Which boy name?

SummerB0607 · April 2014

I told him I would let him pick the boy name because I already picked the name if we have a girl (Kaydence Rene) but he's undecided between two names and I'd like to hear what you think!

I like both so I don't mind. The middle name will be Wayne (for his father who passed away in 2005) So we have: Carter Wayne or Gentry Wayne

Which is your favorite?

WashingtonQueen · April 2014

What is Gentry? I can't find it on behindthename.com

lauralew · April 2014

Carter...and Cadence.

SummerB0607 · April 2014

Gentry means "Noble"

SummerB0607 · April 2014

I like Cadence spelled "Kaydence" better

emmy236 · April 2014

lauralew said:
Carter...and Cadence.

This

RedRose90210 · April 2014

Carter!

==N== · April 2014

Carter.

abchittam · April 2014

I'm partial to Carter. It's DS's name.

it's not too terribly uncommon, but it's not overwhelmingly popular either - nice, happy medium.

theholmanherd · April 2014

Neither are my style, but if I had to pick between those two, Carter. (although, I have strong negative associations with this name, but Gentry sounds like a country song). GL!

BethPSU · April 2014

Carter.... and Cadence

WashingtonQueen · April 2014

SummerB0607 said:
Gentry means "Noble"

Maybe as a surname. Again, it's not listed on a trusted site as a name.

The real spelling of Cadence is so much better.

pippacricket · April 2014

Carter. The first thing I thought of when I read Gentry is Game of Thrones.

neverblushed · April 2014

Gentry = an old-fashioned term for an old-fashioned social class, the landed gentry. These were people who did not work but made their living collecting rent from their tenants. It's the social class represented in Jane Austen's novels or in the BBC series, Downton Abbey.

If you use this as a name, people will either think you DID know what the term "gentry" means, and that you used this name as a way of making your child sound high-class... OR... you DIDN'T know what "gentry" means, and that you're just clueless. It's sort of like saying you want to name your child "Aristocrat" because you just like the way that word sounds.

Although "gentry" may not be a really common term, there's no guarantee that your future child won't run into people who are familiar with it and find it odd that someone has this word for a name.

MAdams728 · April 2014

SummerB0607 said:
I like Cadence spelled "Kaydence" better

You might like it better on a cute little girl, but I wonder if your future adult daughter will like it better? Not all cutesy spellings spill over into adulthood well.

graciesmurf · April 2014

Gentry is a last name. I'm a not opposed of using last names as first names when they are significant to the person who has the name forever. I.e. if Gentry is the last name (or was the maiden name) of someone you want to honor.

If you're using Gentry just because you "think it sounds cool/unique/smart/insert ANY adjective" than no.

JuneRunner14 · April 2014

I would name him Wayne vs Carter or Gentry. I love the name Wayne. It's a family name for us too. But if its between those I would pick Carter.

evaazalea · April 2014

Like PP, Gentry is totally a GoT name, if we are using those now, I think Tyrion is our best option. I totally agree Cadence is so much better than Kaydence, although still nms.

SummerB0607 · April 2014

Hmmm...I guess this is why some people don't announce baby names until AFTER they name the baby. There's a lot of judgement. I'm sure there are some of you that have named/will name your children names that I hate and think are ugly. Honestly there's one on one of your siggy's that makes me cringe, because I think it's awful. Gentry IS normally a last name, yes. But to us it has a certain rugged southern charm...and since we are from the south that name will fit right in. And some names have several meanings. This one also happens to mean "of noble birth". And also the "Gent" part is derived from "Gentleman". Kaydence (yes, with the K and the Y) is a legit alternate spelling of Cadence. I didn't make it up. I think it is beautiful. I think it would be beautiful on an adult woman. If she doesn't like it, she can change it. None of us have any guarantee that the names we pick for our children are going to be liked by them when they're older. I expected everyone to have different opinions and to even have some that didn't like either name. But I did not expect some of the rudeness. I will never pick a name based on if it is on a web site or not stating that it is in fact a name. And honestly....not everyone picks a name based on what it means either.

queenbone · April 2014

Wow. I just... wow.

evaazalea · April 2014

SummerB0607 said:

Hmmm...I guess this is why some people don't announce baby names until AFTER they name the baby. There's a lot of judgement. I'm sure there are some of you that have named/will name your children names that I hate and think are ugly. Honestly there's one on one of your siggy's that makes me cringe, because I think it's awful. Gentry IS normally a last name, yes. But to us it has a certain rugged southern charm...and since we are from the south that name will fit right in. And some names have several meanings. This one also happens to mean "of noble birth". And also the "Gent" part is derived from "Gentleman". Kaydence (yes, with the K and the Y) is a legit alternate spelling of Cadence. I didn't make it up. I think it is beautiful. I think it would be beautiful on an adult woman. If she doesn't like it, she can change it. None of us have any guarantee that the names we pick for our children are going to be liked by them when they're older. I expected everyone to have different opinions and to even have some that didn't like either name. But I did not expect some of the rudeness. I will never pick a name based on if it is on a web site or not stating that it is in fact a name. And honestly....not everyone picks a name based on what it means either.

How dare you make fun of Monster, I thought long and hard on his name and he loves it, you asked for opinions and I maintain that Tyrion us far better than Gentry.

SummerB0607 · April 2014

TysMomPlusOne said:

SummerB0607 said:

Hmmm...I guess this is why some people don't announce baby names until AFTER they name the baby. There's a lot of judgement. I'm sure there are some of you that have named/will name your children names that I hate and think are ugly. Honestly there's one on one of your siggy's that makes me cringe, because I think it's awful. Gentry IS normally a last name, yes. But to us it has a certain rugged southern charm...and since we are from the south that name will fit right in. And some names have several meanings. This one also happens to mean "of noble birth". And also the "Gent" part is derived from "Gentleman". Kaydence (yes, with the K and the Y) is a legit alternate spelling of Cadence. I didn't make it up. I think it is beautiful. I think it would be beautiful on an adult woman. If she doesn't like it, she can change it. None of us have any guarantee that the names we pick for our children are going to be liked by them when they're older. I expected everyone to have different opinions and to even have some that didn't like either name. But I did not expect some of the rudeness. I will never pick a name based on if it is on a web site or not stating that it is in fact a name. And honestly....not everyone picks a name based on what it means either.

How dare you make fun of Monster, I thought long and hard on his name and he loves it, you asked for opinions and I maintain that Tyrion us far better than Gentry.

I actually wasn't talking about Monster...

queenbone · April 2014

SummerB0607 said:

TysMomPlusOne said:

SummerB0607 said:

Hmmm...I guess this is why some people don't announce baby names until AFTER they name the baby. There's a lot of judgement. I'm sure there are some of you that have named/will name your children names that I hate and think are ugly. Honestly there's one on one of your siggy's that makes me cringe, because I think it's awful. Gentry IS normally a last name, yes. But to us it has a certain rugged southern charm...and since we are from the south that name will fit right in. And some names have several meanings. This one also happens to mean "of noble birth". And also the "Gent" part is derived from "Gentleman". Kaydence (yes, with the K and the Y) is a legit alternate spelling of Cadence. I didn't make it up. I think it is beautiful. I think it would be beautiful on an adult woman. If she doesn't like it, she can change it. None of us have any guarantee that the names we pick for our children are going to be liked by them when they're older. I expected everyone to have different opinions and to even have some that didn't like either name. But I did not expect some of the rudeness. I will never pick a name based on if it is on a web site or not stating that it is in fact a name. And honestly....not everyone picks a name based on what it means either.

How dare you make fun of Monster, I thought long and hard on his name and he loves it, you asked for opinions and I maintain that Tyrion us far better than Gentry.

I actually wasn't talking about Monster...

You shouldn't be talking about any of them. We don't criticize already named babies.

Nuclearcupcake · April 2014

SummerB0607 said:
I told him I would let him pick the boy name because I already picked the name if we have a girl (Kaydence Rene) but he's undecided between two names and I'd like to hear what you think! I like both so I don't mind. The middle name will be Wayne (for his father who passed away in 2005) So we have: Carter Wayne or Gentry Wayne

Which is your favorite?

If you didn't want opinions, why ask?

SummerB0607 · April 2014

I wasn't criticizing the baby. I just don't care for the name. And I don't think you should criticize a baby's name whether they have been officially named that or not. I think it's rude to break down all the reasons why you personally hate someones choices. I didn't ask for opinions on the names, just which ones you like better. If neither, you can just leave this alone or tactfully and kindly say that neither are your style. Or even offer a name you like, I'm open to that as well. I have seen people make rude and hateful comments about a lot of people's name choices on here and I just think that is unnecessary. MOST of the people that have commented on this have been kind and helpful. This is mostly just aimed at the one or two that came off as kind of rude (but maybe you didn't mean it that way?)

evaazalea · April 2014

I don't think anyone came off as rude, and saying you hate an already named baby name is just ridiculous, you asked for opinions and everyone was very respectful (ok, I was maybe sarcastic with Monster). It would appear that the opinion of Gentry is: last name, game of thrones. You did not ask for opinions on Kaydence, BUT you included it and as is typical of a BABY NAMES board we included our opinion on it, you're welcome!

BlueRidge8 · April 2014

...wow

Edit: how very "noble" of you, OP

diamondduck13 · April 2014

This board helps by giving posters the opportunity to hear what people in real life will think but not say

For example, I live in the south and IMO in no way would Gentry fit right in. I can imagine southerners, at least myself and my friends, thinking it falls into the grouping of naming your child something like Duke, King, Prince or Princess. No southern charm at all.

Eta typo

strawberrytree · April 2014

The thing about Cadence is that it is an actual word found in the dictionary. The dictionary disagrees that Kaydence is a legit alternate spelling.

And everything @neverblushed said about Gentry. I know what the dictionary definition of it is, and my immediate impression of Gentry's parents is that they're either pretty ignorant or pretty full of themselves. Carter is a great name- stick with that.

biscuitsgirl2007 · April 2014

Out of your options, I would go with Carter. In our area, Gentry is actually a girl's name.

emmy236 · April 2014

I'm in the South and I just don't think Gentry has "southern charm". I feel a Southern name has a deeper meaning. I do like Carter though. I think I do understand the idea you were going for, so I'll see if I can offer some suggestions. Many people I know use family names (mainly LNs) for boys. Some of these are actually their MNs but it's what they go by

Reed (DS)
Banks
Davis
Charles
Rhett
Sullivan
Marshall
Campbell
Cooper
Tennyson
Jacob
Brooks

SummerB0607 · April 2014

bromios said:

10 digital dollars says she was talking about Caeden. Anyway, OP, Kaydence is not a legit variant, just because YOU didn't make it up. There is no possible way linguistically for this to be a legitimate variation. So you are just wrong about that. Sometimes a person is just wrong, and when that happens the graceful thing to do is acknowledge it. If you don't mind giving your kid a name whose spelling produces an error message in the brain, then I think that's too bad (because your kid might mind), but it's your choice.

Actually no, I wasn't talking about that name either. Don't know why you would assume that especially since it sounds close to Kaydence (Cadence, whatever, not sure why this is such a big deal to you) If you want to talk about spelling though Caden is the original spelling and spelling it Caeden tends to produce an error message in the brain. However, I still think it's a lovely name SPELLED EITHER WAY. Names are versatile and have no set rule. Again, not so sure why there is such animosity towards the spelling of names. I also like the name spelled Kadence. I love the y in it though because my boyfriend has a y in his (Jayson). So I would like to have the y in hers as well

I don't really care about the meaning of Gentry. Carter means someone who uses a cart to transport goods. And yet, it's somewhat popular. Amelia means work. Cameron is a Scottish surname that originated from the Gaelic nickname cam sron...which means crooked nose. Some names are given to children just because the parents like it, nothing to do with the meaning. And that's okay.

Also we have no guarantee that our children will like the names we picked for them. Even if they are spelled correctly and generally accepted as normal names. I have a nephew named Nathan...pretty likable....popular but not overly common...no spelling mistakes or weird meanings....and he hates it.

It is your right to hate the name Gentry and the way I want to spell Kaydence. And yes, I did find a couple comments to be rude and condescending.

SummerB0607 · April 2014

emmy236 said:

I'm in the South and I just don't think Gentry has "southern charm". I feel a Southern name has a deeper meaning. I do like Carter though. I think I do understand the idea you were going for, so I'll see if I can offer some suggestions. Many people I know use family names (mainly LNs) for boys. Some of these are actually their MNs but it's what they go by Reed (DS) Banks Davis Charles Rhett Sullivan Marshall Campbell Cooper Tennyson Jacob Brooks

Thank you. I love the names Reed, Rhett and Marshall

macchiatto · April 2014

neverblushed said:

Gentry = an old-fashioned term for an old-fashioned social class, the landed gentry. These were people who did not work but made their living collecting rent from their tenants. It's the social class represented in Jane Austen's novels or in the BBC series, Downton Abbey.

If you use this as a name, people will either think you DID know what the term "gentry" means, and that you used this name as a way of making your child sound high-class... OR... you DIDN'T know what "gentry" means, and that you're just clueless. It's sort of like saying you want to name your child "Aristocrat" because you just like the way that word sounds.

Although "gentry" may not be a really common term, there's no guarantee that your future child won't run into people who are familiar with it and find it odd that someone has this word for a name.

Very well said.

I also love the real spelling of Cadence so much better.

ETA: Also, there is a significant difference between naming your child a recognized name with a certain meaning (which the average person wouldn't know) ... and naming your child a word (which others have pointed out isn't recognized as a name on legitimate baby name sites) and trying to pretend that word's meaning doesn't matter.

I also don't think anyone on here was being rude. Like a pp pointed out, the advantage of posting on a baby names site is that you find out what others are likely to be thinking when your child introduces himself, or when they're looking at his resume, even if they're too polite to say anything to your (or his) face.

lauralew · April 2014

As the first person to call out the spelling Cadence, I feel like I should chime in. First, I completely agree with PP. I wish I could be as eloquent as they are, but alas, I'm not.

Second, reading through posts made within the last 24hr would probably have tipped you off that using Kaydence instead of Cadence would get this reaction. So while I guess my comment about Cadence was somewhat unnecessary, it wasn't unusual.

Use whatever name you wish. But understand asking people who are passionate about names (ranging from oh I like taking about them to I actually have an extensive educational and professional background relating to names and languages) you may not hear what you hoped. If you want people to smile, nod, and say "SQUEEEEE!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!!!!" I recommend finding a different audience.

magsugar13 · April 2014

Just because someone takes a name and changes the spelling a year or two before you use it, doesn't make it legit. If I decide to spell Adam like Adym and some others decide its cool and use it does that make it a legit name? I think not.

You can spell your child's name anyway you'd like , and some people may think that her mother was creative or illiterate, again doesn't make a difference to us.

Since you are so sensitive about and can't take the opinions you asked for, imagine how your child will feel with a made up spelling or a name that doesn't always mean what mom said it means.

For what its worth i really bit my tongue and was not rude like i really wanted to be.

Paigeleeann25 · April 2014

I'd go with Carter. Gentry Wayne to me sounds like you are trying to hard to make your kid sound like a country singer.

Meery82 · April 2014

neverblushed said:

Gentry = an old-fashioned term for an old-fashioned social class, the landed gentry. These were people who did not work but made their living collecting rent from their tenants. It's the social class represented in Jane Austen's novels or in the BBC series, Downton Abbey.

If you use this as a name, people will either think you DID know what the term "gentry" means, and that you used this name as a way of making your child sound high-class... OR... you DIDN'T know what "gentry" means, and that you're just clueless. It's sort of like saying you want to name your child "Aristocrat" because you just like the way that word sounds.

Although "gentry" may not be a really common term, there's no guarantee that your future child won't run into people who are familiar with it and find it odd that someone has this word for a name.

Or they'll think you're a hillbilly who worships Montgomery Gentry.

WashingtonQueen · April 2014

bromios said:
10 digital dollars says she was talking about Caeden. Anyway, OP, Kaydence is not a legit variant, just because YOU didn't make it up. There is no possible way linguistically for this to be a legitimate variation. So you are just wrong about that. Sometimes a person is just wrong, and when that happens the graceful thing to do is acknowledge it. If you don't mind giving your kid a name whose spelling produces an error message in the brain, then I think that's too bad (because your kid might mind), but it's your choice.

I am pretty sure she is talking about me. You want to bring it, OP? >:/

emmy236 · April 2014

OP, you were nice about taking suggestions for boy names, is it possible I can just give a little advice about your girl choice? I want to start off saying that I think Cadence is a beautiful name. It has a beautiful meaning and it's not something you hear often. It allows itself to cute NNs (Cady, Dede, etc)

Yes, you are right that other names have accepted alternative spellings. My son's does. We used Reed because it's a family name and that's how it's spelled. Reid is actually more popular and the norm. There hasn't been a time at the doctors' office, CVS, the personalization department of pottery barn, etc where people don't automatically think it's spelled Reid. He's almost a year and a decent amount of our friends still spell it wrong in emails, texts, FB etc. Reed is even the "original" spelling according to the BTN gods too, but it doesn't matter. I'm sure my son will go through life saying "no it's two E's". Now, Cadence is a real, Webster certified word. It's not a name that has an accepted alternative. Since Cadence isn't necessarily a well known word to a lot I see the perception of you going from "oh wow what a lovely, unique name" to "wow her mom can't spell" and I really don't want that to happen. You can still give her the NN Kay if you want (I don't see an issue because Catherine's can go by Katie). That is just my advice. I just thought you might want to hear it from someone who has to constantly spell their child's name out.

MeganM0710 · April 2014

bromios said:

SummerB0607 said:

bromios said:

10 digital dollars says she was talking about Caeden. Anyway, OP, Kaydence is not a legit variant, just because YOU didn't make it up. There is no possible way linguistically for this to be a legitimate variation. So you are just wrong about that. Sometimes a person is just wrong, and when that happens the graceful thing to do is acknowledge it. If you don't mind giving your kid a name whose spelling produces an error message in the brain, then I think that's too bad (because your kid might mind), but it's your choice.

Actually no, I wasn't talking about that name either. Don't know why you would assume that especially since it sounds close to Kaydence (Cadence, whatever, not sure why this is such a big deal to you) If you want to talk about spelling though Caden is the original spelling and spelling it Caeden tends to produce an error message in the brain.

Aww, I guess I lost my 10 digital dollars. I thought it might be my son's name because people who have no idea what they're talking about often try to call me out on Caeden. However, since I ran across my son's name on an actual manuscript from several centuries ago (I study ancient Greek and Roman history and do a lot of comparative work involving Celtic and Norse mythology and history, so I kind of read a lot of languages and understand this stuff pretty well), I'm afraid your argument will have to go to its corner.

Here's the thing, names are words, words have correct spellings (which differ from one language to another, but there is no language in which Kaydence is a correct spelling for the word that means cadence). If you spelled "smile" as "smyl," that would just be incorrect. Same with spelling Cadence and Kaydence. It's true, no one knows if their kids will love their names, but I'm pretty sure no child ever aid, "Man, I wish my name was misspelled!"

I'm not sure why this didn't quote your whole post properly, however, if you had a dime for every time you used the "names are words" argument you'd be a very rich woman.

To OP I can see your desire to use Gentry but like pp stated it sounds like its trying too hard to be a country . Hello Montgomery Gentry. And the gentry half of this duo was charged a
Few years ago for violently killing an innocent bear that he purchased JUST to kill. Look it up.

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