# What are you favorite (first) names? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808 "2008-10-07T04:47:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/21 "2008-10-07T19:54:40Z")
For a boy I’d go with Jack Cuchulainn (although with just the first and the last name that’s a bit close to someone who used to play Tarzan a long time ago, but who remembers that anymore?) and for a girl I’d go with Shannon Eileen. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/22 "2008-10-07T19:57:04Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > For a boy I’d go with Jack Cuchulainn (although with just the first and the last name that’s a bit close to someone who used to play Tarzan a long time ago, but who remembers that anymore?) and for a girl I’d go with Shannon Eileen. I don’t know anyone called Cúchulainn. I like the name Setanta though and I know at least one Finn McCool/Fionn MacCumhaill. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/23 "2008-10-07T19:57:36Z")
For girls I like Magdaline, Sophia, Rose, Josephine, and Evelyn. For boys I like Malachi, Ezra, Joseph, and Jedadiah. When I was pregnant I was positive I was going to have a boy. The name Malachi Robert was selected and that was that. Until she was born. She was not a Maggie or a Sophia. I named her Cassadie Rose, and she goes by Sadie (except for in 4th grade when she wanted to go by Cassie - when someone would say her name she’d forget that was what she went by and ignored them - including her teacher. Oops) In our family the name Joseph/Josef and Josephine/Josefina goes back generations. Her generation is the first without one, much to my moms dismay. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/24 "2008-10-07T20:00:28Z")
Boy names: Connor Alexander Max (-imilian or -well, as long as he can go by “Max”) Derek (or Deke) Jacob Girl names: Diana Leah Rachel Gwendolyn Amara ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/25 "2008-10-07T20:11:18Z")
Boys: Micah Holden Levi Elliot Jonas Sinclair Asher Tristan Eli Girls: Iris Matilda Simone Juliet Beatrix Cleo Jordana Tabitha Bronwen Jocelyn Jane Annemarie If my husband and I had a baby tomorrow, the name would probably be Holden or Simone, though my first choices would be Micah and Matilda (Tilly). He thinks Micah is a girls’ name. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/26 "2008-10-07T20:13:20Z")
Pretty much any of the variants on Alexander / Alexandra are great names. Alex is a little over used and Xander is a bit trendy. I like ‘x’ names. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/27 "2008-10-07T20:25:18Z")
First four (female) that came to mind: Lisa Jennifer Valerie Kendra I’d have to think about favorite male names. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/28 "2008-10-07T20:46:29Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I don’t know anyone called Cúchulainn. I like the name Setanta though and I know at least one Finn McCool/Fionn MacCumhaill. And I like the name Finn/Fionn, but over here I’d be afraid people would think it’s a Mark Twain thing. I’ve never heard anyone called Cúchulainn either, but that’s why it’d be the middle name. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/29 "2008-10-07T20:57:42Z")
I narrowed it down. For a boy, David; for a girl, Catherine (with a C!) Even if Catherine weren’t already a family name, I probably wouldn’t use it for fear someone might think it was spelled with a K. I like weird names too, but wouldn’t actually hang them on a kid. I considered naming my daughter Misery (and considering her personality, I could ha…oh never mind.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jelly\_Roll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Jelly\_Roll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelly_Roll)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/30 "2008-10-07T21:35:37Z")
Girl: Georgia-I loved this name when I was pregnant, but hubby said what if she ends up working for Coca Cola and has to live in Atlanta? So, I thought of -----\> Cecily-unique, but not crazy and “Cecil” is a family name. Hubby didn’t even have words to describe how much he hated it. So then I came up with -----\> Dixie-I lobbied hard for this one until the day she was born, but was ultimately vetoed. So we went with -----\> Audrey-pretty and feminine, just like our girl. Boy: Beau Simon ---
**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/31 "2008-10-07T21:40:58Z")
I knew girls in high school named _Arden, Jonah, Treasure, Shalom,_ and _Friday_. I love all of those names. In Spanish, I love the name _Aimée_, pronounced (ay-MEH). I hate that in English it’s pronounced Amy. I also love \*Gael \*(gah-ELLE), and hate its pronunciation in English (Gayle). (My stepson is named Simon!) ---
**Author:** ![Pollux\_Oil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/858c86/32.png) [@Pollux\_Oil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pollux_Oil)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/32 "2008-10-07T22:45:45Z")
For girls, I like Bianca and Tayler, specifically spelled that way. I also like the name Bristol for a girl but I think I’m the only one that thinks of that as a name for a girl. 😛 For boys, I really like A names for some reason. Alistair, Aloysius, Asher are all favorites. Arturo too. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/33 "2008-10-08T00:17:27Z")
Fiona. I hope I never meet anyone with that name, because right now my association with it is from this cute, little girl in an Irish movie, along with the amazing sexiness of Fiona Apple. Any move from there would just be downwards. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/34 "2008-10-08T00:27:40Z")
Clearly my tastes in names are a bit out of step with my fellow Dopers; I’m a traditionalist, I guess. We named our three sons John (after his grandfather), Ethan (good Vermont connection; my wife’s from there) and Thomas (there were some Thomases back in the day on my side of the family, but really we named him that just because we like the name). I’ve also always been partial to the names Edward, James, Joshua (but it’s too trendy now), Jeremy and Lawrence. My own first name is William, which I like. For girls’ names, had we had the opportunity to use them: Emma, Meredith, Eleanor, or Elizabeth. Tolkien had a knack for coining names, although I’d never saddle a kid with one today. For boys: Elendil, Earendil, Aragorn, Beren, Cirdan, Eomer, Theoden, Mithrandir, and Thorin (I actually know a guy named Thorin!). For girls: Miriel, Gilraen, Celebrian, Telperien, and Galadriel. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Quack\_s\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@Duck\_Quack\_s\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Quack_s_Echo)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/35 "2008-10-08T01:09:37Z")
Girl - Anastasia, Siobhan. Boy - Jack, Benjamin. My daughter is named Anastasia and my son is named Jack(ster). ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/36 "2008-10-08T01:18:14Z")
Galatea, Papado, Sonrisa, Emil, Emily, Indigo, Matthias, Michael, Zephyr, Vergil, Voltaire, Anna, Joshua, Sphinna, Elegia, Echalon, Orpheus, Icarus, Gaia, Satori, Scheherazade, Verdant, Glyph, Geo, Chiaroscuro, Ananda, Bhakti, Dharma, Qualia, Atlan, Momo, Bastian, Atreyu, Zuvuya, Jonathon, Jack, Dithyramb, Serendipity, Eunoia I also tend to like a lot of Spanish names ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/37 "2008-10-08T01:24:28Z")
Boys: Algernon, Edmund, Owen, Reginald Girls: Tatiana, Winifred, Michelle, Heather ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/38 "2008-10-08T03:37:42Z")
For guys - Oliver, Dimitri, Nathan, and Jared/Jake/Jeremy/Jason/James - pretty much any name that starts with a J. For girls - I love Marie or Maria, and Lily. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/39 "2008-10-08T04:35:12Z")
I named my daughter Annabel because I thought it was such a beautiful name. I get a lot of compliments on it… but I also have the odd person tell me it’s a cow’s name. Don’t care though… the cow they’re probably thinking of is actually Claribell, and it doesn’t bother me if someone doesn’t like it. Chances are I’ll hate their kid’s name(s) too. The other girls names I liked were Eloise, Alice, Annalise, Annika, Jocelyn, Johanna, Elizabeth, Isobel. There’s a lot of samey-ness to the names I like, I have to admit it. The boys name I love most is Thomas but I’m not keen on how it sounds paired with my surname. I love William, but there’s a popular fictional character with the combination of Will and my surname. James was my leading contender if my daughter had been a son, and Alexander was a dark horse in the name race. A name I think is cool but would never use for a human is Dante. I met a small D’Artagnan once and I simultaneously thought his name was a satisfying word to say, and a hell of a thing to saddle a small Australian child with. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/40 "2008-10-08T04:37:59Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > Nemesis - Beautiful, beautiful name. Would love to name any potential daughter this if it weren’t for the weird attention it’d garner. Little Nemesis would be in therapy before she was six. > > Miriam - A more realistic daughter name. Damn pretty, sounds like a fantasy name that happens to be real. > > Nike - not pronounced like the shoe or the Anglicized version of the goddess, but more like nee-kuh. Lovely, classic name. > > I have a fondness for gender-neutral names, especially for girls. Robin, Kim, Alexis, names like that. Well, I guess we have to get married now. I’ve been talking about naming my potential daughters Nemesis and Nike for years, while my friends just shake their heads in consternation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808.md?page=3)