Clarence Wilhelm?

Okay, we're getting down to the wire here. This peanut needs a name. Unfortunately, the husband and I are really struggling with little boy names. The ones I like, he dislikes and the ones he likes...wait, I can't think of any that he likes! It doesn't have to be decided until he's born, but we don't even have a good short list! If he were to come now (and I'm 30 weeks so it's not out of the realm of possibility, you know?) he would be Baby Boy for a long time!

So, how in the world do people choose names for their kids? Seriously, it's a major decision. This kid is going to have his entire identity wrapped up in a word that I (okay, we) choose. What does one base the decision on? (No, I'm really asking. Please comment!)

Here are a few of our requirements/dilemmas:

1. Family. Should he have a family name? In some cultures it is considered bad luck to name a baby for a relative that is living. And unfortunately both the husband and I come from Northern European families, so most of our family trees are filled with names like George, Bernt (with an umlaut) and Adolf. (not that one!) These names are all fine, but maybe not for modern-day boys, you know what I'm saying? Also, our families are both huge, and we didn't really want the peanut to have the same name as one of his cousins or second cousins, just for confusion purposes. (although, it's not a deal breaker!) That's a pool of around 50 boys, and therefore 50 names off the list. Bummer.

2. Trendy or Traditional? The husband and I are fans of traditional names. Especially for boys. One of the criteria we had when we were choosing names for the angel was, "would you expect your senator to have that name?" Kiki might sound cute for a little girl in pig-tails, but it's a little harder for a grown woman to pull off. The same thing goes for boy names. It's nice to have a cutesy name for your little bundle, but eventually he is going to be someone's boss (ideally) and he should have a name that says so.

We also don't want anything too popular. I grew up with a close circle of friends that included three "Amy"s. I don't really want my son to be known as Jonah B. So we are trying to avoid the top 10 -20 names of the year, in the hopes that maybe just his first name will do.

And, here's a note on spelling. We insist on the regular spelling of names. I'm not sure who thought it would be a good idea to find the most convoluted way of spelling their kid's name. Speaking as a person who's name is frequently misspelled, (which is weird because Autumn is an actual word that even spell-check will pick up!) I don't want to saddle my child with having to constantly correct the spelling of his name. Although, some people are just dumb so a little correcting is inevitable.

3. Nicknames. The husband is quite adamant that we avoid names with obvious nicknames the other boys will tease him with. Richard, for example. Apparently young boys find joy in making dirty or mean ways to make fun of other boys' names. (Young girls are much more creative in their cruelty, and therefore can make you cry regardless of your name.)

4. Manliness. Some names, no matter how much people swear they are for boys, will always sound girly. Like Lesley or Ashley. (Even in Gone with the Wind that guy was kind of a p###y!) And I'm not a huge fan of "gender-neutral" names like Jordan or Taylor. I want my son's name to be a boy's name. And the husband has a problem with "country club" names, like Sterling. If the name brings to mind guys in polo shirts who eat ivy and row boats, he'll probably veto.

5. Alliteration. Our last name starts with M. The husband's older boys' first names start with M. The angel's first name starts with M. Does this mean we should choose a name for the peanut that starts with M? To be honest, we didn't really mean for it to happen, we just really liked the names for the older kids and hadn't planned for the naming theme. But now, is the peanut going to feel left out if he is the only one whose name doesn't start with M? (Neither the husband nor I have M names.) Something to ponder...

So as you can see, we have a long list of things we don't want. What I could really use from you is a few suggestions to go on the do want list. My dad is pretty good about this. Every time I see him, he asks how little "Oscar" is doing, or other names like Irving, or Clarence Wilhelm. (For short, we could call him "Clarence Wilhelm".) So please, I'm looking for suggestions here. And don't forget to answer my poll, which has a few of the names that I like. Thanks!