Finding B Baby Names for a Firstborn

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IT HAS TO BE A B NAME

Julia writes:

There is only one thing we have to do for our first child’s name: it has to start with a B. It’s from a family tradition on my husband’s side, and because he’s ruling out 25/26 letters of the alphabet, he has agreed that he’ll go along with pretty much any B name I like.

For a girl, this is easy. I’ve always liked Beatrice, and we’d probably call her Bea. So that’s following the assignment exactly!

But for a boy, I have a very long list and can’t seem to make any progress. My husband kind of vaguely likes them all, so that’s not really helpful.

Another factor: we will not use another B name for any future child.

At this point, we are having a delivery surprise but I am tempted to find out because choosing a boy’s name has been so hard!

Our last name sounds like Learn-with-a-D, so short names can be tricky.

My list of names I’ve considered, but I’m not sure about so far:

• Benedict – maybe too fussy?
• Bennett, Benjamin – not sure I like the nickname Ben with our last name, almost sounds like bender
• Boden – feels maybe too trendy?
• Brayden – not my style, but I don’t hate it
• Bryce – I like the way it flows with our last name, but feels very 90s to me
• Bode, Bodhi – I just don’t think this works for our family, but I want to like it

I know there are other names, but I feel like I’ve gone name-blind looking at lists. We’re not going to name a kid Basil or Beauregard, so I feel like the name must be one I’ve already looked at and just don’t really see yet, if that makes sense?

Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.

FOCUSING ON NAMES STARTING WITH B

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your firstborn!

This is one of those moments, isn’t it? If you’re having a girl, you’ve chosen a great name. Everyone is happy! You can move on to thinking all sorts of other new-parent things.

But, but, but … there’s a 50/50 chance you’ll need a boy name. And it seems like you’re miles away from agreement.

I mean … “I don’t hate it” isn’t really the strongest endorsement of a child’s name, right?

Let’s review your current list:

• Benedict, Bennett, Benjamin – If you liked Ben names, I’d probably suggest you shrug off the nickname/last name issue. Especially if you chose Bennett or Benedict, which are less likely to be shortened. But since you’re not a huge fan, I think we can rule out this set of names.
• Boden, Brayden, Bode, Bodhi – Other issues aside, I think the strong D sound runs up against your surname. Bode Learn-with-a-D is a lot of B/D consonant. Since these aren’t favorites, I think we can move on.
• Bryce – It’s true that Bryce peaked in the late 1990s/early 2000s. I’m not sure that rules it out, though. What I notice most about Bryce? Like Beatrice, it ends with a soft S sound, which flows nicely into your surname.

I think Bryce is probably the name to beat. Or at least a good model: find B names that don’t include a strong D sound … maybe.

Let’s consider some more B names for a firstborn that are worth a closer look.

FRESH B NAMES FOR BOYS

BASTIAN

Sebastian reads like a traditional name, even if it was (relatively) unusual in American English until recently. Drop the “se” and it fits with the list of B names for a firstborn. In 1984 movie The NeverEnding Story, the little boy who discovers the story is named Bastian Balthazar Bux.

BAYLOR

The name of a Texas university, but also a surname name currently ranked in the US Top 500 for boys. Baylor is an update to Taylor and Bailey, too.

BECKETT

There’s something almost traditional about Beckett. Maybe it’s all the literary and historical overtones: 20th century Irish writer Samuel Beckett; the 12th century martyr St. Thomas Becket, immortalized in writing over the years. Even though it’s only ranked in the US Top 1000 for boys since 2006, it feels traditional.

BLAKE

Polished Blake offers a strong, distinctive sound. It might be a bit too short with your surname, but I think it has potential.

BOWEN

A softer alternative to Boden. Like Bennett and Beckett, Bowen started out as a surname. In this case, it means “son of Owen.”

BOWIE

There’s also Bowie, a rock star last name with a hint of Americana, too.

BRECKEN

One more two-syllable, ends-with-N name that sidesteps the hard D sound.

BROOKS

I think Brooks is the 2020s update to Bryce.

Overall, I really like the way Bowen sounds, but I wonder if Beckett is more your style? It strikes me as the closest equivalent to Beatrice, even if it’s maybe a touch more modern.

A common piece of advice is to consider future children’s names. What else is on your list? I can see Beckett working with traditional names like Henry or Caroline, but also with more modern staples, like Avery and Miles.

Readers, over to you! Can you suggest more B names for a firstborn – especially a boy?