Names dedicated to Keith, that aren't Keith

[kitsilano19]

I want to decide on a baby boy name that honours my Dad who I lost at the start of this year. His name is Keith, but I am not a huge fan of Keith for a baby in 2021... Any ideas on a similar sounding name that still honours him but is a bit more modern?

Keith is really growing on me, Kit could be a cute nn.

Keith has such a nice sound, it’s just that 70s association people have with it-not to say that’s a bad thing.

Penelope?

Seriously though I like Keifer. I think it’s close enough in sound to the original, even if the etymology is different, to memorialise your dad yet sound contemporary.

Otherwise just use Keith as a middle name.

Either use Keith or forget it. Surely if you want to "honour" someone you can't then use some other name . To me that's actually insulting them - I wanted to honour your name but I don't like your name.

I don’t agree, my DD has a variant on my mum’s name as a middle name - that was my mum’s choice.

I love the idea of Forest!
Maybe you could do the same Initials?
Eg. If his name was Keith Anthony, you could do something like Kaleb Asher or Kyle Archie.

Seth - could also work as it ends in th and is one syllable.

Check out baby name envy she gets a lot of questions like this. She has an insta/YouTube and podcast it's really good for dilemmas like this!

Kit feels more modern.

Quiche?

@HelenaJustina

Keith is really growing on me, Kit could be a cute nn.

Love this. Please dont use another name as you don’t like Keith, its so disrespectful.

Hi, my father in law is also Keith, we've chosen Brysen Ernest William for our sons name. Naming of my husband but updated and his grandfather's names. But I was just thinking what about a modem update of Keith couldn't think of any but seen someone suggest heath I like that name think it's a good one for a modern update

Keith will make a fine middle name for your son. I like an unfashionable middle name as it's clearly in honour of a much loved relative.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Agree with everyone who says the best/clearest way to honour him is to use it as a middle name. Few people outside of close family know what peoples middle names are anyway - so it's really unlikely he'd get any comments about having a dated/"old man" middle name.

I could understand if it was a girl (trying to find a different but similar enough name) but for a boy Keith's absolutely fine. I know several younger boys (in my own family) with similarly dated middle names to honour relatives - Alan, Brian etc and it's never been an issue for them.

Same as @ChirpyChirp DS1 has his grandad's surname as his middle name.

I reckon Keith is very much due a comeback. Use it as is for first or middle, I wouldn't pee about with similar but different.

I mean look at when Simon Cowell called his son Eric and everyone was and now it just seems a perfectly acceptable name for a child.

My friend Keith (who is in his early 50s and loathes his name, incidentally -- he describes it as the ultimate 'wet lettuce' name) was named that 'in honour of his father, who was a Kenneth who didn't like his name either, and insisted his son be called something else, but this was clearly viewed as a 'tribute' name by both parents. No, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, either.

@Welcometotheterrorzone

I disagree. I think a name that is a nod to another name is fine. The main thing is that when you hear the name is reminds you of their namesake. It doesn't matter that it's not the actual name.

There's one thing if your beloved Nana was called Rosemary, and you name your DD Rosie... Or you Papa was called Dennis and you use Denise...

But to go 'my Papa was called Charles. I want to honour him, but don't want to use Charles, Charlie or Chuck. So shall I use Frank because they mean the same thing...kinda'

Forrest.

Names go in cycles. We're on grandad/grandma currently. Lots of little baby Arthurs and Alberts and Ediths and Ivys and what not.

Call him Keith, he'll be ahead of the trend. The next generation of kids will be named after their grandparents- Keiths, Ians, Sharons, Tracy's

If you want to honour someone, use their name. You can't honour him by using some other name , it doesn't make any sense.

Kit

Kenneth?

I had similar with my nan - wanted to use her name for DD2 - but she always hated her first name, and it had gone through a phase of popularity when Friends was around. So we used her middle name as DD's middle name instead.

Ah it’s a middle name- just use Keith.

I pondered for ages about both dc’s middle names and people are right when they point out how rarely they’re used.

When filling out forms I usually have to pause for a millisecond to recollect what each of them are!

Rufus.

The town of Keith in Scotland was originally known as "Kethmalruff", a dedication to Saint Maol Rubha (d. 722), also Latinised as "St Rufus”.

The church there is called St Rufus.