Hector? (and a female alternative)

[CaptainWentworth]

Due first baby in the autumn and we haven’t found out the sex, so aiming for a shortlist of 2/3 boys and girls names to pick from when DC arrives.

The male name I keep coming back to is Hector - it was my paternal grandpa’s name and I think it’s a little (nicely) unusual but not totally ridiculous. However, while I think it goes really well with my very Scottish maiden name, I’m not sure if sounds so natural with my married name which is very common and Welsh (if anything). Grandpa was actually Scottish but DH and I are both English.

Also we now live in the NE (although we’re not local originally) and while some names that are well liked on Mumsnet would fit in in London I’m not sure we would get away with them so easily where we are! Could you imagine a Geordie sounding Hector?

Other ideas for a boy are Arthur, George, Alexander, possibly Leo?

Also I need a few ideas for girls - have a list but haven’t come across anything I love yet. Kind of like Violet (one of DH’s grandmas) but then I keep thinking of Violet Elizabeth Bott! DH likes Esme (although I’m not sure of the correct pronunciation to be honest!) Freya (too popular I think) and Anna.

Your selection of boys names are pretty old (14th century?). Does that mean you like similar girls names? If yes

Eleanor
Isadora
Isolde/Isolda
Cecily
Francesca
Helena
Elizabeth/Elizabeta
Aleysia/Alice
Margaret
Juliana
Elgina
Isobel/Isabella

Also you said Thea - it's actually a short form for Theodora which is another ye olde name

Love Hector. Violet is very popular. Freya is the least popular of you girl's names.

mikeuniform from Wikipedia

Esmé (more commonly Esme) or Esmée is an English given name, from the past participle of the French esmer, "to esteem". Esmé came to be used in Scotland in the 16th century as the name of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox (1542–1583). Originally a masculine name, Esme had become a feminine name by the mid-twentieth century.[1] Esme was among the 100 most popular baby names for girls in the UK in 2015.[2]

Feminine
Esmé Bianco (born 1982), British model and performer
Esme Church (1893–1972), British actress and theatre director
Esme Irwin (1931–2001), British cricket player
Esmé Kamphuis (born 1983), Dutch retired bobsledder
Esme Langley (1919–1991), British writer
Esme Mackinnon (born 1913), British skier
Esme Melville (1918–2006), Australian actress
Esme Steyn (born 1953), South African lawn bowler
Esmè Stuart, pen name of Amélie Claire Leroy (1851–1934), English writer
Esme Tombleson (1917–2010), New Zealand politician
Esmé Wiegman (born 1975), Dutch politician
Esmé Wynne-Tyson (1898–1972), English actress and writer

Just saying...

And 'to Esme with love and squalor' one of my favourite JD Salinger novels

Leo!

I know one, usually called by his full name, sometimes Heckers

Heckers, really

There is a Hector near me, he is 5. He gets H for short.

Hector is fine. Alexander is nice too, or what about Alasdair?

or Heckscalibur

For a girl, Alice, Stella, Larissa, Phoebe, Juliet, Cara, Faye

Thanks for all the responses - really interesting reading! I’m not sure I ever liked Esme(e) and the different ideas about spelling etc are putting me off even more.

Wouldn’t use Alasdair as my dad is Alistair (and not Margaret as that’s my mum).

Alice and Stella are nice ideas - although DH has vetoed Stella due to the lager. Quite like Eleanor, also Eloise, but don’t really like nn Ellie. DH likes Francesca.

Hilda?

I like Hector, but I really dislike Esme, Violet and Freya. Anna is nice - a classic name, but not as interesting as Hector.

What about Maisie ? Or Hattie?

I teach a Hester (girl). Kind of similar.

Cassandra (continues the Trojan war theme)
Helena (ditto)

Fenella (Scottish)
Fiona (ditto)
Annabel (ditto)
Catriona (ditto)
Christina (not Scottish in origin, but popular among older generation there and maybe due a revival)

I like Hector

Arthur is very popular (ranked no. 4 in 2019)
Esme is ranked no 47

I also like previous suggestions of Hester and Juliana

To check trends in baby names, you can look here:
names.darkgreener.com/

ZOMBIE

Hector and Anna are great!

Violet no - Vi is so horrible as a nickname.