Joshua, Toby, Alexander or Rowan?

[Summersuncocktails]

Little boy due in a few weeks time

We are soooooo struggling with boy names

What would you choose?

Joshua
Toby
Alexander (alex)
Rowan

Any other suggestions welcome 🙏

I would pronounce Roan to rhyme with Bone though… like a Roan horse

Rowan is definitely a boy’s name, unisex at least

I love Rowan. But only for a girl.

I'd opt for Alexander

Can’t go wrong with any of them but I like Joshua the most. It is a lovely classic and Josh nn is great too. :)

I agree.

roan /rəʊn/

Can’t go wrong with any of them You can.
Josh Shaw would be hard to say, Toby Shaw sounds too much like To be sure...

I’ve always had a soft spot for Joshua.

Joseph
Daniel

All great names. I love Toby, that was on my list for DD if she'd been a boy

All lovely names, I'd go for Toby but Alexander also fantastic.
A Green Knowe fan perhaps? Both are characters in The Children of Green Knowe.

Joshua and Toby were on our list and we ended up with a Thomas 😊

Toby.

I really like Alexander, although the ones I know are known as Xander/Zander.
I also like Joshua. I think Toby is ok but I really dislike Rowan.

Is OP’s surname Shaw? I must have missed that bit. I thought we were asked to comment solely on which first names we like best? Both of your examples sound fine and would/do work in real life anyway.

Alexander

I love Rowan. It was my top choice for middle name if i had another boy.

I personally see it as a boy’s name, probably because i loved Rowan Atkinson from a young age and i didn’t encounter a female Rowan until i was an adult.

I would read ‘Roan’ to rhyme with ‘moan’ and i did meet a mum at baby group who was having the same issue with her baby Roan and regretted the spelling. I would also consider Chapell Roan.

Tbh I see Toby as a bit of a wet lettuce name.

Joshua is overused

i knows few dogs called Toby

Joshua 100%

Alexander - classic, strong, lots of great nickname options

rowan - lovely

Joshua - meh (and as a teacher, naughty boys always have J names)

Toby - god awful. Toby Jug, Toby Carvery.

Alexander in its enterity. Definitely not Xander.
Not Rowan.
Joshua is ok.
Toby is rather wet.
Adam, Luke, Isaac, Zachary, Elias, Benjamin, James?

Joshua is my least favourite on your list. I've only known boy Rowans, I know it is used for girls but I always think Rowena is more the female version. Rowan and Toby both fine.

I'd probably go Alexander, then Rowan, then Toby, then Joshua.

How about Ruan?

Alex/Alexander or Rowan

Same. Joshua wasn't on my shortlist though. It wasn't even on my long list. And then he was born and I looked at him and said "he's Joshua" . We always joke that he may as well have been born with it tattooed on his head as it was so obviously his name.

Rowan is my favourite on the list. It's a really nice name.

I love Rowan. I know a female Rowan who is in her sixties and a male Rowan who is in his forties.

Toby would be my second choice.

Joshua last!

Not too keen on them, maybe Joshua is best