Declan?

beachgal0114

I know Declan has been rising in popularity for the last few years.  DH and I both like it as a potential name for our son, with the nickname Dex.  However, I wonder if it's one of those difficult to pronounce, always having to spell kind of names.  I also want something that ages well.  Any thoughts on Declan?  Full name would probably be Declan James Mc____ (two syllables).

azuremama

We're considering it, too (and we also have a Mc lastname).  I think there'll be some spelling/pronunciation corrections, but not terrible.  Like you said, it's becoming more popular, so I think a lot of people have heard of it.

ames71

Great name! It's (slowly) gaining in popularity; for 2009 it was #309 on the SS list, a jump from #346 the previous year. I hear it mentioned more on TB than IRL. 

I don't find Declan difficult to pronounce at all?it's pretty straight-forward. I'd actually roll my eyes at someone who screwed this one up. It also would absolutely age well, and I do like the nn Dex for this name. I wouldn't have thought of it, but I like it a lot. 

COMomma81

Love it. I don't think it's difficult to say and I do think it ages well as a full name, Dex, not so much...but it's cute. IMO, Declan is pretty straight-forward and since it is rising in popularity in the states, it's not unheard of. If you used the original Deaglan, then you may run into those issues. Declan James sounds really really nice!

Desert*Flower

We were thisclose to naming ds #1 Declan (we ended up naming him after dh since we could instantly tell he was dh's little mini me). We also have an Irish last name, (it sounds like you do to) which makes it even better. I think it's a great name, and I like it paired with James. I think most people will probably be able to pronounce it correctly.

EastCoastBride

DS is Declan.  Heck, even I read the name wrong the first time I saw it!  I literally had never heard of or seen the name before DH found it in a baby name book.  

But it really takes a split second to correct someone and then everyone is on board w/ how to pronounce it. 

His nn is becoming Dec (Deck) except for one friend who does like to call him Dexter.

cearleyjay

love it!  i wanted to use it for DS, but neither of us are Irish.

ces25c

ames17:

I don't find Declan difficult to pronounce at all?it's pretty straight-forward. I'd actually roll my eyes at someone who screwed this one up. It also would absolutely age well, and I do like the nn Dex for this name. I wouldn't have thought of it, but I like it a lot. 

Same here.  The worst you could do is accent the wrong syllable but then again I dated a guy whose entire family said tor-tee-lia for tortilla and Chi-pole-tay for Chipotle... I know it's a bit tricky but considering there's one on every street corner now, come on.

I think it's a great name and Dex is a cute nn.

karakel

I don't think that it's hard to pronounce and I think that it ages well because it's not super cutesy.  Not a huge fan of the nn Dex though.

natalie7s19

Lurker here, wanted to throw my two cents in since my son's name is Declan!

 

It's only been mis-pronounced once, when the receptionist at the ped's office said "dee-KLAN." Otherwise, people seem to get it. When telling someone his name, I have to repeat myself about 25% of the time, because it's unfamiliar to many people (especially older people) but most of the time people just gush over it.

 

So I've had a mainly positive Declan-having experience! 

PunkyBooster

It's becoming more well known.

I personally adore the name. DS was going to be Declan up until I was about 7 months pregnant, then we switched it because DH got cold feet. If we have boy #2, he will very likely be Declan. 

Goodysgirl

Declan is on our short boy list as well.  At first DH goes "Dee-clan"? But when I told him how to pronounce it, he liked it as well.   I did tease him about the pronunciation, so he asked 2 of his colleagues and they both read it as Dee-clan as well. WTF!?

I didn't think it was popular and we don't know any Declans. Which is great considering we know a bazillion little boys. In fact, only 1 friend of mine had it on her list as well.  That is pretty unusual for us considering a lot of names we like, someone used or wants to use.