Boys names: Arran or Dacre? Help please!

[onetowatch]

We are trying to decide between calling our baby boy Arran (after the scottish island) or Dacre (pronounced Daker - after a cumbrian place name) what do you think?!
We like the sound of both names, have links to both places, have a second name ready and are confident all names go with our surname...BUT are they too unique or do you know lots of Arrans?!!! Also, I've heard that boys are more successful if they have 'harder' sounding names so is Arran too wishy-washy? We're really stuck and keep changing our minds! Will anyone be able to pronounce/spell Dacre?

Thank you!!!!

Arran is ok (though I would spell it with one "r" just so it's a real name rather than a place)

Dacre is just....not very nice AT ALL.

Ned's a good name. What's it short for?

You could never call a kid Ned in Scotland. It means something very different.

I know a few baby Arrans. No Dacres though.

Dacre is really growing on me.

Yes MMJ.It sort of does mean scallies. Just Scottish ones which are slightly different.

Dacre is the surname of the editor of the Daily Mail.

I really can't see anything wrong with Arran or Aaron. Not too keen on Daker but don't find it awful just a little too unusual. It's a name that could grow on me though if I heard it often enough. Honestly, just pick the name you and your dh like. My friend just called her dd a very odd name (to me) and I had to lie and say I liked it. I;m sure she couldn't give a toss though otherwise she'd have asked me before choosing the name . There are more unusual names than common ones where I live so I find people's reactions on here a little OTT.

I love unusual names but am not wildly crazy about either. I do have a lovely arran sweater though.

Seriously, do you like the idea of the baby being named after a place?

I did not know that about strong names and whilst I'd probably rather have a ds who mooches round Europe painting and writing, I will consider something strong for him should he wish to make money from his mooching. Strontium maybe.

Thanks everyone, don't mind any opinions as that's exactly what I asked for and would rather know what people might think before I name ds!

Yorkshire has a Dacre also

Wasn't/isn't Paul Dacre Editor of the Daily Mail eek...
Well I don't mind Arran as I plan to call my son Arun but not keen on the spelling for reasons others have pointed out.

thanks spidermama and all those who support unusual names! we haven't chosen these just to be different, our first child had v common name just because we liked it. We've chosen these for the same reasons. Anyway, most names start off being unusual when invented and just get accepted....eventually! am surprised at grumpy opinions this afternoon tho...is everyone having a bad day?!!!

Neither have a nice sound to them - they don't roll of the tongue. Does Dacer rhyme with packer? Hmm maybe I would choose that if a gun was held to my head but only then...
sorry - just being totally honest

I'm all for unusual names, me! I have one myself ...just prefer NICE ones.

One of me ex boyfriends was called Dacre. He was from an uber-posh family and it was a family name. He was related to a famous historian called Lord Dacre of Glanton.

He loved his name (partly because of the family significance) and as a result I quite like it too.

My DD2 has an "unusual" name (just because we liked it) and so far it's worked out OK (she's only one so hasn't exactly run the gauntlet with it yet... no playgrounds, no job interviews. The worst for me has been that everyone says "that's a pretty name" and I feel that poor old DD1 with a "normal" name feels a bit left out. I do get a little sick of the misspellings and mispronunciations though.

Crush - Dacre rhymes with Maker.

I'm another one wishing to point out the Paul Dacre connection. Can't think of anything else when I hear Dacre, but I should think he'll have faded into obscurity in a few years, so it won't affect your DS, just you if other people make the connection and judge you for it.

ah - no that is just horrid sorry, sounds like day-care.

Dacre is the name of a well-known Yorkshire estate agents.

Arran is quite popular personally I prefer Dacre - advice though don't ask for opinions will only confuse you just go for what you and dh want x

Are these really your choices?

You should go for the name you like but really there are so many people spelling normal names in an "unusual" way at the moment that people will just assume you couldn't/didn't know how to spell Aaron

Dacre sounds very American. Personally I wouldn't like that but then my DSs both have very ordinary names. In a way I'm quite glad when thre are so many unusual names out there because it means less children have the same names as my DSs!

It does sound like day-care.

I like them both, also probably wouldn't go for Dacre myself as it sounds too much like a favoured girl's name I like (Dakin - she's the heroine of my favourite children's book).

Am surprised by the strength of snurking tbh, especially about Arran which, however it is spelled, is after all a nice normal acceptable name that nice normal acceptable people use.

Ned is shit btw