Music/Science Nerd Boy Names

pelicanesque

We are Team Green, and having just the hardest time coming up with and agreeing on boy names, and we will be running out of time soon! Girl names seem to be so much easier and we have a few that both DH and I agree on and pretty much have a front-runner, which is Lyra. We love it because it both references music and science (it is a constellation), which is basically what we are: music and science nerds.

Now to the boy names. This is all we could come up with:

Desmond (nickname "Des") - I love, he thinks it sounds "too British" (wtf??)
Chester (nickname "Chet") - He loves, I can't get behind and if I explained why it would make me sound like a child
Thurman - Name of co-worker, so kind of weird because it's a more "unusual" name, and DH and I work together

Now, none of them obviously reference music/science (Desmond Dekker being the exception, but I'll be surprised if anyone knows who he is), but they kind of are all members of a "category", if you catch my drift? Like, the kid could either be a jazz drummer or an astrophysicist with one of those names. I'm looking for more names in this vein! I'm not asking for "how about Cheston because it's similar to Chester?", but rather other distinct names that you might think fit in this "category". Maybe a tall order? I know The Bump Hive-Mind can come through on this!

jenna8984

No offense but kind of a weird concept to me. Just because you think the name sounds good for a musician or a scientist, what if he wants to become a football player or an electrician? Your interests won't necessarily be your child's. 

Lyra- not into it, reminds me of the drug Lyrica.

Desmond- fine, normal, not too British lol

Chester- I hate it because we had a teacher in school that everyone called Chester the Child Molester.....

Thurman- seems like a last name to me but I guess it's fine.

bbiutmcph

Desmond is pretty mainstream 
not a fan of Chester or Thurman

Otis
Jude
Reed
Sigmund
Albert
edwin
Linus
Tycho
Arlo
Wolfgang
Oswald 
Sebastian

Bringmemylongswordho

I like Desmond 

Other suggestions 

Edison 
Albert
Neil
Graham 
Nikola 

Amadeus 
Wolfgang 

pelicanesque

jenna8984 said:

No offense but kind of a weird concept to me. Just because you think the name sounds good for a musician or a scientist, what if he wants to become a football player or an electrician? Your interests won't necessarily be your child's. 

I think they would work for a football player or electrician, too! We were just having such a hard time navigating the seas of thousands of names, that I found it helpful to find a common thread (even if it is thin) among names to help guide us to more

jenna8984 said:

Chester- I hate it because we had a teacher in school that everyone called Chester the Child Molester.....

This is basically what I wanted to say, but didn't

Zimger

I like Desmond. 
I can't think of a reference right now but it seems like maybe Dashiell would be a good fit 

LizaKate1213

Chester and Thurman are awful IMO. Desmond is tolerable. I second all of the above recommendations, especially Reed, Linus, Graham, Edison and Edwin. Will add Isaac, Louis and Alexander.

klirwin82

Chester is slang around here for CHild molESTER. As in, look at that Chester in the old white van parked by the playground.

magsugar13

desmond is a great name

DSMLove

Darwin?

breezycat

I didn't want to be the first one to say it but I automatically thought of Chester the child molester too. Don't do that to your kid. Desmond is a good name, go with that. 

virginiaunicorn11

I don't see anything wrong with that "theme". DH and I picked a literary figure for LO's middle name because we both studied literature and met/fell in love over literary conversations. 

Leonardo? 

I googled "musician and scientist" but the main hits were too contemporary, though I like Milo (maybe too trendy, dunno)

SongbirdintheCity

I really like Reed as an option.

It has strong musical references (reed instruments; musician Lou Reed), and good science references too (plants/nature; also scientist/army surgeon Walter Reed and, if you're into this sorta thing, according to nameberry, Reed Richards was the human name of the scientific genius who became Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four).

I also think Reed and Lyra could be an adorable sib set.

Thanks for posting this - I found it super interesting. I definitely get the theme idea and am likely to do a theme-based name for my own kids one day! 

momma2char

I love Desmond and Reed. 

Other suggestions:
Gibson
Sigmund
Ernest
Rigel
Orion
Edwin

susykat77

I like your theme/idea/genre
Oscar
Arlo
Atticus 
Frank
Ari
Otto
August
Alistar
Ari
Jack
Victor
Ernest 
Eugene 

2winterbabies

Sheldon

Big bang theory comes to mind lol 

CaboBride2015

Spencer would be my only addition. Maybe it was the Reed suggestion above but I do love Spencer Reed from Criminal Minds.

pelicanesque

breezycat said:

I didn't want to be the first one to say it but I automatically thought of Chester the child molester too. Don't do that to your kid. Desmond is a good name, go with that. 

I tried to explain this to DH and he just didn't understand! Is it a generational thing? I'm early 30s and he's early 40s. He acted like he'd never heard of that that reference, but already like 3 people on here have, and I have as well!!

pelicanesque

These are all such great suggestions! Thanks all! 

SmrBrd2012

pelicanesque said:

breezycat said:

I didn't want to be the first one to say it but I automatically thought of Chester the child molester too. Don't do that to your kid. Desmond is a good name, go with that. 

I tried to explain this to DH and he just didn't understand! Is it a generational thing? I'm early 30s and he's early 40s. He acted like he'd never heard of that that reference, but already like 3 people on here have, and I have as well!!

I'd never heard of it until this thread and I'm 30!

bbiutmcph

The bad reference to Chester was immediately my first thought I just didn't mention it. It's very common and something I have always heard with the name. I'm early 30's but my mom knew this reference and she is 55

SisterMaryNapalm

I'm not sure how adventurous you are in your tastes so I've tried to give you a mix. 

Jazz:
Charles (Mingus) or (Darwin/Babbage-science)
Miles (Davis)
Herbert (Herbie Hancock)
Glen (Miller)
Jaco (Pastorius)
Colt/Coltrane
Ellington

Science:
Alexei
Claude
Erwin (Schrödinger)
Thoreau (Henry David)
Ludwig (Boltzmann or Beethoven)
Niels (Bohr)
Nikola/Nicholaus (Tesla/Copernicus)
Wolfgang

Constellations/Space:
Arago
Aquila
Corvus
Leo
Phoenix
Orion
Rigeld
Holmes
Wolf

Autumnale

Desmond is my favorite out of your names. It always makes me think of the beatles. Obladi oblada! Love the suggestions of Jude, Reed and Isaac. 

jenna8984

Desmond/ Dez always reminds me of Desi Arnaz from I love Lucy. (Even though that wasn't his name it was Desiderio)

Toricharline

Ive always loved the name Simon. 

WildWhat

Try over on Reddit namenerds, too. I think you might get some great suggestions there!