We just can't think of the perfect boy's name for this baby. While we are convinced it's a boy, we do have the perfect girl's name picked out...just in case. But coming up with another boy's name is proving so difficult. It's not that we don't like any names, it's that we like too many. Yet there hasn't been one name in particular that jumps out at us "Ah, yes, that is the name of our little boy!"
There's been a commercial on the radio (I can't even think of what product they are endorsing) where the parents are deciding on a name for their son...but he's already heading off to college. The punch line is something like "Some things can't wait". I am afraid we might end up like those parents! Not really, but I don't want my son in the hospital with a name tag that just says Baby Boy Martin. I want to have his name ready.
I like Irish names and Phil likes saints names, and I prefer slightly unusual while he tends towards more common names. We have a list of boys names we can not use based on our last name: Dean and Martin. Then we have some names we really like but don't fit for various reasons: Maximilian (too many M's), Benedict (we already have one son named after a Pope), Christian (with Phil teaching theology and having one son already named Eamon "Amen", we thought it would be too much), and Jonathan (you can't have a John-Paul and a Jonathan in the same family, right?).
Then there's the three names we love that can be used for either boys or girls, and we don't want to do that to our son (I'd rather give a unisex name to a girl than a boy): Casey, Cory, Taylor. And I have a list of more unique names that Phil isn't quite sold on yet: Brennan, Blaise, Rowan, Kieran, Kane (my mom's maiden name), and Nolan. And we can't use the following names of our nephews or brothers: Sean, Brian, Robert, Gavin, Liam, Brogan, Patrick, Ryan, Thomas, or William.
We have been discussing names so much around here that I am sick of it. And then Phil had an inspiration from the Holy Spirit. "Let's pray about it", he said. Duh! So we are praying that we will know what this baby's name will be. I'm hoping it's one of those prayers that gets answered by an angel coming down, waking me up, and telling me exactly what we should name him. Hey, worked for Mary right? :)
Colleen--if you've never gone on nymbler.com, go there and add in the names you and Phil both like--they'll generate a list for you. I love that site!
ReplyDeleteWhat about Declan or Killian? Both are Irish *and* saints. Both sound good with "Martin". They're unusual, but not so unusual that people couldn't sound them out unaided. If you ever get to go to Ireland, they'll fit right in, since both are fairly common over there.
ReplyDeleteDon't be afraid to use names already in the family...unless using one brother's name would offend all of the others :)
ReplyDeleteOr four children have mixes and matches of our parent's names.
They are so pleased.
That said...I think Christian would be fine (we almost used it for our Georgie) and Declan or Killian were great ideas.
Praying is the best idea, though!
Pax Christi!
Ohhh good luck! I know how hard it can be. Steve veto'd pretty much all of my initial names, and then when he gave me his list I veto'd them all! Ha.
ReplyDeleteAlthough then at one point, a name just jumped out to me, and I was like, yeah, that's her name. So pretty sure we've got it set :) There's hope for you yet!
oh i so feel your pain on this. with the last baby especially i could not decide AT ALL and everyone said oh you'll know when it comes to u or etc...it never came to me at all!!! and like u the reason is because i like all the saints names but not one more than another so nothing stood out and everything that did dh nixed and everything he suggested was just wrong because i was pg and moody! so dh named claire because i could not pick a name at all. plus i think i did use that nymbler or one like it suggested sibling names for claire and they had all my kids names linked with claire. so you could do that--punch in the sibling names and see what happens.
ReplyDeletei like all your picks. they are all nice. stop over thinking it.
i second declan and kilian though.
colm? francis? james(seamus)?, malachy? jude? sebastian?
how about kolbe instead of maximilian
or how about asking the kids? what do they like?
Boys names are so hard! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteIn the same boat (as usual!) This time around we seem to be going to some old school saints' names -- but not so old school that people can't figure out how to say them!
ReplyDeletePlus, I feel like the new baby's name has to fit with all the others and the rest of the gang have very old-fashioned names which are also saints' names. A Brittany thrown in there ain't gonna cut it! ;)
To give you hope, almost all of our kids' names came to us right before they were born. It was like a veil lifted and we thought "Duh, that's definitely his/her name."
Here's hoping that happens again! ;)
I have a Jonah and a Jonathan. I like Jonathan! My vote is Samual. Sam Martin..got a good ring to it.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Padraig? You fulfill both the saint requirement and the Irish requirement!
ReplyDeleteI like Rowan. Good luck naming. Klayt hated the name Rhett so as soon as we found out we were having another boy I started calling the baby Rhett all the time because I have to have that name. Because I didn't back down I got what I wanted and Klayt doesn't think the name is so bad anymore. =)
ReplyDeleteOH don't get me started on names... like I've said before- I have to have 20 kids or else 20 pets to use all the names I love! I love the idea of using your mom's maiden name- could you use it as a middle name? And I love all your choices. I think I've posted a comment to another post of yours with all the names I like. Good luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteWe had trouble as well though, since Jon has issues with boys names. He loves most girls names (we had a list of five before Ben was born, since we didn't know the gender) but boys names are very difficult. Added to that I was a teacher and he is still a teacher, which means sometimes a name is ruined for you.
ReplyDeleteFor Madeline, if I was having a girl, she was Madeline. I just knew before she was born. But for the boys it was different. With Owen and Ben we went to delivery with it only narrowed down to a few finalists. For Owen we knew he was a boy and for Ben we were waiting for him to be born to find out. But I didn't think I could name them without seeing them. For Owen he was an Owen, Jon knew when he saw him. When Ben was born, as soon as they told me I had a boy, I saw him and just said "Hi Ben." Sometimes you don't know until you meet them.
Oh I so relate, this was me only a couple of months ago. After 5 boys I knew only too well what my husband didn't like, we didn't even discuss names till I was 8 months along. then I started the lists;) Our tenth child and finally I got to name one:) Sebastian Vianney, is nearly 3 weeks old now.
ReplyDeleteWe have all saints names for our boys; Dominic, Xavier, Malachi, Saxon, Ignatius and now Sebastian.
As you're wanting more Irish names though my brothers are mostly Irish; Brendan, Kieren and Callan.
it will definitely come to you.
ReplyDeleteBlaise is one of our boy names...if we ever have another boy.
ReplyDeleteI vote for Blaise.
We picked Saint names for all, it narrows our search each time.
God already knows his name. Pray and it will come to you.
My husband is a Drug and Alcohol Counselor for men, and all those men ruin almost all the boy names for him. Our boy list is very small.
What about Nicholas? (that's our son's name!)
ReplyDeleteIt sure did work for Mary!!!
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes when the baby arrives...and you see him/her, the name will come to you.
Don't fret. :)
You said Phil isn't sold on Brennan--how about Brendan? I really like the name James. Here are some other suggestions: Michael, Dylan, Adam, Neil, Colin, Kevin, and (not Irish): Zachary, Peter, Theodore
ReplyDeleteI also suggest Nymbler. I actually know a Max Martin & a Benedict "Ben" Martin. What about Benjamin? Picking names seems so exciting :)
ReplyDelete