Name Thread: Help with spelling please

[Melly24]

I'm pretty sure this little man is going to be named Baden Connor (pronounced Bay-din).

Need help with spelling please. I have narrowed it down to three potential ways to spell it:

Baden

Baeden

Baedon

Which do you prefer?

[EdnaMarie]

Not Baden because that makes me think of Baden Baden, the town. I think people will pronounce it "Bah-den" and other people will pronounce it "Bad-en".

I know one person with an "on" at the end of Aidon and people call her son "A-dawn". It sounds really silly.

So I guess Baeden by elimination, though if my spouse chose that name, I'd go for Bayden, rhymes with the (more familiar names) Hayden, Cayden, and Jayden.

I know someone whose son is named Brayden, too, which is also nice.

[terrordactyl]

Baeden

[Melly24]

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm not keen on Bayden. Don't like the look of the Y in there... doesn't feel manly to me when he is older. And Brayden is nice, but I don't like the R sound.

[Drummer's Wife]

I think Bayden or Baeden or Baiden/Baidan would most likely be pronounced correctly.

[Qbear'smama]

I agree that Baeden would be most likely be pronounced properly and I like that spelling better than the other options offered because they look like you just added a B to Aidan/Aiden/Ayden.

[RedOakMomma]

Baeden looks most legit to me, though it still has a "I created this name" feel to it.

[philomom]

Bayden is sure to get you the pronunciation you want and looks "normal" because of all the Jaydens and Haydens out there.

[*jeanine*]

I think Baden is a German name.

Of your spellings, I liked Baedon best until I read the responses. And they're right, with Baedon you might get Bay- DON. So now I'm going with Baeden.

[Ellen Griswold]

I'll agree that Baeden will give you the sound you want.

[Melly24]

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

Baeden looks most legit to me, though it still has a "I created this name" feel to it.

I saw your original response, although this one still has me puzzled. It's not a created name, it is an actual name. But so what if I did make it up?

Thanks everyone for your replies on helping me to nut out the spelling, as that is what I was actually after. Not whether you liked the name or not.

[Monkey Keeper]

I prefer Badin, which I know isn't one of your choices. But I think it's simple and has a low likelihood of being mispronounced. (And it's a bonafide spelling of a surname a la this man--I thought of it because there's a parochial school nearby that bears his name, and I've always liked the sound of it.)

[lotusma]

i like both Baden and Baeden equally well, and would definitely stick to the "en" ending, as that would ensure people pronounce the "ba" w/ a long "a". (at least the semi-intelligent people. i've decided i'm not going to worry about the less than intelligent people in my case. )

deciding between the two is tough and such a toss up, but i remember you mentioning the name being a namesake? maybe go w/ the original sp in that case.

but then.... Baden looks more surname-ish, and Baeden more... like a first name? like meagen?

but Baden "feels" more comfortable, more common and "household"...

lol

sorry, not very helpful! i so feel for you. i'm still so undecided on sp for my wee one.

[Melly24]

lotusma I was wondering when you'd show up! Baden was DH great-great-Uncle but we're not really naming after him. We just like his name

It seems (according to Google) that Baden is more common than Baeden, and we'll no doubt have to pronounce it for people no matter what spelling we choose.

I just wanna get it "right"...

[lotusma]

maybe one gives you a certain feel/vision over the other...? for example, in my case, one sp looks more "tow-head" to me (the "A") and the other (the "E") fit for a brunette. (i make both sets, lol.) so i'm trying to just relax and resign myself to meeting her first. either that, or i may insist dh put me outta my misery and decide himself once and for all.

[Melly24]

Thanks, that's great advice!

[CherryBomb]

I like Baeden, I think you'd avoid any mispronunciations with that spelling. I wouldn't worry if a name sounds made up, I went to school with a girl named Anjulen (ann-joo-lin), which is totally made up, but I think it's a really lovely name! (it was some combo of her mom and grandma's names or something).

[RedOakMomma]

Originally Posted by Melly24

I saw your original response, although this one still has me puzzled. It's not a created name, it is an actual name. But so what if I did make it up? .

I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I think spellings of names can make them look made-up at times, even if somewhere, SOMEONE was really named that. Aiden spelled as Aidon was a good example someone else brought up. Yes, you could use an -on ending, and maybe there are some ancient, real Aidons out there, but it makes it look more "kre8tive" as some would say.

I've never heard Baeden used as a first name...my first thought was whether it was something new (created) from this "Aidan" decade, or if it's a name brought up from obscurity because of the Aidan/Caeden/Brayden trend. It's cool that it's a name--but I think Baeden is the version that looks most name-like and least kre8tive-like.

ETA: I shoud add, if you want a familial or creative spelling of a name, that's (of course!) totally your call. I get that the original question was about how to get the right pronounciation for the name you want. My creative/made-up angle on all of this is that, if you do have a name that feels/looks more "made-up," you're going to have more people take pause at the name, and often more people who try to pronounce it creatively as well. Trust me...I went there/did that with our dd's name. Yes, it's a "real" name, yes it's a family name, but to a certain extent it looks kre8tive and people pause/trip on it all the time. Sometimes I wish I'd picked the easiest way to recognize/spell the name rather than the (reeeeally) old-fashioned/family way to spell the name. Okay...hope that makes sense. I really wasn't trying to offend, though I could see how my responses might look/sound that way.

[homemademom]

If I saw Baden, I would definitely pronounce it "Bayden." (And I like the spelling Baden the best.) I think most English speakers would. In fact, unless someone was familiar with it's German roots, I doubt any English speaker would think to pronounce it "Bah-den." JMO.

[HeatherB]

I like that Baden is the original spelling, but think that a lot of people will try to read it without taking in the whole word, and you'll get "Bad-en" a lot. Given that, I'd go with Baeden, which is a not-uncommon construct with names like Caeden.

I do think it's a shame that authentic, historical names are easy to confuse with naming "trends" such as we have right now. However, the name has to be the right one for YOUR child, regardless of how many people use rhyming names.