We are considering Eben as a first or middle name and it would most likely be paired with Joseph. I like it for a first name, but having a common name myself with an uncommon spelling makes me hesitant to use it that way because I feel like people would tend to call him Evan instead. Even in emails, when people have to look at my address with my name in it to know who to send it to, I still get my name misspelled more often than not. I have family that still cannot spell my name correctly. I'm not in love with Joseph, and am not a big fan of Joe, which I feel most people would want to call him if that were his first name. I'm having a hard enough time getting people to call DS1 by his full name (Jonathan.) Thoughts?
@kfren I have an Eaton which sounds a lot like Ethan. He gets Ian too. I usually have to repeat his name and sometimes spell it when people ask. That said, I have common name (Casey) that can be spelled as many ways as someone can be creative so I'm correcting spelling and clarifying that it's not Cassie as well. My takeaway from the name game is that it doesn't really matter what name you go with, you're going to almost always enjoy a lifetime of correcting spellings, pronunciations, and clarifications.
Naming my son, it mattered enough to me that I got to use it because it was a family last name and meaningful to me. Same with this one who will be named Carver (another family name). I'm sure we'll clarify a lot that it's not Carter, but it's worth the hassle to me.
TL;DR Just do what you want. People as a rule are terrible with names and it's going to be a struggle regardless.
@kfren I love the name Eben! I'm probably not the best person to give an opinion with regards to mistaking the name for others - I feel I have a keener attention to names, which I'm sure partially stems from the fact that I've never met someone else with mine or MH's name, and I have to constantly correct people for the both of us. But can't speak for others. It definitely wouldn't stop me from using it!
@kfren fwiw, I like it. I haven't heard of it and when first read it I pronounced it ee-ben?
I say if you like it, go for it! I correct spelling on my name all the time and it's super common so I wouldn't let that deter you if you really love the name.
@kfren I think you’ll be happier in the long run with a name you love even if you are correcting people on how to say it, than with a name you’re kind of meh about that you’ll be correcting people from shortening to a nickname you don’t want anyways.
@sabby2 I always hop on Nameberry to see what other people who like a specific name are also fond of. Not sure if any of these tickle your fancy, but people who liked the name Elliot also like:
@pupsicle23 I like it! I considered it because I love nn Ellie but decided against Eleanor. DH vetoed because he thought it was to masculine. I always think of the character on Scrubs
@pupsicle23 I like it! I considered it because I love nn Ellie but decided against Eleanor. DH vetoed because he thought it was to masculine. I always think of the character on Scrubs
DD is named Ellie, so I'm obviously biased...everyone asks what it's short for and we tell them nothing, we thought about Eleanor but then said if we were just going to call her Ellie anyways we should just name her Ellie...so we did
@momac1919 I fully support that decision. I'm not a fan of nick names so IMHO if you're just going to call them that all the time, just name them that.
*TW LC*
Me & MH: 32 DS: 6/1/18 (Pre-E; IUGR; seizures; NICU) TTC #2: 12/2019 Sept 2020: HSG possible blocked right tube Nov 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFN Dec 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFP!!! EDD 9/18
@pupsicle23 I am biased because I have a friend with daughter named Elliott who they call Elly...but I really like it.
On the topic of nicknames: We are leaning hard toward Leo for this LO, which sort of feels like it should be a nickname, but I can't think of a longer name I like? And who needs one, I guess? You guys are making me feel better about that.
Me: 34 Husband: 35 Married: June 2007
Son Max born 1/10/17 BFP #2: 10/5/17; EDD: 6/11/18
@pupsicle23 as a boy name for girl mom I fully support it I think it’s adorable. @MoonOverGoldsboro the only Leo’s I know don’t have full names either. Just Leo.
Since this thread was brought back to life - here is our list. We just changed our minds and now we’re stuck haha. Any opinions would be great!
DD is Carter Ava
so for this LO we are stuck with (MN is Scott): Bryson Tucker Ryder Karsyn
Me: 28 | Husband: 39 Married March 2016 DD: born 7.22.16 DS EDD: 6.23.18
@MoonOverGoldsboro obviously I'm team nicknames can most definitely be full names and if that's what you like then go for it and who cares what anyone else thinks...we haven't settled on a name for this one yet, but DH likes the name Luke and dislikes Lucas so who knows we may have another one without a "longer name"
One of my best friends named her son Leo, @MoonOverGoldsboro ! I think he's named after a family member whose full name was Leonardo, which she didn't love, so they went with just Leo. His middle name is longer, and it all flows together really nicely.
@sunshineandwhiskey Karsyn is adorable! And it sounds good with Scott. Maybe I need to get our top 5 list together and get opinions because we've been stuck for the last 11 weeks since we found out DS was a boy...
@pupsicle23 I like Elliott for a girl too, nn Ellie. I'm a big fan of nicknames and think you should give kids grown up names with a kid-friendly nickname. There are names I can think of that are adorable for little kids, but just don't translate to a lawyer or doctor or CEO.
@LaceyBee522@sunshineandwhiskey@momac1919@=caenis= Thanks for the feedback, guys! We have been killing ourselves over a name for this kid, and I'm finally starting to feel like we might have something. This conversation might be pushing me over the edge!
@marcus7676 Oooh, I had never even considered Elliott. I was stuck on something like Leonardo or Leopold. I am not very creative with names, apparently.
Me: 34 Husband: 35 Married: June 2007
Son Max born 1/10/17 BFP #2: 10/5/17; EDD: 6/11/18
I'm going to follow in@sunshineandwhiskey and ask for some input. So after 11 weeks of discussing names and DHs ridiculous rules for naming children, the 5 names we are down to are: Liam, Reece, Ryan, Luke and Austin. We have set that the middle name is going to be Michael, but literally change our minds on which first name we like on a daily basis. I will gladly take any input that might help us figure this out before DS is here in the next 7-9 weeks...and typing that gives me a little anxiety and makes it seem really close and real
@momac1919 I like the two-syllable names with Michael.
thanks for the feedback, everyone! I love nicknames and so does mh, maybe because we both have more old fashioned names without nicknames and love our daughter’s pet name. And we actually really like Elliott for a girl, so it’s not grasping for a name, but I wanted to rest the waters since it’s not super traditional.
At this point I've kind of settled on a name in my head: Laura Odile. But then I'd want her to go by Odile (because there are about 4-5 people in the extended family named "Laura"). My partner likes it as a middle name but isn't crazy about using it as a first name.
How do I convince him??
I like the other names on our list (Elnora, Faye, Lyn), but they just don't have that...THING. Odile is great because while it's not used a lot, it's also not unknown in either English or Dutch. It has this appealing mischief to it in my mind since it's the name of the Black Swan from "Swan Lake".
I'm annoyed to feel so strongly about it. Last time we just picked from a short list after my son arrived and that worked out really well. This time...I really want that particular name.
@pupsicle23 I think Elliott for a girl is really sweet and I love Ellie as a nn. I always think of Pete's Dragon with that name since that was one of my favorite movies growing up, but I love the reference so it's not a turn off for me.
@sunshineandwhiskey I like Ryder Scott a lot. And I think Carter and Ryder flows off the tongue nicely.
@momac1919 I've always loved the name Liam, and agree with @pupsicle23 that two syllable names flow nicely with Michael as a middle.
@=caenis= I love the name Odile and instantly recognized it from Swan Lake! Definitely just start using it in conversation to see if YH comes around to it.
Me 30 Him 30 Married August 2015 DS born 5/23/2018 TTC #2 July 2020
Re: Baby Names
I'm not in love with Joseph, and am not a big fan of Joe, which I feel most people would want to call him if that were his first name. I'm having a hard enough time getting people to call DS1 by his full name (Jonathan.)
Thoughts?
Naming my son, it mattered enough to me that I got to use it because it was a family last name and meaningful to me. Same with this one who will be named Carver (another family name). I'm sure we'll clarify a lot that it's not Carter, but it's worth the hassle to me.
TL;DR Just do what you want. People as a rule are terrible with names and it's going to be a struggle regardless.
I say if you like it, go for it! I correct spelling on my name all the time and it's super common so I wouldn't let that deter you if you really love the name.
Dh and I can barely agree on a boy first name so I feel completely lost on middle names.
James
Jackson
I think the actor that plays Desi in Girls is named Ebon.
Jackson I could maybe get behind.
jacob
john
ETA: Removed the girl names!
I'm still loving Ezra but DH is leaning more towards Elliot (which I like as well)
I've also been considering Lucas or Micah lately too.
luca is one of my favorite names. Elliott Luca works :-)
We we are having the hardest time with names!
DS: 6/1/18 (Pre-E; IUGR; seizures; NICU)
TTC #2: 12/2019
Sept 2020: HSG possible blocked right tube
Nov 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFN
Dec 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFP!!! EDD 9/18
On the topic of nicknames: We are leaning hard toward Leo for this LO, which sort of feels like it should be a nickname, but I can't think of a longer name I like? And who needs one, I guess? You guys are making me feel better about that.
Husband: 35
Married: June 2007
Son Max born 1/10/17
BFP #2: 10/5/17; EDD: 6/11/18
@MoonOverGoldsboro the only Leo’s I know don’t have full names either. Just Leo.
Since this thread was brought back to life - here is our list. We just changed our minds and now we’re stuck haha. Any opinions would be great!
DD is Carter Ava
so for this LO we are stuck with (MN is Scott):
Bryson
Tucker
Ryder
Karsyn
Married March 2016
DD: born 7.22.16
DS EDD: 6.23.18
@pupsicle23 I like Elliott for a girl too, nn Ellie. I'm a big fan of nicknames and think you should give kids grown up names with a kid-friendly nickname. There are names I can think of that are adorable for little kids, but just don't translate to a lawyer or doctor or CEO.
@marcus7676 Oooh, I had never even considered Elliott. I was stuck on something like Leonardo or Leopold. I am not very creative with names, apparently.
Husband: 35
Married: June 2007
Son Max born 1/10/17
BFP #2: 10/5/17; EDD: 6/11/18
DS: 6/1/18 (Pre-E; IUGR; seizures; NICU)
TTC #2: 12/2019
Sept 2020: HSG possible blocked right tube
Nov 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFN
Dec 2020: Letrozole + TI - BFP!!! EDD 9/18
DS born 9/24/2020
@sunshineandwhiskey I forgot to weigh in earlier--I like Tucker!
Husband: 35
Married: June 2007
Son Max born 1/10/17
BFP #2: 10/5/17; EDD: 6/11/18
Married 6/15/13
BFP #1 5/8/16, EDD 12/31/16- DD born 9/10/16 at 24 weeks
~In our hearts forever~
BFP #2 10/14/17, EDD 7/1/18
thanks for the feedback, everyone! I love nicknames and so does mh, maybe because we both have more old fashioned names without nicknames and love our daughter’s pet name. And we actually really like Elliott for a girl, so it’s not grasping for a name, but I wanted to rest the waters since it’s not super traditional.
How do I convince him??
I like the other names on our list (Elnora, Faye, Lyn), but they just don't have that...THING. Odile is great because while it's not used a lot, it's also not unknown in either English or Dutch. It has this appealing mischief to it in my mind since it's the name of the Black Swan from "Swan Lake".
I'm annoyed to feel so strongly about it. Last time we just picked from a short list after my son arrived and that worked out really well. This time...I really want that particular name.
@sunshineandwhiskey I like Ryder Scott a lot. And I think Carter and Ryder flows off the tongue nicely.
@momac1919 I've always loved the name Liam, and agree with @pupsicle23 that two syllable names flow nicely with Michael as a middle.
@=caenis= I love the name Odile and instantly recognized it from Swan Lake! Definitely just start using it in conversation to see if YH comes around to it.
Married August 2015
DS born 5/23/2018
TTC #2 July 2020