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Help[Opinions] Barney & Baxter
Talking names again last night (as we do every night! lol)
We are both loving Barnaby, however husband is looking more at Barney.. He's not sure if he likes Bernard or Barnaby better.
I always find Bernard awkward.. is her Behr-naard or Behr-ned.
Which one is nicer: Barnaby or Bernard, and also fits with potential siblings Theodore/Theodora, Daphne, Alfred, Winifred
Also husband mentioned he liked Baxter.. i'm not so sure about Baxter, it seems a bit trendy to me but I can see the 'grandpa' factor.. which I enjoy.
Does Baxter fit with our other favourites?
We are both loving Barnaby, however husband is looking more at Barney.. He's not sure if he likes Bernard or Barnaby better.
I always find Bernard awkward.. is her Behr-naard or Behr-ned.
Which one is nicer: Barnaby or Bernard, and also fits with potential siblings Theodore/Theodora, Daphne, Alfred, Winifred
Also husband mentioned he liked Baxter.. i'm not so sure about Baxter, it seems a bit trendy to me but I can see the 'grandpa' factor.. which I enjoy.
Does Baxter fit with our other favourites?
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Replies
I utterly hate both of those names, sorry. I'm not crazy for Bernard but its better than the other 2
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Baxter definitely fits with the others better ...
But it's a dog name to me; I've known two people, within the last year or so, with dogs named Baxter. Both bulldogs.
It's Ber-Nard. I think that's how most people would say it.
Barney is definitely a dog's name, or an obnoxious purple dinosaur. Barnaby and Barnabas are just too cartoonish,and Bernard is ugly.
But it's a dog name to me; I've known two people, within the last year or so, with dogs named Baxter. Both bulldogs.
It's Ber-Nard. I think that's how most people would say it.
Barney is definitely a dog's name, or an obnoxious purple dinosaur. Barnaby and Barnabas are just too cartoonish,and Bernard is ugly.
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I must admit that I laughed when you wrote that Barney & Baxter are dog names.. we always get comments that our dog and cats names are too human! (Fergus, Harriet & Arthur) So maybe we must like dog names for humans and human names for dogs! :P
btw I do appreciate your very truthful comments, they are refreshing! :P
btw I do appreciate your very truthful comments, they are refreshing! :P
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The pronunciation of Bernard depends on where you live. I think (and she can correct me if I'm wrong) Bex lives in Australia. They tend to follow UK pronunciations (or is it the other way around, Bex?). So "Ber-Nard" might not be accurate for them.
Personally, I prefer the French / U.S. way, with the stress on the second syllable. I think you and I are saying it the same way. It's one of the few times I dislike a UK pronunciation. (How do the Canadians say it, anyone? Just curious.)
Personally, I prefer the French / U.S. way, with the stress on the second syllable. I think you and I are saying it the same way. It's one of the few times I dislike a UK pronunciation. (How do the Canadians say it, anyone? Just curious.)
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There used to be a nice couple from either New York or New Jersey who lived near my mother and stepfather. Their names were Bernie and Rosemary, and they had very strong accents, and Rosemary sometimes referred to Bernie by his full name.
So when he was sick, before he died Lorraine (my mother) made them a big pot of soup and brought it over to their house, and Rosemary was very happy with it and thanked her profusely, and she said "Beh-nahd just loves soup!"
So when he was sick, before he died Lorraine (my mother) made them a big pot of soup and brought it over to their house, and Rosemary was very happy with it and thanked her profusely, and she said "Beh-nahd just loves soup!"
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Aw. That was sweet of your mother to do that. My husband is from New York, just outside of the city. I love visiting his family to hear all of the accents.
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I'm Canadian, and my dad's name was Bernard. We say it "ber-NARd", like the French and Americans.
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You don't make this easy, do you? I love both Bernard and Barnaby. Bernard is more serious, while Barnaby has a carefree edge to it. With names like Theodore / Theodora, Daphne, Alfred and Winifred, I'm going to go with Barnaby. But it's a coin toss.
I dislike Baxter. It's just another trendy surname to me. It pales in comparison to Barnard and Barnaby. :0)
I dislike Baxter. It's just another trendy surname to me. It pales in comparison to Barnard and Barnaby. :0)
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Haha. yeah I know its difficult. The only down point for Bernard is it's the name of my old music teacher and I still work with his wife very regularly and see him occasionally. I had a massive crush on him in high school (which he probably knew). So i'm thinking Bernard might be a bit weird, though he basically goes by Barney so either way it could be weird!! lol.
See if I was using other names we like like Conrad and Roland then I think Bernard fits better with them.
See if I was using other names we like like Conrad and Roland then I think Bernard fits better with them.
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I think Bernard is WAY nicer than Barnaby. Barnaby says clumsy fop to me, and Barney even more so. Obviously a lot of folks have a more positive image of it, so I'm trying to see it differently, but so far I can't seem to shake the impression of a hapless and weak person. It would, though, sound a little less bad in an Aussie accent than it does in an American one, because of the softer R.
Bernard is pronounced differently here, I think - we say Bur-NARD. I think BEHR-nu(r)d is easier than bur-NARD and it sounds nicer. But I appreciate the feeling that it's a tad awkward to say. It's a nice smooth-feeling classic name, anyway, not really any more difficult than Theodore or Alfred which IMO are also a little awkward to say. And, Bernard (in Australia) could be called Bear, which I think is a cool nickname. In the US he'd become a Bernie (pronounced like burnie).
Baxter brings a Beagle to mind really strongly ... I think I must have actually met at least one Beagle named Baxter in my travels. Also it makes me think of a bunch of similar (to me) surname names like Brock and Braxton, that seem to try hard. No grandpa factor for me at all.
I don't think Baxter fits with the others quite as well as Barnaby does, honestly, but I think it doesn't matter because Baxter's a slightly better name IMHO. I think Bernard is the best name, and also fits best with the rest.
Bernard is pronounced differently here, I think - we say Bur-NARD. I think BEHR-nu(r)d is easier than bur-NARD and it sounds nicer. But I appreciate the feeling that it's a tad awkward to say. It's a nice smooth-feeling classic name, anyway, not really any more difficult than Theodore or Alfred which IMO are also a little awkward to say. And, Bernard (in Australia) could be called Bear, which I think is a cool nickname. In the US he'd become a Bernie (pronounced like burnie).
Baxter brings a Beagle to mind really strongly ... I think I must have actually met at least one Beagle named Baxter in my travels. Also it makes me think of a bunch of similar (to me) surname names like Brock and Braxton, that seem to try hard. No grandpa factor for me at all.
I don't think Baxter fits with the others quite as well as Barnaby does, honestly, but I think it doesn't matter because Baxter's a slightly better name IMHO. I think Bernard is the best name, and also fits best with the rest.
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I don't like any of them, to be honest (you're right about the 'grandpa' factor), but any would fit with the others, and I think Baxter fits okay. Not as seamlessly as Barnaby or Bernard, perhaps, but just fine in my opinion, especially with Daphne.
Other names to consider:
Benjamin (popular, yes, but not as much as it used to be)
Bennett
Benson/Benton
Benedict/Benedikt
(these ones are nice because he can use Ben, but it's still in line w/ the sibs styles)
Brenton (ditto above, but Brent as nn, or Bren)
Bryant (ditto, but with Bryan)
Barrett
Beckett
Branson (not as typical and modern-sounding as Brandon, but still able to use nickname Bran - game of thrones popularity won't hurt - or if no nickname needed, it's not too long)
Bridger (really different, but could be very cool)
Bryce/Brice
Bastian/Sebastian
Gerard
good luck!
Other names to consider:
Benjamin (popular, yes, but not as much as it used to be)
Bennett
Benson/Benton
Benedict/Benedikt
(these ones are nice because he can use Ben, but it's still in line w/ the sibs styles)
Brenton (ditto above, but Brent as nn, or Bren)
Bryant (ditto, but with Bryan)
Barrett
Beckett
Branson (not as typical and modern-sounding as Brandon, but still able to use nickname Bran - game of thrones popularity won't hurt - or if no nickname needed, it's not too long)
Bridger (really different, but could be very cool)
Bryce/Brice
Bastian/Sebastian
Gerard
good luck!
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Thanks for the suggestions
Benjamin - way too common for our tastes. Ben is very boring to me.
Bennett - Actually like this but can't use it because it's just going to get shortened to Ben :(
Benson/Benton - not as nice as the others.
Benedict/Benedikt - Love Benedict, however two problems.. 1. He would get called Ben 2. Our last name is Arnold!
Brenton - Not a fan
Bryant - same as Brenton
Barrett - It would get shortened to Barry here! :O
Beckett - I actually really like this, though I worry its too trendy sounding. Its a cute nod to my name!
Branson - not bad..
Bridger - too 'rough' sounding for me
Bryce/Brice - I know too many!
Bastian/Sebastian - too popular
Gerard - nice
Benjamin - way too common for our tastes. Ben is very boring to me.
Bennett - Actually like this but can't use it because it's just going to get shortened to Ben :(
Benson/Benton - not as nice as the others.
Benedict/Benedikt - Love Benedict, however two problems.. 1. He would get called Ben 2. Our last name is Arnold!
Brenton - Not a fan
Bryant - same as Brenton
Barrett - It would get shortened to Barry here! :O
Beckett - I actually really like this, though I worry its too trendy sounding. Its a cute nod to my name!
Branson - not bad..
Bridger - too 'rough' sounding for me
Bryce/Brice - I know too many!
Bastian/Sebastian - too popular
Gerard - nice
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I don't mind Baxter, but I think the other names fit in better with your style. As for which I prefer out of Barnaby and Bernard, it has to be Barnaby. We also considered that name during our last pregnancy, but we just couldn't imagine ourselves with a DS named Barnaby, as much as we liked it. Bernard is nice, but like you said, it's hard to know which is the correct pronunciation. I would be so excited if you had a little Barnaby!
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If it's Barney, then he's Barney for life. If it's Barnaby, he's got the option of Barney if he or you should ever want it.
The problem with Bernard is the problem with Sophia. If you ask anyone how they pronounce Sophia, you won't get many rational, fairminded 'Sopheea or Sopheyea, either one will do' replies. Usually, people name their preferred version and hover over it like protective hens.
Oh yes, and the other problem with Bernard is Bernie. So much less nice than Barney, somehow.
I find the retro charm of Barnaby perfect with your potential sibs list; Bernard slightly less so.
Baxter doesn't fit, because lnfns are indeed trendy. 120 years ago, Baxter would have been a family ln and would therefore not have raised eyebrows when playing with his potential sibs! Now, though, he would stick out like a sore little thumb.
The problem with Bernard is the problem with Sophia. If you ask anyone how they pronounce Sophia, you won't get many rational, fairminded 'Sopheea or Sopheyea, either one will do' replies. Usually, people name their preferred version and hover over it like protective hens.
Oh yes, and the other problem with Bernard is Bernie. So much less nice than Barney, somehow.
I find the retro charm of Barnaby perfect with your potential sibs list; Bernard slightly less so.
Baxter doesn't fit, because lnfns are indeed trendy. 120 years ago, Baxter would have been a family ln and would therefore not have raised eyebrows when playing with his potential sibs! Now, though, he would stick out like a sore little thumb.
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