Name Help: First Son When Favourites Are Bagged

 

Victoria is expecting her first child soon -- a boy!

Victoria writes: "A lot of our friends have had boys in recent years and we feel that all of the good names have been taken! They're pretty close friends so it would be weird to name our child the same as they will be hanging out a lot.

There are also quite a few other names that are friend/family/pet names which we can't use.

 

These are the names we like but can't use:

Oscar

Henry

Max

Isaac

Jack and Otis (our dog and cat)

James

Benjamin

Samuel

Owen

Jonathan

Luke/Lucas

Louis

 

This is our current list:

Charlie (our favourite at the moment but I do know three people with Charlies)

Harry

Dylan

Jacob/Jake

Frederick/Freddie

Robin

 

While we like these names, I worry that they're all quite popular, and maybe a little run of the mill, and I'm wondering if we're missing something.

 

My favourite name is Arthur, but the husband really doesn't like it and I can't get him to change his mind.

 

Our surname begins with an F and is two syllables. The middle name will be William or Edward, which are family names.

 

We're avoiding names beginning with T because my nickname and my husband's name both begin with T. As you can tell from our list, we like old fashioned names, but nothing too 'Grandad'.

 

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I can see your tastes run to comfortably familiar. Nothing too trendy or too outlandish. Sadly, these names are often the most popular, and therefore the most likely to already be 'bagged'. That said, there are plenty of alternatives to your list which may feel a tad fresher:

 

Evan – Another stylish and boyish Welsh choice akin to Dylan which is familiar but -- at #121 -- its not too common. 

Archie – Along the lines of Charlie, Archie is a friendly modern-vintage choice. 

Zachary – Another name sharing the sounds and sweet affable charm of Charlie, but is at a comfortable #39 to Charlie's #7. 

Matthew – Classic, timeless and versatile. Matthew is well known but, at #53, has the advantage of not being overused. 

Alexander – Another perennial classic that is versatile -- with nicknames from Alex to Xander -- but doesn't feel too overused. 

Jude – A sleek and cool Biblical choice which has an effortless style. 

Blake – As Jake is on your list, stylish surname-firstname Blake, with its literary heritage and cool sound, seems like a perfect alternative.

Rowan – A Celtic name and tree name combined, all in a stylish modern package. 

Roman – Similar in sound to Rowan, Roman is a stately name which hearkens back to Ancient Rome. 

Dominic – A classic name which has never been overused. It currently ranks at #115. 

Leon – A stylish and modern-sounding Ancient Greek name meaning "lion" which isn't too common at #92. 

Lewis – The English form of the French Louis which has an easy sound and historic pedigree. 

Rory – Friendly Celtic Rory has plenty of Gaelic charm. It perfectly fits the ideal of being familiar but not too popular.

Caleb – Part Jacob-Part Dylan, Caleb is one of the Old Testament which have had a recent revival (much like Noah, Elijah and Isaac). 

Ellis – Speaking of Elijah, the English form of the name, used back in the Middle Ages, is the rather-modern-sounding Ellis, now ranking at #89. 

Finn – An ancient Irish hero (probably once a Celtic god) whose name has a modern, boyish charm. I like the alliteration with your surname which has long been employed by Hollywood for both actors and characters (Robert Redford, Jesse James, Ryan Reynolds, Lois Lane, Marty McFly etc).

Flynn – Another heroic Irish name which Hollywood has turned into the dashing and lovable rogue. At #168 it makes for a more individual choice that isn't too far-fetched.  

Chester – With a sound between Charlie and Arthur with the vintage charm of Robin, Chester is a rising name which has yet to crack the top 100.  

 

 

I hope this has been of use. Best wishes for finding the perfect name.