Boys names... Reuben or Raphael/Rafael or Rafferty... Or something else entirely???

[Mammiemoo]

So I'm pregnant with my second and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a boy... And I find boys names impossible!!!! I much prefer traditional names (Harry, George, Jacob, Isaac, Archie, Theodore, Noah) but these are all super popular names and would prefer they weren't in a class with 5 children with the same name. I also really don't like the trend for really unusual "cool" sounding names... I imagine my little boy being cute like prince George rather than cool 😂 (you watch, he's going to be a whirlwind that would much prefer a cool name now!)

When I was pregnant with my first, I loved the name Rupert for a boy but I think I've gone off that now and thinking more along the lines of Reuben, Raphael or Rafferty. Now I feel like these could be real marmite names... My daughter already has a marmite name (Amelie) and so I now feel embarrassed when I have to tell people her name due to some mixed reactions and apparent difficulties pronouncing (I would have thought it was very obvious but apparently not!) so I'm not sure I can handle another marmite name (and I'm pretty sure Rafferty definitely falls under that umbrella even though I think it's cute!). What are peoples thoughts on these names? Too marmite? Any other suggestions? I also love Zachary but one of my best friends has a Zachary so that ones out unfortunately.

Please help me out!! Are these good names or has anyone got any other suggestions for fairly traditional names that aren't everywhere.

Oh really... Completely innocent, will have to go and look for it. I think it's one of them, people tend to have similar tastes in names I think. I had gender reveal scan this afternoon (in an envelope so don't know as I can't decide if I want to find out) but it was the look the sonographer gave my daughter when she said she thought it was a boy that has convinced me it's a boy now. I came home to bed (still have dreadful morning sickness that just will not end) and started to look for boys names and having gone through the top 1000, confirmed I still hardly like any boys names other than ones that are in the top 20 apparently. Reuben, Raphael and Rafferty were the only ones that weren't and already knew Rafferty was marmite as it was one I'd liked in the first pregnancy. So nope, definitely not traffic pushing (hence giving you a life story 😅😅😅)

Not sure where you live OP, but we are in London and Reuben is everywhere at the minute. I'd avoid (much like Ottilie for girls. Also seems to have come from nowhere and is everywhere).

Raphael sounds best alongside Amelie imo. Both are soft sounding names.

Look at the response you get to the name Amelie on mumsnet... It's very mixed responses (because of my family's dislike of the name, I made the mistake of checking mumsnet's opinion after my daughter was born and officially registered. It made me really doubt myself which I know is stupid, but it's taken me time to fall back in love with it! )

Not in London and not hearing of many Reuben's locally when at nursery or toddler groups with my LO, but agree Ottilie has become very popular! My best friend has an Ottilie and had never heard of it when she named her daughter 4 years ago, but now I hear it everywhere I go. I guess it just shows that an unual name can very quickly become popular.

🤣🤣🤣 I did always love a bit of Enid Blyton as a child! Desperate for my little girl to be ready for the faraway tree... So the Enid Blyton link is probably an incentive to me 🤭 (Dw, even I draw the line at Fanny if it's a girl!!!)

I know more Reubens than I know Noah’s.

I would go for Jacob or Isaac from your list of names you like. They aren’t top 10 like the others. The R names are all trending and I think will shoot up the charts so you could end with a really popular name anyway. I don’t know any young Jacob’s and one Isaac, so these don’t seem too popular for babies right now.
You’re also much less likely to get 5 in a class than you used to, even the most popular names are much less popular than they used to be, so I’d just got for what you love.
P.S. I love Amelie, not sure why you got negative comments for that, it’s a beautiful name and wouldn’t consider it marmite at all!

Reuben is nice.
Rowan
Rory
Robert
Robin
Ryan
Ralph
Rhian
Roland
Russell
Ray

What about Rowan?

I LOVE Rafferty, really wanted it for a bit but husband didn't like it (and had a girl so didn't matter anyway 🤣)
Defo a vote for Rafferty from me!

I've always liked Rudy. I think it goes well with Amelie.

Actually am a fan of the fuck-you spirit of Rafferty, if it wasn't so popular; given the amount I hear it mentioned I feel it's a tiny teeny bit effortful without the benefit of being terribly original.

You asked for traditional but uncommon. I have one which you may well hate - Matha. It comes from a variant of Matthew (Maitiu in Ireland) and was also fairly commonly used as a diminutive in rural Scotland until around WW2. So he'd be Matthew known as Matha. It could sound like Martha depending on your accent and the length of your As (here is more like Mathar).

Names are so personal. We can only tell you how names feel to us, you should use what you love.

I have many weird names I would choose for a child that other people have told me are ridiculous, terrible karma, etc. For example I love Tamar but apparently it has awful origins and associations in some cultures.

i like Amelie, it has a nice sound although I wouldn’t have chosen it myself - could have been persuaded but he didn’t feel strongly enough…

i dislike Rafe, Rafferty, Raffy… too modish and sounds wet to my ears. I much prefer Isaac (he could be Ike) and Jacob. It depends how bothered you are about popularity. You can always just comb the ONS list of baby names and see what appeals. There are some out there names that are surprisingly popular. And some very ordinary names that are surprisingly unusual now.

“effortful without originality” is an excellent description. A few days back I described Jasper and Casper as a bit try-hard and someone said surely you ought to try with names. I responded it was because it was a kind of “ safe” look-at-how-original-we-are name that it seemed try-hard. Not because they tried. But your description is excellent and captures my meaning perfectly.

( That said, to me Rafferty has moved beyond effortful and is a pretty established name in the current generation of babies. I much prefer it to Raphael as it has a more rugged, fun feel to it. I imagine a Rafferty wouldn’t mind his hair getting out of place rolling down hills or climbing trees. Raphael would pull out a comb … )

Don't call a boy Rhian. It means maiden.

Xavier - Xavy? I thought Reuben had association with a religious group?

I think that’s Fabian society maybe? Reuben is a grilled corned beef 🥪 sandwich. I still like it.