Aaron- I find it kind of dull.
Aidan- It's somewhat overdone lately, but I actually find the variations (
Braden,
Caden etc) to be used more often. I work with kids and there's a wide variety of the Aidan-ish names floating around these days. That being said, I do like the original
Aidan.
Alexander**- Handsome, strong classic. A great name, honestly. I think
Alex is a great nickname as well. I also like
Sasha, though that might not be your style.
Antero- I don't think I've heard of this, and I'm not too keen on it.
Arlo- It's alright. I used to like it more than I do now. Of course he will be associated with
Arlo Guthrie.
Asa*- I've never really understood the appeal of this.
Asher- It's not bad. I worry that it's too trendy, but I do like the sound of it.
Benjamin- It's a classic so you can't really go wrong, but personally I'm not a
Benjamin fan.
Caelan- This does seem trendy and made-up. I have no idea if it actually is, but that's how it comes across.
Conrad*- It's grown on me. How can you not be cool with a name like
Conrad?
Elijah- Used to be one of my favorites, now I still like it but not as much.
Elliot- I like
Elliot a lot. It's very friendly and boy-next-door sounding.
Evander*-
Love this one. Unexpected but has a lot of familiar sounds. My only concern is that people with enunciate it incorrectly (EV-an-der instead of eh-VAN-der.)
Ezra- I've never cared for it, but for no particular reason.
Ishmael*- All I can think is "Call me
Ishmael," sorry.
Jared*- It seems so 80s/90s jock to me. That, and "He went to
Jared!" come to mind.
Jasper*- I like
Jasper, for me it sounds like an old southern gentleman.
Jeremy-
Jeremy is nice as well. Similar feeling as
Elliot.
Julian- Definitely one of my top names.
Love it. I like that it's softer, and I like the idea of
Jules.
Kieran- I used to like it a lot. I still think it's a nice name, just not one I'd use.
Leo**- One of my favorites. So simple and handsome.
Levi- It's alright. I don't mind it but don't particularly care for it.
Liam- I'd prefer
William in full. However, I think
Liam can work on its own.
Luka- I really prefer the
Luca spelling, and I think it's nice. I think I like
Luke and
Lucas more, though.
Lysander*- It's almost comical to me. I'm a writer and I used it on a funny character.
Micah- I like this one, but I always have to pause to make sure I'm saying it correctly.
Michael- Yawn.
Mihai*- Doesn't really do much for me.
Niko- Again, I prefer
Nico. I think it's cool.
Quinn- I prefer this for a girl, but I can somewhat picture it on a boy.
Seth- Seems very 80s/90s to me again.
Sorin- I'm familiar with
Soren, but the "sore" part puts me off.
Theo- I love
Theo! It's adorable.
Thierry- It's okay. I considered it at one point for my own list, but it didn't last long.
Tristan- I do like
Tristan. Probably because it's also a bit of a softer sound for a boy. The meaning doesn't bother me; how often do people in real life look up the meanings of names?
Xander- This just seems like an incomplete
Alexander to me.
Xavier*- I like this one. It's business-like but also approachable. And the X makes it a tad special.
Adelaide- It's okay. Doesn't stand out a whole lot to me.
Adele- I like
Adele a lot; it's smooth and elegant. The association with the singer will be strong right now, though.
Alouette- I can only see this as a song.
Andy- As a nickname for a boy, okay. But I don't care for it for a girl.
Anya*- This is a newer addition to my own list. I like the way it jazzes up boring
Anna.
Aria*- It's very pretty, but I can't help thinking this is a spoiled princess name.
Arwen- I prefer
Anwen. Don't get me wrong,
Arwen is beautiful and I'm a huge Lotr fan, but your child will carry that association for life and what if they don't appreciate it as much as you do?
Asha*- It just sounds like a mash-up of sounds to me.
Avalon- This is one of the earliest names I remember putting on my list. I love the Arthurian association, and think it's pretty without being frilly.
Aveline*- It's pretty, but I fear will get buried in the masses. It's not unique-sounding enough.
Avery- I only like this for a boy.
Calanthe- It's definitely interesting and appealing. I don't think I'd use it myself, but I'd love to meet one.
Calypso- This one is hard to see as a name. It's a tad too literal.
Camilla- It's not bad. A less-common floral name.
Caoimhe- This would run into major pronunciation issues in the US.
Coraline- I like just
Cora better, though I don't dislike Coraline either.
Eleri*- All I can think of is celery.
Elodie*- This is pretty, though I'd imagine she'd get mistaken as a
Melody throughout her life.
Elspeth- I really don't like
Elspeth. It sounds like someone trying to say
Elizabeth with a lisp.
Emmeline*- Quite pretty and vintage, but with the current popularity of
Emily and
Emma, I'd avoid it.
Enya*- It's too associated with the singer for me to consider it.
Estelle- This is quite nice, and a bit unexpected because to the layperson it's still an "old lady" name.
Felicity- I think it's very pleasant, light and fun to say. I always see negative comments about this name and I still don't understand why.
Genevieve- Lovely. It's classy and has a ton of nickname options.
Iris- Another nice retro name. Plus, iris flowers are some of my favorites, and I like that it means "rainbow."
Jasmine- Though the Disney association is still strong, I do like it.
Kerensa- This one's been on my radar screen lately. I really like the way it sounds, and how it means "heart."
Lavender- I do really like this, both for the color and the plant, but I think it's best as a middle name.
Louise*- I like this, wouldn't use it for my own child though. It's very sunny and summery to me.
Luna**- I used to like it more than I do now. I still think it's pretty, it's just not at the top of my list.
Lydia- One of my favorites. It's very vintage and dainty and slightly quirky.
Maeve**- It's a nice name. One of my professors in college named her daughter this. I do prefer
Mavis at the moment, however.
Mai**- Eh, it's not really my thing.
Mali- I don't like place names in general.
Mari*- Is this just
Mary with an I ending? In that case I don't care for it.
Marianne- I think this is charmingly retro, however. It reminds me of cozy sweaters, books, and cats for some reason. But it's a very pleasant association.
Marigold- I think this is best in the middle name spot.
Marion- Has never really appealed to me.
Niamh- Another pronunciation problem name in my area.
Rose- Vintage, hardly ever used as a first name anymore, very pretty but has a substance a lot of other floral names don't.
Ruby- I like
Ruby, I just worry about it aging well.
Sariah*- Not really my style.
Seren- This is very pretty and tranquil. I like the celestial connection.
Shiloh- I feel like this was an almost-trend name, around when
Angelina Jolie used it. It's alright, pretty sound but I wouldn't use it.
Sine- I'm not familiar with this one and don't know how to say it.
Siofra- Same.
Skye*- I think it works particularly well as a middle name.
Suri- Cruise. It's still way too tied to her.
Tamsin**- I've never understood the appeal of this one.
Tanith- It reminds me of
Tanith Belbin, the ice dancer. That's where I first heard it. It's not bad, and I think there's some kind of Egyptian connection that's cool, but my memory fails me.
Zoe- It sounds too juvenile for my tastes.