thread: HELP! We only have one boy & one girl name!

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Mar 2009
    373

    HELP! We only have one boy & one girl name!

    Hi Everyone

    DH and I are having trouble getting more options for names....our bub is due in January and we really only have 2 front runners (one boy name and one girl name), which I know you really only need to have one but as I am fairly indecisive at the best of times I feel I need more options!

    Our girls name is Charlotte, we both love the name and an added bonus is that it's MIL's middle name (who I love)...the only downside is that I think it's one of the most popular names...

    The boys name is Henry, DH has had his heart set on this for ages and it started with a flat no from me as I thought it was old fashioned but it's really grown on me of late. But I have a habit of shortening everything and you can't really shorten this...'Hen'? perhaps not...though with only 2 sylables maybe you don't need to shorten it?

    This has been doing my pregnancy-head in!

    The kind of names that we both tend to like are names that when you say them everyone knows how to spell them, names have been around for donkey's years and names that are not too uncommon...I know that these are probably some people's 'reasons not to pick a name' but each to their own I guess.

    So my question is....
    When it comes to Charlotte - Is it really a bad thing to use the most (or one of) the most popular names? I can see the good and bad but would like other people opinions..

    When it comes to Henry - Is this name a winner?

    Does anyone else have any other names that fit with the kind we like?

    Thanks everyone, hopefully my waffle hasn't gone on too long!

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Jun 2009
    Perth, Western Australia
    758

    What about George, can't be shortened and nice name for a bubba, boy and man, I think it means strong?

    I think Charlotte is nice, I was going to use Charley, which sometimes Charlotte can be shortened to?, if I was having a girl but have since found out its a boy.

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    on the verge of greatness!
    1,301

    hi love,
    we are having a name dilema oursevles so am hearing you especially regarding 'is it too popular' query ... but personally i would cut the ''is it too popular'' criteria from your list. if you guys love it then that is all that matters. And charlotte can be also be shortened to lottie.

    i like henry, i think it's 'cute' for a little boy but grown up for a man.

    remember you can also be super inventive with the middle name if you are worried about 1000 charlotte/henry smith's in 10 years time.

    Plus your bub will be a special and unique version of that name... he/she will make it their own, no matter how many other bubs there are with the same name.

    Have you thought of John for a boy? it's not as common thesedays but is very traditional.

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Add No.5 on Facebook

    Jan 2007
    Brisbane
    2,391

    I like both your picks.

    Other options:
    Isaac
    Andrew
    Peter
    William


    Violet
    Anabelle
    Anna
    Lauren
    Catherine

    GL choosing the right name

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Jul 2005
    Perth Western Australia
    1,697

    Just wanted to say I love your name choices- my niece and nephew (brother & sister) are Charlotte and Henry!

  6. #6
    Registered User

    May 2008
    Melbourne
    295

    just wanted to tell you I really like your names too!

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Oct 2007
    Brissy
    2,208

    I personally dont like to use super common names, but having said that if there was a name I really loved I would use it anyway!

    I think Henry is a fabulous name!

    Some other suggestions:
    Antoinette
    Elisabeth
    Sophia
    Abigail
    Chanel
    Renee
    Luciella

    Charlton
    Spencer
    Lucas
    Micah
    Nathaniel
    Jonathan

    HTH

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Jun 2008
    Forster, NSW
    95

    There's nothing wrong with having a popular name if you love it. Charlotte is a lovely name, and Henry is great too.
    I wouldn't have them cause we like names that you don't hear alot, but if our chosen names did suddenly become popluar we would still use them, cause we love them and have come to see our baby with these names whether it be a boy or a girl.
    As for having more names to chose from, if your indecisive this may be worse for you to have more options. You have 2 names that you both like, so don't feel that you need to have a list of names just for the sake of having more then one to choose from.

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Mar 2009
    373

    Thankyou so much to everyone for your responses....they have been very helpful!

    Ali - DH loves that your neice and nephew are named Henry & Charlotte!
    KT I think you might be right re having too many choices when it comes to my indecisivness!
    Shar - If it's a girl and we call her Charlotte, we were going to use 'Charlie' day to day already!

    Thanks everyone for the suggestions, some of them are no's for various reasons (close friends names, nieces names etc) but it's all good food for thought!

    Hopefully I will stop over thinking this and start obsessing about something else!! LOL!

  10. #10
    smiles4u Guest

    Smile

    Me too not a fan of super fady names but i must i like Charlotte and i didn't think it was a popular name at present !!

    I would stick with CHARLOTTE if that's the name you both love

    Some nice but easy spelt boy's names ;

    Adam
    Brendan
    Christopher
    David
    Evan
    Grant
    Joel
    Liam
    Matthew
    Micheal
    Ryan
    Phillip
    Trent

  11. #11
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber

    May 2005
    in the national capital
    1,682

    I love both your choices.

    Henry is often "shortened" to Harry - even though they are the same length (so I don't really understand it) - not many people know that Prince Harry's real name is Henry.

  12. #12
    Registered User

    Mar 2007
    VIC
    1,053

    Henry can also be shortened to Hank...

  13. #13
    Registered User

    Aug 2009
    Ipswich, Queensland
    1,418

    I like both your names maybe have a couple options for middles names... if your set on the first names then keep them, and just have a couple extra names you can change to suit bub ...I'm with you i do like traditional names - but not overly common... we are going with Jasmyn Isabelle if its a girl and William John Neville if its a boy.... so similar in style to yours.
    My friend named her daughter Charlotte Ava-Grace... which i think is really pretty. I think the middle name adds to the first name (plus i don't have a middle name - hence why i love them lol)
    As for a nickname for Henry - ppl get nicknames for things they do and like also not just a shortened version of their name.

  14. #14
    Registered User

    Sep 2005
    In the middle of nowhere
    9,362

    Hard work naming babies isn't it?
    FWIW we only had one name for each sex too. We thought we were going to deliver at 25weeks with Nate and picked the 2 names then - and then never changed them. It seemed so natural to have his name 'ready' when he was born.
    With Darcy we had a few and even I was surprised when she was born and they asked her name and with out any consultation Dh said 'Darcy'. lol I love it now though.

  15. #15
    Registered User

    Jul 2005
    Sydney
    4,517

    we only ever had the one namepicked for our children, if you both like them you may never add any names to a list because they wont compare to your chosen name! oe you will always keep going back to those names!