River or Forest?

[ivanbliminse]

We both like nature names,and we can't chose between River and Forest.Forest gives me a quiet and wise feeling,but it sounds old and may be related to Forest Gump.River sounds cheerful and creative,but I'm afraid it's less formal and a little cliched for a nature theme.
We are also thinking of Kai,not sure to use as first name or middle name,though.Please also give us some suggestion on this:Forest Kai,River Kai or Kai forest,Kai River?
Thank you!

[lauren-kay]

I'm not a huge fan of Kai because in NZ it's Maori for food! So I read River Kai (which would be my favourite combination) as river food... I know it's listed on Nameberry as being Hawaiian for sea, which is cool, but then I read river sea and it feels like too much water! So, as you might have realised by now I'm not crazy about Kai

I do like Forest but I agree it might get caught up with Forest Gump (if he's a sporty kid I'm sure "run Forest!" will be yelled out with much delight). It is an older name than a lot of people realise I think; Eleanor Glanville named her son Forrest back in the 1600s. I prefer Frost to Forest...

I love River though! One of my all time favourite boys names

[pam]

I much prefer Forest to River as I feel it can go two different ways -- it can be seen as a patrician, buttoned-up surname name or a nature name, while River to me is pretty purely hippie-ish nature name. Yes, many people will, upon hearing the name, say, "Like Forest Gump?" and you may very well get tired of that.

On Kai, I know many people love it but I have a personal aversion to it. To me, it sounds very surfer boy or even surfer girl. But this is speaking as an individual and not as a mistress of Nameberry, so don't give that opinion any extra official weight.

If you like nature names but would consider something that goes at the issue less directly, a few ideas from a blog I wrote that hasn't run yet (maybe tomorrow) are:

Cormac -- tree trunk
Danner -- dweller near the fig tree
Lennox -- elm grove
Laramie -- canopy of leafy bows
Mead -- from the meadow
or check out the list here: http://nameberry.com/blog/for-earth-...es-in-disguise

[srenistxlk]

Yes..I agree there will be too much water...And I prefer River to Kai,too.

[nat108]

I love both but prefer River over Forest, however...
Forest is more of a "real" name. Names like Forest, Drake, and Glen are naturey but will be taken seriously. Names like River, Fox, and Leaf are "hippy-dippy" flower-child names. I love Rivers because just adding the S makes it sound more serious, as people will assume it's a surname name

Love Kai but it has the same issue of seriousness. I'd only use it in the middle

As is, I like Forest Kai but Rivers Kai is my favorite

[neuilly]

I actually really love Forest. There is the Gump risk, which is really up to you whether that would bother you. It doesn't really bother me as I've seen the name in other contexts. I think it's handsome, and as others mentioned, it seems a little more - broad. River I think has a very specific image, but Forest could work on a multitude of men.

I like Kai too but it's feeling rather trendy at the moment, and rather different from the rest of your taste.

[dantea]

I prefer River. I like Forest, but I just like River a lot more. It feels calm, serene, but could be strong and fierce...like a river. I've known a River too and he's very cool and works in the professional world with no problems at all. I've also met Lakes, Leafs, Streams...etc...and they liked their names more than the Forests and more established nature names I've met.

I think Kai with River is a bit too much water.

[sabrinafair]

I love both but I like Forest on a girl only. I knew a nice young man named Forrest once though. River I want to use for my first child. So I'd pick that.

[gblondie]

Kai river sounds like a river in existence - I know there are movies called "the bridge over the river Kwai"

[sadlola]

I prefer Forest over River. I think Forest just has more of a masculine sound, plus the Forest's I knew growing up were very nice, focused guys.

I'm not a big fan of Kai. It's just too trendy to me and I think I may have too many tv shows/movies where the stoner surfer's name is Kai. I think Kai should be in the middle name position, if used at all.

That being said, I prefer Forest Kai to River Kai. As the others said, I think River Kai is just too much water.