Basketball Team
1905 Basketball Team from paukrus via Flickr

Thanks to everyone who voted in the first round of March Madness. The results were fascinating! We’ve gone from sixteen to eight.

The closest match-ups? Liam lost to Archer by just three votes. The biggest trouncing was Eamon, with 83% of the vote compared to St. John’s measly 17%. My biggest disappointment was that Gray failed to make it out of the opening round.

But all that is in the past. Vote now and help us whittle it down to just four!

The dashing Dashiell (1) versus the pointed Archer (8)

It’s the Celtic showdown: cheerful Eamon (2) versus friendly Finn (10)

Two rarities-on-the-rise face off: Huxley (3) versus Cian (6)

Possibly the most conservative names on the list: Tobias (13) versus Nathaniel (12)

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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What do you think?

19 Comments

  1. I love Eamon and I really hope it wins. I am kind of ambivialnt about Huxley and Cian but I love Nathaniel a lot!

  2. Well, it looks like I’m playing devil’s advocate (at least in the comments) by expressing my continued fondness for Finn. I realize it’s becoming very popular, and that’s unfortunate, but there’s something about it that’s so young, literary and handsome — I always think of Ethan Hawke’s character in the ’90s film adaptation of “Great Expectations.”

    I also still love Liam, and Gray does nothing for me. The color gray? If I were to name someone after a color, I wouldn’t use that one.

  3. My faves aren’t in the lead 🙁 I seriously do not understand how Finn could be beating Eamon. I am beyond tired of Finn, not to mention that a fin is something a fish has…not something I want to associate with a child. *sigh* And I voted for Tobias over Nathaniel because I love S-enders!

    1. I agree – Eamon is handsome (Irish Gaelic for Edmund I’ve read), while Finn is part of a fish (or at least that’s my association).

  4. Put me in the “Sorry to see Gray go” camp! I was really disappointed when I saw it wasn’t going to make it past round 1.

    I’m beyond tired of Finn, and Eamon is so handsome! But I have a feeling Finn will push Eamon out, though it may be a bit close.

    I’m with you, Lola, on choosing the lesser of two evils with Nathaniel and Tobias. I don’t know why, but Tobias is just one of those names – I just can’t bring myself to really like it. I think Nathaniel is so handsome, but I know so many (plus Nathans), that is has lost luster.

  5. I picked Archer, Eamon, Cian, and Tobias.

    Archer vs. Dashiell — Dashiell is nice-sounding, but since I’m not personally familiar with the work of Dashiell Hammett, it would be an odd choice for me. And while I’m all in favor of literary names, there’s something that feels a little pretentious about using an en vogue literary choice — like Atticus, Holden, or Dashiell. Of course, I know plenty of people find my son’s name pretentious, so I don’t mean to offend when I say this.

    Eamon vs. Finn — Since I know that Finn is everywhere, it’s starting to lose its appeal as an interesting choice. Plus, I like the friendly, open sound of vowel-beginners (like Eamon, Ewan, Owen, Evan, etc.).

    Huxley vs. Cian — Both are cool names, though neither is one I’d ever use. I ultimately went with Cian. I think I prefer Cian pronounced as one syllable (like the word “keen”). Pronouncing it as two syllables causes it to blend in with other Irish choices (like Ciaran, Keenan, etc.).

    Tobias vs. Nathaniel — This one was easy. One of my beloved S-enders vs. a name related to that of my ex-boyfriend? Definitely Tobias!

  6. This was really easy for me again, though I expect next week will be much harder! So far, I’ve got two in the lead.

  7. Well, I just knew going in, that I wasn’t going to be in the popular vote. I adore St. John! *sigh*
    The only one that gave me fits was Tobias/Nathaniel. I’m not really fond of either name. But I did vote for what was for me, the lesser of two evils.

    I’m betting that Finn wins despite me. I’m *so* tired of Finn already! But that’s just my best guess, of course! 🙂
    That was still fun!

    1. But how many people are going to know to say “Sinjin?”

      I voted Eamon out of Finn fatigue (and because I really do think it’s handsome) and Tobias and Nathaniel gave me fits but only because I love both so much!

      1. Most of the people I know already know to say Sinjin, because there’s one in our circle of friends. It’s more an opportunity to teach for me, rather than worrying no one would say it right. I think St. John’s so dashing. Too bad I went to St. John’s grammar school! My brother would think I was crazy. Still, love the sound! 😀

      2. I actually know a St. John who had his name legally changed to Sinjin because he was so tired of the mispronunciations.

  8. Well, I got just over half right on my bracket for who’d advance to this round. Guess all that research I put into making my predictions wasn’t really worth it. Hopefully my basketball research will pay off a bit more.