boys name shortlist not living in uk

[WhatIsWhistlingAnyway]

I'm due in September, and we live in a Spanish-speaking country which is where DH is from. This is our final list (and it's in my current order of preference), but it's just so hard to settle firmly on something!! ...Any thoughts on this list? Similar ideas? Although that might be tough since there seems to be no trend to these three!!

Leonardo nn Leo (well-known here)
Erik (known name here)
Owen (unknown but pronounceable here)

I like Owen. Also it opens up your options to the 'popular UK names'. It's unlikely DS will be one of many in his class in your case.

All nice names. Go with the one you love most.

Leo! By miles

I really like 1 and 3. I don't like Erik.

Leonardo the most!! I love this name! Owen second, but a far second :)

Leo is nice.
Or how about Nico?

arlo

Erik

I like Leo and Owen. Not keen on Erik

I've taught quite a few Spanish boys. Names included:

Leopoldo (Pollo)
Ignacio (Nacho)
Diego
Alonso
Paco
Jorge
Xisco (pn 'Siss-Co')
Alejandro (Alex)
Jaime (pn 'Hi-Mee')
Camino

I like Paco. Francisco or Francis on BC?
Owen might be confusing in Spanish speaking country
Leo is nice but I'm not keen on Leonardo.

Francisco is my FIL's name so that's a no-go! I love Diego and Santiago but DH vetoed them both as apparently old-man names :-(

Mariposa
Louis

I love Leonardo. Also like Lorenzo as a name nn. Enzo x

Cesar

Leo/Leonardo is lovely, very international and classic. Eric is a bit dull in comparison. I also like Owen although it's totally different! Does it sound nice in the local accent? Could you use one as a middle name? Leonardo Owen is nice.

Would it be better/easier for your DS to have a Spanish name versus a foreign one, if you're planning on staying there? We are in Italy and in the end have decided to plump for an Italian first name (and English middle name) because some people are a bit funny about "weird" foreign names and (given our DC's British heritage won't be obvious from the surname), recognisably English names are often viewed as a bit tacky/faddy, popular among C-list celebs etc. No idea what the perception is like where you are.

My favourite Spanish names are Edoardo, Rafael, Gabriel, Paco, Luis and Cristobal.

Leemillar that's really interesting! What names are c list celeb names in Italy?

Leonardo, though Erik is cool !
Dislike Owen, sorry.

heateallthebuns Alyssa, Chloe, Isabel, Mya, Chanel, Nathan, Lenny, Gregory, Daniel, David Lee are all baby names used by Italian celebs such as footballers.

Things like Christian, Ethan, Brian, Kevin, Michael, Nicole, Sharon, Jessica, Grace, Jasmine are also used. Some more traditional ones (e.g. Thomas) seem more accepted while others, especially those linked to US celebs, seem to be associated with lower social class (and not only in Italy - in Germany they even have a name for it, 'Kevinismus'). That's why I wondered about perception of Owen vs Leo.

I like Owen, and it’s a nice touch to your british heritage, especially if the surname is Spanish. He will definitely be the only one at school and I think that’s a cool thing.
Maybe British names are looked on as being “weird” if the parents that use them have no links with Britain?

I don't think the celeb name thing is really a thing where we live. Our first child has an English name and people comment on it, but most know I'm English so it's not exactly surprising!

That's kind of why we liked Erik, because it's used here and obviously has history (albeit with a c) in England.

Hmm. I do like Leonardo/Leo best but it seems less of a match with DS1's English name. Is that weird? I know popular Leo is a name in England too but it's pronounced differently here so it would be kind of like one English name and one not for the two siblings.

I know a family with a James and a Matteo. And I have a friend with an incredibly common 80s name (think Sarah, Louise) whose sister has an unusual hippyish name that 'go' at all. I think it's a little strange and I might worry that one might be jealous of the other and want an Anglo/Spanish name too. I'd probably just guess that one was named by each parent though.

In the end, you're naming them for life and it's only when they're younger that they'll always come as a pair. Overall, I think too much importance is given to sibling names going well together.