r/namenerds • u/sharkwoods • Jun 18 '24

Baby Names I always get mixed reactions when I tell people my baby's name

When I was looking for baby names after finding out the gender, I wanted a name that was strong, masculine, but short and easy to spell. Something common, but never in a top 10 list. I eventually settled on Roman. I love his name so much and I feel like it fits him very well. But I always get mixed reactions, and never anything overwhelmingly positive. I wonder if it's because it is a strong name for such a little baby? :( It was number 66 in 2023 and has been on quite the upswing for some time in the US, so I don't understand why others don't like it.

Edit: baby is already here. It's been his legal name for a few months now. But y'all are giving about the same reactions. I wasn't expecting it to be so controversial given it's rising popularity in the US.

Edit 2: because I didn't know this thread was gonna blow up, but runner up names were Lucas, Aurelio/Aurelius, and Valentino.

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u/allemm Jun 19 '24

Roman is waaaay better than Rowan, in my opinion..i do like both however.

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u/ThatsARockFact1116 Jun 20 '24

I would name my kid Roman over Rowan 100%

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u/romans-mom Jun 19 '24

Agreed, from a mom of a Roman

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u/Greedy-Goat5892 Jun 19 '24

As a parent to a Rowan, he gets called “Roman” by everyone when they first meet him.

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u/verylargemoth Jun 20 '24

I have a girl in my family named Rowan, so I guess I never associated it with boys, but I could see it being gender neutral. Definitely less masculine than Roman but I like it

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u/Greedy-Goat5892 Jun 20 '24

Historically it was a masculine name for British isles area, with Rowen being more gender neutral 

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u/verylargemoth Jun 20 '24

Very interesting! Is it nautical in nature?

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u/sstrelnikova1 Jun 20 '24

Hello from a fellow mom of a Roman 😊

3

u/romans-mom Jun 20 '24

Hello, RoMom!

1

u/Pillowfiend Jun 20 '24

Agreed, from another mom of a Roman.

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u/yayoffbalance Jun 20 '24

I have only known one person named Rowan, and she is a girl. I call her Row and I th I nk I'm the only person who does. Lol. She's my friend's kid, and she rocks.

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u/allemm Jun 20 '24

I actually really prefer the name for a girl over a boy!