I am having my first boy (after 3 girls) in two weeks and as of yet he doesn't have a name! My husband and I cannot seem to agree on anything. To be honest, it is more me since I have not found any name that I have fallen in love with. I did just come up with a name, but it is a little different and wanted some unbiased opinions on it. I love Callen/Callan and the husband wants Zachary. What are your thoughts?
I guess I should clarify that this would technically be his middle name. His first name will be Joseph after daddy, but I want to call him by his middle name since he won't be a jr. So it would be either Joseph Zachary or Joseph Callen. :)
Well, it took the whole 4 days we were in the hospital before we picked a name (I refused to leave with a no name child! lol It was hard enough with all the visitors and us saying, well, he really doesn't have a name yet...lol) But ultimately it was a game of chicken and I caved first. We named him Joseph Zachary Allen. I still like the name Callen and there are days when I look at him and think, he looks like a Callen, but I am happy with the name we picked. My husband has been known to call him LJ for little Joe, but everyone else calls him Zac and I think that fits him very well, too! As for him being confused about his name, I'm not worried about that. He will understand as he gets older. One of my daughters name is Elizabeth but she goes by Ella and she doesn't have a problem with it. Thank you to all for your opinions and I think that just hearing that my name choice wasn't completely off the wall was good enough for me!
I love Callan a variation of another of my favorite boy names, Kellen. I love how it is shortened to Cal. Good luck!
I like the name Callan but I think of it as a girl's name since I have an 18 year old grandniece named Callan. So out of the two names you have provided, I would pick Joseph Zachary.
Zachary is such a popular name. If you want something that is a bit more uncommon, I have a grandnephew named Torin. My grandpa's name was Joseph Elijah.
is it supposed to sound like 'Colin' only spelled differently? If so then no. He will go his whole life correcting his spelling...not once will somebody get that right I can assure you.
If it is like the a in sally then its ok.
since you clarified it I do really like Joseph Callen. (definitely use the e in Callen-its the masculine version) not at all crazy about Joseph Zachary. too much of a mouthful and I think if you last name begins with a p it won't sound as good as your idea.
If you must have Joseph as his first name, I think Joseph Callen sounds good....otherwise...I really like Callen Zachary. I know a lot of men like having their first son bare their name, but we did it differently. My husband wanted our son to have his American name, which would mean our son would have had the same initials as my hubby. My hubby and I talked this over, because I was named after my father. (My dad had all girls and I was the last one, so I got his name since there are no boys.) I remember how there would be confusion with the mail, since sometimes the addressee's name is just a first initial and a last name. This meant that my dad would wind up opening up my mail, which can be embrassing when there are samples for "woman only." After telling my husband this story and explaining that the main part of his name, which is the last name/family name, will still be carried on even if his son has a different first name...hubby agreed to giving our son his own unique name and initials.
Hi M.,
I think Callen flows better with Joseph than Zachary does (I prefer Callum myself). Also, I do feel that if your baby gets your husband's first name as his legal first name, you should get to choose the middle name for him.
Good luck!
I like both names....
With only 2 weeks to go, the 2 of you may want to sit down & make a short list of namesyou both like - then name the little guy when you meet him.
Now that I think of it, that's what we did with son #1, but at the hospital, when they asked us if we had picked out a name, we both shouted out the same one! : )
Sorry, I don't like Callen/Callan. I have 3 boys named Brenden, Ethan and Landen. If I had two more boys, (of course I wouldn't b/c I'm done!) I would name them Adrian and Kellan. Congrats on your baby!
Dear M.,
Naming one's kid ain't no big deal at all. You are right to seek the opinion of as many others as you can. I have two kids myself & my eldest is now a young adult (I started early =). I can tell you how her name has impacted on her life: big time, that is. It's unbelievable how parents scar their kid for life with a name like Joseph Allan Pe or Lucius Damon Yu! I am not kidding! No, I'm Filipino, not Chinese, but I married a Chinese-Filipino (I'm Euro-Fil myself).
Here's the deal, consider how the names rhyme with your surname. You'll just know when it sounds right. (Like I don't think Joseph Callen or Zachary will blend well if you're an Estrada -- just my opinion, ok?) Then, there's the issue of initials. I'm leaning towards Callen (hope your husband doesn't think this is a Mommy conspiracy, ha, ha) because J.C. is a viable nickname. Oh. wow... now that I think about it J.Z. is viable, too, plus unique! But what about the initial of the rest of your name? Here in the Philippines, our middle name is our mother's maiden name. It was only later in life that I figured why some are NMIs! Initials came to mind given our own experience. We named our son Sebastian & our surnames' initials are P (mine) & Y (my husband's), making him a cool SPY!
You've chosen real nice names. I think you can't go wrong with either. Personally, I don't believe in the religious or mythological or other meanings ascribed to names. However, since they both are good, maybe you can google the names & see who famous people: gods, heroes, etc. had had those names. That could be the deciding factor. I know, cause my 10 year old has become very interested in famous Sebastian's in history =)
Goodluck!!!
Fate
P.S. My son is a Ryan Sebastian (we were fixated with Ryan at that time... long story). You may call your son by any nickname of your choice, or his when he grows-up & starts asserting his likes. No offense but I guess I'm a non-conformist by heart! I really don't care what people think, just how the name will impact on my child & his life. For instance, my eldest by my late husband is Dana Mandela. We pronounce her name Dana as in Ana, not Day-na, afterall Dana was derived from her father's Danilo. =)
I like your choice better.
In my area... there are SOOOOO many boys named "Zachary." And personally, I knew one...and he was not a pleasant boy.
Or, use Zachary as a middle name.
Ultimately, choose a name you BOTH like. Not just choosing a name because your Husband.... wants it and then you go along with it.
They are both good. Could you name him Zachary Callen?
first off, not only will the baby have your dh's last name, his first name will also be after him. in fairness, you should have the choice for the middle name =). plus i like joseph callen/callan much more than the other
joseph callen and call him joe or joseph which ever daddy doesnt go by
jmo joseph zachary is to long
I like callan! Zachary is cute too but yes more common. I also like Landon, Nathan/Nathaniel, grayson, kellan, kalen, Brody, Brady, Charles, Maxwell, Brandon, and Tyler.
Since you are going to call him by his middle name shouldn't Joseph just be the middle name? Then you can call him by his firts name Callen or Zachary? Wouldn't it also be confusing for your little guy, knowing his first name is Joseph but you are calling him by his middle name? But if you are set on Joseph then I like Callen as the middle. Congrats!
I like Zachary. Sounds more manly, and let's face it....he will be a man much longer than he will be a baby! I agree with the others that Callen/Callan sounds girly.
Joseph Callan is too cute!
Both are very strong names. I like that in a boy :) Callen isn't as common as Zachary these days. That seems to be one of the most common. However Callen can be both a girl's or a boy's name. Both have great meanings and sound beautiful. I guess if we are voting I would prefer Callen.
I love the name Joseph. I have a real good friend who is a Junior Joseph but instead of Junior or Little Joe, they call him Jody. Just to give you other options...
Congratulations.....
M.
Technically, I don't think Callen and Callan are pronounced the same. Are you thinking they are-? I think 'en' ends with a softer emphasis. Callan would end with a stronger accent, emphasizing the 'lan'. Between the two, I prefer Callen.
I like Zachary. I think of Callan as a girls name b/c I have a friend with a daughter, Callan.
Baby Center came out with a list
of the 100 most popular names of 2010 recently.
I don't remember if Callen or Callan was on there.
The name is unfamiliar to me.
Zachary is one of my favorite names.
About you and your husband not agreeing . . . .
have you managed to take a weekend
(or at least a Saturday evening) away together . . . . . .
just to enjoy some eye-gazing
and murmuring sweet nothings to one another?
Congratulations on your three little girls
and soon-to-be new little boy!
My vote is Joseph Callen, very nice.
