Down to two (or maybe three) boy names...
Ok, I think we are down to just two boy names: Isaac or Thomas, with William in as a possible third.
As a reminder, our other kids' names are: Anne Juliet, John Stewart, Charles Wallace, James Michael, Patrick Eugene, and Joshua Edmund. We do want the name to sort of flow with the others but it isn't our highest priority.
I like Isaac. We'd considered it before, but decided that Old Testament names were overplayed among our group of friends (even though, actually, I don't know that anyone actually has used Isaac in our circle). Our little Joshua is named for dh. We also worried that it was too trendy. I looked at the name voyager graph, and while, yes, it is trendy, the name has always been in use. It also has some international use, which surprised me, though I'm not sure why. I like Isaac because it sounds light and bright to me, and although yes, it is an Old Testament name, it doesn't sound fusty to my ear. Also, when the ultrasound tech revealed that we were having our sixth boy in a row, I laughed.
Dh likes Thomas, and I do too, though less than Isaac. Thomas obviously fits our family. It's an under-used classic (especially compared to the other contender, William). I like the story of Doubting Thomas, and the boys love Thomas the Tank Engine, although I find it a bit grating. We'd probably call him Tommy as a baby, which has sort of a nostalgic charm... but the downside for me is that it sort of reminds me of all the bratty Tommys, Jimmys, Billys, and Timmys from fifties-era TV shows on Nick at Night. It also strongly reminds me of Tom Sawyer, which I am ambivilent about. It also seems a little dull, especially considering our common last name.
Last of all, William is still in the running. I'm put off a little by its extreme popularity, but have always liked the nickname Will. We've briefly considered Jasper and Adrian, but I can't seem to create any kind of meaning or connection in my head to the name Jasper. Adrian I like but seems too close to Aiden - and we know about 12 Aidens/Adians.
What do you guys think? Votes, comments, suggestions, all welcome. I have very thick skin:)
Tue, 05/22/2012 - 11:14pm
Replies
Anne, John, Charles, James, Patrick, Joshua, and ....
My vote is for Thomas; I've always liked that name.
Both are nice names, but I like Isaac a little better. No reason really, just do :)
Well, I'm no help, because I like all of them, and I think they are all a good fit with your group. William is probably my favorite of the three, but I agree with you that the popularity is off-putting and that might be enough to make me pass on it. Functionally, both Isaac and Thomas seem equally religious to me in slightly different ways--Isaac because of the obvious OT connection, and Thomas because every Thomas I know comes from a very Catholic family. Isaac probably feels a little fresher and more modern because it never enjoyed the same level of popularity that Thomas did, and is now on the rise, but both feel classic and could have a retro charm through the nn (Tommy or Ike?). I don't know. I'd probably pick Thomas for myself, but it would be a toss-up.
I vote for Isaac. While it's not my cup of tea, I think you have a wonderful story there to tell him as he gets older and will give the name more meaning and therefore be more "special." I wasn't fond of my name growing up (What? How do you spell that? or How do you say your name?), but the story of how it came to be grew to make it very special.
Thomas. While a very nice name in general, I personally have found most Tom's to be annoying. I don't mind Tommy (and my cousin still goes by this often), but it doesn't wear well on an adult. It slightly fits better with your other boys than Isaac, but I don't like it as well (like that really matters!). ;-)
I love, love, love William. It fits with your boys well, and it's what we had picked out if our daughter came out a boy last year.
Jasper isn't my cup of tea. It feels "out there" when paired with the brothers.
Adrian gives me a similar vibe to Jasper--just doesn't quite fit. It reads 1970-1980's to me (I knew several at school--pronunciation-wise, most were girls too).
Do you have a for sure middle name? For some reason, I'm thinking you do, but I can't quite remember.If not, I think Isaac Thomas sounds great as does Isaac William.
I really love the name Isaac. That would be my choice.
I agree with HungarianNameGeek that Isaac fits, but it does kind of give the idea that your family got religion later, or at least that you became more observant as time went on. It's a lovely name, but names like Issac Isaiah, Elijah and Ezra are becoming very popular where I am and I can see them seeming trendy or becoming date stamped one day.
I like Thomas and it fits well with your other boys. It was briefly considered for my 2nd-but I don't care for Tom or Tommy very much.
I adore William (we used it on our oldest who is 9). It was #11 when my William was born (and #2 for our state) and I honestly don't know where all the other Williams are. I suspect they are disguised as Bill/Billy, Will and Liam-so far I've only met 3 others near my son's age. One went by Will, one by Billy and the other by BJ (Bill Jr). My William has never had another in his class at school and there has never been one in any of his activities. He prefers his full name at school but at home is usually Will. So if the popularity of the name is the only thing holding you back from it, I would suggest not letting the numbers scare you away from it.
Since we run in Christian homeschooling circles, I can't swing a dead cat without hitting an Isaac. For that reason, the name Isaac is somewhat forgettable to me, but I would love to meet a little Thomas. I also like William, and agree that even with its popularity I only know 2 or 3 under 10.
I like all three, but if I had to choose: William, Thomas, Isaac.
Of the three, Isaac is the most popular among people I know with kids. I don't see it as a religious name, probably because none of the families with an Isaac are religious in any way.
I'd check your local area as William is definitely more common here for babies (#9 last year), Isaac was 31, and Thomas at 61. Most of the Isaac's I know are in the 7-12 age range in this area (when there are only a couple of William's in that age group). I personally know no Isaac's under the age of 5 here, but all but one William (of the kids) are under 2 years of age (and I can count about 9 of them in my head at the moment).
i was wondering if Timothy ever entered your mind. it has the same name meaning as Thomas and as weird as this may sound, i too, have met the most obnoxious Toms, which may not ever affect you!
I really like both Thomas and Isaac and could easily use either of them myself but I can take or leave William. Will is sweet but I don't really care for the whole name. If you use Isaac I really don't think it looks like you got more religious at the end at all. Two New Testament boys, 2 saintly boys, and 2 Old Testament boys -- very balanced. If I had to pick I'd go with Thomas simply b/c Isaac does feel a little less timeless than Thomas though that may not be a fair analysis.
Now this is a random thought and not one that probably warrants any attention. I'm not sure how old you are but since you brought up the laughter story I'll say that I might be wary of using Isaac as an older mom b/c the Biblical Sarah laughed about having Isaac because she was so old. Again I only thought of it b/c Isaac is very high on our list but not for our next boy (I promised dh we could use Andrew and he's thrilled). So for me I'd most likely be an over 40 mom before having a chance to use Isaac. Reading your post it occured to me that maybe I'd feel akward about it.
Using the totally unscientifc, "Say them all in a string," method, I think Thomas is far and away the best match with the rest of your brood.
Isaac is just not a name I love, though not for any real reason. It is strongly, "Old T," to me, which I guess is why I find it a bit off with the rest of your kids' names. I do like the potential nn Ike.
I adore William/Will, but I think it lacks the sort of formal quality that your other kids' names have-though I realize it's a name as Kingly as the rest, so that doesn't really make sense....maybe it's just from the Wills I know.
Jasper was spoiled for me when I was told it was a Twilight name, hence why it was suddenly on a bunch of polls, though I don't know that there has actually been an increase in real life Jaspers....
Adrian is not a name I love. Sounds clangy to me, and makes me think of a mob character for some reason.
I do love the meaning of Isaac for you. If there isn't a family name in the plans, Thomas Isaac would get my vote.
I think that Isaac, Thomas and William all fit your family. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. They all go with your surname. Although maybe Isaac is the best with you last name by a smidge.
Thomas seems to fit the best with the other sibs and I know plenty of just Thomas' these days. Tom is my preferred nickname over Tommy.
Isaac doesn't read too OT to me. I actually don't draw any strong religious connotations from the sib set at all. But others may see it differently. Isaac does seem slightly fresher than the others but only because I haven't come across any for awhile. I second the suggestion of checking the stats in your local area because it may be wildly different to the national stats.
William is lovely and I name I'm fond of. It is very popular though. Will and Liam are both great nicknames.
Jasper just doesn't seem to fit in with the other kids but I do like it, just not for you.
Adrian isn't a name I love. I have worked with quite a few Adrian's and while they were nice enough I just don't see it on a baby!
I'm not sure I could pick one of the 3 for you. Maybe middle name options would help narrow it down?
Given, I think I remember you saying this was your last baby, is there one name that you would regret not using?
Interesting that several people said Adrian sounds like a girl’s name. That was my husband’s reaction, too, and I had to go to name voyager to prove that male Adrians far outnumber female Adrians/Adriennes. Still, obviously his perception is common. Adrian is out.
Also several people mentioned knowing annoying Toms. Actually, I do know at least a few annoying Toms, too:). DH is pushing for going with the name Thomas in full, so that’s probably the plan if we choose Thomas, not that we have complete control over that.
HungarianNameGeek: I too think of Christmas when I think of Jasper. It’s part of the appeal - although this baby is due in August:) Probably Jasper is off the table, though. I just don’t like it enough.
Hyz: Interesting that you know ANY young Thomases. I haven’t met any, which I’ll admit is part of the charm for me. I can see it being popular with Catholics - it sort of feels like Theresa or Catherine to me in that way.
Sharalyns: I, too, like the combo Isaac Thomas. So much so that I googled it, sure I must be half-remembering some famous person with that name, but I don’t think so. It just flows well. It’s a nice string of three trochees once you include our last name.
NotAGuestAnymore: Point taken that Isaac might become date-stamped.
Danasurfside: I can see why you suggest Timothy, but I’ve never liked it unfortunately.
Another Laura: I appreciate your point about laughter. I think I’m ok with it, but it was worth pointing out!
Chimu: I agree that Isaac sounds the best with our last name, but that Thomas sounds the best with the other children. Logically, it probably matters more that it goes with our last name, since that will be a factor for far more of this baby’s life. Still, since they all flow relatively well, it’s not quite enough to push me all the way toward Isaac, either.
Interesting that Thomas got slightly more votes than Isaac. I’ve put the choice on one of those baby name poll sites and the votes went 2:1 for Isaac. I’m not sure if that was chance, represents a different user demographic, or if it had something to do with the fact that on this site everyone read the other kids’ names, whereas on the poll site it was a straight-up choice between Isaac and Thomas.
Hmmm… well, I’m going to read all these comments to my husband and see what he thinks. I’m so torn. For the first time in our lives, we might end up in the delivery room without a firm name! I’ll let everyone know what we decide when the time comes:) Any more comments still appreciated, though.
Oh, I didn't say I know young Thomases. The ones I know are all about 25 or much older--but they are all from very Catholic families (including my own). I think you probably got more votes for Isaac on the name sites because it sounds more fresh/interesting/unusual to today's ear, but I actually do know a couple baby Isaacs, and no young Thomases, for what that's worth.
The younger Thomas I know is 16 or 17 now. (Yikes, how time flies.) He used to go mostly by Tommy, but I think he prefers Tom right now. He's got Asperger's, so he probably comes across to strangers as an annoying Tom...
The other Thomas I know is in his 40s, and I mostly know him as Tomi (pronounced Toe-me), a Hungarian diminutive. (Come to think of it, I have no idea whether his birth certificate has Thomas or Tamás. Probably Thomas, knowing his parents.)
Only the younger of the two is Catholic.
I know a couple of younger Thomas'-one is 10 and goes by the full name usually, though his parents sometimes use Tommy as a term of endearment.
The other Thomas is maybe 12 or 13, interesting that people mentioned it being popular for Catholic families as his family is very devout Catholic. I've only ever heard his mother call him Thomas, but I don't know the family that well so I don't know what he is called by anyone else. There are 7 kids in the family and I don't know them all, but I know there's also an Anna, Catherine and John Paul.
I can think of 6 Isaacs all under 5-and only called Isaac as far as I know. I know another who is 9 or 10 who goes by Ike but he's a Jr and dad goes by the full name, so I don't know that he's really representative. I agree that this name may have gotten more votes because it sounds fresher than the others.
I do like Isaac Thomas. In fact, I think all 3 of your top choices mix and match together to combine really nice first/middle combos.
Adrian-I just can't read this name without hearing Sylvester Stallone's voice from that scene in Rocky. Kind of a shame really
Ditto this re: Adrian and Rocky. And I'm not sure I've ever even seen that scene. I mean, I probably have, but I can't say for sure--either way, the sound is very memorable.
If you're looking for an Adrian that gets around the "Yo, Adrian!" and the questions of femininity, you can always use Hadrian. But evoking Roman emperors might be a little strong in comparison with the other names. I like Thomas as full Thomas.
I also just checked Adrian/enne on NameVoyager:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=adri&ms=false&exact=false
Yes, the names indicate that boy Adrians have beat out the girls today. Certainly if you go to the playground, you'll hear this to be true. But... men aren't really welcome around playgrounds. Most men don't hear children's names as much because they aren't around children as much. The names they hear are the names of people their age. And when you look at the trends in the 70s and 80s, girl Adrian/ennes beat out the boys. So if those are the people you know and meet, then yes, it's a girl's name.
This may be one of those rare circumstances where a name "goes boy."
I like all three. I think Thomas or William "go" best in your family, but for some reason, I prefer Isaac. I know a teenaged Isaac who goes by Ike, which I think is a great nickname.
Bit late to the thread here, but I wanted to put in my vote for Thomas. I know two Toms my age (mid-20s), and both are intelligent and very down-to-earth guys. Thomas and William are both timeless choices to my ear, and for that reason fit so very well with your others.
Isaac plays rather differently- it is very much 'of the moment', and despite such excellent namesakes as Sir Isaac Newton and Isaac/Izaak Walton, it's the one that I associate with some seriously annoying children. It's also one where I would probably assume that the family is evangelical, whether protestant or Catholic, especially with that many siblings. There are lots of lovely families I know who are quite devout (I live in a region that is Mennonite historically, has acquired several large evangelic churches of various denominations in the last decade), but for a family I didn't know, I'd be wary of discussing just about anything save the weather, and wary of babysitting for them (had a few awkward and one scary experience with evangelical families when I was babysitting as a teen). I don't know whether that would make a difference to you, but I wouldn't be so swift to come to a similar conclusion if I met a Thomas or a William with six siblings.
Though having thought of Izaak Walton and his most excellent Compleat Angler, I'm kind of warming up to the name again... :)
I love your story of laughing at the ultrasounds and it's relation to the name Isaac.
But I think Thomas sounds more elegantly suited to your family as a whole. And I have not encountered a baby Thomas in a very long time! And if Daniels and Charleses can avoid being Dannys and Charlies these days, a Thomas can avoid being a Tommy.