Timeless and elegant names - Liam or Reuben?

[SweetMeadow]

Hello, this is my first post but I’m an avid Mumsnet post reader!

I’m feeling quite stuck about deciding on names for our little boy arriving imminently!

I am really keen on a timeless and elegant name and so far, I’m only seriously considering either Reuben Oisín or Liam Oisín. Oisín would be the only middle name and I have always loved that name. I also want a name that’s not too popular - probably asking for a lot here!

I’m Irish but live in the UK. My daughter is Rosa.

Do you have a preference for those names and do you think they meet the criteria of timeless and elegant?!

Thank you so much for any thoughts!

DH is Ruben, so I vote for Reuben. I'm biased though :)

Reuben is very on trend, very middle class and very mumsnetty. I think it’s going to be a bit of a fad name.

Oisin is lovely. People will learn to pronounce it quickly enough.

I also like Liam but it will be perceived very differently to Reuben.

I don't think either is timeless OR elegant.

But if you like Reuben then go for it. Reuben and Rosa quite nice together

I've got a Reuben and although its gained popularity, it's never been as popular as Liam, which I think makes it a bit more classic.

Neither are timeless and elegant IMO.
Timeless and elegant would be… Charles / James / Frederick etc in my opinion

Liam all the way.

Reuben is really nice, it was on our list our son. Liam is neither elegant or classy.

As you see from this thread, OP, people will misspell Reuben his whole life. Having said that, I love it and much prefer it to Liam.

Oisin is lovely - I used to teach one!

I like Rueben.

Liam always reminds me of the character in Coronation Street so neither timeless nor classy.

Sorry Reuben not Rueben!

I'm getting the feeling from this thread that being called Reuben must involve a lot of 'no, it's r.e.u.b.e.n'.

I love both Reuben and Oisín

Liam is neither timeless nor elegant, imo.

Reuben is far better.

Oisín is lovely and the most timeless and most memorable.

Liam sounds dated and Reuben very Jewish.

How about
Christopher
Otis
Quentin
Tristan
Vincent
Roman

@DaffodilDandilion

I don’t think either is timeless and elegant

Same I'm afraid.

I like both Liam and Reuben. I know quite a few Reuben/Rúbens of primary age but no Liams.

Oisín is the nicest of the 3. I don't think it's too out there - Osian is my top choice for a boy which is the Welsh version. I'm in London and know someone who has a son with Oisín as a middle name and one of my colleagues has a nephew called Oisín and she can say his name ok (she's English) as could the rest of my team. Apparently people soon get to grips with it.

Also I went to school in the early noughties with a Saoirse and a Caoimhe and everyone soon learned how to spell and pronounce both names.

Rosa is such a beautiful name and would go well with all 3 boys names.

Oisín is the best; the other two aren’t timeless or elegant IMO.

Reuben is my favourite out of the two. But if you want timeless and classic, I might consider William for the birth certificate and Liam as a nickname (Liam being neither timeless nor classic, but you clearly like it and that’s important).

Classic and timeless for me would be named like William, Edward, Thomas, Henry, James….

But Reuben is a beautiful name, very recognisable and goes well with your choice of middle name.

Reuben is definitely timeless. It’s been around for thousands of years. Good, strong name too.

Elegance, well that’s subjective I guess.

I might consider William for the birth certificate and Liam as a nickname (Liam being neither timeless nor classic, but you clearly like it and that’s important).

Such a pet peeve of mine when English people assume Liam is just some sort of modern shortening of William.

Such a pet peeve of mine when English people assume Liam is just some sort of modern shortening of William.

Yes!!!! And act pearl-clutchy about the "class" of certain names. Says more about the person saying it than the quality of the name, in my opinion. Stick to names you like. Chances are, your child is not going to be a different class to you, regardless of the name you choose...

They are both lovely but neither are timeless or elegant I would feel. Maybe Liam is seen as not great it seems . Personally I love it and its not how its perceived in Ireland.

Reuben is a bit trendy to be timeless to be honest.

Timeless and elegant are maybe old names which have been around for generations. So maybe James or Edward or John?

And Yes to the assumption that Liam is a translation of an English name. It's not. Its origins lie in an old Irish name Ullliam.

How is William short for Liam?

You don't say Will EE-am..?

Will or Willy are natural shortenings

Sorry I meant Liam short for William

Liam was Angel's real name. That'll do for me.

De-rail, sorry.