Jack or Caspian

[ThisRareOtter]

We can't choose! I've always loved Jack, and it feels a safer choice, but is it still so common? I love the nickname Cass, but is Caspian too pretentious? All thoughts welcome!

It’s timeless. Classic. Quintessentially English .
Yes it can be used as a deviant , but it’s a fantastic name - both for a child and a man.
Caspian is a shocking name imo: pretentious and somewhat silly.
Nope. Jack all the way for me.

I worked with a guy called Jessian once. I loved it. That’s a nice mix of the two.

I don't get pretentious from Caspian- to me it's the sea or the Narnian prince. Lovely sound to it, glad it's becoming used as a name.

Jack's fine - solid, I don't get timeless as some are saying though, there's a very long period (between 50s and 90s?) where it wasn't used much at all. I expect it'll go out of fashion again at some point.

I voted Caspian.

Jack is a classic, you can’t guess age or social background. He’ll probably be the only one in a class these days unlike 20/30 years ago as most of these classic names are falling down the charts (see William, Edward, James etc). There’s no Jack’s at my DC’s nursery or playgroups and I think there is only one or maybe two at most in the whole primary school (small village one).

Caspian is a quirky literary gem - I love it and it’s a fab choice if you move in circles where all the young boys have names like Atticus, Monty, Barnaby etc. But if he’s going to the local small village school full of Theo’s, Alfie’s and Noah’s, then personally I’d choose Jack. I faced a similar dilemma for my DC - quirky or safe option? Based on where we live at the moment and that I don’t know how outgoing/confident my DC are going to be as they grow up, I chose safe classic.

Jack has always been popular as a nickname - it’s just that pre 90’s most of the Jack’s would likely have been John on the BC. That’s why people like me are saying it’s a timeless classic, because if there are lots of middle aged and elderly “Jack’s” about too, it hard to guess ones age (because only a few people will ask “So are you really called John?”).

I agree that Caspian isn’t pretentious though - that’s in the eye of the beholder and I think it’s lovely too. I guess it depends where you live though, if all the kids around you have Top 50 popular names then anything unusual might sound pretentious and risky. People were probably saying that about Ophelia 10 years ago (because Shakespeare! Beat that CS Lewis 🤣) but no more now it’s trendy.

Jack definitely

Jack is a horrible overused name. Jack the Ripper, Jackshit, Springheel Jack, Jack Ass, Caspian is much nicer.

I voted Caspian, because Jack is so overdone now. I do like Jack though, but I think it's usually a nickname, or was.

I have a Jack who’s now 21 and I have only ever met a handful of Jacks in all the years even though it was apparently the number 1 name for years .

In his primary school there was 2 in the whole school . I guess it’s the area .

I have always loved his name .

Jack - I’d go for the less fanciful, long-time favourite of any two names you’re tossing up between tbh.

There were multiple Jacks in every class when my 25 and 23 yos were at school but it feels less common now.

Jack just doesn’t have a nice sound. Like Ick or smack or lack. Not fond of Caspian how about Benjamin

Jack really really isn’t “ horrible”.

Jack is boring. Caspian isn’t

Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack Frost, Little Jack Horner, Jack Sparrow, Jack-Jack in The Incredibles, Jack Nicholson, Jack Lemmon, Jack Black, Jack White…. I could keep listing but you have chosen to focus only on the negative cultural examples for some reason.

The point is that just like William, Thomas etc there are hundreds of famous Jack’s and references - so most people aren’t going to be especially focused on any negative connotations.

Whereas the risk of a lovely but much rarer name like Caspian is that if a Caspian does do something terrible and it makes the headlines, sadly the name often does become associated with that person. It’s a risk you have to take when you give your DC any relatively uncommon name, that just doesn’t happen with Jack or any of the classic, well used names.

Thanks everyone, lots of food for thought here. I have lots of other names I love too (Jesse, Zachary, Cohen, Seth, Otto, Jude) but sadly my partner isn't keen so it's come down to these two!

Jackson would be a hilarious tribute to Jackson Lamb. You'd have to be a real Gary Oldman/Slow Horses fan though. Or Jackson Galaxy, I suppose. For some daft reason when I hear it I think of the Captain Cabinet song though. Jackson Cabinet, Jackson Cabinet.

Jack is soo dull and overused.

Jack also sounds harsh, like Sack.

So I vote Caspian - it sounds beautiful and is an interesting and memorable name!

There wasn't a single Jack in either my primary or secondary school- there were Johns, but Jack just wasn't in use as a nickname. I don't know any Jacks, nickname for John or not, aged between about 40 and 70. But it was in use both before and after - i knew an elderly Jack who i guess would be in his 90s by now, and I know plenty of Jacks in their thirties.

But maybe that was just my area!

I live somewhere different now, have met little ones called Atlas and Zephyr. Caspian seems relatively tame!

Wasn’t Jack THE most popular name for a number of years recently? We know SO many Jacks aged 15-25! It feels dated now imo.

Maybe your husband would like ..
Jaspian

Cack
Jasper
Cormac
Merrick
Kracker
Rascal
Pascal
Christopher