Help for a baby boy name to go with Smith

hvhoward · December 2013

Since we have one of the most common last names out there (Smith) we are looking for an uncommon but not too crazy name for baby boy. Currently we have 3 names on our list:

Gareth (I love it but worry about the double -th sound)
Rhys (again, like the name, but the double s)
Matthew (most likely as a middle name)

Please help! Irish, English, and German names get bonus points.

FYI DH for some reason does not like Garrett.

ClaireHuxtable · December 2013

HisGirlFriday929 said:

I really like both Gareth & Rhys. I think I prefer Gareth w/Smith.
Suggestions: Carrick, Graeme, Bennett, Callum, Lachlan, Quinn, Cary, Flynn, Desmond, Finnegan, Sebastian, Cillian

Agreed and agreed. These suggestions from @HisGirlFriday hit it out of the park. Any one of these. Any one and you'll be golden.

Helenahhandbasket · December 2013

Of the three- I like Rhys the best for you. What about:

Callum

Rory

Brenden

Malcolm

Desmond

Miles

Graham

Ewan

Rowan

jyoung01 · December 2013

I like a lot of PP's suggestions for you. I would avoid Gareth. When I say it out loud, I have a difficult time transitioning from the TH to the S sound--my tongue's kind of in the right place but not exactly right for the S after saying the TH. It ends up sounding like I have a speech impediment.

DanandVan · December 2013

Agreed, Gareth Smith does not sound good. What about Garrett? Wish I could come up with some more choices, but I lean towards classic/common boys names. Although...what about Biblical names? Noah, Elijah, Issac, Isaiah, Simeon, Gideon

Edit: oops, just saw your DH dislikes Garrett...

drunkindonuts · December 2013

Gareth is bad with your last name. Matthew Smith is too common I think so Rhys by default

I know a Garrick, which I like and think sounds good with Smith!

SidraJedi · December 2013

Bram
Darragh
Deaglan
Orin
Tiege
Dermot
Malachi
Broderick
Griffin
Devlin
Nevan
Wolf
Wolfram
Wolfgang
Dolf
Dietrich
Rudiger
Falco
Tobias
Ulrich
Ignatius

mh89 · December 2013

I love Rhys!

Finn, Cedric, Caelum, Orion, Rowan, Rohan, Ronan (I'm clearly into the Ro- names right now lol), Ewan, Seamus, Desmond, Wallace, Franklin, Patrick, Leo, Rhett, Xander..?

SmileyJay · December 2013

Smith - you want something unusual but not crazy. Does not start or end with S and does not include TH. You want something at least 2 syllables so it doesn't sounds plain. Middle name Mathew has the TH so definitely do not do it in the first.

Gareth Mathew Smith is really bad and sounds like a daffy duck.

Rhys Mathew Smith - Boring... two 1 syllable names and Rhys ends in s while Smith starts with s. It's not terrible, just not sparkling or anything.

Garrick could be a better alternative. I have met 1 Garrick in my entire life. It is like Gareth but fits better with smith. Garrett would also be a better alternative and is not very common now.

I really love the name Tobias for you - Nickname Toby. Tobias Mathew Smith is not boring. Toby Smith is sporty and approachable, unusual but not out there. The rythm of 3-2-1 syllables sounds so nice and although Tobias also ends in an s like Rhys it is not nearly as bad because it is 3 syllables.. plus, you would probably use Toby way more often.

Although it is a bit plain and there are probably 1 million others with the same name, I rather like Mathew Smith. It's simple, it's balanced, and Matt is such a sweet name for a son.

Try to look for 3 syllable Irish, German, or English names for good leads. I think that will be your best bet.