Struggling with baby names

jilligan14

DH and I can't seem to agree on any names. Is anyone else having this problem? There are quite a few boys' names that I like but DH only seems to like the name Azor. This was his great-grandfather's name. I really don't know how I feel about it. It almost seems like a super hero's name or something. Our friends either love it or hate it. Opinions??

I like the names Arlo, Jack, Xander, Otis, and Eugene but DH doesn't really like any of those. The only name we both kind of agree on is August, but for some reason that name doesn't feel right...although I haven't completely ruled it out.

Anyone want to share some of the names they are considering?

lickastick

My DH wants the name enoch for a boy...I feel your pain. There is no way in h-e-l-l I am letting my child be named that ( if anyone is considered that name more power to you it's just not my cup of tea.) I am not afraid to pull the old "i'm pushing this baby out- I get final say." 

I love the name noah but it's the most popular name right now  

emsmama15

I totally feel your pain.  My hubby has lots of ideas, but I don't like any of them.  Azor sounds like a super hero or someone from Lord of the Rings or something.  I'm not sure if you saw my post about my hubby suggesting Sauran (ala Lord of the Rings).  So believe me, I mean it when I say I feel your pain!!

Our number one boy name right now is Finn.  We've also tossed around Will (after my dad), Parker (also a family name - grandma's maiden name).  I love the name Kai but my hubby is not sold on it.  Good luck!

BernieRae

How is Azor pronounced? 
We don't know if baby is a boy or girl, but we're struggling a bit with boys names too. It doesn't feel right to think about picking a name that we both don't really like or have to convince the other person of a names. 
So far we both kind of like Everett and Nolan. DH likes August (or Augustus), and I don't dislike it, but it also doesn't feel quite right to me! 

Sporty1216

Yeah...I think Azor might be a tough first name for a kiddo. But maybe it would be a fun/cool middle name?

DH and I took almost 3 days in the hospital to name our son. We had a short list, but couldn't decide on what to name the kid until we had met him. in some ways, just getting to the point of a short list took some of the pressure off us. We'll do the same this time once we know what we're having. Naming is so hard! But, one way or the other, you'll come up with something.

redheadbride15

I'll side with you on this one. Azor is a bit strange. I like your names, especially Arlo, Jack, and Xander. I like August (nickname Gus)!

I think this is SO common! Boy names are a lot harder too, in my opinion. H and I definitely had a hard time and disagreed on almost every boy name. (Though we rapidly agreed on a girl name we love and I feel like we need to have another baby just so there's a chance we have a daughter so we can use that name!) I suggested Jack too (it's a family name) but my H veto'd it. Alexander was also on our list and we both like it, but it's my stepbrother's name so it feels strange to use it even though he has always gone by Al, and we would probably use Alex. H is obsessed with Seth, which makes me think of Sith Lord. I don't even remember most of the others he suggested, but they were all strange.

We're just about 95% set on Ian right now. After exchanging lists of at least 100 names the only other one we both liked was Blake, but I've become less of a fan of it over time.

Wyattnash00

I really love Gus too!! The top names for 2016 just came out, though it might just add more to your list:)

Sporty1216

Gus is also super cute! And, everytime I see @Wyattnash00 post, I mean to push Wyatt and/or Nash on our boy name list! I think those are both super cute boy names. 

Wyattnash00

Thanks @sporty1216!! I do love Wyatt ! Considering Nash for middle name this time:)

jilligan14

@BernieRae - Azor is pronounced with saying the letter "A" and then "zore". I was worried people wouldn't know how to pronounce it as well so thanks for pointing this out. Also, my nephew's name is Everett and I love it!

@redheadbride15 - Do people often use the nickname Gus for August? I've never heard of that one before but since we both kind of like August, this might work. I just think August is a bit of a serious name so it would help if there was a short and easy nickname. Plus I have a close friend who has Gus in her last name and keeps pushing for Gus so this would make her very happy!

@Wyattnash00 - ooooh, I'll have to check out the top names! Although most names I suggest to DH he just vetoes.

Strangely enough, MIL LOVES Azor (I guess that makes sense since it was her grandfather's name). DH also wants to include Herrick (another family name) - either as a first or a middle. I'm fine using either Azor or Herrick as middle names, but don't feel thrilled about them as first names. I never imagined it would be this hard!!!! I used to dream up kids' names when I was younger and it never dawned on me that I'd have to get my husband's approval of them as well

redheadbride15

@jilligan14 I've definitely seen Gus as a nn for August. Also Augie, but that's not nearly as nice. Here's what Babyname Wizard says:
https://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/boy/august

As an aside, we also have a ton of awful family names, but fortunately both DH and I vetoed them all: Ernest, Ronald, Gerald, Horace, Alfred.

lillebowski23

Hmmm, I agree with PPs on this one. Maybe you could go with an acronym if DH is set on the name Azor? So Azor and a middle name that starts with J? Or C? That way he could be AJ or AC? Or maybe he could be A. Something Yourlastname? Don't know how you feel about nicknames. We were going to call our baby Alistair Joseph if she were a boy using the acronym AJ. (instead we have Amy Josephine, so it's still AJ lol). Hope you can find something you guys both like!

mthoomom

@jilligan14 I like the name Azor. I think it's a cool sounding name, and the fact that it was a relative's name is even better. Does it go well with your last name? Do you have a middle name to go with it? We are seriously considering naming our baby Antonin (after the composer Antonin Dvorak, not the recently deceased justice) which some people think is difficult to pronounce, but we really like it. It goes well with our Italian last name. 

carrieandr

What about Asher? Kind of similar, but not as unusual...

BernieRae

@jilligan14 I think Azor looks and sounds nice, but yes it is very unique. An Azor would fit right in in Portland, OR though! I hear so many unique names at my school. I love reading my class list at the start of the year. Some names seem a bit odd at first, but soon it's just that kid's name and  thus very normal. I do want to point out in case you don't know/might care, that Azor is the name of a prescription blood pressure medication. I was interested in the name and googled it... 
I like @lillebowski23 's ideas for compromising. 

Also, funny that you have a nephew named Everett, because I have a nephew named Arlo So I'm a fan of that name!

mthoomom

@BernieRae My mom teaches at a portland elementary school and she loves to tell me about all the unique names of the students she works with, like the little girl whose middle name is "switchblade". Not kidding. 

Ssoccerball

Schools are the best place to hear crazy names.  My sister teaches third grade and they have a family in their school with the last name "Vu."  Their three kids are Deja, Ronde, and Parle.  I thought my sister was lying when she told me that.  

emsmama15

The NICU is another great place to hear crazy names!!  Sometimes I'm astounded at the names people choose for their kids. 

Jenniferk08

I told hubby a girl must be Liliana Marie. My grandma's name was Lilian.  She passed away from cancer when I was 10/11. 

For a boy we are debating. I like Christopher Francis. (My step father's middle name is Francis so I told him there's no compromise on the middle, also for St Francis). Christopher after St Christopher who I feel was watching out for me during a bad car accident last year. 
Hubby hates Christopher and wants the name John. 
Our 5 year old wants April o'Neil or Casey jones. 

redheadbride15

@Jenniferk08 my grandmother was also Lilian, and so is my niece. I love the name!

Haha, I like your 5 year-old's suggestions

jilligan14

CarrieandRoy said:

What about Asher? Kind of similar, but not as unusual...

Good suggestion! I mentioned it to H and he likes it but then looked it up and saw that it was the #1 name in 2015. It's so hard to get him to agree with any of my name suggestions!!!!

@BernieRae - I love the name Arlo the most but H thinks people will only associate it with Arlo Guthrie. I really don't think people will, especially the more younger generations.

I'm trying to stay open to Azor but I just feel silly whenever I say the name. Like I should add a fist pump and a "Pow!" or something like that (as if I'm in a cartoon). I'll keep searching but in the meantime the only name we agree on is August (and H likes Gus too!) so that's top of the list.

Sporty1216

Yay for having a front-runner! When it comes right down to it, you only need one first name!

lickastick

I like gus!

emsmama15

I love Gus!  My hubby doesn't like it though.  

Goldsgirl9

For us, DH got to pick DS#1's first name and I got to choose the middle name. Of course we had to somewhat agree. For this lo I got to choose the first name and he chose the middle name. Same rules applied. Both times, when we heard the right name they gust stuck and we knew that was it. On a side note, I like Azor. I don't think names have to be traditional or family names like other people do. Azor is different without  being weird. 

mthoomom

Also loving the name August! It would be on our short list, but dh isn't a fan. I think the nickname Auggie is cute.

carrieandr

@jilligan14 -- rats! I didn't think that was a common one. I've only come across that name twice in my life. I shy away from trendy names, too. It's a good thing we're having a girl, because all the Irish boy names I like are super trendy this year.

thistle8677

****lurking****
Hi ladies! 
I miss you all! I randomly checked out this thread. I'm loving the Portland references!
I can attest to the wild names as my two youngest are Naia Sage & Sapphire Anemone Rose...so yea...I live in Portland. 
@jilligan14 I love love love Arlo! 
I was daydreaming about that name the other day. I highly doubt any young person would get the Arlo Guthrie reference, but it's an amazing reference for anyone that does!
I love Gus and think Azor is cool, but if you're not feeling it, it's not his name! 
I think that's the fun thing about names.
You kind of happen upon them and the something just fits
good luck to all of you! 
Send me some baby dust for the love of God!
xoxoxox
  

redheadbride15

@CarrieandRoy I'm with you, really bummed out at the current popularity of Liam, Noah, Aiden, Kieran... DH and I agree that anything in the current top 20 (and DEFINITELY the top 5) is off the table. Boy names are so hard!

Hi @thistle8677 ! I know three sisters from Portland named Violet, Laurel, and Ivy. Maybe nature themes are a thing there?

carrieandr

@redheadbride15 yup, those names, as well as Finn and Declan. My DH is from Ireland, so I'd love to do an Irish name, but so far none of the girl names feel right. I like some of the Gaelic ones, but there would be pronunciation and spelling issues. I'm not sure I want to go there. Maybe for the middle. But my sister and her husband wanted very simple, common names for their boys and the day they were born decided to switch from Sean and Matt to Sean and Wells (after a friend.) So who knows what we'll finally decide.

@thistle8677 whenever I think of the TTC after 35 board, I think of that Red Rover game from childhood. Red Rover, Red Rover, let Thistle come over! (It's funny calling you that when I know your real name.)

SuperFudge00

@jilligan14 is YH Portuguese? If so that makes total sense and I'd try to see if the name grows on my or incorporate that as the middle name. I'm part Armenian and used my grandfather's name "Artashes" as DS's middle name.

Xander is our boy name for this LO, if we have a girl we're stuck. 

good luck!

redheadbride15

@CarrieandRoy I could talk about Irish/Gaelic names all day. My ancestry is Scottish/Welsh (and a smidgen Irish) so I often gravitate toward these names. Some girl names I like that are a bit more mainstream in terms of spelling and pronunciation include Fiona, Aileen, Mairead, Ciara, Teagan.

Sporty1216

My niece's middle name is teagan. It's such a pretty name, I think. Love the rest of those too! How do you say "Mairead"? I love how it looks. 

I also went to junior high with a girl named Sian. Maybe an option for those who liked the boy name Sean, but are having a girl? It was spelled with an accent on the "i" but I don't know how to do that on my phone. 

ETA--I scrolled back and see that your nephew is named Sean, @CarrieandRoy Somehow I thought that was on your list. Oops. Probably cousins named Sean and Sian would be awkward. Haha 

redheadbride15

Mairead is pronounced like May-reed

Sporty1216

I like it!

BernieRae

For Irish names I like Fiona as well. And Maeve. 

mthoomom

I love Fiona, too. 

jilligan14

@thistle8677 - so good to hear from you!! I keep waiting for a name to just "fit", although I do feel like his name is Arlo on an intuitive level but I don't want to force it upon DH. Maybe our kid could rock the name Azor. We live in Carrboro, NC, which is kind of like a smaller version of Portland (or so I'm told :-) So I guess we'll just wait and see...I'm sending plenty of baby vibes your way!!!

@SuperFudge00 - No, DH is not Portuguese. The name Azor comes from his great-grandfather. I have the name Xander on my list! I love it as well, but DH isn't crazy about it.

I love seeing all the name ideas! I'm glad we know the gender so we can just focus on boys' names for now but I'm taking note of the great girls' names for the future...

carrieandr

DH has an Aunt Muiread (pronounced mer-ADE). There are lots of Gaelic names in his family -- Roisin (RO-sheen), Maeve (Mave), Grainne (GRAHN-ya), Aoife (EE-feh), etc. Both his parents have Gaelic names. His late father's name was Daragh (rhymes with Sarah), which DH said can also be used for a girl. (Although I think the girl spelling is Darragh.) I mentioned it to a friend as a possibility and she brushed it off saying no one would be able to pronounce it. I suppose we could spell it Dara if we wanted to use it. I don't know what DH would think of that and I'm not sold on the name yet anyway. I want to feel strongly about the name we choose and so far nothing stands out for me.

BernieRae

Resurrecting this old thread to see how everyone is doing with picking a name. @sporty1216 you mentioned on my sept 16 post about your top pick that DH wasn't on board with, but I had to come back to another discussion on this board because I couldn't remember it. Are you still liking Willa? Has he totally vetoed it? 

dh and I have been discussing names for the last 4 months and while there are a couple that we agree on nothing feels definitively like "the one".  Mariah has been a top choice lately. And today he asked me if I liked Raina which funny enough was a name i liked for years when naming hypothetical children. So that's on the list too. And then there are middle names...

Sporty1216

I am. I still LOVE Willa. DH hasn't vetoed, and noticed it in a movie we watched....so I'm remaining hopeful.   the funny thing is, I am the one who, wth our son, didn't want to name him until we met him. And I still sort of feel that way this time. But I have a strong feeling that her name is Willa. Time will tell! I'm putting together a list of names and then we will probably narrow that down to 2-3 to take to the hospital and decide once we meet her. But for me, it's Willa all the way.

it's such a hard thing, naming another person! I like the choices you guys are considering... I'm sure one will click. Oh, and we had zero thoughts on a middle name for our son until after we chose his first name, nearly three days after he was born. So never fear! Inspiration can strike even at the last minute. Haha.