Name Help: A Spanish-British Boy Name

 

Jude and Alfonso are awaiting their first child -- gender a surprise. They have girls' names sorted, but are struggling for boys. 

Jude writes: "My husband, Alfonso, and I are expecting our first baby in June 2019.  He is Spanish and I'm English, and although the baby will be raised in the UK, we will be frequently travelling to Spain to spend time with his very large family.

There are several girls names that we agree upon but we are struggling for a boy's name.  It needs to work in both languages and work with our three syllable surname (stress on the middle syllable), which begins with an R and ends with an O.

 

I love Hugo but my husband finds it too 'Chelsea'. He likes Oscar but I'm reluctant to choose a name within the current UK top 20 as I'd like to avoid him having an 'R' tacked onto his name if there's another boy with the same name in class.  He also likes Ruben but I'm not sure if I want the name to have alliteration.  

 

Attribute-wise, our ideal name would of course work in both English and Spanish, although we don't mind if the pronunciation was slightly different.  We would also like it to be 'ageless', in that it suited a child, a young man and an older man.  We don't want anything too modern - it would be nice if it was a name that had been around for several centuries.

 

In terms of popularity, I wouldn't mind if it was a 'top 20' name providing it didn't feel like we were catching a name-trend.  For example, even though Oscar is a beautiful classic name, I feel as though it might tie him to his generation due to the current surge in usage."

 

※    ※    ※    ※

 

Whenever I'm writing lists of usable names from Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) there are always at least three times as many cross-over options for girls than there are for boys. We have the Romans to thank for this. The Latin fashion for -a ending girls is still going strong across Europe and Britain as well (Olivia, Sophia, Emma etc), while the male names -- ending in -us -- have had less usage in Britain, while in the Romance languages (transformed into an -o ending e.g. Marcus > Marco) they have remained traditional staples. 

The fact that your children will be half Spanish gives you great leeway with names. Two English parents with a child named Miguel may raise a few eyebrows at first (though I would argue less and less as the world becomes evermore interconnected) but little boy named Miguel who is half Spanish would be perfectly natural.

As quintessentially English as Colin Firth is, his son’s being named Luca and Matteo is perfectly natural given that his wife is Italian.

That said, I feel that your tastes run more to ‘currently stylish but not too trendy’ British favourites that also work in Spanish.

 

Daniel – A timeless classic that is beloved in both Britain and Spain. Daniel is not only free from ties to one generation alone, it also ages really well, transitioning from Danny to Dan with formal Daniel always there to call on. It ranks #32 in England and Wales (E&W) and #4 in Spain.  

Lucas – One Roman inheritor that does have appeal in both countries is stately yet easy-going Lucas. It ranks #25 in E&W and #1 in Spain. 

Leo(n) – Both the Latin Leo and Greek cognate Leon are proud, pocket-sized classics which has great cross-over appeal. Leo is #7 in E&W and #11 in Spain; Leon is #98 in E&W and outside the Spanish top 100. 

Nicolas – Classic Nicholas works well in the Spanish form Nicolas (strictly Nicolás) and is easier for Spanish relatives while not affecting its English pronunciation. Nicholas is #147 and Nicolas #283. Nicolas is #32 in Spain. `

Gabriel – At #64 in E&W and #37 in Spain, Gabriel is an affable Biblical choice which is a staple across Europe. 

Joel – Another down-to-earth Biblical classic that has an easy going style. It ranks #117 in E&W and #64 in Spain. 

Isaac – #24 in E&W and #87 in Spain, Isaac is an Old Testament staple that is cheerful and studious. 

Felix – Friendly Felix is comes to us via the Romans and so has a wide pan-European heritage. It ranks at #100 in E&W and is also used in Spain. 

Eric – A royal Scandinavian name that is winning hearts across Europe. In E&W it ranks #127 and in Spain it ranks #35.

Milo – Though not strictly a Spanish name, Milo's classical heritage and -o ending, make it workable on a half-British, half-Spanish boy. It ranks #119 in E&W. 

Roman – Though it begins with an R, Roman is sleek, accessible-yet-intriguing and fashionable across the Continent. It ranks #75 in E&W.

Enzo – Zippy and cool Enzo has the fashionable -o ending, and works as an updated variant of Spanish traditional Lorenzo. It ranks at #16 in Spain and #207 in E&W. 

Dylan – A universal Celtic charmer that hails back to ancient Welsh mythology. Dylan is a modern classic in Britain that no longer feels too 'trendy' (at #40 in E&W), and it is surprisingly well used in Spain where it currently ranks at #31. 

Finn – Another sturdy, affable Celtic staple which wears well is Irish Finn -- at #96 in E&W. It doesn't rank in the top 100 in Spain, but it is easy to spell and pronounced there. 

Xavier – Though the Spanish form is Javier, the original form, Xavier, developed as the Spanish spelling of the Basque Extaberri. It is now a familiar, genial staple in both countries, ranking #191 in E&W.

Ferran – Ferran is the Catalan form of Fernando. It is little used in Britain, but it is very accessible and usable over here.  

 

 

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