To alliterate or not to alliterate

[Loader1993]

We're really struggling for baby boy names. We've fallen in love with two but both have been criticised by family and friends and now we don't know what to do. We know it's obviously our decision regardless but still makes you think what others say.

Our surname is Loader and we love Lincoln but unsure about the alliteration. The 2nd is Carson, but then my Mother in law said he'll be known as a 'Car Loader' due to our surname. Now we wonder if either of them go, or if he'll/ we'll have the mickey taken once he's born.

Any thoughts or help appreciated!! xx

Loader is a tricky surname!

I think I would also avoid anything with "car", sorry.

Lincoln Loader sounds almost like the name of a piece of machinery or something, like a brand name. I think that's why last name / place names don't work. I'm sorry!

I don't think alliteration in itself is bad though. Luke Loader, for example, sounds fine to me.

I don't think alliteration is the problem. It's that if you use a surname as a first name, and have the surname Loader, inevitably the name will sound like a type of machinery. Could you consider some more names that are obviously first names? Or double-barrel your surnames so he is Lincoln Smith-Loader, which removes the problem?

I think both work okay, but I’d keep looking just in case.

My cousin has a little Jenson, which you might like? Avoids the “car” issue.

Or maybe Dillon, Harrison, Nolan, Finley, Griffin, Owen, Evan.

I don’t mind alliteration, I think it can sound really great.. but not always. I think Lincoln Loader though sounds like a name of an American car or a massive chocolate bar or something anyway I can hear “a Lincoln Loader!” and it very much sounds like a thing not someone’s name.

I agree that alliteration can work really well/be memorable - but I personally think it tends to work best either with a different number of syllables to the surname/with very different sounds or a much more common first name (so Luke, Lucas, Lewis etc all sound better with Loader imo).

Of the two, I'd probably pick Lincoln, but it does still sound a bit machinery like, which is a risk with some "surname" type first names with Loader. Maybe Sullivan, Heath or Clark instead (trying to think of other well known but not popular "surname" names that sound less industrial).

Sorry, my first thought was Lincoln Loader sounded like a gun.