Naming baby who may be born prematurely

[ActonBell]

We’re at a very high risk of premature birth for various reasons. We’re taking it day by day, week by week, at the moment and haven’t reached that crucial 24 week mark yet.

But I know that whatever happens this beautiful baby will need a name. DH isn’t in a place where he can talk about it yet but I keep turning it over in my mind. I’m worried we may not have a lot of time to find the right name if little one arrives very early.

This is my list for boys at the moment. I find boys names so hard. We already have a DS who has a classic and popular (top 20) name. There are also loads of boys in our family so if there’s a classic name missing from the list below, it’s because we already have a relative with that name and can’t use it again (Peter, Nicholas, Oliver, James, etc. are all out).

Surname begins with a hard ‘c’ sound so I’m not sure that Luke or Isaac work very well but they’re still on the list.

What do people think? I want to find this little one the most beautiful name. They are so loved already.

Theodore
Arthur
Rowan
Luke
Gabriel
Toby/Tobin
Charles (nn Charlie)
Rory
Robin
Isaac
Rufus
Reuben
Seth
Ivan
Alfred (maybe nn Fred)
Aidan
Zachary

I hope all goes well for you x

I love Gabriel and would also suggest Ethan as it means ‘strength’.

I was a prem mum too, you are in for a rollercoaster but these wee babies are stronger than you could ever imagine x

Thank you everyone.

Gabriel, Toby (does it need to be Tobin/Tobias?), Robin, Rory and Aidan are probably in the lead at the moment.

I do like Nathan and Ethan but not quite as much as some of these other names.

My dad made a face when we said we were thinking of Rory for DS1 but he’ll just have to get over it! I think I prefer Toby though…

It’s so hard as DS1 just seemed to arrive with his name. It wasn’t something we’d thought of but it seemed just right for him. This time though I don’t know if I’ll get to see the baby immediately after their born and I feel like we need to be prepared in case they’re really poorly. Then again, things might turn out much better than expected.

Toby is gorgeous.
I like Tobias but also really Toby as a stand alone name.

Gabriel, Toby and Aidan are brilliant choices. I really love Nathan and Nathaniel (Nate) too

I love your list! Here are my thoughts if helpful:

Theodore - quite popular but still like it
Arthur - a classic
Rowan - this is my baby girl's name. Already gets shortened to 'Row', which I hate and the name seems to continually get muddled and misheard with the name Roman with an M and Reuben. Both are two of the most popular fast rising trendy boys names. If i'd realised all this in advance, I wouldn't have chosen it. Irritates me but might not you.
Luke - love this - a classic
Gabriel - top choice
Toby/Tobin - top choice
Charles (nn Charlie) - ok
Rory - sudden surge in popularity , its boomed up the charts and there's loads of popular similar sounding names (like Ronnie) all in top 100, I'd avoid
Robin - same as above - all the Reuben Rory etc type names just merge into one a bit. Very different names but when there's a few in the same class they don't sound that different
Isaac - nice
Rufus - nice
Reuben - overused, very trendy, overdone
Seth - love this - top choice
Ivan - ok
Alfred (maybe nn Fred) - nice
Aidan - top choice
Zachary - love it

Gabriel is beautiful and gets my vote. Also a fan of Zachary and Theodore xx

Zachary is lovely, and Rowan is nice too.

Gabriel love it!

My DS1 arrived at 24 weeks. He is Edward. We had a long, uncertain and rocky journey through NICU, but eventually he came home - and is now approaching his 16th birthday. Dreams can come true. Everything crossed for you OP.

I like Gabriel…have you thought of Laurence/ Laurie? I hope your little one stays where he belongs for many more weeks.💐

Despite the hate it's received on this thread I love Reuben. I have a toddler Reuben and it's not overused in this area. We haven't met any others.
It means "behold, a son" which I love.

Others I like are Gabriel and Malachi (which means messenger of god).

That’s a lovely list. My favourite is Theodore, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of your selection.

Good luck with everything .

Given everything you've said I really like Gabriel, and pp suggestion of Raphael. Best of luck to you OP

@jackstini

Aaron, Asher, Nathanial all mean miracle

Adam is life

Jonathan, Matthew, Mikah all mean gift

All the best

Aaron means lofty or exalted Asher is happiness Nathaniel is given by Gd Adam is earth Sorry to be name meaning police. I have become that person

Gabriel seems like a great choice.
Good luck to you Op

Isaac is lovely.

From your list I like Robin, Rory, Toby & Theodore.

Good luck Op

Davy is Welsh and means a cherished and precious boy.

Finlay, from Latin, meaning hero.

I also love Gabriel, and knew one, who suited it well.

I have a Gabriel, he's at primary school, we haven't met another one (yet) and I love the meaning of it. That would be my choice off your list and in fact was my first thought before I even got to your list.

I like Gabriel too ❤️
Suggestions of Christopher and Joseph.
Wishing you all the very best with baby xxx

Gabriel ❤. My Ds was born at just over 2lb at 30 weeks, tiny but perfect and no complications. He is 10 now and still little but perfect to me. Wishing you all the very best of luck x

They're all lovely names OP.

I hope LO stays in there as long as possible so he has the best chance 🤞

Aww. Baby names I love that I don't think we will be using as we either know one or my partner has vetoed for ours

• Jesse
• Leo
• Rory
• Toby
• Ted
• Douglas /Dougie

Nathanael means God Has Given. Would be a nice meaning