I am with Szin on this. I like this name a lot. It is a classical name, it fits most surnames (except those that start with 'D'), and it always seems fresh to me, not dated. Also, one of my best friends is called David, and I associate names very strongly with people I have known with those names. It was on the very short list for our son, along with Nicholas, but we rejected both mainly because we wanted a name that is pronounced the same in English and German (in-laws live in Germany, as did we when the kids were born).

(Soft knocks at the door) CHONG: Who is it? CHEECH: It's me, Dave. Open up, man, I got the stuff. (More knocks) CHONG: Who is it? CHEECH: It's me, Dave, man. Open up, I got the stuff. CHONG: Who? CHEECH: It's, Dave, man. Open up, I think the cops saw me come in here. (More knocks) CHONG: Who is it? CHEECH: It's, Dave, man. Will you open up, I got the stuff with me. CHONG: Who? CHEECH: Dave, man. Open up. CHONG: Dave? CHEECH: Yeah, Dave. C'mon, man, open up, I think the cops saw me. CHONG: Dave's not here. CHEECH: No, man, I'm Dave, man. (Sharp knocks at the door) CHEECH: Hey, c'mon, man. CHONG: Who is it? CHEECH: It's Dave, man. Will you open up? I got the stuff with me. CHONG: Who? CHEECH: Dave, man. Open up. CHONG: Dave? CHEECH: Yeah, Dave. CHONG: Dave's not here. CHEECH: What the hell? No, man, I am Dave, man. Will you... (More knocks) CHEECH: C'mon! Open up the door, will you? I got the stuff with me, I think the cops saw me. CHONG: Who is it? CHEECH: Oh, what the hell is it...c'mon. Open up the door! It's Dave! CHONG: Who? CHEECH: Dave! D-A-V-E! Will you open up the goddam door! CHONG: Dave? CHEECH: Yeah, Dave! CHONG: Dave? CHEECH: Right, man. Dave. Now will you open up the door? CHONG: Dave's not here.

Ho-hum, eh? A little too pedestrian for you? I think the problem you're having with this issue is that 1. Roman, 2. Rainer, 3. Ramsey, 4. Hannibal, 5. Seven, and 6. Khalil do not constitute "something better". To a white kid kid born to a middle class family in middle-America they are a half-dozen forms of child abuse. A. Maxwell, B. David, C. Aaron, D. Samuel, E. George, and F. John are traditional, masculine and respectable names. And many of them have their roots in the Bible. Remember, this kid is going to have to go through life (most likely) with the tag his parents place upon him. The murderers row you produced (enumerated above) would be a selfish display by the parents. So naming a child is a pronouncement to the world by the mother and father of "See, aren't we urbane, contemporary, imaginative, eclectic in our tastes and oh, so clever." But what they are not is an exercise in what child-naming is supposed to be. Specifically, for the benefit of the offspring. Your proposed choices are a display of self-serving parental vanity. Mine (whether you deem them banal or lacking in some other respect) are thoughtful and responsible. "Thoughtful" in the respect that they are an attempt to arm the child with something that is serious and respectable. Wavebacker, he's going to hear this name from his classmates when he first enters grade school. The name chosen by the parents will come out of the mouth of the first girl with whom he becomes infatuated. He'll be putting this name on college term papers he hands in and it will also appear on resumes he sends into employers after he gets out of school. In short, it's not a gag or something that is supposed to be a conversation starter for the parents during the first couple of years of the kid's life. It is for him, his benefit and his self-image. I would suggest to you that Khalil and Seven (and the others listed above to a lesser degree, Ramsey being the least objectionable) do not serve that purpose. Geeeeeeeezz, the only ones you left out were Dweezil and Moon Unit. *It should be noted that a good part of the foundation of my argument is based on the assumption that zuchinibut is white and lives in the U.S. somewhere outside of Greenwich Village, West Hollywood or Berkeley. _____________________________________________ Good, strong, and its origin is biblical. And although it is well recongnized, there isn't a ton of kids who have received the name David during the last quarter century so it won't be too common among his peers. David is a good name that people will take seriously. It will serve him well if he becomes a professional or goes into business. If I had a son, I'd probably name him David. Either that or Aaron.

Ho-Hum. If you cant decide on anything else, you can always go to this old stand-by name. Cant do wrong with David, but can do so much better.

I think David has been overused, and its not really a great name.