The Name Game

What's in a name? Boys names are hard. We had lots of ideas for girls names but few boy candidates. Girl names are easier because you can be more creative and not:
a) be hated by your child
or
b) have your child be hated/teased by everyone else

In the girl department our top pick thus far was Kaylee but that's off the table now that we aren't having a girl. I don't want to give our boy a common name or a snooty name or a name that reminds me of someone or something I don't like. There's also those names that just don't sound right for whatever reason. So, I've compiled a list here for anyone looking for unique but hopefully not too weird boy names. Okay, some of them are a little weird. We've already nixed a lot of these but they give you an idea of the process. Names in bold are still in the running.

Afton (meh. pretty apathetic toward this name.)
Alec
Alton (violates my no "ton" rule but it isn't as bad as some.)
Alden (unfortunately our dog Odin comes running when we say this name)
Anderson (Chels really likes last names as first names. Is that cruel when Mona is such a first name?)
Arka (too much like Ark)
Beck
Beckett
Beckwyn
Bedwyn (I think I like it better as a girls name, besides what kind of nickname is Bed?)
Bracken (as in, the fern. Nickname Brack anyone?)
Bryson (not as cool as Dyson)
Camden
Cameron (When Cameron was in Egypt's land . . .)
Charlie (ooh a Lost character makes the list. Hopefully our son would not be a heroin addict.)
Donovan (this reminds me too much of the 80s miniseries V. And I don't like Don as a nickname)
Corin
Corbin (though the only Corbin we know is a girl)
Dax ("a town in S. France" says CM "character on Star Trek" says KM)
Dryas (dry ass. Great name.)
Dyson (unfortunately the name of a vacuum but we still like it)
Easton (weirdly a sports company and yet sounds snooty at the same time)
Eli (Chels likes this one and I do on some level but it is a profoundly religious name meaning "ascend" or alternatively "my god")
Elliot (Elliot the Idiot? I don't know. Somethings not right with this name.)
Elliston (chels suggested this before I introduced my no "tons" rule)
Ely (not as cool as Eli, not a fan of the nickname Lee)
Evan (the shine on this name faded fairly fast)
Grayson (meh)
Grove (Okay, this even tips the hippie meter for me. And it is too much like Grover the muppet)
Hayes (All I can think of with this name is haze)
Jackson (hmm, the appeal grows some over time. Jack is so boring though, and he would be called that a lot)
Jasper (people either love or hate it)
Judas (just kidding)
Jules
Kai
Kylan
Kaiden (This is a really new one to the list so it is still in the running for no other reason. I go back and forth on it.)
Kennet (We both like it but nick name would be Ken which is super lame)
Kinsey (Chelsey swears she wasn't thinking about the founder of sexology when she suggested this name. It was withdrawn.)
Kian (I ruled this out on the grounds that I had no idea how to pronounce it)
Kyan
Linden (Maybe too weird too/old fashioned. I feel it is too much like Linen)
Marshall (Another in Chelsey's last name series. Would he go to eleven?)
Miles (Chelsey still likes this one but all I can picture is a nerd in glasses. Oh course our child will almost certainly need glasses and nerd is in his DNA from both sides)
Mika (or Mikah or Mica or Micah. none really thrill me though Chelsey likes the name.)
Oak (Or Oake. One of two hippie names I refuse to take out of the running at this stage. Everyone else seems to hate it.)
Pica - genus of magpie (too much like picachu)
Tobias (This seems like a snotty Toby to me)
Raimi
River (I like this one though why do all the names I like happen to be ones Joss uses for Firefly characters? Chelsey thinks it is too hippie but I don't agree.)
Quinn (This has two connotations for me. Daniel Quinn and Dr. Quinn)
Soren (Names with "sore" in them are not good.)
Sigal (Sounds like a nickname for something snooty)
Tyr (too close to tear and tyra, pronunciation issues.)
Sorrel (too close to Sorel the boot company)
Wylder (Wyld technically means nothing. For a while I had it confused with Wyrd which means fate but of course I'm not going to name my kid Wyrd. A character in a book I'm writing is named Wilder so naming my kid that or anything similar is really weird for me since I already feel like I know someone by that name. )
Wyler (eventually discarded this one as it is too much like Wile E. Coyote.)

Okay so that leaves 10 names in the running.
Beck (Beckket), Camden, Charlie, Corbin, Dyson, Eli, Kylan, Kaiden, Marshall, River

You feel free to comment and we'll feel free to ignore your suggestions.