Thoughts on Lin, Rumi, Reo and Arran for a baby boy?

[Bumpfull]

We’re having a boy and have come up with our shortlist of names. We’re not tied to any particular culture as we have a mixed heritage family. We also want something slightly different from the current popular names - we have multiple friends with Noah’s and Maya’s (I love both these names though)!

Our shortlist is:
Lin
Rumi
Reo
Arran

Would love to hear any thoughts on these as we don’t have a favourite out of them.

I only like Lin... but ids love to know the meaning of all of those names

I'm biased towards Rumi as he is one of my favourite poets and I have never seen the name used.

Also love Arran.

Not keen on Lin or Reo.

I like rumi. With all of the others I think you'd have spelling issues (Lynn, Rio and Aaron) - and particularly with Lin a lot of comment about why you'd given him a "girl's" name.

Isn't Arran an Island off Scotland?

I would avoid Rumi in the era of K-pop demon hunters

Yes but I don't see why place names are problematic?

I spent a large chunk of my life living in Scotland which is where I came across Arran - I like the sound of it and the fact that it’s nature inspired.

My husband and I are fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda which is what inspired Lin. It’s also got some nature meanings in various cultures.

Reo is a Japanese name we came across via an album we listen to a lot. We love the sound and strength of the name (mighty and hero in Japanese).

Rumi inspired by the poet (my go to for philosophy). Didn’t know about the K-pop connection though.

Between us we have several countries of origin and places we’ve lived as well as two religions in our wider families although we are not religious at all. So we’re going for a name we like the sound of. Maybe which one will become obvious once the little guy arrives :)

Where did I say place names are problematic?!!! Both of my daughters are named after place names in Ireland!

I wouldn’t lumber my child with a lifetime of spelling issues

This can happen whatever your name is - mine is very conventional and is still frequently spelled incorrectly.

I would probably avoid Rumi due to the popularity of K pop demon hunters and it being one of the main female characters. It’s also getting a sequel so not going away anytime soon

I'd go for Aaron (spelt like that). Rumi is quite nice but looks like it's short for something. I've come across a few boys called Rio, not Reo. Lin will be confused with a girl. Manuel (Manny) would be better if you want to tribute Lin-Manuel.

But Aaron is a completely different name even if it’s pronounced the same!

As it's the standard spelling where I live, I would just make life easier by choosing that spelling. I've seen Indian heritage boys called Aran but no-one called Arran personally.

I like Rumi and Arran. Nice sounds, nice references.

To me Lin sounds like Lyn / Lynne (girl’s name). Lin-Manuel is ‘explained’ by the Manuel part.

Reo sounds like a footballer homage or maybe a film reference that I don’t know.

I’d spell Arran Arun though. There are so many variants on that name. I see Aaron as a different but similar name. But given Arun exists and is more phonetic and there’s no ‘need’ for the extra R, I think Arran will always be mis-spelt.

I definitely would not use Aaron. It’s distinctly Biblical (fine if you want that but different from your other names) and invites varied pronunciations - Air-ron, Ahh-ron.

Rumi makes me think k pop demon hunters so i would give that a miss. arran is a nice strong name though

I live in Scotland and there are lots of children named after the islands - Iona’s everywhere. So I like that (and like Arran as a place). Definitely not Rumi nowadays unless you’re doing it on purpose - anyone with slightly older children will assume you’re a superfan.

Arran is a good strong name. I really wouldn’t use Lin for the reasons others have said ( Lynn/ Lynne is a girl’s name and was popular in the 1950s and 60s)

I think Arran will be misspelled a lot - one r. Ditto Lin. Lynn, Lyn etc

Lin has always been a male name in Wales

I like Rumi and Arran. Reo is nice too. Not a huge fan of Lin.

Also having your name misspelt doesn’t really affect your life imo. People spell my name wrong pretty much every time I tell it to them because it’s an abnormal spelling of an unusual name. I’m not bothered and just spell it out for them.

this is clearly your first child. For the love of god please don’t give your son the same name as a k pop demon hunter. I would say 60% of my child’s school was dressed as rumi for Halloween… and world book day 😂

I like Arran best. It's obvious how to say it. It's also somewhere most people have heard of. I do like Rumi (again, pronunciation is straightforward and most people heard of him). I didn't know about the K pop connection though as my kids are well out of that age group now! I think it'll still be fine anyway...