OH and I can't decide/ agree!! Help!

[StuckInTheMiddleWithJude]

My OH is much more safe and traditional than me in choosing a name for our soon to be ds. I like traditional biblical names too but also would like something a little 'special' and not massively popular... basically the moon on a stick that everyone wants!

Names that have been favourites for me so far:

August
Art (I don't like Arthur)
Ellis

OH likes:

Joseph
Albert
Alexander

If dd has been a 'surprise' boy at delivery she'd have been called Joseph. I feel like it's a little safe but do like it, but I also feel like it belongs to my last pregnancy with her IYKWIM!?! I like Albert but don't like the nn Albie, I like 'Bert' but know that we as parents will have very little to do with nn once he is at school.

Our dd has an apparent MN 'fad' name, when we named her in 2016 I hadn't ever known any children with her name but it seems to be gaining in popularity.

Can anyone suggest something that may help us meet half way? Thank you

If you both like Gus then just have Gus. No longer name.

@toomanyeastereggsurghh I was mulling over Rafferty this morning, I'm not sure. Makes me think of Jude law/Notting hill set.

@allthegoodusernameshavegone what don't you like about Ellis and August as names? Would be useful to know why rather than just no.

I have a friend with a son called Rafferty and he gets called Raff its so cute and really suits him. Raphael could also shorten to Raff/Raph

@SuperstarDJ what is it that you find awful about the name August?

Rafferty is a bit wet in my opinion.

@NapQueen thank you. I hear you but OH is keen on a 'Full name' on a BC

If you’re after something similar to Albert with nn Bertie I know a Hubert who gets called Bertie (although also occasionally gets called Hubie which for some reason I find hysterical!)

I've known an Augustus and an Augustine - both better than August, I think. Maybe because they seem more like names and August seems more like a word?

Austin is also a mediaeval English form of Augustine.

I wouldn't discount names that belong to next door neighbours or footstools (!) myself, if you otherwise like them.

I think of Rafferty as a cool surfer name I don’t think it’s wet

@toomanyeastereggsurghh I think of 'a right old Hurbert' unfortunately. I think I'd go for Albert over Hurbert. Thank you though.

Could Bert be a stand alone? Although OH is keen for a 'full name' on a BC

@AtticaRose I know it's ridiculous, it is a leather elephant if that helps my case on the foot stall?! I could compromise on that. We couldn't use our next door neighbours name though as we socialise with them and that'd be a bit strange for us.

If you like Bert or Bertie then Albert is lovely and while you don't have that much control over nns, if he starts school having been Bert or Bertie for the past 4 years and considering that his name, it's likely to stick.

If you like Gus, agree that Angus or similar would be better. August is a funny sound to me too and also very faddy, plus Augie is not a nice nn but quite likely to come out.

Would your OH consider Elias instead of Ellis? A bit more traditional but still a bit different. We know one pronounced El-EE-as the European way, and another with the British El-I- as sound - so you have options there too.

The minute you start looking for names that 'not everyone has' is just when you end up with names that...everyone has.

Ellis and Alexander are nice. August is terrible.

Maybe usurp the elephant. :-)

There are lots of Bert names:
Albert
Hubert
Robert
Cuthbert
Gilbert
Norbert
Wilbert

Bertram
Bertrand
Berthold

Love Art and Joseph - both brilliant names.

(btw it's foot stool not stall - sorry to be so pedantic)

Think you need very traditional but unusual names then to get your Dh on board-
Jonah as suggested
Emmett?
Emerson?
Alistair
Wilfred
Wilf
Kit for Christopher
Benedict
Rowan
Gabriel

August is not a nice name - it's difficult to give a reason why. I think it's the kind of name teenage boys would make fun of when he's older.

Ellis is not bad, although I taught a horrible Ellis so am personally biased against it! I like all your DH's names but I am more of a traditional names fan. You seem to have very different tastes so it will be hard to compromise. Could you go for a classic name as your DH seems to like those but which is less used now? Something like Christopher or Matthew?

Gus is lovely. Why not Fergus or Angus? Or even Augustus? Much better than August, which is just not a name.

But in general I also prefer you OH's choices, especially Joseph and Albert.

@Stuckforthefourthtime thank you for your input that's really helpful re: Bert/ Bertie/ Albert. I know Micheal's that have never become Mike's for example so even if he is Albert I still like that.

I can understand the odd 'sound' to August. It seems to be fairly popular in Scandinavia/ Germany but maybe a little too odd for our UK ears. Yes and Augie isn't great. I'm not keen on Angus.

No, Elias was vetoed also. He doesn't really tell me why he dislikes certain names so I find it really useful to be actually able to discuss the whys 😊

Also, re. a previous post, Hubert and Herbert are quite different names that you seem to be confusing.

@DegbitDb thank you! No offence to spelling corrections. As I wrote it I questioned myself... but apparently not enough to double check!

I still really like Art. We have a double barrelled surname (we'll children and OH do, I kept my surname) and I'm just not sure it's 'enough' with the surname. Also it's been vetoed by OH.

@bridgetreilly Yes I spelt it both ways when writing my reply initially. That'll be a reason to not use it also.

I do really like Albert. It's just the potential Albie nn I don't like personally which is holding me back.

Aubrey

I'm with your husband with the whole proper name thing. Most names will always be shortened no matter how short they are, so you don't have any guarantees that if you use a nn for a name that that is what people will use.

I'm also not a fan of August. I think it just makes me picture a really obnoxious kid everyone calls Augie.

I've worked in private schools and go to quite a few baby groups now so the range of names I've seen is ridiculous.

Patrick
Seth
Caspian
Nico
Wulfstan
Apollo
Orion
Oliver
Andrew
Theodore
James
Alan
Victor
Forrest
Arlo
Atticus
Tristan
Luke
Jacob

Noah and Harry/Henry are quite popular ones.