BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Baby Names Baby boy names- Elliott, Duncan, or Hudson?

Hi there, I'm brand-new here, but decided to join to ask you guys your opinions. You seem passionate and thoughtful! I'm 32 weeks pregnant with a boy, and DH and I have a short list of names. I'd love your thoughts. I'm looking for a boy's name that says "gentle" and "intelligent". We like names that everyone recognizes, but aren't really popular. We also like names that don't have nicknames. Our daughter is almost 2, and her name is Serena Lily. #1 Elliott: I've been liking Elliott for a while, but the drawbacks are that it is 3 syllables and my daughter's name also has 3 syllables. Would that be too much of a mouthful together? Also, I wonder if I'll always have to spell it for people, since there are a few variations. #2 Duncan: I thought of Duncan the other day, and both my husband and I like it. I think it sounds spunky and modern, sort of related to, but different from all the "-ayden"s. However, our last name is pronounced "jake-lynn", and I think Duncan sounds kind of choppy and too rhymey with it. What do you think? We also live in an area with lots of Dunkin Donuts. Is that your first association with the name? Do you think people would "get over it", or would he get teased? #3 Hudson: We are originally from New York State, and Serena is a "nature-y" name, so this sort of makes sense for us. Whenever we tell it to people, they seem to really like it. Does the "on" ending sound OK with the "jake-lynn" last name? I keep thinking that we can't pull this one off. Is it getting really popular? It seems like a great name for a yellow lab, I'm not sure about for a kid. Graham was also on my short list, but my husband doesn't like it as much as the other three. For middle names, I've been thinking about Birch, kind of as a masculine counterpart to Lily. I wouldn't put it with Hudson, though, or it sounds like a tree farm :) We're also considering Harper (DH's grandfather), but I think that's getting popular as a girls' name, right? Fatal flaw? Sorry this is so long, and thanks for the help! Any other suggestions are welcome, too! -Karen

I really like Duncan Birch, but I like Hudson, too. Hmm, they're all great names, but Duncan stands out to me. I really like that name, and I haven't heard it a lot at all, which is good.

Hi Karen! Here are some thoughts...

Elliott: Given the three choices, I like this one the best.

I don't think it would be too much of a mouthful with Serena. If the names were even longer -- say, Evangelina and Alexander -- I would be concerned. But I don't think 3 syllables is so bad.

I think you're smart to be concerned about the spelling variants, though this name is only spelled a handful of ways, so people probably won't mess it up too much. (The most common version is Elliot, so you may have to remind people to add another T every once in a while.)

Duncan: I think the Dunkin Donuts association is a good thing, personally.

But I think Duncan does sound a bit awkward with your surname.

I do really like the name, but I don't see it working well in your situation, so I'd say this is my least favorite of the three.

Hudson: I like the special associations you have with this one. These associations give Hudson an extra dimension the other two names don't seem to have.

I also think it works better than Duncan does with your surname, though there's still a slight echo-effect.

Hudson has indeed become quite popular since the late 1990s. It's not in the top 100 yet, but it looks like it'll be there soon, given the current trajectory. Not a bad thing, necessarily.

[Speaking of popularity -- If you lump all the variants of Elliott together, the name-group is a lot more popular than any of the variants individually (of course). So Elliott is ranked 350th by itself, but somewhere in the hundreds when you factor in Elliot, Eliot and Eliott.]

Other ideas:
(I tried to think of "nature-y" options that weren't 2-syllable names ending with N.)

Henry - First name of Henry Hudson.

Oliver - Not related to olives, but sounds like it could be.

Sawyer - For the tree connection.

Finally, on Harper -- yes, most of the babies getting this name are girls. I'd be wary about using it as a first name for a boy. But as a middle I think it would be just fine. (Especially in this case, as it would pay tribute to the baby's g-grandfather.)

I might make it even harder for you, but I prefer Hudson. What about Hudson Thomas?

Hudson is one of my favorites, but after reading through your post, I think that Duncan is the best choice for your little guy!

My nephew is Hudson Elliott, so I'm very fond of your choices!

Hi, Thank you all for your responses. I'm at 36 weeks today, and still no decision! (Wow, Saysays, small world!) I think we've ruled out Duncan, unfortunately. Because of my gestational diabetes, he has an increased likelihood of obesity, and we felt that we just couldn't give him a "donut" name! We've kind of picked sides now, I like Elliott (or Elliot, now not sure of how to spell it) better, and DH is a fan of Hudson. This feels different than naming our daughter, when we were both kind of on the same side. I had a whole day of thinking that I could do Hudson, and younger people still like it best, but older people, including our parents, are not the biggest fans! I somehow feel like I would have to justify the name Hudson a lot. And if a name is in the top 100, how common is it really? Would that make for a ton of Hudsons in his class or school? I can picture calling our son Elliott much more easily than Hudson. I don't know how strongly to stick to my guns! It's a huge decision, but I don't want it to be polarizing. I'm not sure what I'm asking, I guess I'm just venting. OK, let me summarize, what's your favorite out of the choices below: Elliott Hudson Elliott Birch Elliott Harper Hudson Elliott Hudson Timothy (both grandmothers suggested Timothy, for some reason!) Have a preference as to which way to spell Elliot? Thanks once again for your help! -Karen

Out of those choices, I like Elliott Birch best. I like that Birch-Lily connection.

Second I'd go for Elliott Harper, because it's a family name.

I like the 2-L, 2-T version of Elliott best. Not really sure why.

I like Elliott Birch the best.

Now that I have seen the name Harper - that is my vote