I am due in February and we have had a really tough time deciding on a name. We were between Cal and Peter (with some other less competitive options). I asked my toddler, not super seriously, which one he liked best.
He didn't initially answer but now when you ask him what baby brother's name is he says "COW! milk, moooo".
We didn't understand at first why he was saying that and we realized he thinks Cal is Cow. He has been telling everyone at school, and in the family, that baby's name is Cow (and/or Milk).
I feel like now we have to commit to Cal lol
Just trying to find a long name option we like best. I really like Callum but someone in our friend group named their kid Callum so it's out for me.
Now we are choosing between just Cal, Caleb, or Callahan. I like Calvin but it bothers me that it means "bald one".
There's also Callan!
I like Callan way more than Callum!
Yeah Callan has got to be one of my favourites in my list, as someone who doesn't like many boy names! Such a lovely name š
My co-workers baby is Callan, and he goes by Cal!
Do you know if it's pronounced "cal-lan" or like "call-in (colin)"?
Cal-an, rhyming with 'pal'! So same as gallon with a C
Which works with the cow theme!
OP, my daughter is 4 and has a Callen in her class who goes by Cal. She honestly believed his name was cow for a couple of months. We drove by some cows and were talking about them, and she said thereās a boy named cow in her class! She will grow out of it, and no one will associate him with a cow in a year or two, once the kids start reading names.
She will absolutely grow out of it! My 2 year old called our new baby āgunā for monthsā¦ her name is Gwen. He grew out of it and we all have had a good laugh
My son was "bobo" short for baby brother.š His sister is only 17 months older.
There is a little girl at my kidās daycare and itās pronounced as Allan with a C.
I have a cousin named Caelan and they pronounce it āKay-Lynnā.
And Caelan
I know someone named this but theyāre a girl and pronounce it like Kaylyn
Popular name in Ireland for boys - pronounced Kay-É-lun - from the Irish name CaolĆ”n.
I like Calvin, most people aren't even aware of meanings of names.
There's also Pascal, which is a little less intuitive, but I think it sounds nice with Augustus!
+1 vote for Pascal! It reminds me of the mathematician
edit to add: Calvin is not my favorite because I associate it with John Calvin with whom I have philosophical beef. Apparently majoring in liberal arts influenced my taste in names lol
I think of the little chameleon from Tangled. I love the name Pascal.
Beefing with a 500 year old theologian is a very reasonable name influence!
Pascal is nice! What a great suggestion
My cousin named her son Calvin (heās one now) and itās really grown on me. The meaning doesnāt bother me though
If you name a kid Calvin you are contractually obligated to get him a tiger stuffed animal, thatās all
The main male character in my favorite book is named Calvin. I dig the name.
A Wrinkle in Time? Thatās a good one!
I haven't read a wrinkle in time in probably decades. Nah. It seems silly because it's a romance novel but my favorite book is called bet me by Jennifer crusie.
Nah calvin & hobbes haha
This happened to my partner. His parents had 2 names for his brother he just started saying his name is and it stuck š¤£ theres worse things
A friend of mine (name changed)'s brother threw a massive tantrum upon learning that they were going to name them Charles, insisting that it had to be Charlie. They acquiesced in the end. As it happens, she later transitioned, and still uses her legal name - her older brother apparently skilled in the art of prediction.
My partner grew up with his grandmother (and a slight speech impediment) so she has been called "Baga" for decades. We still call her that.
Iād do Calvin, itās common enough and Iāve never heard anyone know about the bald meaning, and heāll be a kid with hair
I loooove Callahan!!!
Wild curveball, but Pascal would also work if youāre into that
Callum has always been a pretty name to me. I've only heard of it a couple times but it seems so sweet!
Toddlers will forget you asked. They also will not be butthurt that you didnāt name your kid what they chose. Pick what you and your husband like and roll with it.
Thank you for the award u/coldglimmer! That was nice. ā¤ļø
I l ike Caleb. Very strong.
If we listened to my toddler, my daughter would be named cake. They forget pretty quickly and can learn a new name. You really do not need to stick with that!
Caleidoscope is the winner for me. Cal for short, obviously.
I watched a cheesy netflix show where the main male lead was Cal, short for California.
I got that reference.
In the traditional Scottish spelling it's written Calum not Callum, is that anything?? I've heard in America people are likely to say it as Caylum even though Calum is pronounced the same as Callum (maybe a bit more pronunciation/enunciation of the um? But the emphasis is still on 'Cal') but I really prefer it spelled like that - I would never use Callum but quite like Calum!
edit/ sorry misread, it's a shared name issue! In that case, Caelan, Callan, but you could also go a bit wider with it maybe? If he's been saying Cow, then names that are similar ish to a Cal nickname like Kieran/Ciaran, Kristian, Kian/Cian, Cillian, Keelan, or two of my faves Declan and Kellan
I also wouldn't be bothered by the bald one name meaning. Very few people know these things, and any association with the name is the brand Calvin Klein or Calvin and Hobbes surely. For example, the name Cameron means the one with a crooked nose, but I don't think people would ever associate it with that, even when Gaelic origin name meanings are somewhat more commonly known in Ireland and Scotland. Even further, Calvin comes from Latin, so the connection is even weaker!
I thought it was pronounced call-um... like "call-em up on the phone and ask"
We're in Texas though, it's not common here.
Callan is unique and fits with Cal as a nickname. My cousin is Colleen and whenever people refer to her as Col, it does sound like cow, so I knew exactly what your toddler was doing hereš
Colleen means girl. (Its an anglicisation of the Irish word CailĆn). Callan is the name of a town in Co Kilkenny in Ireland.
The meaning of Calvin has never bothered me and itās such a great name it overcomes any hairless meaning.
I also know a Pascal who goes by Cal.
Calcium
Milk!
I love Cal. I like the longer options Callum and Callan the most. I also really, really love Colm.
If the name you really like is used by a friend I would gauge just how close the friend is to you in the circle. If you choose to call him Cal anyway when they are around eachother I say use it and say "His hame is Cal".
We had this happen with our youngest except it was a close friend who lost their child many years ago and it hurt too much to hear part of their name out loud and it was just the middle name. We are close to them so we didn't use it and feel sad about it but we understood.
Calvin and Callan are both good choices as stated above. Calder might be an alternative. If you want a bit of sophistication like Augustus and Gus is in the name I love Pascal and Cal would be a great nn for this š!
Edit for typo
I LOVE Callahan. I've met only one and it's like, oh, remembering that one...
What about Colin?
Calvin is great bc of Calvin and Hobbes!!
Just to throw in some ideas, the name doesn't have to start with Cal. I see how it could work for Michael or, dunno, Malcolm.
We have like 4 Miguels/Michaels in the family so I want something a little less common. I originally really wanted Malcolm (grandfather's name) but my mom hates my paternal grandpa so I am trying to steer away from it.
Pascal maybe
I really like the name Cal. I also used to work with a Cal, really great guy and is actually in school to become a doctor.
Cow š¤£ So cute!
I like Caleb best out of your options. Other names that Cal could be short for: Carlisle and Michael
My son is Callahan so that gets my vote š
Cal is lovely! And the origin story for your toddler thinking itās Cow is adorable.
I wanted to name my brother Barney - you donāt need to take toddlers input unless you like the name Cal.
my brother is named Calvin and he got thick curly hair, certainly not bald. if that helps?
This is honestly adorable ā toddlers accidentally naming babies is such a universal experience š If youāre leaning toward Cal as the everyday name, I think you have some solid full-name options that avoid the āCowā association growing forever.
Caleb feels like the most natural fit ā familiar, warm, and easy to grow into. Callahan has a lot of personality and gives you flexibility if he ever wants something more formal later. Calvin might technically mean ābald,ā but meanings rarely come up in real life, and most people associate it with the name itself, not the definition.
Honestly, if Cal already feels right to you and your family (and your toddler š ), choosing a longer form that you genuinely like just gives you options ā you canāt really go wrong here.
We just had our daughter (pseudonym Jean just for story)
My 7yo daughter while we were pregnant, took it upon herself to tell everyone weāre naming her Julia. Our baby name (which she knew at the time) sounds nothing like Julia lol
I was getting congratulated by everyone followed by āI love the name Juliaā and everytime I was like yes me too but we arenāt using that and never were lol
my son basically chose our daughters name too.. everytime he sees my belly he goes ābaby brielle!ā when i was between brielle and willow lol so now i feel committed to brielle now lol
I knew a Calloway and it suited him well.
His last name only has 1 syllable so it sounded nice
Same happened to us, our 6 yo said babyās name will be XY and not YZ. Our baby is 3 months and fits her perfectly
I went to school with a Callahan! Great name, he was a good kid.
I like Callan and Callahan and Calvin, but if you can't get past the meaning of Calvin, I totally get it. I love Blaise but can't stop remembering that it means "lisping, stuttering, or having a speech impediment".
Name him Calvin and buy him a little stuffed tiger (Hobbes). I love Calvin and Hobbes. I crocheted my son (not named Calvin, not my personal style) a stuffed Hobbes (used it to show growth I monthly pics) and painted both my kids a Calvin and Hobbes scene painting for their rooms.
I like Calvin
Lots of good suggestions already, not much more to add there. We had a similar situation though. Once my son knew he had a baby sister on the way he just started calling her Marcie out of the gate. We think he got the name from Peanuts since he was big into Snoopy at the time but we really liked it after he said it and looked for a longer name where Marcie would be the nickname. We were between Marcella and Marceline for a long time, explored completely different names and also just naming her Mary as an honor name for her grandma. We went with Marceline and almost everyone just calls her Marcie now but it fits her so well.
I would've felt the opposite, honestly, if my toddler thought about a cow when hearing Cal, I wouldn't want to use it.
But I think Calvin is really cute, English isn't my native language though, so I don't think about the meaning.
Callum!!
Awww! Cal as a nickname is going places! The two Cals in my kidās class are Callan and Callahan
Caleb
I like Caleb and Calvin best. But if youāre really never going to use the name to the point that hearing it makes you cringe, just go with Cal.
Caledon.
Callan or Callahan, and he can go by Cal .
MaCALlan
And also, āCalvoā is bald in Spanish lol thatās funny
Ive always liked Calder
Calcifer! š„
I didnāt know the meaning of Calvin. Tracks though, a guy in highschool with that name started having a receding hairline by the time he was 16, got married to one of the prettiest girls in school (idk how), then cheated on her. Canāt trust that name now
Caleb is cute! Or Callan
Callihan sure!
Calhoun if youāre looking for a bit different
Go Caleb.
Thereās always Calvin from the āCalvin and Hobbesā cartoon.
Love Callahan!
Calvin is great but the second you have a little kid called Calvin I'm thinking of Calvin and Hobbes. Honestly though this would be a point in favor of the name for me.
You could name him Calcifer teehee
Callahan Iām obsessed. I want to name a son that but iv had two girls. I almost named my youngest Calihan but we opted for something else.
Thereās always Caillou.
Caledon is another option. The name of the character actor Billy Zane played in the movie Titanic. Of course he was a bad guy so you may not like the connotation.
Another vote for Callahan.
I like just Cal but with the caveat that I think it only works with the right middle name, like Cal William. But for shorter middle names a longer version is nice, ie. Callan Peter.
Callahan is my pick. It is a very strong name and not many people have it. I just adore the name.
My nephew is just 'Cal', which is fine if you don't like a long name
Callum was our top pick but one of the reason we didn't use it was because our toddler moo'd every time we said Cal!! That being said, if you use it, I have a monogrammed blanket & matching pillow case if you're interested lol
Excalibur obviously.
Nah but I think Calvin is fine! I had no idea it meant bald one. I went to school with a few Calvins but even then the first thing that comes to my mind is Marty McFly when his mum thinks his name is Calvin Klein because itās written on his boxers hahaha
Plz just use Calvin. Everyone who had a baby boy in 2025 named their sons, Callahan. I hate it hereš«©š
I love the name Callahan, plus if you're Star Wars nerds, you can make a joke about Calla-han Solo š
Caleb would be a bit more conventional, or if you really wanted, you could use Cal or Calvin as a middle name if you're not sold on the idea of your baby's first name meaning "bald one"
Iād just do Cal. No ālong nameā
peter is the superior name!
My 7 year old keeps calling my unborn child āchicken stripā
Who cares what it means, Calvin is the best one. You can even get him a little stuffed tiger
Calvin is a great name.
Caledon if you like it a little more unusual, but personally, I'd pick Callum!
Calex (kay-lix), Callum, Calen(kay-lun), Callen (cal-len) Caleb, Cale, Wescal, Arcalen (ar-kay-lun)
I like Peter...
Love that! I know someone named Calian, meaning warrior or strength.
Callahan
Caleb ! Or Callan.
Callahan is cute!
Calcifer š„
My son is Callan!
You could go with Calvin and give him a Hobbs stuffed animal and he will be from the Calvin and Hobbs comics š I loved those books growing up
Calum!
I feel like you have to commit to Calcium since baby's nn's are cow and milk š¤£(I'm voting for Callahan though)
I like Calvin. But I say that as someone with a Cecilia which means "blind". Name meanings don't bother me and most people don't know them.Ā
I second Callan!
I mean this in the nicest way, you are the parents, you choose what you want. š
[deleted]
My Dads name is was Calvert. I like it.
Callahan? Calloway? Callibar? Caleb?
Calvin is adorable and instantly makes me think Calvin and Hobbes, FWIW.
I like Callahan.
There is Cael/Kael, too.
What about Calloway?
I really like Caleb and Callahan ! I will say if you plan to call him a nickname anyways you might as well just name him Cal š¤·š»āāļø I have a longer full name and Iāve always gone by a shortened version, I rarely ever use my full name and if heās always going to be called Cal heāll likely be the same way.
I am debating just naming his "Cal". His older brother is an Augustus but we just call him "Gus" and it always makes me cringe a little when they call him his full name at the doctor's office.
Babies/kids will be adults one day though, and with a non-nickname, they have several options of how they want to be called.
"Gus" might not always want to be "Gus", his future friends etc might call him something different. Who knows. Having "Augustus" as his full name gives him options.
I'd still give him the option of having a "full name". That way when he's a professional one day he has a choice. Heck - it may even happen younger. When my son's friend was 6 be started informing everyone he wanted to go by his full name.
Even if it's weird to hear it in some places, I feel like it's always better to have options. We named our daughter for a nickname my husband loved but still gave her the full name. I actually use it more than I expected so do people around her.
I personally like Callahan.
I have an August who mostly goes by Gus ā¤ļø
I love Calvin and Pascal with Augustus.
I love Augustus! I get that for sure, especially when youāre so used to calling him by his nickname. Iād just think on it and go with whatever you feel most drawn to!
My name is the short name bc thatās what they were going to call me and I hate it. I hate it so much. One side of my family did the short names over the long names though-Tommy > Thomas and so on.
Callahan is a great name!
Make it short for Michael instead.
Kellan would work, too.
Kal-El!
The name Calwin is a variant of Calvin, stemming from Latin/French roots meaning "bald" or "little bald one," popularized by figures like theologian John Calvin, but Calwin specifically also links to Anglo-Saxon/Welsh origins with meanings like "devoted" or connected to old Welsh names like Colwin. It carries connotations of confidence, reliability, and uniqueness, with nicknames like Cal or Wyn.
I don't like Callum. The name leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Caleb feels rural.
Calvin is nice, but I love the suggestion of Pascal that someone else made.
Cohen