Ashley writes:
So, I am 6.5 months pregnant with my second child, due June 20. We don’t know the sex, but we are fine on girl names (probably Adele). Our 3.5 year old son is Gabriel Christopher. We had three criteria for naming:
– Not too popular (ie: definitely not top 10, or ideally top 20, right now – since Mike and Ashley, our names, were in the top 3 the years we were born. TOO POPULAR.)
– Not too uncommon or trendy (ie: he won’t have to repeat himself five times, spelling it to the credit card company as an adult won’t be a pain, etc)
– Not boring/plain (this is subjective, obviously. His name needn’t be creative & unusual, just not TOO plain.)I liked that I didn’t know any other Gabriels, but that it wasn’t a name that was unfamiliar. So far he’s the only Gabe in his playgroup, at preschool, etc. But no one ever says, “Oh, interesting name.” So! It was the name for us. I mean, him.
Our last name is Cadaret – sounds like “cabaret” with a d.
For this child, we are stuck with boy names. Nothing is sticking. At ALL. To add to our above criteria, I’d ideally like another name that has a nickname (we call our son Gabe) and that isn’t too biblical (No Raphael and Gabriel. Nope.).
Our (my?) favorites:
– Luke/Lucas/Luca (young cousin named Lucas, so it might be Luca/Luke)
– Oliver
– Julian (worried it’s going to be mistaken for feminine)
– Jude (maybe as a nickname for Julian – but sort of a stretch?)
– Theodore (Theo!)
– Samuel
(We do like the following, but start to veer into too plain territory…)
– Zachary
– Charles/Charlie
– MatthewNames liked but cannot use (because we have a LOT of young boys in my family, they’re a top 10 name right now, or my husband just hates it)
– Leo
– William/Liam
– Caleb
– Dominic
– Henry
– AmosMiddle name will be a family name, probably. Christopher is my husband’s middle name. We’ll likely be doing John, Michael, Anthony, Salvador, William, or Thomas.
Okay. That is a lot of information. I’d love to hear what you have to say if you have time/space in your posting schedule!
My very first suggestion is a biblical name: Isaac, nicknames Zac or Ike. Biblical names have gone so mainstream: when I was growing up, Noah would have been a startlingly religious name to use, but now it’s the fourth most common name for U.S. baby boys in 2012. If I met a family with a Gabriel and an Isaac, the biblical nature of both names wouldn’t occur to me—and I grew up the daughter of a pastor. But I’m with you on avoiding a household set of archangels.
Before we go on to discuss other names, I want to take a minute to discuss name popularity. The name Ashley was in the top three from 1984 until 1997. The name Michael was in the top three from 1953 until 2010. But even more impressive than rankings are percentages: at its peak in 1987, the name Ashley was given to 2.93% of baby girls. I didn’t go through all the years for the name Michael, but it looks like it peaked in 1969 when it was given to 4.66% of baby boys; even in 1987 (to match it with the name Ashley and give your husband a more statistically likely birth year), it was given to 3.27% of baby boys.
Those are ENORMOUS numbers, compared with today’s: in 2012, even the most popular boy name in the United States (Jacob) was given to .94% of baby boys; the most popular girl name in the United States (Sophia) was given to 1.15% of baby girls. To match the popularity of Ashley in 1987, we’d have to almost combine the top three 2012 girl names (Sophia, Emma, Isabella); to match the popularity of Michael in 1987, we’d have to almost combine the top FOUR 2012 boy names (Jacob, Mason, Ethan, and Noah). If I’ve done the math correctly (and I really hope so, because that was some very tedious math), the Top 20 in 1987 accounted for 33.5% of boy names and 26.5% of girl names; the Top 20 in 2012 accounted for 14.9% of boy names and 12.2% of girl names.
This is not to say we can’t look for less-common names, and we will; and I know what you mean about wanting something that feels more interesting. But comparing 1987 names to 2012 names is like comparing 1987 dollars to 2012 dollars: adjustments are needed or else the results are misleading to the point of uselessness. The number one most popular boy name in 2012 is used at the same rate as the 23rd or 24th most popular boy name in 1987: if you wanted to avoid the equivalent of 1987’s Top 20 for boys, you could still choose 2012’s Top 1.
I don’t know why I did three paragraphs on that, considering I have no Top 20 names to push on you. But if there are any names you really like but have eliminated purely on the basis of popularity, I urge you to reconsider. William is Top 10 right now and was given to .83% of baby boys in 2012; in 1987 numbers, this level of usage would have put it between #27 (Adam, given to .87% of baby boys in 1987) and #28 (Benjamin, given to .76% of baby boys in 1987).
As an aside, Benjamin is an interesting example for popularity changes: I see it is currently MORE popular at #16 while being used LESS often at .63%. In fact, would you want to consider Benjamin? Gabriel and Benjamin; Gabe and Ben. I really, really like those names together. Or Bennett, if Benjamin seems too familiar: Gabriel and Bennett; Gabe and Ben. Which makes me think of another idea: if William is too popular, I wonder if Wilson would work: Gabriel and Wilson; Gabe and Will.
Okay! Let’s get out of 1987. In 2010, the name Gabriel was #21, given to .63% of U.S. baby boys; in 2012, it was #24, given to .57% of U.S. baby boys—very similar numbers. Some possible brother names:
August Cadaret; Gabriel and August; Gabe and Gus
Calvin Cadaret; Gabriel and Calvin; Gabe and Cal
Darian Cadaret; Gabriel and Darian
Davis Cadaret; Gabriel and Davis
Elias Cadaret; Gabriel and Elias; Gabe and Eli
Elliot Cadaret; Gabriel and Elliot
Emmett Cadaret; Gabriel and Emmett
Everett Cadaret; Gabriel and Everett
Hugo Cadaret; Gabriel and Hugo
Ian Cadaret; Gabriel and Ian
James Cadaret; Gabriel and James; Gabe and Jamie
Jasper Cadaret; Gabriel and Jasper
Louis Cadaret; Gabriel and Louis; Gabe and Lou
Malcolm Cadaret; Gabriel and Malcolm
Milo Cadaret; Gabriel and Milo
Nolan Cadaret; Gabriel and Nolan
Ruben Cadaret; Gabriel and Ruben
Simon Cadaret; Gabriel and Simon
Wesley Cadaret; Gabriel and Wesley; Gabe and Wes
Name update!
Hi there! I am so belated on this update as my son is nearly 5 months old, but we did, indeed, name him Theodore James and call him Theo. We love the name and the comments on your post helped us decide!
We’ve already learned that people often think he’s Leo or have no idea what we’re saying, so I have to clarify, “Like Theodore,” but oh well! He can also become TJ when he’s older if he decides.
Thanks!
Luca and Cadaret, to my ear, really run together. Luca Cadaret. Hm, too repetitive. Luke Cadaret is similar. Lucas helps improve the flow enormously but you already have one in the family. Would you consider Lucian? I really like Lucian or Lucien– Lucian Cadaret is a really great name in my opinion. And Luke or Luc could be a family nickname.
Out of all your listed favorites, Jude is my favorite with Gabriel and with your surname.
From your list, I really like Theodore/Theo for you.
Jude is a great match for Gabe, but feels a little off next to the full Gabriel. Julian/Jude could work. “Hey Jude” was actually written for Julian Lennon. Judah/Jude would also work. I think Gabriel & Judah are fine together, but together they may feel too Biblical for you.
I will second Swistle’s suggestion of Isaac/Ike and Bennett/Ben. Benedict is another familiar, but less common way to get to Ben. I also like her suggestion of Everett & I’ll offer Rhett as a nickname. Gabe & Rhett. Oh, I really like Gabe & Rhett together.
Instead of Matthew, maybe you’d like Mateo or Mathias?
Tobias/Toby, Mitchell/Mitch and Callum/Cal. I also really like Solomon/Sol for you. I don’t think they seem too Biblical together.
I like Lucas nn. Luke – Gabe & Luke are cute bible names that wouldn’t resonate as TOO biblical to me.
If you are interested in the nn. Ben you could go for something like Bentley or Bennett.
Nathaniel nn. Nate? Gabe & Nate. or Joseph nn. Joey/Joe. Gabe & Joey is cute to me.
My favorite is Julian (nn Jude) for a second son. I don’t think the possibility of being perceived as feminine is a deal breaker. Most people would know the difference, IMO.
I babysat for a Julian for years and he was never mistaken for a girl based on his name, as far as I was aware. And this was when Julian was less common, too.
I suggest Nathanial.
Gabe and Nat or Gabe and Nate.
Sorry for the mistake on spelling. Nathaniel.
I picked my son Gabriel’s name for all of the exact reasons you named your Gabriel.
My imaginary/if I had another child name is actually Isaac for a boy.
Other names on my Gabriel LIST were Vincent (Vince), Andrew (Andy or Drew), Malcolm, Adrian, Julian.
I love Julian or Theodore for you! It would never occur to me that Julian could possibly be a girl’s name, I’ve always known it as a boy’s name. I don’t personally like the name Jude on its own or as a nickname for Julian, but that’s my personal taste (and probably because growing up I knew a very unpleasant woman named Judith who went by Jude. So it sounds feminine to me and also reminds me of a horrible person).
Also I wonder if you would like Darius, Anders, Andrew (nn Drew), or Tobias (nn Toby)?
I really like Theodore/Theo with Gabe! Boy names were really hard for us, too. If our due-any-day baby hadn’t turned out to be a girl we would have been completely stuck.
I second August, Wesley, Vincent, Theodore, and Benjamin, and add Sebastian (“Baz”).
Also Charles!
Gabriel is #1 on my sad cannot use list, and I was really sad to leave it off. I wonder if therefore you might like some of the other names I liked:
Eugene- Gabriel and Eugene; Gabe and Gene (this is my favorite of all and Eugene is easily number 2 on my sad cannot use list)
Tobias- Gabriel and Tobias; Gabe and Toby
James (my favorite from Swistle’s list)
Julian (my favorite from you list)- Gabe and Jules (or Jude)?
Isaiah- Gabriel and Isaiah; Gabe and Izzy
Silas- Gabriel and Silas; Gabe and Sy
Johannes: Gabriel and Johannes; Gabe and Hans
I like Matthew and Zachary best from your list and Caleb from your discard list. How about Isaiah? Biblical, but so’s a lot of your list so I’m not sure where the line is for you.
I really like Theodore and Julian from your list. Gabe and Theo or Gabe and Jude are great together. To get Luke as a nickname, you could with Luther. Gabriel and Luther. Gabe and Luke. I also really like the suggestion of Benjamin. Gabriel and Benjamin. Gabe and Ben
Other possibilities:
Gregory. Gabriel and Gregory. Gabe and Greg
Frederick. Gabriel and Frederick Gabe and Fred
Everett. Gabriel and Everett. Gabe and Rhett.
Jethro. Gabriel and Jethro. Gabe and Jet.
Ronald. Gabriel and Ronald. Gabe and Ron.
I know a Julien … somehow simply changing it to an ‘e’ makes it look much more masculine to me. And, though it may be a stretch, I really like Jude as a nickname for Julien!
I think Julian nn Jude is beyond perfect with Gabriel/Gabe!
Good luck!
I know a Julian and have never considered the name feminine at all. It sounds great with Gabriel!
The suggestion of Elias nn Eli is a good one too. Love Eli!
Other suggestions:
Adrian
Christian
Stephen
Stefan (I actually know two brothers named Julian and Stefan)
Jonathan
Nicolas
Joshua
Sebastian
Joseph
All the best!
I do love Jude (my son’s name!), but I’m not crazy about Jude as a nickname for Julian. It’s interesting to consider Luke since the Gospel of Luke is where the angel Gabriel is specifically named- I don’t know if that’s a connection you’d like/notice/not want etc. Oliver is on my love but can’t use list, and I love Ollie as a nickname- Ollie and Gabe! I also really like Theodore/Theo and Benedict/Ben.
I personally am not a fan of Julian, but I wouldn’t discount it for being a feminine name; I’ve never heard of a Julian being mistaken for a female.
I LOVE the options of Theodore/Theo and Isaac/Ike. As far as a sibset, I think Gabriel and Isaac are my favorite. Gabe and Ike is just too darn cute.
A family at our kids’ school has 4 boys and the oldest is Gabriel (Gabe). The other boys are Isaac (Zeke), Elijah (Eli) and Charles (Charlie). Nathaniel or Nathan, nicknamed Nate sounds cute with Gabe too. Love all these ideas though– you really can’t go wrong!
You seem quite keen on the L sound in names – both Gabriel and Adele end in the sound. Both of your names also do. And your list of possible and unusable names also features a lot of L sounds – maybe this is a good starting point to look at other possible names?
With that in mind, previous suggestions of Calvin, Elias, Elliot, Malcolm, Milo, Nolan, Wesley, Lucian, Mitchell, Callum, Solomon, Nathaniel, Silas, Ronald and Nicolas all fit that pattern.
I’d also suggest:
Daniel
Sullivan
Joel
Lionel
Paul
Randall
Marshall
Dashiell
Killian/Cillian
Lewis
Colby
Walter
Lawrence
You are so astute – I totally told my husband that I have a thing for “L” names! I don’t know what it is – they just are so satisfying to me. :)
Sorry, I didn’t have time to read through the comments besides Swistles.
The name that first came into mind, without even reading the rest of your letter, is Sebastian.
Gabriel and Sebastian. I think they give off the same feel… it’s a name that people have heard of (not made-up), it isn’t super trendy or popular, and just has that classic feel to it. Totally love this combination.
I will also put in a good remark about Oliver. We have an Oliver. We struggled A LOT with boy names. We had thrown Oliver out early on (I think because we thought maybe it was becoming too popular??) and then came back to it in a last ditch effort to find something that we liked. We totally love his name. Everyone who meets him comments on what a great name it is. And we haven’t met another Oliver yet, so even though number-wise it appears to be high on the popularity list (I think it’s still in the top 100) when you actually look at the individual numbers there aren’t as many around. We call him Ollie sometimes and it’s so cute. Gabriel and Oliver. Gabe and Ollie.
I LOVE the name Jude and we totally would have used it but it doesn’t work with our last name. I would personally just use Jude as an official name but you could also use Judah nn Jude??
I think Gabriel and Isaac look great together. Gabe and Ike.
What about Walter? Gabriel and Walter. Gabe and Walt. Super cute!!
My other favourites:
Louis. Gabe and Lou.
Theodore. Gabe and Theo.
August. Gabe and Gus. Or Gabe and Auggie.
Maxwell. Gabe and Max. Or if Max is too popular, you could use Wells as a nn instead. Gabe and Wells.
Other names:
Callum – Cal
Elijah//Elliot – Eli
Simon – Sims
Good luck and keep us posted!
My son is Jude William. Other boys names we considered were Sebastian and Reuben.
I thought immediately of Jason, Jason Thomas; Gabe and Jason. Gabe and Jase. I work in pediatrics and we seldom see a little Jason these days.
I have a Julian and one person in the hundreds I’ve said the name to thought it was feminine and as a result Jules is the owner of a bunny from one of my husband’s clients that has a pink ribbon around his neck. But I don’t care about it, and my kid is four months old and doesn’t care about it. We mostly hear compliments. A friend of mine said, “That’s a pretty name!” and I agree, it is. I don’t find it any more feminine than Gabriel – another name I love. Also, I just don’t care if my son is confused for a female down the line.
I will say that I considered using the nickname Jude for him prior to his being born and it just never rolled off the tongue. I usually call him Julian, Jules, Juju, or babycakes. So maybe you shouldn’t talk to me about nicknames.
Gabriel and Gabrielle were my joke names when anyone asked me what we were naming our babies, since they don’t work with our last name. So was Angelina.
I loooove Ben with Gabe. It’s so cute.
Me, too! But we can’t use it because my husband’s nephew is a Ben. :-/
Oh, thanks for tackling my question! I actually love that you delved into some name statistics for a few paragraphs there.
I should clarify that I don’t think Julian is feminine! My husband just mentioned that people might often mistake it for the more-common Julia, a female name. (This has happened a few times with Gabriel vs. Gabrielle).
And we can’t use Ben, unfortunately. My husband’s young nephew is a Ben!
I love love love all the comments. Thanks for weighing in, everyone!
We have similar tastes. I have a Gabe and a Charlie and if we have another boy it could be a Ben. Other names I like but couldn’t or didn’t use are: Nathan (Nate) but I actually like the full name a little more than the nickname, Callan (cal), Samuel (Sam), William (Liam), Judah (Jude), Andrew (Andy). Out of all these I think I liked Nathan and Andy the best but couldn’t use them because of family members or ex boyfriends.
Love Gabriel. Instead of Zachary, what about Zachariah? Dominic, Vincent and Xavier all sound good with Gabriel too. What about Louis or Francis? You’ve got a great list started. Good luck!
My Favorite is Theodore/Theo; Theodore Cadaret; Gabriel & Theodore/ Gabe & Theo — By FAR!!! Perfect in every way.