What do you think of Ethan? (UK)

[Elisheva009]

DH and I can't agree on names at all. Basically, he likes popular names I like unusual ones.

Ethan is obviously one of DH's choices although not his top choice (which is Daniel.) He can't get past these two names and will never agree to anything on my list, except possibly for a middle name (this is also a compromise, he prefers no middle name.)

We kind of agreed on this name if our first child had been a boy, but we were kind of sure she would be a girl so didn't give it too much thought. Since then I've been liking it less and less.

What are your thoughts? Is it very popular in the UK? Is it chavvy?

 

[emyandpotato]

It's a perfectly fine name but I find it really boring and it isn't my taste.

 

[Elisheva009]

Thanks, yeah I know what you mean, that's how I'm feeling too.

I have been trying to persuade myself that adding an unusual middle name will beautify it a bit, but realistically, middle names aren't really used.

I'm just really going off the name but the only other name my DH likes is Daniel and I feel that that is even more popular, plus most f my cousins have got girls but the only one who has got a boy called him Daniel so it would seem weird for that reason too.

I guess there is no way to compromise. Either we give an unusual name or we don't.

Is Eitan any better (it's pronunced the same where we live.)

 

[Jen_H]

I used to really like the name Ethan but its so popular at the moment I don't really like it anymore!! When names become really popular I go off them!!
What about Ewan - I decided I preferred that to Ethan!!

 

[Elisheva009]

Are you in the UK? I know Ethan is popular in both the UK and the US but I think it's higher up the ranking in the US, however I can't find an up to date list for the UK.

I don't like Ewan, but really the problem is that DH only really likes Daniel and Ethan.

 

[kayleigh1985]

I like Ethan but it is really popular. I had Ethan on my list but OH suggest Evan instead which I don't like as much but it is less popular.

 

[Elisheva009]

What do you think of Eitan?

Is Ethan considered chavvy at all?

 

[Buffyx]

I love love love Ethan! My cousin has a little boy with this name, otherwise I'd even consider it on my boy's list.

I think Ethan is less common than Daniel?

 

[RubyRainbows]

Honestly, I think you need to stand your ground with your OH and tell him you do not love either name. It's not fair for him to insist upon only 2 name choices, both of which are his choices... and neither of which you are happy with. I would absolutely never name my baby a name that I do not love. Both names are fine... I prefer Daniel over Ethan. Bc I think "Danny" is a cute nickname. But Daniel is super common and Ethan is super popular. Irregardless though - OH needs to allow you to have more say in the baby naming process.

 

[steph.]

Ethan is ok but I'm bored of it now. Here in oz where you go there will be a bunch of little Ethans. Eitan I've never heard of but if it's pronounced the same I don't see the point of changing the spelling. I much prefer Daniel.

 

[MUMOF5]

It's an ok name but I kind of feel like a pp, I do find it a bit of a 'meh' name iykwim?? Also there are a lot of people in my area that would pronounce it as Efan, so therefore any names with 'th' in I would seriously consider how it would be pronounced. I loved Theodore, but I wouldn't use it as most people I know would say it as 'Feodore'. X

 

[Elisheva009]

Honestly, I think you need to stand your ground with your OH and tell him you do not love either name. It's not fair for him to insist upon only 2 name choices, both of which are his choices... and neither of which you are happy with. I would absolutely never name my baby a name that I do not love. Both names are fine... I prefer Daniel over Ethan. Bc I think "Danny" is a cute nickname. But Daniel is super common and Ethan is super popular. Irregardless though - OH needs to allow you to have more say in the baby naming process.

I don't like the nickname Danny, but I'm more bothered by the fact that my cousin already has a Daniel.

About standing my ground, I know what you mean but I have offered a short list of names that I love and DH really really hates all of them, so going with one of my choices would not be fair on him either. I can't see a way of compromising other than going with one of his choices for the first name and giving one of mine for the middle name to make it more interesting. The problem with that solution is of course that the middle name is rarely used, so he would basically be just another Ethan or Daniel.

About the pronunciation, Ethan is a biblical name which was originally written in Hebrew and transliterated. The Hebrew pronunciation is Eitan, and some people write it that way in English too if they want it pronounced that way. We currently live in Italy where the English "th" sound does not exist and can't even be pronounced by most people, so the spelling Ethan would be pronounced as Eitan. If we move back to the UK, it would obviously be pronounced in the usual way if we spell it Ethan though, hence the dilemma, and the thought that we could make it a bit less common by keeping the spelling and pronunciation as Eitan.

 

[mum22ttc#3]

I agree with a pp, I find Ethan rather boring.

I live in the UK and around here it is quite popular, I wouldn't class it as chavvy though

 

[Elisheva009]

I agree with everyone who's saying it's a bit meh and boring

I don't know how to get around the issue of compromising with DH though.

What do people think of the pronunciation and spelling Eitan? Is that any less boring? Less nice?

I'm thinking of either Elia or Emmanuel as a middle name.

 

[emeeorevan]

I'm in America so this may not help you but my Middle son is Ethan. Here it is fairly uncommon. I have never met an Ethan until after I named my son this. So I'm partial. And I love it.

 

[Elisheva009]

I'm in America so this may not help you but my Middle son is Ethan. Here it is fairly uncommon. I have never met an Ethan until after I named my son this. So I'm partial. And I love it.

That's interesting! I recently read that Ethan is in the top 10 in the US but it's a big country and maybe it's more popular in some areas than Others.

 

[captainj1]

My son, who is nearly 4, has 3 Ethans in his class at nursery. He has one friend called Daniel.
When me and DH were choosing names for my DS we each wrote down our top 3 and then we independently ranked all 6 names from best to worst and gave them 6 points (top) down to one point (bottom) and the name that had the most points from our combined rankings won. My husband's favourite was Declan but our surname ends in 'an' and he has a cousin called Declan so I rated it bottom!

 

[Elisheva009]

My son, who is nearly 4, has 3 Ethans in his class at nursery. He has one friend called Daniel.
When me and DH were choosing names for my DS we each wrote down our top 3 and then we independently ranked all 6 names from best to worst and gave them 6 points (top) down to one point (bottom) and the name that had the most points from our combined rankings won. My husband's favourite was Declan but our surname ends in 'an' and he has a cousin called Declan so I rated it bottom!

Whose name won?

 

[captainj1]

My son, who is nearly 4, has 3 Ethans in his class at nursery. He has one friend called Daniel.
When me and DH were choosing names for my DS we each wrote down our top 3 and then we independently ranked all 6 names from best to worst and gave them 6 points (top) down to one point (bottom) and the name that had the most points from our combined rankings won. My husband's favourite was Declan but our surname ends in 'an' and he has a cousin called Declan so I rated it bottom!

Whose name won?

My second choice won. He is called Joey Michael. My husband's great uncle Joe, who he was close to, died a month before he was born so in the end it had significance to my husband as well as being a name we both liked.

 

[irinac]

DH and I can't agree on names at all. Basically, he likes popular names I like unusual ones.

Ethan is obviously one of DH's choices although not his top choice (which is Daniel.) He can't get past these two names and will never agree to anything on my list, except possibly for a middle name (this is also a compromise, he prefers no middle name.)

We kind of agreed on this name if our first child had been a boy, but we were kind of sure she would be a girl so didn't give it too much thought. Since then I've been liking it less and less.

What are your thoughts? Is it very popular in the UK? Is it chavvy?

great name