Whose name choice is best? Please help us pick a name!

[lgfh07]

My husband and I completely clash on names. He likes names which I class as 'naughty boy names' (I'm a teacher) and he is completely indifferent to any of my suggestions but says we'll eventually find one we both love... I'm starting to worry that we won't!

We really struggled to name our little boy but eventually went for family names and called him Edward (nn Teddy) Arthur. I found it really stressful naming the baby after he was born and would like to be a bit more prepared this time!

We're expecting our second baby in October and it's another boy.

My husband likes:

• Max (too bland?)
• Luca (I worry this is a popular Italian name and we have no links to Italy)

I like:
Leo (too popular?)
Jude (a couple of relatives have told me this sounds too feminine for a boy)
Zachary (a bit boring?)

I'd love some opinions to help us narrow down our choices!

Luca is beautiful. Doesn’t matter if you’re not Italian. It’s my favourite name ever.

Actually, I don't think you're too far apart as the names you've listed are very similar in style. I think you'll be able to find common ground.

You could go with the style of your first son's name and choose another classic, there are lots of great underused ones around.

I don't think it matters if I prefer his or yours, as I think it should be a name on neither list that you both like.

Fwiw, I don't consider Max or Luca to be naughty boy names. I also know a Max and Teddy sib set.

Your taste seems similar to each other tbh. I was expecting him to like Jaxon/Brayden type names and you to like Tristan/Sebastian or something!

Recommend trying the Kinder name app?

I love Teddy/Edward and I'm not sure any of your choices go well with that? Maybe Leo/Leonard or Max/Maximilian?
Having said that my DC1 has a very traditional name and I got much braver with 2 and 3.

@DramaAlpaca Yes good point - I love the classic names but we've found it hard to decide on one which we both like and that works with our surname.

Jude is feminine in my mind, sorry. I prefer max out of them all.

@Synchrony No I don't think Max and Luca are 'naughty' boy names either - I've just listed the names he's suggested that I quite like too. I haven't heard of the Kinder app - I'll check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.

Really like Luca and Zachary.

@LocalHobo That's my worry too but I'm not keen on the longer versions of those names. Ideally we'd to pick a longer name with a nice nickname but haven't found one we both can agree on.

I think if you keep looking you'll find one you both like

Nate/Nathaniel
Matty/Matthew
Benjie/Benjamin

Maybe look at more traditional names, similar to Edward, such as Vincent, Nicholas, Rafe or Laurence?

Lucas or Luke instead of Luca?
Felix
Evan
Ewan
Amos
Kester
Silas
Seth
Toby
Rex

Edward is really classic so I feel like Max (or Maximilian) works best with his brother if that matters. Similar style to me would be names like Henry, James, William, Alexander, Samuel, Thomas, Frederick type names. Or being a teacher, if those are too popular for you then maybe something outside the top 100 but still traditional sounding like Hugh, Owen, Nathaniel, John, Robert etc

Your styles don’t look that different as per PP.

Max - Maxwell?
Luca - Lucas?
Zachary - Zachariah?

Jude is definitely a boys name and does it matter if some people think it sounds feminine? Lots of females around called Max and Luca too.

Edward is pretty classic but also very popular. It’s top-25 on its own but with Teddy also in the top 30, if you combined the two it’s a top-5 name, more popular than Leo (even more I imagine if you added in Eddie, Eddy, Teddie, Ed and Ted)

If you wanted something a little less popular so you are less likely to run into one as a teacher - perhaps go outside the top 100? Tobias, Dominic, Robert, Nathaniel, Wilfred, Christopher, Owen, Lewis, Luke.

Or from outside the top 250? Franklin, Fletcher, Nicolas, Barnaby, Douglas, Hector, Casper, Nico.

I also teach and I chose names from outside the top 1000 for all my DC.

Both your lists have some great names on them and I don't think any are ones I'd describe as overused. Given Edward has lots of nickname options, perhaps another name with multiple shortenings might work for both of you?

Albert (Albie, Bert/ie)
Alfred (Alf/ie, Fred/die)
Gabriel (Gaby, Gabe, Gabs)
James (Jamie, Jim, Jimmy)
Jonathan (John/Jon, Johnny, Jona)
Nathaniel (Nat, Nate, Nathan, Natty)
William (Billy, Bill, Will, Liam)

I like all of your choices. I'd go for Jude, followed by Leo then Zachary I think. Not keen on Max - a bit dull, and Luca seems quite trendy and I know a couple. How about Leon, Seth, Joel, Sebastian (Seb)?

Perhaps you haven't found the name yet if you still have separate lists of names you like.

Thomas
Louis
Spencer
Jacob

Jude is by far the best name😬

Putting bias aside, Teddy and Max also sound nice.

Out of your choices I’d go Max

Henry goes well with Edward

I have a Jude. It gets lots of compliments.

I don't think Max or Luca are naughty names. Also only know one Luca who is 12. Don't teach any myself. I like all the names suggested but do sympathise with dh clashes. Only suggestion is that if you wait till after the birth dh will be much more open to 'your' names. This happened to us!

How about Oliver/ Ollie?

Ps. My Jude is a boy, very alpha one too.

@LouNatics I'm dying to know what your outside top 1000 names are!

Christopher / nn Kit ? Although as I have said before I would choose John for a 2nd DS ( sadly not going to happen ) but I do think Johnny is lovely.

Of your names, Max, by far the best.

Robert is a great name. Teddy and Rob.
Teddy and Hal. Edward and Henry.

Conrad if you want less popular.

Love all of the names except Jude.