• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Request a Name

Appellation Mountain

Where every name has a story

  • Baby Name Advice & More
  • Master List: Girl Names
  • Master List: Boy Names
  • Private Baby Name Consulting

Name Help: Normal, Not Boring Boy Names

December 4, 2020 By appellationmountain 17 Comments

NH: Brother for Xavier AldenName Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed.

We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight!

Stacia writes:

My husband and I are expecting our second son in March, and we have no names that we even kind of agree on.

Our first son is Xavier Alden. It took us until the very last minute to agree on it. My husband’s name is very unusual, and he’s sensitive about giving his kid a “weird” name.

On the other hand, I’ve always liked having a name that’s just a little different. (And I think his name is awesome, but he’s made me promise not to share it.)

If it were up to my husband, Xavier would’ve been Joseph or David. It’s not that they’re not good names, it’s just that they feel all used up by SO many Joes and Daves I know.

Plus, our last name is pretty common and short, so there are probably two dozen Joseph LastName already.

I really liked Gideon, Judah, and Felix, but the list of rejected names goes on and on. Can you suggest some boy names that my husband will agree are “normal” but aren’t dull?

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

Abby replies:

How exciting to be expecting your second son – congratulations!

No matter what our personal preferences around names, I think there’s often so much more compromising required than we expect, right?

You’re absolutely right – there’s no such thing as a normal name!

It sounds like your husband wants a name that’s traditional, familiar, and easy to wear. You’re looking for something with history, but a little bit of flair.

Those aren’t bad qualities. After all, Xavier is a great name! So let’s see if we can find something that combines them again.

A note on popularity: Xavier ranks in the current US Top 100. (As of 2019, it’s #91.) But it doesn’t feel particularly common. Most of these names are around the same popularity level, but a few are rarer – because it’s possible for a name to be both instantly familiar and rather uncommon, too.

DOMINIC #85

Dominic has a great rhythm. Nothing really sounds quite like Dominic. It’s ranked in the US Top 1000 every year since 1900, and yet it doesn’t sound nearly as classic – or common – as Joseph and James.

EVERETT #94

I wonder if a subtle connection between your boys’ names would appeal? Xavier and Everett sound different and distinct, but they share that stylish middle v.

HUGO #460

On paper, Hugo is relatively rare. But everyone recognizes it and can spell it immediately.

ISAAC #34

Just like Xavier, Isaac stands out sound-wise. But it’s a Top 50 pick, about as common as Anthony, Luke, or Christopher – which feels pretty mainstream.

JULIAN #31

Halfway between Gideon and Joseph is Julian.

MALCOLM #328

Malcolm is a rock-solid name for a son, traditional and never trendy.

SILAS #107

A New Testament name with an outdoorsy meaning – forest – Silas feels like a modern favorite that’s fresher than David and James, but has every bit as much history.

TRISTAN #151

Tristan left the US Top 100 after 2014, but it’s still widely recognized without feeling too common.

Overall, my favorites are Everett (I’m a sucker for that shared middle V sound) and Dominic (I just love the way it sounds with Xavier.)

But I know the community will have some great suggestions, too.

What would you name a brother for Xavier Alden?

More names you might like:

  • Name Help: A Brother for BeaName Help: A Brother for Bea
  • Name Help: Twin Brothers for BeckettName Help: Twin Brothers for Beckett
  • Name Help: A Sister for Emma JeanneName Help: A Sister for Emma Jeanne
  • Name Help: A Brother for AliceName Help: A Brother for Alice
  • Name Help: Irish Boy Names … Not Patrick, Aiden, LiamName Help: Irish Boy Names … Not Patrick, Aiden, Liam

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print

Comments

  1. Dianne says

    January 2, 2021 at 11:36 AM

    Simon is a pretty common name these days and that’s great but one of my favorite underused names is Simeon. Xavier and Simeon are lovely yet definitely not mainstream.

    Reply
  2. Brenna says

    December 8, 2020 at 2:28 PM

    Oh man I agree with the folks that echoed Felix—such a shame that it’s already been nixed!

    What about Simon? I love that name—it feels stylish but also friendly, and definitely recognizable and classic.

    If not, I’ll echo others suggestions of Victor, Otto, and Silas.

    Reply
  3. Kirstin G says

    December 5, 2020 at 3:27 PM

    A few more to ponder:

    Dexter
    Oscar
    Jasper
    Otto

    Reply
  4. Dana says

    December 5, 2020 at 2:06 PM

    Dominic and Hugo are my favorites from Abby’s list and are favorites, in general! Would you consider Ivan or Vincent or Theo?

    Reply
  5. Jaime says

    December 5, 2020 at 2:33 AM

    From Abby’s list, I really like Silas and Everett. From yours, I love Gideon and Felix.

    A few additional suggestions:
    Roman
    Milo
    Donovan
    Lyle
    Barrett
    Emmett
    Graham
    Sebastian
    Tobin

    Reply
  6. Marie says

    December 4, 2020 at 11:24 PM

    How about

    Sutton
    Vaughn
    Matteo
    Knox
    Larson

    Reply
  7. Nathalia says

    December 4, 2020 at 10:45 PM

    I want to second Solomon (Sol) #415. Another great name that fits in and stands out: Declan. (#95). Victor and Lewis are also nice possibilities. Congratulations and good luck!

    Reply
  8. Erin Beth says

    December 4, 2020 at 7:06 PM

    I love the suggestions of Dominic and Everett. I would add Blaise and Gavin.

    Reply
  9. KM says

    December 4, 2020 at 4:35 PM

    I think Dominic is a great name and fits well with Xavier. Jeremiah is another name that falls in this space, at 70.

    Reply
  10. Megan says

    December 4, 2020 at 3:49 PM

    You can’t go wrong with anything from Abby’s list. I would add Wyatt, Eli, Toby, and Baylor.

    Reply
  11. Kate says

    December 4, 2020 at 2:37 PM

    Antony instead of the more common Anthony? I also wonder if you’d like:
    Dorian
    Lowell
    Solomon

    Reply
  12. Cece says

    December 4, 2020 at 2:34 PM

    Can I throw out my son’s name, Nathaniel? It’s at about the 150 level in the UK, although it might be higher in the US. But it’s a classic name with centuries of regular usage that (to me at least) still doesn’t feel overused. We call him Nat or Natty for short.

    Other suggestions:

    Edward
    Arthur
    Owen
    Theodore

    Reply
  13. Istas says

    December 4, 2020 at 1:36 PM

    Seth
    Hector
    Clark
    Donovan
    Quincy
    Leo
    Adam
    Hal
    Levi

    Reply
  14. Iris says

    December 4, 2020 at 11:26 AM

    I totally get your dilemma!
    Some ideas:
    Sebastian
    Victor
    Edmund (actually way less common than you’d think)
    Frederick
    Jonah
    Oscar
    Magnus (this one is probably too out there)
    Lewis
    Simeon
    Zeke
    Garrett
    Conrad

    Reply
  15. Em says

    December 4, 2020 at 11:10 AM

    Felix (shares the x of Xavier but with its own sound)

    Bastian (feels like the end of Sebastian, so familiar but feels fresh and new)

    Xander (if you don’t mind repeated sounds…but that might be hard if you have a third kid)

    Reply
  16. keats says

    December 4, 2020 at 10:51 AM

    Everett and Xavier are great together and I agree that Dominic shares Xavier’s pizzazz.

    One other traditional but distinct name for me is Victor. Xavier and Victor sound like brothers, share the same V, and match each other in terms of strength. Ranked at #186 in 2019 it is slightly more rare than Xavier yet Victor doesn’t tend to fluctuate wildly either and is solidly on traditional ground.

    Xavier and Victor.

    Reply
    • Janine says

      December 8, 2020 at 11:55 PM

      I second Victor! It’s the name that immediately came to mind.

      I also love Dominic from Abby’s list.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


POPULAR POSTS

Tweets by @appmtn
Visit Appellation Mountain's profile on Pinterest.

Copyright © 2021 · AppellationMountain.net on Genesis Framework · Privacy Policy · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.