Brother to Max... Ari?

[Givemepickles]

DH and I cannot find a boys' name we like. We only had Max as an option for DS1. We have a long surname so are set on max 2 syllables in the first name.

I like Ari but don't actually know any. Does it go with Max? Will we ever find it in toy shops and gift stores, when Max gets to choose something with his name on it will Ari always be left out?

How would you pronounce Ari? I know how I want it pronounced but don't know if that's the usual way!

Our other option is Charlie but I do not like Charles at all and don't think Charlie stands alone as a name.

Thoughts, ideas?

A friend has a max and an ari. In her case the ari is short for Ariel but hers rarely called by his full name. They do go together.

I'm old but immediately thought of Ari Up, female punk singer in The Slits.

The more I think about it the more I can't see it being mispronounced more than the first time someone meets him. Since it's not pronounced Arry I can't see anyone would confuse it for that as we or he would say Ahhree

I've known three lads called Ari. Both pronounced like Harry without the H. Similar to Ali. All three with Asian backgrounds. Two were quite little but the teenager was really fed up of people assuming his name was Harry when he gave his name. Personally I've not heard it said as Ah-ree, so if I were reading it, I'd say it like the 3 people I knew, all of who were called Ari to rhyme with Harry.

I’m a bit surprised by the mispronunciations of Ari - to me it’s a fairly well-known name (pronounced the way you’re intending OP). But I’m American, so maybe it’s just more common in the states.

Agree that Asa (ace-uh) has a similar vibe. I recently met a baby Asa and really love the name!

I’d pronounce it as Ahh-ree as the first time I heard of it was from Ari Gold on Entourage.

Another vote here for Asa, it was on my list for DS but DH said no 🙄

Sorry I shouldn’t say ‘mispronunciations’- obviously this thread had shown that Ari sometimes is pronounced ‘Arry. I just thought the Hebrew pronunciation of ah-ree was more common and fairly well-known

@Xelawho I don't think we have the same influence of Jewish culture across the UK as in the States. I think it's more likely people would think my son was Asian, it does have an Asian sound to it as another poster said. I personally have only known one Jewish person and that was years ago in London. I just know the names from US TV shows.

What about Arki or Areski?
Adding a consonant gives Ari a bit more "shape"..

I think Max and Ari are perfect for each other! Regarding 'finding things with his name on it' - as a person who literally never found a single thing with my name on it, I know the disappointment as a child, BUT, you really do just get come to accept it. Plus, these days you can get things customized on Etsy, etc, so easily.

I'm originally from the US, married to a Brit. We're considering Ariel, pronounced AH-re-el, Hebrew male name, as a previous poster mentioned, for ours (if it's a boy), with Ari (Ah-ree) as a nickname. I think it's cute!

My husband has some reservations about people seeing it written and pronouncing it 'Airy'...which I thought was a stretch until I read this post! But then again, it is a much more common name / nickname in the US than in the UK. That doesn't really matter to me, though - you can always just correct the person and it's still at the top of my list!

I love Ari and would pronounce as you said.
I think Ezra goes beautifully with Max too. Leo was mentioned earlier and that is a similar vibe to Max and a lovely name.

Ari sounds like part of a name or a nickname. Charlie is lovely though. I used to know an Aris, he was known as Ari ( pronounced Arry) for short. I think it was a Greek name.

I’d be unsure whether Ari was Ah-ree or Ar-ee. I don’t think it goes well with Max though, Charlie is much better and is fine as a standalone name. Ari looks more like a shortening than Charlie.

I know a girl called Ari but never heard for a boy! Maybe Freddie, Oliver, Jake, George or Tom would match