Opinions on these names and suggestions
My husband and I have been tentively playing around with boy names. Im a nameophile and its something to chat about when we are driving or waiting at a resturant together. We are planning on adding to our family within the year and we have our girl name picked out already since our son was a surprise baby so we are saving the girl name we picked out before but need a boy name now to fill the slot.
Our two year old son is named Drake Jonathan which is a name I vastly adore and find it hard to top or match. Jonathan is a fmaily name, my husband's uncle who passed away right before Drake was born, and most likely a second son will have the middle name William after my husband's father and grandfather. I like names that are different but not unheard of and if possible have a literary connection as I love to read (Drake is another name for dragon which comes from legends and books etc...see loose tie but I love it still)
Our last name ends with er and thus my husband has ruled out all er names like Asher, Jasper, Xavier, etc. Other names I like, Kellan and Griffin, cant be used too for random reasons.
So the name I recently really liked is Cody. My husband doesnt like it. He says it doesnt go well with Drake, its too kiddish of a name and not a man's name, and he feels in time it will turn into a girls name. Does anyone else agree with my husband? I do want a masculine name since I feel Drake is quite masculine and so I dont love the idea of Cody migrating to the girl side in my son's lifetime. Does anyone think this might happen? It does have a ee/y ending sound like many girl names.
The name my husband is really pushing is Rex. He thinks it sounds nice with Drake, both short one syllable names, and is very masculine. I hear a dog when I hear the name. Am I the only one who thinks dog?
Any other name suggestions for us, lvoe to hear them!
Sun, 08/12/2012 - 4:56pm
Replies
I like Drake Jonathan a lot, and I'm really intrigued by the idea of finding another boys' name that has that same literary/legendary tone to it. I do agree with your husband on Cody—not that it will necessarily "go girl," but that it seems more childlike next to Drake. Drake is strong and snappy, and to me it does evoke a very medieval/early-modern tone (between the explorer Sir Francis Drake and the fact that it's an old-fashioned word for dragon—I particularly love the word "firedrake".) Cody, on the other hand, has a very modern-Western feel to it, and sounds very nicknamey and informal to me—more cowboy than knight. I also agree with you, though, that Rex is a dog's name. Do you have any interest in Regis? It comes from the same Latin root as Rex (rex means "king"; regis is the genitive form of the same word, meaning "of the king").
The first set of names that are coming to mind for you are some of the Greek and Celtic heroic names—things like Perseus, Theseus, Orion, Castor, Leander (though I know you can't do -er), and Tristan/Tristram, Owain/Owen, Bran, Conan, Gareth, Gavin, Percival, Lance (as a shortened form of Lancelot). Rhys (a Welsh name pronounced "reese") feels like a great match. You could also look into some names from Norse mythology, like Thor or Odin. I'm also really feeling Cannon for you (I would suggest Archer and Hunter, but they're also -er). If you didn't mind going matchy, another animal name like Wolf, Leo or Lionel would also be an option.
The storybook style of Drake also makes me want to dig into some of the Old English, Germanic and Norse names that have great meanings involving elves and spears and bravery & such. Unfortunately, many of these names come across as a bit geeky or clunky in their modern forms (Alfred = elf-counsel; Egbert = sword-bright). However, there are a few that I think are really cool. Ashwin (spear-friend), Thorold (Thor-ruler), Wulfric (wolf-powerful) and Ivor (yew-army) are a few.
Other miscellaneous suggestions: Corbin or Corwin, Tarquin, Roman, Graham, Cyrus, Caspian, Piers/Pierce, Rowan, Thorin.
Anything here appeal to you?
Thanks so much for your reply I really appreciate it.
I see what you mean about Cody. I still like it but if I could find something that was a little bit stronger in the masculinity category as well as literary tie I think I could let it go. Whether my husband will let go of Rex remains to be seen though.
I like the way you are thinking and some of your suggestions are ones I have brought up in the past particularly Tristan and Lance. I really like Tristan but my husband finds it too girly (rhymes with Cristen is his saying) and I dont love how popular it has become of late. I actually adore the Legend of Arthur and want to love the name Lance so badly since I am in love with the character Lancelot. I debated naming a son Lancelot and just calling him Lance but my husband is worried about teasing even if its a full name he doesnt go by. My problem with Lance is that I somewhat find the name whimpy. Im not sure why since Lancelot is a strong male character and a lance is a name of a weapon even but for some reason Lance as a name falls flat for me. Im not sure if its because the only Lances I know are Lance Bass from Nsync and Lance Armstrong, neither of which are the paridiam of masculinity in my eyes. My husband actually likes Lance more then I do and I hate that I dont love it since it is a literary play name which I really want.
For the record my husand is a very traditional namer...if it were up to him Drake would have be Jonathan or William or Matthew etc so to get him to bend into the different,even the slight like Drake, is a fight so sadly some of the more colorful names from older literary sources probably wont fly well with him. Of the names you suggested Roman and Ashwin might work so Ill run those by him. Im not sure my husband will like Rhys since the only Reese he knows is Witherspoon and he will say its a girl name. This is the same man I had to convince the other day that Jude was indeed a boys name and not a girl. He was convinced beyond conviction I was pulling his leg and Paul McCartney would never sing about a boy. As it stands Jude is in our maybe pile, I do like it but feel like its a bit more Biblical and since we didnt go there with Drake it doesnt match as well. Thoughts?
I have thought of other mythical animals names to compliment Drake and sadly Griffin is my favorite and we cant use it...because we named our cat that 8 years ago long before we thought about the fact of saving it for a potential child. I really regret that to this day as I think Griffin would have been the perfect compliment to Drake but alas everyone would know he was named for the cat (as it is our other cat is named Hunter since my husband said he would never use an er ending name so we are safe with that) I loved Archer too though the nickname Archie might have bugged me a bit too much.
I do really like Drake Jonathan!
I agree that Cody isn't a great match. I don't see it as too likely to go girl, although there probably are girl Cody's out there. My main problem is that it is a little less grown-up than Drake. A longer name, nicknamed Cody could work though. Although I'm struggling to think of any!
I thought of Griffin as I read through your requirements but if it was the name of your cat I can see why it's out. Is Griffith or Finnegan/Finlay an option? They both work for me with Drake.
I also thought along the lines of Odin, Perun, Caspian - do any of these appeal?
Other names that come to mind: Stafford, Roarke, Campbell, Rafferty, Leo, Thane, Blaine, Keane, Apollo, Beckett, Pierce, Grey, Jett, Axel
I actually really like Rex. I don't think it's too 'dog name'. I can see some people might but I know heaps of people names common dog names and they haven't ever complained. For example I know a heap of dogs named Molly and Max, and several people with the same name and it hasn't been an issue. I guess it depends on whether it would bother you though!
Further to the suggestion of Finnegan/Finlay, Finn fits the literary/legendary bracket and sounds definitely masculine.
Some other names that sprang to mind (variants of some have already been mentioned): Ash, Brice, Bryn, Cai, Conn, Con(n)or, Cormac, Glen, Gwyn, Penn, Rafe, Raff, Ramsay, Rolf, Roy, Rowan, Tor
I agree that Cody seems more boyish next to Drake. I don't think it's going to "go girl" anytime soon, but it does have a softer feel.
I really like some of the suggestions you've gotten already, Leo, Finn & Rhys all would have been perfect. Griffin would have been great too.
Some other names I thought of are Quinn, Blaise, Cole, Gareth, Gavin & Heath. I also really like the idea of Phoenix, but it might seem too "out there" to your husband.
I'll just add that I definitely agree with your husband on Cody (not that it sounds girly, just that it sounds childish compared to Drake), and I agree somewhat with you on Rex... but, if you did end up going with Rex, I can guarantee that the minute he's born you will no longer think dog :)
I do think Rex sounds nice with Drake. Cody, not so much.
I don't think I have any great suggestions, the previous comments have better ones than I can think of - a few that came to mind (sorry if repeats): Burke, Thane, Theron, Frank, Jude, Cian, Arthur, George, Henry, Nils, Graeme, Van, Eugene (Gene), Fritz, Flynn, Lloyd, Alton, Alden...
PS out of curiosity what's your girl name idea?
I just checked the stats for Cody, and it's still very strongly boy. Last year it was #175 for boys and not even in the top 1000 for girls.
But I do agree that it's more childish and informal than Drake.
I like the suggestions of Griffith or Gareth.
What about Colin?
Love Drake Jonathan! Sorry for any repeats, but here are some suggestions off the top of my head, which have a similar sound/feel/connotation for me: Trent, Rowan, Ronan, Rory, Niall, Gavin, Barrett, Garrett, Everett, Killian, Kieran, Dexter, Julian, Silas, Asa, Alastair, Reed, Frasier, Cavan....
I very much like the suggestion of Roman, too.
I do think "dog" when I hear Rex, but I think it could be overcome, and it's a pretty good match to go with Drake. I knew a boy called Rex when I was in elementary school, and I don't recall him ever being teased for the dog connection. I also have a friend who recently used Rex as a middle name. It really has a lot going for it, if you can get over the dog connection, and I do think most people would forget it once they got to know a real person with that name.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and insights. I havent had time to read them all through and mull them over though Im fairly sure my husband is going to veto a ton since thats what he does :p Ill eread them over when Im home tonight from work and pass on some to him.
I saw someone suggsted Phoenix and I debated that with the mythical reference thing but not sure if its too out there in general not to mention my husband. Im so sad about Griffin since I feel like it was exactly what I need and love and of course I loved that name as I used it...just used it on the wrong "baby" if you will.
As for the girl name we choose (I know someone asked) its Juliet Rosalie. How much more literary can we get there :p Rosalie is a form of my nickname in Chinese.
Ill be back after work to look at those name ideas!
I love Juliet Rosalie! That's actually really close to one of the top names on my list (my original choice was Juliet Rosamund, but DH thinks Rosamund is too old lady, so the runner up for me is Rosabel).
There are so many great suggestions already that I'm not sure I have any to add! Finn, Leo, Rowan, Gareth, Blaise, and Heath seem particularly good with your Drake. Jude works well, too!
Others (sorry for repeats): Felix, Lionel, Rory, Baird (the teller of stories...)
Phoenix always seems a bit much to me as a first name, but would you and your husband consider something like William Phoenix (Will and Liam both work well with Drake, I think)? Edmund Phoenix comes to mind as well-- I think the mythological middle draws even more of the Narnia out of Edmund:)
I agree that Cody sounds softer and more childish than Drake... and I also agree that Rex does sound kind of like a dog's name. (But my neighbors also have a dog named Cody, and my parents have a dog named Jake, so... I guess there's no real dividing line sometimes!)
I think you have some great suggestions here already. The only two I might add to the list are Clark and Grant, both of which I think have a similar feel to Drake in that they are masculine, snappy, one-syllable names. I think they are underused and elegant too; I think of Clark Gable and Clark Kent, or Cary Grant, when I hear them.
It's rare that I totally agree with the husband, but I have to say he's spot on here!
While I only know of one girl Codi, I agree that it's very youthful and also has a bit of a country feel to it (a la Dakota or Shelby), that makes it seem very different in style from Drake. There are also all kinds of variations-Colby, Kobe etc...
In any case, I Love the alternatives you've gotten. I'll see if I can think of any others. Of course, if you love it, feel free to ignore my impressions. I have stodgy tastes, and ten years of teaching poisoned many otherwise fine names for me.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions, like expected my husband vetoed most choices.
He did fall for Pierce though which Im still on fence about. I like the strength of that name but not sure I like the meaning or conotation of the word.
I love Heath especially since Wuthering Heights is my favorite book but I feel like its too strongly associated with the late Heath Ledger especially since his death.
I was all set to suggest Clark to my husband when I remembered my FIL's obsession with a Christmas Vacation and the character Clark Griswold. My poor child would never hear the end of it :( Liked that name too.
Any more suggestions? Sorry my husband is rigid...see what Im dealing with :p
Most of my first ideas were already listed by others, so I dug a little deeper for these:
Torin, Blaze, Cash, Colt, Kane, Keaton, Zane, Paxton (nn Pax), Dexter (nn Dex)
Since you seem to really like the one-syllable names, here are some of my suggestions along those lines (apologies for any repeats)-
Ross, Kurt, Brooks, Dean, Troy, Bruce, Vaughn, Clive, Saul, Vance, Beau, Roy, Mark, Hugh, Niel, or Paul?
Stylistically, I know it's all over the place, but maybe something speaks to you?
I do hope you reconsider on Heath, though. It's a lovely name, and although the late actor's death was tragic, he had an accomplished career and will most likely be remembered fondly by the public.
O.K....here is a grab bag of names I'd call dashing/masculine/slighly eclectic/vaugely literary
-and I mean all that in a good way!
Deacon, Royal, Hoyt, Brant, Wade, Gage, Tate, Zane, Alec,Cole, Thane, Elias, Silas, Cyrus, Asa, Dashiell (Dash)
Sorry for any repeats.
I'd encourage you to think of Heath also. Memories fade fast, and any who made the association would probably have positive feelings about it.
Oh, and I adore the name Rex, and in that cool, sort of a pet name spirit, I'll also mention my, "Guilty pleasure," name, which is Shepard. I doubt your hubby would go for it, but I think Drake and Shep would be a darling sibset!
Drake and Dash would also be such a great combo if you don't mind the double D's!
Would the spellnig Piers make it more appealing to you? It's more Peter-ish and less, well, piercing!
I was also going to suggest Piers as an alternative to Pierce!
Oh, I'll third Piers! It has a lovely literary-medieval feel that matches beautifully with Drake (look up Piers Plowman, which along with The Canterbury Tales is one of the great works of medieval English literature).
Wow. I love the suggestions people have made here. I have to admit to liking Rex. I think of the actor Rex Harrison, and it seems like a good fit stylistically with Drake. But don't use it unless it really grows on you.
I'm trying to think of names that haven't beens suggested yet (though some of these may be repeats)
Malcolm, Duncan, Keats, Royce, Owen, Marlowe, York, Maxwell, Sawyer, Merek, Bram, Wallace, Bruce, Gareth, Mace
Ugh I love the suggestion Brooks but my husband says no. I think he doesnt think it is as masculine as Drake since it can easily be mistaken for Brooke.
My husband also vetoed Heath as our last name starts with H and he doesnt like the alliteration. He threw out my suggestion of Colt, Hudson, Dash, Dashiell, and Piers.
Troy is a name I was thinking of using for a while since it has the same literary pull as Drake, not a direct character name but still part of a story/legend but my husband doesnt like it because he thinks of Troy McClure from the Simpsons :p
I like Cole a lot but its a bit too popular for my taste.
Dexter is another cat of ours lol and Paul happens to be my husbands name and he doesnt want to do a Junior.
And its funny someone mentioned Sheppard as I am writing a story and thats a character name Im using...along with Colt since I know these are names my husband wont like anyway so might as well use them in my story.
So many great suggestions. I agree with everyone about Cody. What about Kendrick? I also like Finn, which I know has been suggested!
It's too bad about Griffin/Gryphon as I think that would have been perfect!
Other thoughts:
Burke, Blaze, Lance (seconded), Slate, Felix, Lochlan/Lachlan, Halcyon (although I only know girls named this), Leander/Leandros, Leo, Gavin, Zephyr, Asher?
i only have two names to add, usually i dont comment because any names i think of have already been suggested, thats why i love this site. so name one is ryu it has a dragon meaning in japanese he was also a charactor in the mortal combat video games maybe a plus for your husband? the second is titus taken from titan. a little of the mythologial tie in to me it sounds very strong i know you said your husband more conservative in names but figured i would throw them in there. btw love the suggestions of gryphon and finn. also sorry for all the lower case letters and any other errors using a phone to post and its not working properly.