Please can you come and be judgmental about my names?

[BlameItOnTheBogey]

We're toying with names at the moment and find it hard to agree. There are three that we are quite keen on but what I'd really like to know is, what judgments would you make about a family whose boys were named as follows;

Jacob

Joseph

Elijah

Any thoughts? What connotations do these names have?

(And I know lots of people follow the who-cares-what-other-people-think train of thought, but I am superficial so want to know!)

Thanks!

Joseph or Jacob.

Elijah and Elias and Eliot and boys' names beginning wiht 'el' just don't work imo. Too feminine. What do you shorten it to? El?

You wouldn't call a child Jonah though would you? James Herbert wrote a book called The Jonah based on the common definition of someone who brings bad luck to those around them.

Elijah is my favorite. People generally shorten Jacob to Jake (without even asking Jacob if he minds!), and (round here, anyway) people tend to pronounce it JYKE. Joseph is lovely, but Joe/Jo is not.

I think they're all great names, you can't go wrong. I have a slight preference for Joseph (love Joe) but my dd1 tells me that all the 'naughty boys' are called Joseph

I suppose my least favourite would be Jacob, but just because 'Jake' still makes me think of the Tweenies ...I still like it though.

Eli/Elijah is lovely. And yes, the slightly lesser-used of the three.

I have no problem with 'popular' names though, all my dd's have popular names - my theory is that they're popular for a reason ...they're lovely

I wanted Elijah/Eli

I still get sad when I think about it (damn dh)

i don't see the point in naming a child jacob and then calling him jack, they are two different names.
love joseph/joe and elijah, but not eli.

I like Joseph best. Jacob is nice too.

Elijah killed Jezebel's priests, which doesn't sit well with my tolerant guardianista principles. These demand that I respect everyone except Oliver James and Hugh Fearnley Wittingstall, so I would not use it for that reason.

And presumably Malanie Phillips, scummymummy?

If I met this family I would assume that they were Jewish, and would temper my conversation accordingly until proved otherwise. Particularly with a Jewish last name.

Also like Elias and Eliah

I like Jacob the best of the three.

What about Jonah? Variation on a theme with fewer connotations?

Yes, and Melanie Phillips, seeker. Thanks for reminding me.

I have a Jonah, so obviously disagree with the earlier comment on that name. I've never understood why Jonah was meant to be unlucky, he was swallowed by a sea mammal (doesn't actually say whale anywhere in the text), and didn't die? How lucky is that?

I also have a Jacob. My boys are generally known as Jay and JoJo. I would like Elijah for DS3, OH hates it, he wants Isaac, I said no. We're still looking....

I have a Jake so im incredibly biased lol.
But if you do go down that route try to avoid singing Jake the Peg to him because he now answers to Peggy aswell!!!

Proverbial
I wanted Elijah DH suggested Isaac

proverbial what about Solomon or Saul for your DS3?

Or Simeon

I don't think there's anything unlucky or bad about the name Jonah either, it's a great name. It's not like calling him Judas or Herod, is it?

I would make no judgment about you as a family. I might assume you were Jewish.

They are lovely names, btw.

All nice strong names, but Elijah is my favourite.

Saul I like a lot, but OH won't. We come from different countries and have very different ideas on names....its a difficult process! I don't know how we managed to name 2 of them already!

Joseph was my first choice boy's name (never got to use it) so I'd vote for that. I like Jonah too. Jacob and Elijah are fine, but Joseph/Joe is timeless and cool and rather alluring, I find

I like them all sorry that doesn't help you probably Joseph the best

I like them all, but Elijah is my favourite. Eli is a v cool name also.

Jacob and Joseph - very 'safe' names, not thrilling, rather pedestrian

Elijah is the most imaginative of the selection. Think Eli is a cute nickname for it, too