Help me with my boys names!

[Jonia]

Ok so here’s the dilemma!

Name we love most: Gentian - connected to my DHs heritage, pronounced with a hard ‘g’: Ghen-tee-an. I’ve posted about this before…problem is that I don’t think it will ever be pronounced that way in the UK and the most common pronounciation here ‘Jen-shun’ sounds like an entirely different name.
Is there any way around this by changing the spelling to Ghentian or Gantian? We’re both not native English speakers, would these two spellings achieve a Ghen-tee-an pronunciation? (Or would it be really silly to change the spelling? We’d strongly prefer going with the original spelling Gentian obviously, but just can’t see how this would work in an English speaking country).

Two other names we both like a lot:
Fabian (but can’t use because it’s my sisters DH name)
Julian - actually we both really like it and it’s a serious alternative to Gentian.

Names I like but not first choice/some issues:
Florentin, Valentin, Valerian - maybe too out there
Laurence - but really don’t like Larry NN.
Lionel - DH vetoed
(At a push) Finn - DH likes it, I think it’s ok but a bit too many Finns around.

Opinions on these options please, and alternative suggestions that I may like, now that you know my taste, are also welcomed 😊

Forgot to add - I also like Jonah and Noah but we are not religious and I’m concerned that theres too much of a religious connection.

I think if you’re worried about pronunciation, Julian is a name that is very unlikely to be mispronounced (assuming you going for a ‘j’ sound rather than a ‘y’ sound). It’s a lovely name that is classic but not overdone.

Gentian would be Jen-shun to me because of the flower. Ghentian looks like an adjective to describe things from the city of Ghent. I would probably pronounce that word Ghent-ee-uhn like the city name. Gantian, I would probably pronounce Gan-shun if I was just looking at it.

Jonah still has religious / biblical vibes for me but Noah doesn’t have them any more than say Adam or Matthew or John.

Oh good point @cherryassam, now that you pointed it out, Ghentian indeed looks a bit like a thing from Ghent. I might need to cut this one from my list.

I’m not a native English speaker either but I would pronounce it ‘gen-tee-un’ I think changing the spelling wouldn’t make a difference! I love Laurence and I don’t think anyone would nickname him Larry, it’s quite an antiquated nickname. They may nn him Laurie but that sounds nicer imo. I know lots of Noah’s with no religious connection and a Jonah too, Noah is the no1 baby name in the UK atm though! Florentin, Valentin and Valerian would all work and be unusual but not ‘out there’ - if they work I’d go with them!

Also names:
Arben
Luka
David
Bruno
Viktor
Leon
Ardian
Adrian
Albion
Edon

Im making an assumption on the region so apologies!

Thank you @Whatsthepoint1234 we actually considered Ardian but then thought that it looks like a misspelling of Adrian (which we don’t like, partly because I know an adult Adrian who is an absolute pain in the ass 😂)

@Jonia Ah fair enough, the names I vetoed due to people! Yes it does autocorrect on my phone to Adrian. What about Noel or Joel, both well known and used but not overused or really popular.

I'm not an English language expert so I have no idea what spelling would get the pronunciation you are hoping for however I've never seen or heard that name so from my perspective people would still just take a guess at how to say it.
I have to phone people up regularly with no idea how to pronounce their names as they are from different country/cultures - not english - Its not something I enjoy doing and as someone who gets their british name spelt wrong all the time (as throughout the years people have just changed how they want to spell it) it can be infuriating having to spell your name out all the time or correct.

Personally I'd go for Julian with Gentian as middle name

And Laurence is typically shortened to Laurie (little women book)

Noah is very popular. Very.

I like Laurence/Laurie the best from your list.

How about Jonas instead of Jonah?

Other names with a similar vibe to your list:

Crispin
Sylvester
Dorian
Barnaby/Barney

Laurie is actually a nice nn for Laurence

Oh I like Dorian…the -ian/in ending is a common feature in my list 🙂

If you like the -ian ending, you might like:

Caspian
Cassian
Hadrian
Ossian
Octavian
Tavian
Cillian / Killian
Bastian
Cyprian
Finian / Finnian
Ninian
Damian
Emilian
Lucian
Maximilian

Thank you @cherryassam 😊

Some nice suggestions there, I particularly like Caspian and Cassian.

I think Ossian is pronounced O-sheen though?

Yes it’s something like O-Sheen or Uh-Sheen. I wasn’t sure if OP liked the spelling or the sound so thought I’d add it in as it’s one of my favourite names. I do think it would sound nice if it was oss - ee - uhn though

I never heard Ossian, interesting name.

Would love Caspian if my mind didn’t try to add a ‘Sea’ at the end. Cassian is good too.

Noah is really popular so I really don’t think the religious connection is an issue or even thought about. I know a Jonah too. Parents not religious at all. They’re just nice names.

I love Cassian but it would be awful with our last name so it’s a no go for me. It’s got a lovely rhythm though.

I completely get the Caspian thing! It makes me think of Prince Caspian from the Narnia books who was one of my favourite characters in them as a child. But yes, I think ‘Caspian Sea’ is quite a strong collocation.

Julian is nice and very underused. I also like Julius.

Laurence is usually shortened to Laurie these days, if shortened at all, so I wouldn’t worry about Larry

I’d go for one of these

Laurence is the only name I quite like from your list .

If you both love Julian that sounds like it could be the name for you.

I did even realise Larry could be a nickname for Laurence? Never heard that one before, only Laurie.

Laurence /Lawrence is such a lovely name and Laurie is a solid NN

Julian is not my personal taste but is a solid name and very unlikely to be mispronounced

I think Gentian will be genuinely confusing to an English speaker and you'll be setting up your kid for a lifetime of having to explain how to pronounce his name to everyone....

My son's middle name is Lawrence, and it really suits him I think.

Would go for Laurie as a NN if he didn't already have a shortened version of his first name.

I've never heard Gentian pronounced before so would assume it's Gen-tee-an.

Just some perspective.