Jeff and I have been compiling names for our baby boy for years. In the beginning I wasn’t even sure we would have children—some of the names were originally saved for future pets, which suited us fine since we’re both animal lovers. Now that we’re expecting a son, we have a solid shortlist, but we still can’t agree. Choosing his name has become a frequent topic of conversation since we learned the baby’s sex.
That brings up a few questions: Did you like the name your parents gave you? If you could change it, what would you choose? And most relevant to our current situation—how do you pick a name that will fit a tiny new person you’ve just met for their whole life? We’d love your thoughts and any name suggestions you want to share.
Before we knew the sex of the baby, we had two girl names we loved. Boy names didn’t come as easily, which is odd because I wanted a boy from the start. None felt like an obvious, perfect match.
Jeff and I are determined not to finalize a name until we meet him and spend time with him—see his features, his temperament, how he behaves. We’ll likely choose from our existing list or possibly come up with something in the moment.
I’m always intrigued by parents who know the baby’s name months in advance, the ones who are so certain they’ve chosen the right name they have it embroidered on blankets and outfits before the child is born. I tend to second-guess big decisions outside of style and design, so I admire that kind of confidence: picking a name for someone you haven’t met yet and feeling sure it’s the right one.
Back to our criteria: we want a name that’s unique, creative, and cool-sounding, but not so outlandish that it seems to steer his life toward one narrow identity. We want a name that allows him the freedom to develop his own interests—whether that’s art, sports, video games, or anything else. At the same time, we want more personality than a very common, bland name. Essentially, something distinctive but flexible.
Here are some names we’ve been considering recently:
River or Rivers
Rhodes
Kline (after artist Franz Kline)
Sonny
Rooney or Roonie (nickname could be Roo)
Ray
Blue (we like color names and this one has personal meaning)
Aelfie
Cy (after artist Cy Twombly)
Otis
Yves (after artist Yves Klein)
Ollie (perhaps too popular, though I love names ending in “ie”)
Otto (I’m drawn to some vintage, old-fashioned names)
Our top choices aren’t all listed here, but this gives a sense of the direction we’re leaning. We might choose one of these, pick something from elsewhere on our list, or find an entirely different name once we meet him.
I’d love your suggestions. New ideas would be especially helpful—I’m feeling a bit stuck. Which boy names do you love?
Photo above is from the Misha & Puff Fall 2018 collection.