Arch

[KatieB356]

A male colleague has just announced that his son is Arch, just Arch. Not short for Archibald or Archer / Archie and now I want to add it to my shortlist as I absolutely love it however with Arch not being too popular would I look like I have stolen their name?

You can't steal a name but yes it would look like you stole a hideous name from your coworker.

Yes

What about Ash or Art? Both actual names and nicer than Arch.

It's the Welsh word for coffin. Pronounced differently, of course, but it would give me the shivers all the same.

Arch. Okay.

Bridge would be a nice alternative. Maybe Curve?

Yes it would look like you'd copied for an unusual name like that. That's allowed of course, but, really, you like it?

Wow unpopular choice so it seems, Arch is surely not as crazy of a choice as you are making out.
i assume there are many Arch’s out there who are short for Archie and Archer however I prefer the shorter form

I love it but you would look like you copied co worker ( would be different if it’s a more common name.)
you could go Archer then use Arch.

I like it as short for another name but dislike it as a standalone name. I think it would definitely look like you copied as I’ve never heard it as a standalone name before.

@TomatoSandwiches said exactly what I was thinking.

Arch?
How about Viaduct? Bigger and better. Outdo your competitors!

I mean if you stole this ridiculous name or “arch” if you had an other child you could call them “bridge” or something equally as stupid!

Brilliant!

I wanted an Arch but had to compromise on Doorway. Dory for short.

Yo could just change it slightly to Archway.

It's not a great name imo.......
And yes, if could look like you have stolen their name, not wrong, but def weird.
But are you pregnant or is this a hypothetical list for a future child? Keep it on mind if you love it, you might not even be working with this person by the time you have a son?

If you really like Arch as a name (ignoring that it’s your co-worker’s child’s name), why not just choose a longer version (Archibald, Archie, Archer etc) for the birth certificate and call them Arch informally? At least it gives them options if they don’t like Arch as a stand-alone name.

It makes me think of the underside of a foot. No. It’s just not a name op.

Don’t they know all the meanings of the word? Being arch/saying something archly is such a weird thing to name your child after.

Arch, Ridge, River, Valley, Everest, Munro, Cliff, Summit, Rain - you could get a whole theme going

If you want to call you child Arch without copying your friend, then name them Archibald or Archie and just call them Arch for everyday. (I agree with others that I have no idea why you would want to do this….)

I was thinking maybe Cornice (sounds a bit French-like) or perhaps even Parapet?

I was thinking Smug (boy) and Sardonic (girl, nn Sadie) as sibling options 😂

You could hyphenate it to make it a bit different - how about Arch-enemy?