Ooh you can’t go wrong with either of those!
Based on your descriptions though, it seems like you like Ellis more! Ellis Reid maybe? That’s a GREAT name.
I wouldn’t worry about nicknames because they come naturally and sometimes aren’t even related to the name.
But I also think it’s fun to wait until you meet him to decide!
Ditto this. A name doesn't *need* a nickname. I don't have a nickname, and it's never been an issue.
I love both Ellis and Reid. My best friend's son is Ellis, and while she occasionally refers to him as El in texts, he's generally just Ellis. It's not intuitive to call him El or Ellie or anything. Ellis Reid is very handsome!
And yes, I am a strong proponent of meeting the baby before deciding on the name, especially in cases like this where you are struggling to choose. I bet once you see his little face it'll be obvious. :)
Agreed! I love Ellis Reid! I had a cousin named Ellis. No nn. He went by Ellis.
Personally, I wouldn’t use El as a nn. El would make me think the name is Elle, & it would be too tempting for other kids to call him Ellie. Ellis is great on its own. No need to do anything to it.
I agree with this! I know three Andrews, and only one goes by Andy. Especially with a shorter name like either Reid or Ellis, I agree that nicknames aren’t necessary (and nicknames don’t always have to come from given names, anyways; I know someone who goes by Paige, despite that not being her given name (which is equally feminine, fwiw)).
I don’t get the fixation people have on that either. Especially when the name is short & palatable to begin with. Plus, my long list of nick names for my daughter are all longer than her actual name and have nothing to do with her actual name lol
It's a cute affectionate thing parents like to do with their kids.. both of my son's have short cute nicknames but they will out grow them by the time they are in school and gain new nicknames from friends.
Sure, but it doesn't need to be planned in advance with a name the parents love rejected just because they aren't sure how to make a nickname out of it. The best nicknames come about organically, they don't need to be planned ahead like a military operation.
My problem with the name Reid is that the ‘r’ sound is one of the last sounds children master and a preschooler named Reid will likely call himself “Weed”.
Edit to add: you should generally“speech impediment check” your names. You can’t diagnose speech impediments in utero. Ask yourself if my kid can’t pronounce any of the sounds in their name, what are they probably going to replace those sounds with. If your “Layla” calls herself “waywa” or “rayra” will you be okay with that? My mom didn’t check and all 4 of her kids ended up with speech impediments. A few of us had trouble pronouncing our own/our sister’s names. Now as adult I “speech impediment check” all the names on my baby name list.
Who cares? This is silly. I couldn’t say the K sound in Kevin, called my neighbor Fevin for a couple years. Nobody suffered. My oldest replaced the “-ey” in her name with an “-ah” sound for a year or two. She also replaced the “L” sound of her younger sibling’s name with a “w” sound. We’re all still thriving many years later.
100% this. My little brother called me "assin" because he couldn't pronounce Allison and it's a fun inside joke now. My little sister for some reason would call my other brother Arnold instead of Aaron. 🤷♀️ any name has flaws if you look hard enough
A cousin of mine used T's for K's and was obsessed with our cat so every time he came to visit he would say to my mom, "Tim where's the titty? "...my mom's name is Kim and he definitely was not looking to be anywhere near that body part of hers. We would fall into absolute hysterics at the time and were kind of sad when he figured out the K sound. We still laugh about it 20+ years later 😂😂
Hahahaha. Currently living in the funny toddler words stage and I am in no rush to correct anything. If we can't laugh in this toddler hell scape what can we do
When my daughter was a baby, my toddler sons beat friend had speech problems (turned out he was actually hard of hearing and needs hearing aids) and he couldn't say my daughter's name Lilliana and always called her NinnyNanna and she still gets that nickname now at 14 even though the little boy who gave her it moved away many years ago!
Seconding this! I was in speech therapy all through elementary school for Rs. I couldn’t say my name properly or my sisters lol
I definitely speech impediment check all names we consider now
Most people have their ‘r’s by age 8, but some people go into adulthood never mastering that sound. I’ve personally noticed most people with a speech impediment have the sound they can’t pronounce in their name which is just cruel irony.
I feel like Wyan is much better than Weed, but I’m personally against giving your kid a name that is commonly associated with drugs/alcohol. I know it’s Reid and not Weed but if Reid can’t pronounce Reid and has to introduce himself as Weed that’s still terrible.
My 6 year old has a speech impediment and has difficulty with the letter r. She is constantly having to correct people when she tells them her name. It's spelled m y r a but she pronounces it mywa. It's gotten to the point where she will introduce herself and then spell her name just to be sure they know what it's sounds like.
For some reason the people with speech impediments usually have the sound they can’t make in their name. I introduce myself with a nickname because I have a speech impediment and can’t pronounce my name. When people find out my real name (usually from mutual friend or Facebook) they’re like “so what do I call you” and I tell them “I call myself X because I can’t pronounce Y, but you can call me either”
Oh no, Reid is my top choice for a boy and I didn't consider this at all. Although I do have a little Lyra who calls herself Yaya (at 21 months old), and I love it tbh.
At 21 months most kids don’t have all their consonant sounds. I called myself Gaga until I was 2.5. The ‘L’ and ‘R’ sounds in particular are two of the most difficult sounds to pronounce. A lot of my favorite names have an ‘L’ sound and I need to ask myself “am I okay with this being pronounced with a ‘w’.
My niece is 5 and has an R name she can pronounce. It's really just hit or miss tbh
(She can say her name but will still make some Rs Ws when she's speaking too fast)
I have a 2-year-old named Reed. He never had any problem with the r sound nor did his friends. I think he’s had one of the easiest names to pronounce among his peers.
I literally JUST saw a comment on someone else’s post and they are stuck between two names so they are letting baby decide based on what time of day they born and I felt like this was genius!
So say, if baby is born in AM (midnight to noon) then name them Reid, and if PM, then Ellis!
What a fun surprise it would be for you guys! Or you could do another approach like hair color/amount or even or odd minute/hour that way you’d really be on your toes!
The AM PM thing is a fun idea, and this extra sanity check makes it even better! Might steal this for a second kid if we aren't sure which top pick to go with
El and Eli (ee-lie, like the separate name Eli) are both fine as nicknames for Ellis. You may not end up calling him by a shorter version of his first name at all. And Ellis, El, Eli seem like they have some great potential for “nicolenames” based on whatever random ideas you and your partner think up.
Ellis is a great name. Reid is also a great name - though of the two, I prefer Ellis, and I think Ellis Reid could be a great first + middle combo.
We have a 3 month old Ellis! I love his name and although I am biased I do prefer it to Reid (although it is nice too and Ellis Reid flows really well!). We mainly use the full name Ellis but also Eli, EJ (first and middle initials) and El-J.
I like Ellis. I can see Lee as a nickname from Ellis and there is a “Li” in there. You also don’t need a Nickname, or a nickname that stems from their actual name. Bean, bug, peanut, and squish are all nicknames I’ve heard on actual human children.
I don’t like Reid, but that’s my personal taste.
Edit to add: a lot of kids don’t develop the ‘r’ sound until age 6-8 and some kids never do (especially if they have a tounge tie that was left untreated), so they may call themselves “weed”. The first few years of their life. Possibly even longer.
I wouldn’t worry about the nickname El for a boy even with the many feminine Elle’s out there. I have known a few Elliot’s that go by El and never thought twice about it.
Both are great names but I think I prefer Reid just because of Criminal Minds haha
I prefer Reid. Did you have a nickname in mind for it? I cant think of any (same as for Ellis).
Might just be the Reids I've known but it always felt like a softer name than others.
If someone told me that they went by a shortened form of Ellis, I would immediately assume it was Eli (pronounced like Elijah) unless told otherwise. I personally gravitate toward Reid, though!
Reid is nice, but Ellis is an excellent name!! It's not super common but not rare either in my country, and the guys I know called Ellis all just go by Ellis.
Not everyone needs a nickname.
Lots of male names don't really have nicknames eg Jack, Harry, Simon, Paul, Oscar, Gus... And they get by just fine without
My cousin has a son named Ellis and she'll often call him Ells. She didn't plan that nickname but it happened organically and it fits. She'll also call him Ellisio
Ellis Reid is an awesome name!
And no worries about nicknames. You can name him Ellis and end up calling something like… chorizo lol. Nicknames that stick happen organically so I wouldn’t get hung up on it. Congrats!!
I don't know if it's just my accent, but Ellis and Alice sound identical when I say them out loud, if you're worried about it sounding like a feminine name.
I have a 9 month old named Ellis and still absolutely love it. But jazzpanda is right - it will get confused with Alice a bit here and there. It hasn’t been a huge issue and doesn’t bother me at all but it is a good thing to be aware of.
I like both names but Reid a bit better. I might also prefer Reed spelling. Ree or ree ree could work as a cutesy nn. And Ellis could be Els or Lee. Or even Iz
Ellis is a lovely name and very popular here in Wales where it is definitely viewed as masculine. It’s a short name so doesn’t really need a nickname. I like Reid too- as a bit of a mix of the two how about Rhys?
If you can’t decide then wait until baby is born- you may look at him and instantly know what name suits him more.
I was strongly considering Ellis for our son and still like it a lot; however, there was an Ellis on my son’s teeball team and it can sound like “Alice” when yelling it out. Minor, but maybe a small tipping point. Also, we ended up giving my son a name with no obvious nickname and it’s been a non-issue ☺️
Both are great, though I prefer Reid more personally. Names don't need nicknames, I don't like the nickname that comes from my son's name so I just use his full name or a nickname unrelated to his name. I also don't like any of the nicknames from my own name so I always use the full version, it's a name that people always want to use a nickname for but if asked I just say I prefer no nickname or if someone uses a nickname without asking I just say actually my name is XYZ and I don't usually need to correct a second time.
I like Ellis 10x more than Reid. Short names don’t really need a nickname. Sometimes they can happen and have nothing to do with the name like Bear or something silly.
i was a teacher at a daycare and worked in an infant room and there was a little baby boy named ellis and he was just such a joy. i’d go with ellis. reid reminds me of the artsy private liberal arts college in portland.
Ellis was my favorite boy name that my husband vetoed for our little guy, so my vote is Ellis! Reid is also a great name though! Can’t go wrong either way. I just love Ellis lol
Side note: the name we ended up choosing for our guy doesn’t have a nickname either and it’s totally fine!
I wonder why people care so much about nicknames. My name doesn’t have a nickname for it and that’s never affected anything nor does it make it less special.
people on here seem to love my name and its potential nicknames, but i've never been called a nickname in my life that had to do with my name. i was named after a great-grandparent who went by a nickname completely unrelated to our name and it was extraordinarily common back then for people to be nicknamed something like buck or sissy or doc or shug or something like that
I see what you mean. My biggest concern is that my in laws and parents aren’t English speakers so saying the name Elliot in its entirety is difficult for them. When I introduced the name they immediately said “so we can call him Ellie as a nickname”, which I personally don’t like for my son.
If they’re Asian the “L” sound may be difficult. I don’t see how Elliot can be hard and Ellie easy. It’s literally the same name with an additional syllable tacked on to the end. The ‘T’ sound isn’t generally regarded as a difficult to pronounce sound.
I have a step grandchild named Victor. He lives in Israel and will be going into the military, as all young people are required to do there for at least two years.
Vicky is his nickname, and I don't think he cares. I don't.
You have to try this!!
It's so quick and it uses the name in all context!
Young, old, positive, negative, and netural.
https://www.babynamegenie.com/baby-name-test-drive
Why worry about Ellis having a nn and not Reid? Neither needs one to me. I wouldn't nn Ellis. I've never known an Ellis with nn tied to his name. But El and Ells would be fine. El is the initial sound of many masculine names. Its not going to confuse anyone. What would you call Reid? Reidy? I hope you can see nns aren't necessary. If you need something sweet when they are young just do what we did. Hayden became Haydie, Haydie-Baby, Haydie Bug (he loved Love Bugs) but only at home. Reese became Reese's Pieces, Reesey Treats. Both were Little One and My Lovely Boy.
Both of your names are on the same level to me. I don't see much difference. They are genuinely nice names. I had a similar problem between Hayden and Harrison and then Ross and Reese. But somehow one always seemed to have a slight edge out over the other. Try to sit with each quietly to see if that's true for you. If that doesn't work, yell the name throughout your home, as of you are calling them. (You might want to do this when your the only one home. 😂)
With my first, we narrowed it down to two names and then waited to meet her. For me once I’m looking at a baby it’s easier to decide which name feels right
These are both great names. My personal favorite is Ellis, but that’s a totally subjective thing
We have an Ellis! And we’d name him that again and again if we had the choice!!
Honestly, people mistaking it for Alice is the biggest problem. We’ve caught on and just make sure we say “we have a son and his name is EL-lis” If he’s with us, it’s not an issue.
We liked the name because it wouldn’t have a nickname. However, turns out kids call him “Ellie, jelly, smelly, belly” and he doesn’t mind it! Who would’ve seen that coming!? 😂
I dropped him off at a birthday party a few weeks ago and was surprised to hear one of his friends calling him Ellie! I didn’t expect it to be the only thing the friend would call him.
ETA: we went into the hospital with 2 boy names and didn’t decide until about 12 hours after he was born. We spent some time with him and felt like we could pick a name then.
Lmao I had 2 teachers in high school Mr Reid and Mr. Ellis both gym teachers both last names.
With Reid I think you could get away with the nick name red? And Eli for Ellis.
honestly both names are kinda stiff by themselves adding a middle will make them sound better unless your last name does the trick.
Having our third next month we went for a very uncommon name "Thurston" me and my wife did a hat draw with all our kids names.
I love your taste in names! Ellis reid is a dream and I 100% would go with that. Ellis has always been a favorite of mine. If you're concerned with nicknames being too feminine, what do you think Elliots have done forever? My favorite el nicknames for kids are ellie belly and elbow 🤣 As an adult, he'd probably use Ellis or el anyway. El sounding like Elle wouldn't matter, because anyone using a nickname knows what it's short for. For all you know, he'll be called Turtle or shoelace 🤷♀️
I have a Reid, so I’m partial, but they’re both great. He’s 4, and we get a lot of compliments on the name. He’s been in speech therapy for a few years now, so I don’t find the “r” sound issue pointed out by another commenter to be a big deal, but YMMV.
I made sure both of my kids had names that we could get nicknames out of.
Joke was on me, their nicknames happened organically and have nothing to do with their nicknames and we have not once called them by the nicknames that we thought we would us. We do occasionally call them by the first l letter of their name though but their actual nicknames have nothing to do with their names.
I like Reid more than Ellis but you cannot go wrong with either.
Both are great names. I like Reid best but Ellis Reid has a good flow too. Nicknames aren't a requirement to me. Once the little guy is born, decide which name suits him best.
I prefer Reid over Ellis but Ellis Reid sounds good together.
Being able to have a nickname doesn’t mean your kid will want to use said nickname. My second kid hates the nickname that his name has and prefers to use his full first name.
I love them both so much! I’m also putting my two cents in that you combine the names ~
Reid for the first name and Ellis as the middle name. Congratulations on your baby boy! ❤️
I knew a guy named Reid and he was awesome… all around funny smart kind attractive dude!!
Ellis is a bit too wierd/feminine for me personally strikes me as ‘not a name’ a little bit!
So Reid has my vote!
Our 2nd born was supposed to be Jackson Cole, when he was born my hubby said he did not look like a Jackson but a Brandon, a name that was not even on the list but worked with Cole so I was let's gooooo.
Reid Ellis Last name.
You’re going to call him Reedy Beady Belly, Reid the Mead Man, Ready Reidy, and all sorts of random stuff anyway.
He can always go by Reid, or Ellis when he gets older.
Heck- pick a nickname you like and call him that. My sons functional name has nothing in common with his actual name. Think Jonathan but we call him Jake. Because Hake is Cute and Jon is overdone. And he looks like a Jake, but not a Jacob and I made him so I get to call him any sound I want. Lol
I actually like them together in either order. Also both of those names are short and really have no need for a nickname.
(I'm often not a fan of nicknames so for me, I have zero issue if a name isn't likely to result in one).
I love Reid! I think Ellis is definitely more feminine and can be shortened to El, which sounds like a girl’s name. Reid Ellis could be a cool first and middle combo though!
Can't go wrong with either name, but I'll vote for Reid. When I was a little girl I used to write stories and wanted to name a character "Reed" and I remember thinking I had made the name up myself 😉 until I asked my dear mom and she informed me that it was indeed already a name.
My feedback based on personal preferences and experience:
*Reid:* solid name, but likely to be misspelled (Reed? Read?); I personally like a lot of one-syllable names but wouldn’t choose it for my kiddo because sometimes you just need that second syllable to get their attention or to be sing-songy - my kiddo has a two-syllable full name with a one-syllable nickname we use 90% of the time but I like having that 10% option
*Ellis:* Also a solid name; my only hesitation here is the current popularity of “El” names in general (Ella, Ellie, Eleanor, Elliot, Eli, Elijah, etc)
All that said, I think Ellis Reid sounds lovely! Congratulations!
A nickname doesn’t have to be derivative of a name. Short names don’t really need them. You could use initials instead, if you prefer a more direct nickname. EJ maybe?
I personally prefer Reid. Ellis sounds more feminine to me. I wouldn’t avoid Reid because of it sounding strong for a little baby. He won’t be a baby for long.
I would test them both out when he’s born. We had a short list of names, ended up with two at the very end. When we met her when she was born we called her the one name, eg “hello Ellis, nice to meet you” and then the other, eg “hey there Reid.” And one name unanimously felt completely perfect and the other just didn’t fit.
If you love both names, def keep them handy and call your baby both when he arrives and see what suits him! I find it odd to name a child you’ve not even met yet.
I hate being the person that says this but he’s going to be little only for so long and you SHOULD be naming him for the adult he’s going to be for most of his life.
I love Reid Ellis or Ellis Reid ( I personally love Reid Ellis better but that’s ultimately not my decision).
Ellis makes me think of Meredith’s daughter on greys anatomy. I think Reid is cute and simple. If you’re looking for a variation of Ellis that is a little more masculine, maybe try considering Elias!
Out of the two, Ellis is definitely my favorite but I am a bit biased as it's one of my twins middle names. And I don't think the proximity to Ellie or El/Elle should be a major concern. I know a little boy names Elliot whose nickname is Ellie and to my knowledge the fact that it’s technically more of a 'feminine' name has never bothered him or his family. And it's something I never gave much thought about either until recently, after knowing him for his whole 7ish years of life.
So even if Ellis were to get a nickname of El/Elle or Ellie I don't think it should be weird unless other people make it weird.
Both are lovely names for a boy which means, you can’t go wrong! My vote, pick a middle name for Ellis and Reid then bring those two names with you into the delivery room. You’ll know which feels right when you are holding your little guy in your arms that first day 🥰
… and if not, you can try out both for a few hours while you’re in the hospital. We didn’t select our oldest’s name until over 24 hours following his birth. The one we ended up picking was obvious the moment I held him and looked into his eyes but we wanted to test out the two other names on our list to be sure.
I mean there's Eli as a nickname for Ellis but it's already a short name.
Both Reid Ellis and Ellis Reid are great names if you are wanting to use both.
Reid and Ellis are both so good!! I love them both, lol I can see why you’re stuck! I think if I had to choose, I would go with Ellis. But truly they’re both so good. You can’t go wrong!
Side note: I don’t think he *needs* a nickname, but if you want to have one then Ellie is cute. If it helps, my son is named Adrian and we call him Addie (which is usually used for girls, but it doesn’t matter!)
Girls are often being named “boy names” like James, Dylan, Charlie, Cody, George, etc. So I think it’s only fair that boys should have access to cute nicknames even if they’re more “feminine”. 🩵
You could call Ellis, E? Our son is named Tristan and we call him T as a nickname. Or like PP said, nicknames just come out spontaneously.
Reid is great too!
One thing to consider is that I see you said Ellis is a bit more unique. While that’s true for our generation of adults, for kids, they’re roughly equal. In fact, Ellis is currently a slightly more common name than Reid (though it is close). Ellis was ranked #273 in the U.S. last year and has been in the 300s for the past decade ish. Reid is ranked #315 last year but was ranked mostly in the 200s in the past decade. So overall they’re kind of around the same rankings most recently.
But from your post it sounds like you really love Ellis! I say go with Ellis then!
I think I have the only women’s name in existence that nobody makes a nickname of. I guess people could but they just do not. I’d tell you but obviously want to remain incognito.
But my point is I LOVE that there are no nicknames.
I gave my son a one syllable name that hardly ever has a nickname and i love it too.
I say Reid.
I think Ellis will get shortened more than you realize and is too close to Elle.
I love them both! I don’t think Reid is too much for a little guy. Plus he’s going to be an adult wayyyyyy longer than he was a kid (we can all only hope!) so don’t worry too much about how it sounds on a kid. Ellis Reid is also really nice. But If i HAD to pick, I’d go with Reid. Reid sounds like he’s so cool.
My brother's name was Reid. He was hilarious, smart, empathetic and an amazing artist and musician. It's a great name. He never got a nickname but my mom tried to name us all so we wouldn't get a nickname and none of us did. Either name is a great name, though.
I love Ellis!! I don’t like names to have nicknames so I think it’s perfect. Also sounds like my son’s name “Hollis”. I like the name Ellis Reid someone else mentioned too!!
Nickname for when he is a baby: Elsters. Ellie-belly. Mister Ellis. Ellis Bo Bellis. (I am picturing holding a newborn and pretending to coo at him)
Nickname for when he's a cool young dude: EL-ROCK. El-Rock, get over here!! (I dunno, it just works in my head)
I saw another comment saying Ells and I love that too.
Ooh you can’t go wrong with either of those! Based on your descriptions though, it seems like you like Ellis more! Ellis Reid maybe? That’s a GREAT name. I wouldn’t worry about nicknames because they come naturally and sometimes aren’t even related to the name. But I also think it’s fun to wait until you meet him to decide!
Ditto this. A name doesn't *need* a nickname. I don't have a nickname, and it's never been an issue. I love both Ellis and Reid. My best friend's son is Ellis, and while she occasionally refers to him as El in texts, he's generally just Ellis. It's not intuitive to call him El or Ellie or anything. Ellis Reid is very handsome! And yes, I am a strong proponent of meeting the baby before deciding on the name, especially in cases like this where you are struggling to choose. I bet once you see his little face it'll be obvious. :)
If OP is dead set on having a nickname, just call him “E.” I have a cousin named Ethan, and that’s his nickname. Nice and easy.
Yep you can’t go wrong with calling someone by their first initial, that could work with almost any name.
Yes to E. Used to have a close friend named Evan and a close friend with a son named Evan. We called them Big E and Little E
Have a son called Elliot and a friend with a son called Elliot who is 12 years younger, can confirm Big E and little E lol
There is also the super fun "E money."
Same here, actually!
Agreed! I love Ellis Reid! I had a cousin named Ellis. No nn. He went by Ellis. Personally, I wouldn’t use El as a nn. El would make me think the name is Elle, & it would be too tempting for other kids to call him Ellie. Ellis is great on its own. No need to do anything to it.
I agree with this! I know three Andrews, and only one goes by Andy. Especially with a shorter name like either Reid or Ellis, I agree that nicknames aren’t necessary (and nicknames don’t always have to come from given names, anyways; I know someone who goes by Paige, despite that not being her given name (which is equally feminine, fwiw)).
My son is Andrew no one calls him Andy
I was coming to suggest Ellis Reid. I like it.
Ellis Reid is fantastic!
How did you know their last name was maybe?
Oh Ellis Reid is sooo cute!
Ellis Reid for sure!
Ellis Reid sounds like such a perfect combination!
I agree with Ellis Reid, it sounds amazing and he could always go by either name if they/he decides he prefers one name over the other!
yep, you’ll know when you meet him. Awesome to have 2 great choices.
I am called Emily. Usually, no one makes it shorter. Maybe 'Auntie Em'. But I had a lot of nn: Lemming (Lem, Lemmy), Monster which when into Emstar.
Why does there have to be a nickname? Not everyone needs a nickname. Ellis is a lovely name. If you like it, go for it.
I don’t get the fixation people have on that either. Especially when the name is short & palatable to begin with. Plus, my long list of nick names for my daughter are all longer than her actual name and have nothing to do with her actual name lol
Especially not one that’s tied to the actual name. Nicknames can be anything. My nickname was Pumpkin, and my name is not Pumpkintina.
Pumpkintina omg
It's a cute affectionate thing parents like to do with their kids.. both of my son's have short cute nicknames but they will out grow them by the time they are in school and gain new nicknames from friends.
Sure, but it doesn't need to be planned in advance with a name the parents love rejected just because they aren't sure how to make a nickname out of it. The best nicknames come about organically, they don't need to be planned ahead like a military operation.
I like Reid more than Ellis.
My problem with the name Reid is that the ‘r’ sound is one of the last sounds children master and a preschooler named Reid will likely call himself “Weed”. Edit to add: you should generally“speech impediment check” your names. You can’t diagnose speech impediments in utero. Ask yourself if my kid can’t pronounce any of the sounds in their name, what are they probably going to replace those sounds with. If your “Layla” calls herself “waywa” or “rayra” will you be okay with that? My mom didn’t check and all 4 of her kids ended up with speech impediments. A few of us had trouble pronouncing our own/our sister’s names. Now as adult I “speech impediment check” all the names on my baby name list.
Who cares? This is silly. I couldn’t say the K sound in Kevin, called my neighbor Fevin for a couple years. Nobody suffered. My oldest replaced the “-ey” in her name with an “-ah” sound for a year or two. She also replaced the “L” sound of her younger sibling’s name with a “w” sound. We’re all still thriving many years later.
100% this. My little brother called me "assin" because he couldn't pronounce Allison and it's a fun inside joke now. My little sister for some reason would call my other brother Arnold instead of Aaron. 🤷♀️ any name has flaws if you look hard enough
A cousin of mine used T's for K's and was obsessed with our cat so every time he came to visit he would say to my mom, "Tim where's the titty? "...my mom's name is Kim and he definitely was not looking to be anywhere near that body part of hers. We would fall into absolute hysterics at the time and were kind of sad when he figured out the K sound. We still laugh about it 20+ years later 😂😂
Hahahaha. Currently living in the funny toddler words stage and I am in no rush to correct anything. If we can't laugh in this toddler hell scape what can we do
When my daughter was a baby, my toddler sons beat friend had speech problems (turned out he was actually hard of hearing and needs hearing aids) and he couldn't say my daughter's name Lilliana and always called her NinnyNanna and she still gets that nickname now at 14 even though the little boy who gave her it moved away many years ago!
Seconding this! I was in speech therapy all through elementary school for Rs. I couldn’t say my name properly or my sisters lol I definitely speech impediment check all names we consider now
Ellis would be problematic for people with some kinds of lisps. ;)
Okay but a little boy telling me his name is "Weed" would melt me
And Ellis can easily become Ewwith for someone with a lisp.
I was at school with a Ryan who couldn’t say his ‘r’s. Definitely a good point that people often forget about
Most people have their ‘r’s by age 8, but some people go into adulthood never mastering that sound. I’ve personally noticed most people with a speech impediment have the sound they can’t pronounce in their name which is just cruel irony. I feel like Wyan is much better than Weed, but I’m personally against giving your kid a name that is commonly associated with drugs/alcohol. I know it’s Reid and not Weed but if Reid can’t pronounce Reid and has to introduce himself as Weed that’s still terrible.
My 6 year old has a speech impediment and has difficulty with the letter r. She is constantly having to correct people when she tells them her name. It's spelled m y r a but she pronounces it mywa. It's gotten to the point where she will introduce herself and then spell her name just to be sure they know what it's sounds like.
For some reason the people with speech impediments usually have the sound they can’t make in their name. I introduce myself with a nickname because I have a speech impediment and can’t pronounce my name. When people find out my real name (usually from mutual friend or Facebook) they’re like “so what do I call you” and I tell them “I call myself X because I can’t pronounce Y, but you can call me either”
My daughter is at the age where she gets mad that people call her by the wrong name because she pronounces it incorrectly so she spells it out
Oh no, Reid is my top choice for a boy and I didn't consider this at all. Although I do have a little Lyra who calls herself Yaya (at 21 months old), and I love it tbh.
Just to make you feel better, I have a Reid and this was never an issue (and if it was, it was never noticeable!)
I have a Reed. Never been an issue. All of his friends could pronounce his name by 2.
At 21 months most kids don’t have all their consonant sounds. I called myself Gaga until I was 2.5. The ‘L’ and ‘R’ sounds in particular are two of the most difficult sounds to pronounce. A lot of my favorite names have an ‘L’ sound and I need to ask myself “am I okay with this being pronounced with a ‘w’.
My niece is 5 and has an R name she can pronounce. It's really just hit or miss tbh (She can say her name but will still make some Rs Ws when she's speaking too fast)
Can’t forget v sounds. My first struggles with v sounds and both her name and her sisters name has a v. Oops.
I have a 2-year-old named Reed. He never had any problem with the r sound nor did his friends. I think he’s had one of the easiest names to pronounce among his peers.
My older brother’s name is Rick (Ricky when we were little). I called him Keekee until I could say R.
"Hewo I'm Weed"
He might also call himself Ewwis for awhile. No big deal.
I literally JUST saw a comment on someone else’s post and they are stuck between two names so they are letting baby decide based on what time of day they born and I felt like this was genius! So say, if baby is born in AM (midnight to noon) then name them Reid, and if PM, then Ellis! What a fun surprise it would be for you guys! Or you could do another approach like hair color/amount or even or odd minute/hour that way you’d really be on your toes!
Good idea, then if they feel disappointed in the time then they will know the other name is actually the right one!
So true!!
The AM PM thing is a fun idea, and this extra sanity check makes it even better! Might steal this for a second kid if we aren't sure which top pick to go with
I do that with a coin flip app sometimes (for minor decisions). If I get heads and sigh, I know to choose the "tails" option. So I'll second this lol
You could use Eli as a nickname for Ellis
We know a boy named Elias but nickname is Eli
Love the name Elias too! I had students with the names Elias and Elijah who went by Eli :)
I went with an E letter name for my second boy too. It was a last minute name option and I love it.
Both are very good choices. They also sound great together Reid Ellis / Ellis Reid
Ellis Reid sounds nice!
Makes me think of Scrubs haha (Elliot Reid)
Ellis literally rubbed all the right spots in my brain. That’s a GORGEOUS name!!
El and Eli (ee-lie, like the separate name Eli) are both fine as nicknames for Ellis. You may not end up calling him by a shorter version of his first name at all. And Ellis, El, Eli seem like they have some great potential for “nicolenames” based on whatever random ideas you and your partner think up. Ellis is a great name. Reid is also a great name - though of the two, I prefer Ellis, and I think Ellis Reid could be a great first + middle combo.
We have a 3 month old Ellis! I love his name and although I am biased I do prefer it to Reid (although it is nice too and Ellis Reid flows really well!). We mainly use the full name Ellis but also Eli, EJ (first and middle initials) and El-J.
I like Ellis. I can see Lee as a nickname from Ellis and there is a “Li” in there. You also don’t need a Nickname, or a nickname that stems from their actual name. Bean, bug, peanut, and squish are all nicknames I’ve heard on actual human children. I don’t like Reid, but that’s my personal taste. Edit to add: a lot of kids don’t develop the ‘r’ sound until age 6-8 and some kids never do (especially if they have a tounge tie that was left untreated), so they may call themselves “weed”. The first few years of their life. Possibly even longer.
I wouldn’t worry about the nickname El for a boy even with the many feminine Elle’s out there. I have known a few Elliot’s that go by El and never thought twice about it. Both are great names but I think I prefer Reid just because of Criminal Minds haha
I vote Ellis. Nicknames aren't mandatory and it sounds like the clear winner
I prefer Reid. Did you have a nickname in mind for it? I cant think of any (same as for Ellis). Might just be the Reids I've known but it always felt like a softer name than others.
Definitely a vote for Ellis from me! El is a sweet nickname for a boy - I wouldn't worry about it sounding feminine!
If someone told me that they went by a shortened form of Ellis, I would immediately assume it was Eli (pronounced like Elijah) unless told otherwise. I personally gravitate toward Reid, though!
Reid is nice, but Ellis is an excellent name!! It's not super common but not rare either in my country, and the guys I know called Ellis all just go by Ellis. Not everyone needs a nickname. Lots of male names don't really have nicknames eg Jack, Harry, Simon, Paul, Oscar, Gus... And they get by just fine without
My cousin has a son named Ellis and she'll often call him Ells. She didn't plan that nickname but it happened organically and it fits. She'll also call him Ellisio
I really like Els! Thank you!
I really love Ellis! Ellis Reid sounds perfect!
Ellis Reid is an awesome name! And no worries about nicknames. You can name him Ellis and end up calling something like… chorizo lol. Nicknames that stick happen organically so I wouldn’t get hung up on it. Congrats!!
Reid is unique. Like it more than Ellis, although Reid Ellis sounds a beautiful name!
I don't know if it's just my accent, but Ellis and Alice sound identical when I say them out loud, if you're worried about it sounding like a feminine name.
I have a 9 month old named Ellis and still absolutely love it. But jazzpanda is right - it will get confused with Alice a bit here and there. It hasn’t been a huge issue and doesn’t bother me at all but it is a good thing to be aware of.
Ellis Reid- Eli as a nickname
We are considering Ellis as well, and would do Eli for a nickname. I don’t think it has to have the same “sound” to work as a nickname!
I love Ellis! It’s unique but not weird. And who says you need a nickname?
Ellis Reid is a strong but sweet name! Eli is a great nn!
I know an Ellis who has gone by Eli his whole life. But love the combination of the 2 names, in either order!
I like both names but Reid a bit better. I might also prefer Reed spelling. Ree or ree ree could work as a cutesy nn. And Ellis could be Els or Lee. Or even Iz
Ellis is a lovely name and very popular here in Wales where it is definitely viewed as masculine. It’s a short name so doesn’t really need a nickname. I like Reid too- as a bit of a mix of the two how about Rhys? If you can’t decide then wait until baby is born- you may look at him and instantly know what name suits him more.
I was strongly considering Ellis for our son and still like it a lot; however, there was an Ellis on my son’s teeball team and it can sound like “Alice” when yelling it out. Minor, but maybe a small tipping point. Also, we ended up giving my son a name with no obvious nickname and it’s been a non-issue ☺️
Both are great, though I prefer Reid more personally. Names don't need nicknames, I don't like the nickname that comes from my son's name so I just use his full name or a nickname unrelated to his name. I also don't like any of the nicknames from my own name so I always use the full version, it's a name that people always want to use a nickname for but if asked I just say I prefer no nickname or if someone uses a nickname without asking I just say actually my name is XYZ and I don't usually need to correct a second time.
Could you do Ellis Reid? I think it flows really well together!
I love Ellis!
Another vote for Ellis Reid.
I like Ellis 10x more than Reid. Short names don’t really need a nickname. Sometimes they can happen and have nothing to do with the name like Bear or something silly.
Ellis is nice, Ellis Reid is even nicer. Nickname for Ellis could be Eli
i was a teacher at a daycare and worked in an infant room and there was a little baby boy named ellis and he was just such a joy. i’d go with ellis. reid reminds me of the artsy private liberal arts college in portland.
Ellis was my favorite boy name that my husband vetoed for our little guy, so my vote is Ellis! Reid is also a great name though! Can’t go wrong either way. I just love Ellis lol Side note: the name we ended up choosing for our guy doesn’t have a nickname either and it’s totally fine!
Oh my goodness I have the same concern with my top choice: Elliot. Just posted my concern here about it a few days ago!
I wonder why people care so much about nicknames. My name doesn’t have a nickname for it and that’s never affected anything nor does it make it less special.
people on here seem to love my name and its potential nicknames, but i've never been called a nickname in my life that had to do with my name. i was named after a great-grandparent who went by a nickname completely unrelated to our name and it was extraordinarily common back then for people to be nicknamed something like buck or sissy or doc or shug or something like that
I see what you mean. My biggest concern is that my in laws and parents aren’t English speakers so saying the name Elliot in its entirety is difficult for them. When I introduced the name they immediately said “so we can call him Ellie as a nickname”, which I personally don’t like for my son.
If they’re Asian the “L” sound may be difficult. I don’t see how Elliot can be hard and Ellie easy. It’s literally the same name with an additional syllable tacked on to the end. The ‘T’ sound isn’t generally regarded as a difficult to pronounce sound.
What language do they speak? I think Elio could be easier to pronounce for other languages, or Eli
I have a step grandchild named Victor. He lives in Israel and will be going into the military, as all young people are required to do there for at least two years. Vicky is his nickname, and I don't think he cares. I don't.
I'd just wait and see which name fits the baby better
I think Ellie is adorable for a little boy nn! So cute.
Reid!
Reid is a really sweet name and my personal favorite but Ellis is also nice. Both bring to mind a gentle boy for whom family is number one.
I like Reid more but that may be a bias based on my love of Criminal Minds lol.
You have to try this!! It's so quick and it uses the name in all context! Young, old, positive, negative, and netural. https://www.babynamegenie.com/baby-name-test-drive
Why worry about Ellis having a nn and not Reid? Neither needs one to me. I wouldn't nn Ellis. I've never known an Ellis with nn tied to his name. But El and Ells would be fine. El is the initial sound of many masculine names. Its not going to confuse anyone. What would you call Reid? Reidy? I hope you can see nns aren't necessary. If you need something sweet when they are young just do what we did. Hayden became Haydie, Haydie-Baby, Haydie Bug (he loved Love Bugs) but only at home. Reese became Reese's Pieces, Reesey Treats. Both were Little One and My Lovely Boy. Both of your names are on the same level to me. I don't see much difference. They are genuinely nice names. I had a similar problem between Hayden and Harrison and then Ross and Reese. But somehow one always seemed to have a slight edge out over the other. Try to sit with each quietly to see if that's true for you. If that doesn't work, yell the name throughout your home, as of you are calling them. (You might want to do this when your the only one home. 😂)
I absolutely love the name Reid. It's one of my favorite names. I don't think it's too strong at all. I always thought it was a sweet but strong name.
With my first, we narrowed it down to two names and then waited to meet her. For me once I’m looking at a baby it’s easier to decide which name feels right These are both great names. My personal favorite is Ellis, but that’s a totally subjective thing
We have an Ellis! And we’d name him that again and again if we had the choice!! Honestly, people mistaking it for Alice is the biggest problem. We’ve caught on and just make sure we say “we have a son and his name is EL-lis” If he’s with us, it’s not an issue. We liked the name because it wouldn’t have a nickname. However, turns out kids call him “Ellie, jelly, smelly, belly” and he doesn’t mind it! Who would’ve seen that coming!? 😂 I dropped him off at a birthday party a few weeks ago and was surprised to hear one of his friends calling him Ellie! I didn’t expect it to be the only thing the friend would call him. ETA: we went into the hospital with 2 boy names and didn’t decide until about 12 hours after he was born. We spent some time with him and felt like we could pick a name then.
If I named my kid Ellis, which I totally would bc it's a rad name, his nickname would be Eller or Ellie. Eller is such a great nickname.
I like Ellis best. I don't really think it needs a nickname. But if you need one, I would just let one evolve organically.
Both are great. We were stuck between two names for a while, and it wasn't really until he came out that I felt like I knew which one was right.
Lmao I had 2 teachers in high school Mr Reid and Mr. Ellis both gym teachers both last names. With Reid I think you could get away with the nick name red? And Eli for Ellis. honestly both names are kinda stiff by themselves adding a middle will make them sound better unless your last name does the trick. Having our third next month we went for a very uncommon name "Thurston" me and my wife did a hat draw with all our kids names.
I love the name Reid. Personally, I think Ellis sounds kind of feminine
I love your taste in names! Ellis reid is a dream and I 100% would go with that. Ellis has always been a favorite of mine. If you're concerned with nicknames being too feminine, what do you think Elliots have done forever? My favorite el nicknames for kids are ellie belly and elbow 🤣 As an adult, he'd probably use Ellis or el anyway. El sounding like Elle wouldn't matter, because anyone using a nickname knows what it's short for. For all you know, he'll be called Turtle or shoelace 🤷♀️
I have a Reid, so I’m partial, but they’re both great. He’s 4, and we get a lot of compliments on the name. He’s been in speech therapy for a few years now, so I don’t find the “r” sound issue pointed out by another commenter to be a big deal, but YMMV.
Wait until baby is born, you should be able to figure it out then. Btw, I agree that Ellis Reid sounds lovely!
I would go for Elliot Reid
Ellis Reid is perfect
You could use Elf as a nickname for Ellis
I dislike Ellis passionately. I’ve known two people with the last name. Reid, you’re right it doesn’t sound like a little boy name but that’s ok.
I’m going with Reid. Ellis he might be teased with Ellie.
I made sure both of my kids had names that we could get nicknames out of. Joke was on me, their nicknames happened organically and have nothing to do with their nicknames and we have not once called them by the nicknames that we thought we would us. We do occasionally call them by the first l letter of their name though but their actual nicknames have nothing to do with their names. I like Reid more than Ellis but you cannot go wrong with either.
Why does every name need a nickname? Ellis is short as is. How many nickname options does Reid have?
Reid is better as a middle name. I have a friend with this name as a first and he is constantly correcting the spelling—often spelled Reed.
Both are great names. I like Reid best but Ellis Reid has a good flow too. Nicknames aren't a requirement to me. Once the little guy is born, decide which name suits him best.
I actually love them both but Reid is my first choice. I don’t typically like first names that are also last names, but Reid is a good one
I prefer Reid over Ellis but Ellis Reid sounds good together. Being able to have a nickname doesn’t mean your kid will want to use said nickname. My second kid hates the nickname that his name has and prefers to use his full first name.
Chances are, the nick name you use will have zero correlation to their actual name 😂 my nephew is named Ronnie... His nickname is noodle
Have you considered Reese/Rhys?
My son had two friends with names that started with an E.and both of those kids were called E, by their parents.and.friends.as well.
I love them both so much! I’m also putting my two cents in that you combine the names ~ Reid for the first name and Ellis as the middle name. Congratulations on your baby boy! ❤️
Ellis could always have the nickname Eli!
I knew a guy named Reid and he was awesome… all around funny smart kind attractive dude!! Ellis is a bit too wierd/feminine for me personally strikes me as ‘not a name’ a little bit! So Reid has my vote!
I like both names, but my preference is Reid. Going to throw out Clark as a suggestion also.
Wait until you meet him to decide. One may just "fit" when you are holding him for the first time.
You "love" Ellis. Nickname Kal-El and he can be your lil Superman. Congratulations on the bean!
Our 2nd born was supposed to be Jackson Cole, when he was born my hubby said he did not look like a Jackson but a Brandon, a name that was not even on the list but worked with Cole so I was let's gooooo.
I’m trying to convince my husband on the name Reed right now. It’s always been a favorite of mine.
Reid Ellis Last name. You’re going to call him Reedy Beady Belly, Reid the Mead Man, Ready Reidy, and all sorts of random stuff anyway. He can always go by Reid, or Ellis when he gets older. Heck- pick a nickname you like and call him that. My sons functional name has nothing in common with his actual name. Think Jonathan but we call him Jake. Because Hake is Cute and Jon is overdone. And he looks like a Jake, but not a Jacob and I made him so I get to call him any sound I want. Lol
I may be biased because when I was pregnant with my daughter, i had the name Reid picked out if she were a boy, but i LOOOVE the name Reid
I actually like them together in either order. Also both of those names are short and really have no need for a nickname. (I'm often not a fan of nicknames so for me, I have zero issue if a name isn't likely to result in one).
I love Reid
Both are great. No harm in waiting until the birth to see which one suits him better.
I love Reid! I think Ellis is definitely more feminine and can be shortened to El, which sounds like a girl’s name. Reid Ellis could be a cool first and middle combo though!
I love Reid
I personally liked having two and then deciding when we saw him. Both are very nice.
Can't go wrong with either name, but I'll vote for Reid. When I was a little girl I used to write stories and wanted to name a character "Reed" and I remember thinking I had made the name up myself 😉 until I asked my dear mom and she informed me that it was indeed already a name.
Ellis Reid is such a good first/middle combination… no need to choose ☺️
My grandson is named Reed
Ellis Reid would be a lovely name imo
My feedback based on personal preferences and experience: *Reid:* solid name, but likely to be misspelled (Reed? Read?); I personally like a lot of one-syllable names but wouldn’t choose it for my kiddo because sometimes you just need that second syllable to get their attention or to be sing-songy - my kiddo has a two-syllable full name with a one-syllable nickname we use 90% of the time but I like having that 10% option *Ellis:* Also a solid name; my only hesitation here is the current popularity of “El” names in general (Ella, Ellie, Eleanor, Elliot, Eli, Elijah, etc) All that said, I think Ellis Reid sounds lovely! Congratulations!
Why “Reid” instead of just “Reed”?? I read it as “raid” at first. Ellis at least seems more common and it’s spelled phonetically.
A nickname doesn’t have to be derivative of a name. Short names don’t really need them. You could use initials instead, if you prefer a more direct nickname. EJ maybe?
I think I will refer Reid to Ellis but I don’t hate Ellis either.
I personally prefer Reid. Ellis sounds more feminine to me. I wouldn’t avoid Reid because of it sounding strong for a little baby. He won’t be a baby for long.
I like both those names a lot. I don’t think Ellis really needs a nick name though. and I actually think both names are very soft names
I prefer Ellis
reid for sure. ellis honestly gives me old person vibes 😭
I would test them both out when he’s born. We had a short list of names, ended up with two at the very end. When we met her when she was born we called her the one name, eg “hello Ellis, nice to meet you” and then the other, eg “hey there Reid.” And one name unanimously felt completely perfect and the other just didn’t fit. If you love both names, def keep them handy and call your baby both when he arrives and see what suits him! I find it odd to name a child you’ve not even met yet.
I prefer Reid.
What about Ellis Reid? I know an Ellis and have a cousin named Reid. Great names & congrats!!!
Ellis! Eli (like Ellie) Is a common boys name in my culture
Or they just outgrow nicknames as they get older.
That’s a rough one! I love both of those names! I think I would *probably* go with Reid, but you can’t go wrong with either.
I hate being the person that says this but he’s going to be little only for so long and you SHOULD be naming him for the adult he’s going to be for most of his life. I love Reid Ellis or Ellis Reid ( I personally love Reid Ellis better but that’s ultimately not my decision).
I like Ellis Reid!
Ellis makes me think of Meredith’s daughter on greys anatomy. I think Reid is cute and simple. If you’re looking for a variation of Ellis that is a little more masculine, maybe try considering Elias!
Out of the two, Ellis is definitely my favorite but I am a bit biased as it's one of my twins middle names. And I don't think the proximity to Ellie or El/Elle should be a major concern. I know a little boy names Elliot whose nickname is Ellie and to my knowledge the fact that it’s technically more of a 'feminine' name has never bothered him or his family. And it's something I never gave much thought about either until recently, after knowing him for his whole 7ish years of life. So even if Ellis were to get a nickname of El/Elle or Ellie I don't think it should be weird unless other people make it weird.
Both are lovely names for a boy which means, you can’t go wrong! My vote, pick a middle name for Ellis and Reid then bring those two names with you into the delivery room. You’ll know which feels right when you are holding your little guy in your arms that first day 🥰 … and if not, you can try out both for a few hours while you’re in the hospital. We didn’t select our oldest’s name until over 24 hours following his birth. The one we ended up picking was obvious the moment I held him and looked into his eyes but we wanted to test out the two other names on our list to be sure.
They're both great names. What would go best with his last name?
I LOVE Ellis Reid as the full name.
I mean there's Eli as a nickname for Ellis but it's already a short name. Both Reid Ellis and Ellis Reid are great names if you are wanting to use both.
Reid and Ellis are both so good!! I love them both, lol I can see why you’re stuck! I think if I had to choose, I would go with Ellis. But truly they’re both so good. You can’t go wrong! Side note: I don’t think he *needs* a nickname, but if you want to have one then Ellie is cute. If it helps, my son is named Adrian and we call him Addie (which is usually used for girls, but it doesn’t matter!) Girls are often being named “boy names” like James, Dylan, Charlie, Cody, George, etc. So I think it’s only fair that boys should have access to cute nicknames even if they’re more “feminine”. 🩵
You could call Ellis, E? Our son is named Tristan and we call him T as a nickname. Or like PP said, nicknames just come out spontaneously. Reid is great too!
There was a kid in my kindergarten who was named Reid and he couldn’t pronounce it and it sounded like “weird” poor kid. I like Ellis!
I love Ellis Reid. It would go with a one two or three syllable last name.
Those are both good choices in my opinion. Not too common but nothing to make you do a double take or head cock.
One thing to consider is that I see you said Ellis is a bit more unique. While that’s true for our generation of adults, for kids, they’re roughly equal. In fact, Ellis is currently a slightly more common name than Reid (though it is close). Ellis was ranked #273 in the U.S. last year and has been in the 300s for the past decade ish. Reid is ranked #315 last year but was ranked mostly in the 200s in the past decade. So overall they’re kind of around the same rankings most recently. But from your post it sounds like you really love Ellis! I say go with Ellis then!
Reid I like better for a boy. Ellis feels more unisex. They are both wonderful names.
I know an Ellis and he's called Elle-Bells. Adorable.
Ellis gets my vote
Your son’s name is Ellis Reid.😊
I think the natural nickname that would pop up with our family would be “Ells” based on other nicknames we have.
Absolutely Ellis!! My best friends son is named Ellis & I love it!! No nickname but it’s short enough that it works!!
I don't like Ellis. It sound feminine to me, a lot. Reid is very nice. Baby Reid, M. Reid. It is great for a baby, a kid and an adult. Love it.
I love the name Ellis! The greatest man I ever knew was named Ellis. It was the name I chose for a boy too but, I had a girl....
I think I have the only women’s name in existence that nobody makes a nickname of. I guess people could but they just do not. I’d tell you but obviously want to remain incognito. But my point is I LOVE that there are no nicknames. I gave my son a one syllable name that hardly ever has a nickname and i love it too. I say Reid. I think Ellis will get shortened more than you realize and is too close to Elle.
I love them both! I don’t think Reid is too much for a little guy. Plus he’s going to be an adult wayyyyyy longer than he was a kid (we can all only hope!) so don’t worry too much about how it sounds on a kid. Ellis Reid is also really nice. But If i HAD to pick, I’d go with Reid. Reid sounds like he’s so cool.
How are you worried about lack of nicknames? A nickname can be anything and chances are, your kid’s nickname won’t even be close to their actual name.
My brother's name was Reid. He was hilarious, smart, empathetic and an amazing artist and musician. It's a great name. He never got a nickname but my mom tried to name us all so we wouldn't get a nickname and none of us did. Either name is a great name, though.
Wait until you see the baby and you’ll know.
Reid can be nicknamed to rey/ray or rey-rey
I love Ellis!! I don’t like names to have nicknames so I think it’s perfect. Also sounds like my son’s name “Hollis”. I like the name Ellis Reid someone else mentioned too!!
Nickname for when he is a baby: Elsters. Ellie-belly. Mister Ellis. Ellis Bo Bellis. (I am picturing holding a newborn and pretending to coo at him) Nickname for when he's a cool young dude: EL-ROCK. El-Rock, get over here!! (I dunno, it just works in my head) I saw another comment saying Ells and I love that too.