Joe, Ben or Billy?

[ab03]

Our baby boy arrived last week and we are still stuck in a name, now with added 'what about X' every few hours from family members!

Would Billy be bullied as 'Billy no mates' etc do you think? This is our dd's favourite. Personally I think I would choose Joseph but that is both DD and dh's least favourite!

Any thoughts on pros/cons of these names welcome.

DD is Elizabeth, nn Elsie

Billy is fine I think when they are little but once they get older, it sounds babyish. So he may decide he prefers Bill. Also Billy rhymes with Silly, Willy etc. Children can be cruel. I know a William, who was always called Billy, to the point I forgot his actual name is William. As he grew older, and is now an adult, he's called Will. Personally, I wouldn't use the name.

Ben. Lovely name that works well for a small child and an adult.

Joseph is lovely too with Joe or Joey being nn.

Not a fan of Billy and too many ways for other children to be cruel with nn’s.

Elsie and Ben is lovely

I love all three! Benjamin has always been one of my favourites so I’d pick that, but you can’t go wrong with any of these.

I like them all, but prefer Joe and Ben to Billy.

All are fine, but my preference is for Ben. Benji is cute for a toddler but I don't like Benny.
Joseph is nice but I'm not keen on Joey. Joss is cool.
Billy is fine, but I'm not keen on Bill or Will.

Which of the 3 goes best with your surname?

Not a fan of Billy - I think 'silly billy' rather than Billy no mates.

Love love Joe and also a fan of Ben.

I love all of these! Ben is my favourite but Billy id not considered and it's lovely! Joe is great too, all will go with your DDs name. Congrats and let us know what you decide.

They are all good names!
I voted for Joseph.

(And Congratulations!)

Biggest danger in terms of cruel children with Billy is Willy.

I don't see any problems with any of them. It simply boils down to which one you feel suits him best. Could you spend a day refering to him as one (behind closed doors, not to other people), then another and so on? See which one feels right.

All 3 are traditional classics which go well with Elsie/Elizabeth, so I don't think you can go wrong.

I like Joe best, I think Billy is cute but maybe not so great for an adult. Everyone loves Ben but I don't I find it dull.

I vote for Benjamin and it's also what I called my son lol such a great name

Pick another one if none of those fit. There's a million names, keep looking.

I've met a baby Billy recently.
He's very cute.
I prefer Joseph - Joe.

Sorry but Billy, where I live, is such a scummy name.

On the other hand; Joseph and Benjamin are lovely names. Lots of choices for nicknames for baby as he grows.

I’d go with Benjamin or Joseph which are both great names.

I’ve met a baby girl Billie recently and know an adult one so it just feels feminine to me.

Plus Billy… Willy
william… willy

My friends surname was Williams and we called her Willy as a non throughout HS

Joe is the best, then Ben. Not a fan of Billy.

William is my fave - such a timeless classic, suits all ages, and “Billy” seems currently quite fashionable so I very much doubt he would be teased. The “Willy” thing is over egged - I think there’s plenty of good reasons William has always stayed in the Top 50.

My second choice would be Joseph “Joe” - another timeless classic. I only prefer William as it’s less religious (no nativity reference), more cool namesakes and there’s more choice of diminutive if he does want something different when older (just like Elizabeth has lots of choices and namesakes).

Benjamin “Ben” is also fine though - another classic choice.

I think when your choices are very traditional, but still currently popular names, that you are likely overthinking it - any of your picks will stand your son in good stead and none of them are likely to cause any issues (after all, certainly in larger schools or workplaces there could well be more than one William, Joseph or Benjamin so why would anyone comment/tease?).

I like Billy best. It’s popular enough that I wouldn’t expect teasing but he could always just start going by William, Will or Liam instead.

Joseph is the nicest

William/Willy/Billy is just too Willy-ish

Ben is ok but a little bland imo