Evan or Hal?

[TheBish]

Struggling to come up with a name for baby number 2. Evan has just come to us but don't know any in our bit of London. Is it really popular and what do people think?

Evan is a lovely name - know a grown up one - not met any kids of that name.

Hal is an abbreviation and seems funny not to use the full name - Henry or Harry at a push. Sorry, I'm a bit conservative about these things - but always think about Nell, Ned, Hal etc - what if they want to be a barrister when they grow up? Evan is lovely - and Ev for short maybe?

Evan is much much much nicer. It is getting fairly popular but nowhere near Harry/Jack etc.

My brain just read that as Heaven or Hell! WTF??? I need to go to bed I think!

I definitely prefer Evan, I know a 3yr old one and he's gorgeous.

Definately Evan, i have 2 of them My DH and my DS.

I think Evan is a bit wishy washy-sounding, tbh.

evan deff

I just think of evan dando

Hal is fabulous, I love it but would go with Henry on the Birth Certificate.
I don't like Evan at all.

Hal.

I thought of Heaven or Hell too Timothy!

I have met alot of baby Evan's lately. It is very popular round here. I'm sorry but I'm not keen as it doesn't feel strong enough to me. Hal sounds great as a nick name but I feel there should be a full name to go with it.

Evan is better...no idea what Hal is...odd name to me.

Both nice! Think I prefer Hal as nn for Henry/Harry...

Evan

I love Hal. But I would go with Henry or Harry on the Birth Certificate.

Hal was actually my fave name but am not allowed it as DH's bro is called Henry!

Love them both but Evan shades it for me (like Pointydog, I just think of the divine Evan Dando).

I love them both but couldn't use them for DS because they sound atrocious with his surname. If going for Hal, use as a nickname for Henry.

I can't stop thinking of Evan Dando now!

Evan is nice but Hal????

Suitable only if you lived and worked on a cattle ranch in the midwest circa 1950.

hal,no sounds like a spit on the porch kind of name

I'm in London too and have a 3 year old Evan, the only other Evan we'e ever met was in Wales last month!

Strangely we have 2 Hal's in our neighbourhood though!

Evan.
What is Hal short for? It sounds like a shortening, but it doesn't really make much sense.

Loads of Evans where we live.

Never really thought about Hal before but actually it sounds quite cool.

I went to university with a guy called Hal... always thought it was really cool. Agree with others that I prefer it as an abbreviation, but definitely Hal over Evan IMHO.

Evan reminds me of Ethan, which reminds me of Nathan - both of which really annoy me for some reason. Sorry can't be more specific!

'Good King Hal' was Henry VIII -- Hal is an old diminutive for Henry.

I love the name Hal but would go for Henry (or Harry) on the birth certificate. It is a cool name for any age and very uncommon. I think of Prince Hal from Shakespeare's Henry V.

Evan is nice too but not my favourite.

I love Evan. If I ever have a ds his name will be Evan. (I've insisted that all my dc will have Welsh names although dp is English)

Sorry but I don't like Hal. Reminds me of the film Shallow Hal