Help! I have only one month left!

[whit32]

If I used Phalen, how odd is it to call him Flynn as a nickname rather than Fay? Fay doesn't work for me for a boy. As in Faye Dunnaway? If I used Phalen/Phelan I'd probably never use the full name.

I think Flynn could work as a nn for Phelan, though I think of them as separate names really. Is there a reason you wouldn't use the full name? I'm just curious if there is something wrong with it, since it is on my list :-) I think Lan could work as a nn. I knew a guy named Lan (not sure if it was a full name or nn), and I always thought that name was kinda cool. He was a very handsome, nice, popular guy, so I am a bit biased from past experiences :-)

[ajmarq]

No, I like Phelan as a name, but I also want to pick a name that comes with a nn I already like, as opposed to trying to fight people who try to use a nn I don't like. I call my son Tav as often as I call him Tavish, and what do I do with Phelan? Lan... Hmmm... I think of Lando Calarisian or however you spell it from Star Wars. Phe?

Seems from friends & family, Nigel and Flynn are about equal in the "likes" and "dislikes". Not making it easier. However, we've softened Sullivan Geneva instead to Sullivan Olivia. TWO reasons to call her Liv.

Have any of you picked a name once you saw your baby? I feel like it's going to come down to that! How odd is that? I wonder if anyone has any regrets after doing that.

[cocot]

Have you ever thought about Hector? I only ask because one of my favourite combos, which i would totally use if i wanted to go the route of honoring heritage was Tavish and Hector, nn Tav and Hec!
Hector is, of course, a mythology name but it also has a long history of use in Scotland and since Tavish is the Scottish form of Thomas, I always liked that connection! Just a thought!

Nigel I greatly dislike because of some irrational connection i make of the name with noses(really not sure where that comes from!!) Flynn is an excellent name, unless you like popular ones, which i think it is destined to become.

I don't particularly like Sullivan on a girl but your reasons for using it are the best and with the nickname Liv you can't really go wrong! Sullivan Olivia is great and i think far more feminine sounding that Sullivan Geneva.

Phelan is an ok name, but i have always pronounced it Fee-lan? It's certainly a difficult one to nn, especially if you plan on using the (i'm guessing) usual pronounciation of fay-lan. Pheo? probably too close to theo...Phez? tehe sorry I'm being silly now! You said that if you used Phelan you probably would never use the full name, and since you can't think of a nn that works for you, is it worth even using it as a name? Flynn is a name in itself and it seems strange to me to name a child one thing and call it another almost exclusively.

[ajmarq]

Oy! Flynn... Destined to become popular? I am afraid of that! NO I don't prefer using common names. However, at LEAST we'd be one of the first. It IS in the top 100 in Australia.

I think WE might call a girl Sullivan on occasion, but Liv for general use. I did find a site that had suggestions for birth announcements that said a good way to approach this would be to say something like (and here I"m inserting the names we like) Welcome to the world, Liv! And below write out the whole name, so everyone knows what we intend to call her. (again, until she can decide if SHE likes Sullivan or not.).

We have so much working against us here, in that- to top it all off- the names must work in both America and France. I've TRIED to get my husband to approve a few French names, but he shoots me down every time. (For example, I LOVE the name Sébastien, but he knows too many!). I'd have named our son Olivier ("Oh-Liv-ee-ay), but that's my husband's uncle & my husband doesn't want to use it. Same goes for Maxime, Isabelle, and a few others- friends or relatives.)

[ajmarq]

Oy! Flynn... Destined to become popular? I am afraid of that! NO I don't prefer using common names. However, at LEAST we'd be one of the first. It IS in the top 100 in Australia.

I think WE might call a girl Sullivan on occasion, but Liv for general use. I did find a site that had suggestions for birth announcements that said a good way to approach this would be to say something like (and here I"m inserting the names we like) Welcome to the world, Liv! And below write out the whole name, so everyone knows what we intend to call her. (again, until she can decide if SHE likes Sullivan or not.).

We have so much working against us here, in that- to top it all off- the names must work in both America and France. I've TRIED to get my husband to approve a few French names, but he shoots me down every time. (For example, I LOVE the name Sébastien, but he knows too many!). I'd have named our son Olivier ("Oh-Liv-ee-ay"), but that's my husband's uncle & my husband doesn't want to use it. Same goes for Maxime, Isabelle, and a few others- friends or relatives.)

[whit32]

I didn't choose my son's name till a day after he was born. I decided finally by finding the "right" nickname. We couldn't decide between Everett and Callan. I loved Cal, but hubby wasn't a big fan. Then while I was holding him, and thinking of names, I came up with Evers as a nn, and it just fit perfectly. I am going to do the same with the next baby. Go into the hospital armed with two or three names and decide when I meet the baby. It feels more personal that way to me. Like they help pick their name. I think this would be a great tactic for you, especially since you like nicknames :-)

[ajmarq]

Sorry folks for the duplicate posts... Technical difficulties I can't seem to fix.

Anyway- I think I'll end up doing that- seeing the babe & THEN deciding. I like nicknames, but the real concern is that I don't want to have to FIGHT nicknames. Like- my sister Samara. My mother INSISTS no one call her "Sam". Or my friend James. I LOVE the name James, but I can't handle "Jimmy" or even worse- " Jimbo"! so I want to choose a name, the nickname of which I like. As I prefer Liv over Sully, I'll have to instigate that from day one, though I think Sully is still adorable. BUT I know I'm in the minority.

[rollo]

I like the nn of Liv and would by far prefer Olivia (one of my favourite names) in the first name spot but Sullivan nn of Liv would be a good idea!

Use Flynn I don't think it is on the super upper rise.

rollo

[ajmarq]

It's funny... I list Sullivan as a first name for a girl BEFORE I give birth to her, and the general consensus is that it's too masculine. But someone else posts on here that she has a daughter named Sullivan and one named Sawyer and is looking for a third name to go with those, and not one negative comment- only positive on the "boys" names for a girl. Heck, until the 1930's, PINK was considered masculine, and BLUE was feminine. (Pink being a variant of red.) IF there are people currently against the name in my world, once the babe comes (if it's a girl) I think it's safe to assume they'll get over it.

As for a boy, it seems "Flynn" is in. I thank you all for your comments!

[saraallison]

I prefer Flynn over Nigel. I really like Seanan too! I'm glad you get to use Sullivan if it's a girl since it has so much meaning for you, and I love Liv as a nn for it!