OK - Name Poll!

[KBecks]

I'm feeling a little hyper since finding out #3 is a boy, so, here's the requisite name poll. This is still preliminary, and to be honest, we've never actually gone with the BBB #1 choice -- but I still would love your advice and analysis. The third time may be a charm!

Also, since we are starting to run thin on name ideas, I'd be interested in hearing middle name suggestions too. DH's name is David and easily doable. James is the surname of my birth family. Otherwise I am in need of ideas.

Oh, and the boys are #1 Alek Edward,and #2 John Douglas. Last name is 4 syllables and Lithuanian, starting with M and ending in s.

[citymama]

I voted for Jesse because I like it the most of those names, it is both classic and unusual - has this rugged feel - and also goes with John. My second pick would be Aaron (goes with Alek!).

What do you and your family like best?

[Melbel]

Congratulations on another boy! I voted for Andrew for a couple of reasons. First, I tend to like classic names. Second, I think that Andrew flows nicely with big brothers' names (Alek, John & Andrews) as well as the middle name options you are considering (Andrew James, Andrew David). Good luck!

[KBecks]

What do you and your family like best?

We are in flux. Dave likes Mark right now. A month ago he suggested Aaron. Andrew was appealing to me yesterday, and I like Jesse but it would be a hard sell to Dave. :)

[karstmama]

andrew jameson! ok, i'm prejudiced for that middle name, but too many 'jameses' in my family is why i chose it - we'd gone through all the nicknames.

[cvanbrunt]

How about Owen for a middle name?

[KBecks]

I really like Owen as a potential MN. I kind of like it for a first and I've had it on and off the list a couple times, but it's never stuck for me.

[KBecks]

This may end up being DH's decision more than mine... we'll see how it goes.

He has been suggesting Vitus and he seems serious each time he suggests it. I don't think I can handle Vitus...... so if he gets excited about something less exotic I may jump on it. :)

[mamicka]

Of the 4, I like Mark & Andrew the best. But the M/M would bother me a bit, I think, although I think Mark David & Mark James both work. Aaron is also nice & goes with both possible middle names. I've heard Jesse mocked a bit as a boy's name, if that matters to you. Jesse David works IMO, but I'd stay away from Jesse James, LOL.

Have fun - choosing names is so much fun!

[buddyleebaby]

Of your list, I like Mark the best.

Victor might appeal to your husband and it's slightly more mainstream than Vitus.

I also like Glen(n) with John and Alec.

[american_mama]

Congratulations! I didn't know you were having another boy. And I assumed your last name was Greek, so learning otherwise is another surprise.

I voted for Andrew, although I also like Aaron. If it matters, Andrew is a top 10 name, apparently, although I have never met a preschool or younger Andrew. To me, Jesse doesn't go with your other boy names: too wild, too non-traditional.

We have Edward's and David's as middle names in my family with the first name Paul, so that's an idea, maybe as a middle name. David is a nice first name with your other names.

More Ideas
Luke/Lucas
Evan or Ethan (Ethan is also top 10)
Connor
Carl
William
Leander
Gabriel
Henry
Noah
Peter
Calvin (although this is so puritan sounding, quite a contrast to your last name)
Seth
Thomas
Theo
Daniel
Robert (good middle name, kind of dated for a first name)

If you like a lot of alliteration, you might consider Michael. It flows really well with your last name, if, as I said, you like the similar sounds. Kyle is another shorter idea.

Do you know what your hsuband likes about Vitus? If it's the ending, you could also consider Lucas, Marcus, Darius, August, Demetrius , uhh... I think there are more -us and -ius ending. If it's the V, I agree with Victor.

[kijip]

Ahh! 3 boys- you are a lucky duck!

i have a soft spot for Aaron as it is a close friend's name. We intend to use it if we ever have another boy child either as a first or a middle name. I think Aaron sounds great with Alek and John.

Still, I like all of your picks esp Andrew (my second choice after Aaron!)

[kijip]

This may end up being DH's decision more than mine... we'll see how it goes.

He has been suggesting Vitus and he seems serious each time he suggests it. I don't think I can handle Vitus...... so if he gets excited about something less exotic I may jump on it. :)

I don't think Vitus works with the last name at all. I hope you win on that front.

[shilo]

i picked andrew, but only b/c it's on my short list too ;). seem's that october (sept) is the month for those of us with boys to add to our broods. my only thought that keeps me from endorsing it fully tho is that you seem to like the 'short' forms of names as first names (alek and john both having longer forms). so given that, maybe mark david would be more in keeping with your naming style so far?

me, i'm a 'it has to have a nickname' freak. so my potential andrew would be drew.

lori - soon to be mom of 2 boys.

[Ceepa]

I voted for Aaron, but I also have a soft spot for Mark because I have a friend named that who is really wonderful.

And Lori, congrats on another boy! I'm jealous. ;)

[Mamma2004]

I really like Andrew James and Andrew David.

Good luck, whatever you decide! Isn't this part fun???

[ha98ed14]

I really like Andrew James and Andrew David.



I voted for Aaron, but I like Andrew equally well. I am a nick name person, so nameing him Aaron James or Andrew James and calling him A.J. would be my pick. I like these choices too. My strongest feeling is that you should not pick another J name, for a couple reasons.

1) I think it sounds better to say, "These are my sons, A, J, and A." than to say "A, J and J." @ Js in a row sounds more repetative.

2) John is going to be a middle. It is hard to be a middle. You ain't the first and you ain't the baby. He needs something to make him a little special, different, so maybe he can be the "J" name. I dunno. Might sound silly, but I have seen my friend with 3 boys, and the middle one always seems a little lost in the shuffle. Her boys are E, E, and A. Sometimes I wonder if he would have benefited from a name that was more "his own."

P.S. Is your husband from Lithuania? I have been there twice. Really LOVE Vilnus and Klapeda (sp?) :)

[KBecks]

Congratulations! I didn't know you were having another boy. And I assumed your last name was Greek, so learning otherwise is another surprise.

I voted for Andrew, although I also like Aaron. If it matters, Andrew is a top 10 name, apparently, although I have never met a preschool or younger Andrew. To me, Jesse doesn't go with your other boy names: too wild, too non-traditional.

We just found out it's a boy yesterday! :)

DH doesn't like Andrew. He's said he doesn't like names that can be shortened. It's too bad, because I like it, and I'm open to Drew as a NN, but he's not going to be convinced if he doesn't like it, so I think it's out.

DH really likes Mark at the moment. So Mark David may be our contender name for the next several months. We could get fickle though, it's happened before. John was named on day 2 of the hospital. I want the name before then if possible, our health insurance papers mixed up Alek and John because John was just 'baby lastname' at first on the hospital records, PITA.

We have historically always ended up using the #2 runner in the BBB poll!

I like Jesse because it is a little wild. I don't think I can convince DH of it, but I do really like it.

DH suggested Aaron, and I like it. Originally I didn't like it because I'm Karen and it rhymes with Aaron, and that's a little strange for me. DH has been into watching Lost. He seems to be over the Aaron phase though. We flirted with the name Nathan last pregnancy, and this may be a similar short-lived flirtation.

We'll see.... !! I appreciate all the comments!

[bubbaray]

I voted for Aaron, but prefer Nathan.

[MontrealMum]

I voted for Andrew, and like Drew as a nickname as well, also, it's my DH's middle name. I also like Mark, but am not so sure about that with a last name that begins with the same letter. The other two are nice, but just not my taste. We were torn between "traditional" and "ethnic" as well and considered both Michael and Owen. I had tried to push DH towards an "ethnic" name as well (but not Vitus!) since my family is Northern European for the most part, but that didn't go over so well. Have you tried looking at traditional Lithuanian names? That's not something I know anything about, but I had things like Karl and Lars (which are Swedish) on my list to balance out DH's Scottish surname. An ethnic first name, with James in the middle would be nice.

[KBecks]

In theory, Alek has the k instead of the c to be a little more Slavic looking and fit with our last name better. Dave has looked at Lithuanian names from family history -- Jonas (ok, we've got John), Petras (Peter), and uh, Vitus.

Our last name ends in s, which makes it all too much for me. I might like Lukas (but I would prefer Luke). I like the more Americanized, easy, approchable, first names to balance out our last name.

[MontrealMum]

Don't ask me why I was thinking about this at 2am (probably because I have a major deadline tomorrow), but I suddenly remembered that I went to school with several guys of Latvian origin, and I think that the culture of the Baltic states is kind of like in Scandinavia - different languages and slight cultural differences, but similar. So, here are some Latvian names: Ivars, Teodors, Erik, Ernest (that might be Ernst, he was called Ernie). Now, those might not be all that appealing, but Erik has that "slavic" feel with the spelling (I happen to have 3 in my family with that spelling of Erik, from the German and Norwegian side). And Teodors is basically Theodore - but more exotic. The people that I know of Lithuanian descent all have "American" names.

[KBecks]

Thanks! I forgot to answer the question about DH, he's 3rd generation American now. I like Eric or Erik, Alek could have been Eric or Mark -- those names were both on the short list when we were choosing for him.

[KBecks]

My strongest feeling is that you should not pick another J name, for a couple reasons.

1) I think it sounds better to say, "These are my sons, A, J, and A." than to say "A, J and J." @ Js in a row sounds more repetative.

2) John is going to be a middle. It is hard to be a middle. You ain't the first and you ain't the baby. He needs something to make him a little special, different, so maybe he can be the "J" name. I dunno. Might sound silly, but I have seen my friend with 3 boys, and the middle one always seems a little lost in the shuffle. Her boys are E, E, and A. Sometimes I wonder if he would have benefited from a name that was more "his own."

P.S. Is your husband from Lithuania? I have been there twice. Really LOVE Vilnus and Klapeda (sp?) :)

I totally agree with not doing another J name for the reasons you have laid out -- as much as I like Jesse. :)

[randomkid]

Kind of late to this, but thought I'd give my .02 only because you have both of "my" names in there. I had a boy name picked out for a long time and had no idea on girl names, then guess what? We had a girl! No more for us, so here's my boy name - Aaron James. Still wish I could use that, but likely won't be happening for us. Don't know how that flows with your last name, but I like the way those two names go together.

Good Luck in your decision and let us know!

[Happy 2B mommy]

Aaron is my favorite and it think it works well with an ethnic surname without being too out there. But you already have an "A" name with Alek. Other posts suggested that the middle child might like having a name that is a little different. While John might like being the only J name, there's the chance that he might feel like he doesn't belong. It depends on his personality - if he's independant and likes being an individual, it would be great. But if he's the sort who prefers to be part of a team, he might feel like an outsider.

Congrats on your baby boy!