Phoenix, Jules, Bowie

[sumsitupreally]

Phoenix
Jules
Bowie
Jett
Hendrix
Ziggy
Asher
Jesse
Harley
Ozzy
Onyx
Cosmo

Be brutally honest, what is a no and why?
Alternative suggestions?

Oh I love your baby name taste OP!

Phoenix- love but I personally find Phoenix and Phoebe a bit of a tricky one to spell. Might just be me!
Jules- not sure why I’ve never liked this name!
Bowie- nice but can’t imagine an adult Bowie, how about Beau or Bodhi?
Jett- love, I know an adult with this name!
Hendrix- I love, Henry for short if wanted
Ziggy- I love but can’t imagine a grown man Ziggy!
Asher- love it
Jesse- love this one too
Harley- adorable
Ozzy- I love but would have Austin or Oscar on birth certificate
Onyx- sounds like phonics🤣
Cosmo- I love but can’t imagine on a grown man!

remember what matters is that YOU and DP like the name xx

Most of them are ridiculous and will make you look like a try-hard tool.

Cosmo, Asher and Jesse are ok.

Jules is always a nickname, OP.

I knew someone called Clint because his mother liked Clint Eastwood, he hated it. I think if you are a fan of someone famous you shouldn’t give your child their name as a “tribute”, it will never be just their name as a pp said about Elvis.

No to all of them for me. Way too American.
Hendrix is the best I think.

Love Asher and Jesse. Also love suggestion of Solomon nn Sol!

Sorry all awful and try hard. They feel simultaneously dated and immature. I doubt any of them would age well.
My brutal reaction to this list is to assume that baby‘s parents are insecure deep down and desperate not to be “boring”/“average” (and are probably themselves named something like Ed and Sarah) and are therefore trying to pick a “cool” name that they feel will guarantee an outcome for their child.
Names absolutely do not guarantee outcomes for children. They can do the opposite of what is intended. Malcolm Gladwell is interesting on this topic.

The only name I personally would consider if I was forced to from that list is Cosmo, but it is hard to pull off unless you are genuinely landed levels of monied and/or Eurotrash (I know a few cosmos my age - 30s/40s and it works for them because they fit this bracket.) When I meet little Cosmos and Cosimas now although I like the names personally they feel like social climbing names and not authentic. For the record I am not landed monied nor Eurotrash and therefore we did not use Cosmo.

So you want something that stands out a bit from the crowd? In my opinion there are some great names for men (because you are naming a man - your son will be a boy only for 18 years, a man for hopefully a further 80+ on top of that) from the fin de siecle circles of most European cities that are classic, not too culturally specific but not commonly used in the UK but also don’t sound totally weird here. Also a great opportunity to appear “cultural” in naming your child after an artist/philosopher/composer/patron/writer involved in the birth of modernism which I’m assuming is something you want when considering “Hendrix” “Ziggy” and even “Cosmo”

Personally I feel quite strongly that you should give your child a whole name on the certificate and then they can “be known as“ a n.n. - gives them options as they go through their lives when… “teddy” may not be appropriate but “Edward” might.
I know many people disagree with this.

Almost all of the names you give could be nick names. Even Hendrix could be an NN for Henry or Henric for example.

I like David. David is little used right now, nod to Bowie but leaves the kid to make his own way, not be a knock-off facsimile of someone.

Keep Ziggy, Hendrix and Jett for middle names.

Bowie was on our list, as was Asher and Jesse. I also liked Atticus and Layne. Went with River in the end. We also have a Jude. I think names become less out there when they're attached to a person. They just become their name.

They are not especially to my taste but I do think that once a name is attached to a person you know and like (or love!) then it becomes much more normal to you.

The only two I would say hard No to are Hendrix and Bowie, I find surnames as first names a bit tacky anyway - seems too American - but when the surnames are so famous it's just not fair on the person being given that name.

Of the others I think Asher and Jules my favourites, if (as a pp said) you pronounce it the french way or else it's a nickname for a girl imo

It's the french version of Julian.

I like many of those names and think they would make fab middle names- especially Cosmo ❤️ But unfortunately imo as a parent you have to think about how those names might be judged- and celeb names or even just really uncommon ones are sometimes judged badly by employers on CV’s or even teachers before they get to know the child, though nobody likes to admit it.

So for that reason, of your list I’d stick with Asher or Jesse for the first name spot- Biblical names are harder for people to make assumptions about imo as they often transcend social background or even age group or nationality.

Ziggy is fabulous. I know a 7 year old and it really suits him.

Phoenix must be one of the chavviest names in existence

Phoenix - a bit downmarket. Will get mixed up with Felix.
Jules - OK, but I know lots of them, usually short for Julia.
Bowie - dreadful
Jett - fine for a dog, otherwise dreadful
Hendrix - dreadful
Ziggy - dreadful
Asher - ok
Jesse - a big jessie
Harley - downmarket
Ozzy - ok
Onyx - seriously?
Cosmo - fine

Solomon / Sonny - ok
Percival / Percy - Percy Pig, Percy Sugden, pointing percy at the porcelain

Violet- ok, wouldn't choose it
Delilah - dreadful
Flora - lovely
Ivory - dreadful
Indigo - dreadful

I love Ziggy and Ozzy. There’s a brilliant influencer called Beth Sandland who has a Ziggy and an Oslo - you could do Oslo with Ozzy nn?

People can be really open on these pages I find. In a way they never would if you simply announced a name. Go with what you both love

Bowen maybe instead of Bowie
Maddox
Quinn
Xander
Sacha
Tate
Ezra & Sonny (has become more popular tho)

I do like alternative names too, some of the your list sound more like pet names for me though personally.

I like alternative names but I find some on your list a bit try hard or doggy - Bowie 😬 Jules I would assume was a girl? The only one I like is Asher.

I'd go for something unusual that's still a proper name like Rex, Emil, Enzo, Quinn, Ezekiel (Zeke), Tate,

Phoenix - the trying to be River vibe
Jules - oh god not again. Julian if you really must, but never Jules
Bowie - massive nope
Jett - two Ts don't make it cool
Hendrix - argh
Ziggy - argh
Asher - argh
Jesse - argh
Harley - argh
Ozzy - argh
Onyx - seriously?
Cosmo - a note of sanity, therefore you will ultimately reject it, judging by the shortlist.

And, oh, it's you again, thinking Ivory is a wonderful name for a little girl, to be named after an illegal trade which kills endangered animals.

Onyx is a Pokémon!!
Most of the names on your list are bonkers.
What is so wrong with normal traditional names, everyone trying to out do each other with "out there" "my kids different" names 😬

Most are very dated/date specific

I think Asher, Jesse and Harley are very usable.

Ozzy possibly with a longer given name.

I do like Bowie, Hendrix, Phoenix also, but I think a lot would disagree with me.

Your baby will be an actual human in their own right.
Not a statement of how cool you are.
Not a reflection of their parents job or a way to impress their colleagues or their instagram followers.

Please let your child be themselves, stop trying to force them into your mould before they are even born.

I was thinking exactly the same thing

Onyx and Ivory? Now I have Ebony and Ivory by MJ stuck in my head.