or middle names:

Alexander / Aleksandar / Aleksander

We're missing an Alejandro though.

Same name from Aberdeen to Vladivostok, just minor spelling variations.

Cannot tell ethnicity or religion and the nearest to a neutral pan-European name we know of and hence our reason for choosing it.

Preferred short forms do vary from Aberdeen's Sandy to Vladivostostok's Sacha.

Alex is an abhorrent form, sadly widely imposed by others.

Matthew Francis
Laurence Francis
Magnus Francis
Barnabas Francis
Louie Francis
Hadrian Francis

Max?
Zach(ary)?
Anthony?
Nicholas (Nick/Niko)?

Gabriel
Max
Thomas

Mark
Eric
Victor
Frederick

This thread is frustrating. I agree with @LionAllMessy. Why don’t you tell us the main languages that are widely spoken and maybe the language “group” of the less common languages? Or at least one or two of the languages that are important to you? The only one you’ve mentioned is French but it doesn’t sound as if your DH is French? Does the name really have to work in every single European language?

It needs to be biblical and/or classic so just look at biblical names and the top 50 for each of the many countries and languages it needs to work in.

FWIW DH is “European” (actually French) and we chose a Biblical name that is recognisable but rarely used.

Alex
Benjamin
David
Louis
Charles
Nicholas
Karl
Frederick

Andrew/andre

Alexander
Benjamin
John
Spencer
Julian
Sebastian
Arthur
Leonard
Robert

Julian
Oliver
Fabien
Charles
Samuel
Daniel
Simon
August
Gregory
Adam
Marcus

The thread has been helpful to me and once again, I was not asking for names that work in every language... just inspiration with names that work in several, and my problem if they don’t work in ours. I am sorry that some posters found that frustrating. Thank you for the help all the same.

FWIW, DC1’s name is neither biblical nor in the top 50 in any of the countries we have links to, but we love it and it does have well recognised equivalents - it’s been mentioned on this thread too.

We chose Alexander as a name that travels well.

Richard
William
Albert
Louis
Philip
Charles
Nicholas
Henry

Alexander