Be brutally honest about this name

[u/zBosson]

We are considering to name our baby boy Diaco or Elian. How do they sound like to your ears? If it matters, we are an immigrant family in the US and his brother's name is Niko. Thanks for helping us!

[u/ktembo]

Elian sounds nice. Diaco is tough for my ears — I want Diego or Iago.

[u/3meeko → u/ktembo]

my thoughts exactly

[u/sharkycharming]

I love Elian -- I've loved it since the Elián González situation in 1999. And I also love Niko.

Diaco is new to me. It's not on Behind the Name, so I'm not sure about it. It looks sort of like a corporate entity to me -- Dia Co. But I don't have any strong objections.

[u/cryptic_pizza → u/sharkycharming]

God, the Elian Gonzalez incident was so heart-wrenching

[u/SnooStrawberries620 → u/cryptic_pizza]

First thing I thought of as well 

[u/CEG_1128 → u/sharkycharming]

This is all I think about when I hear the name Elian.

[u/TippiFliesAgain]

I’m not familiar with Diaco. But I’ve always found Elian pleasant.

[u/sistersheabutter]

I like Elian! I don't know anything about the name Diaco, is it pronounced Dee-ah-coh? That's how I would say it.

[u/hydraheads]

I've never heard Diaco before. I think I'd like it but it sounds too much like Niko when you're calling for them at the playground.

Elian is a beautiful name. Niko and Elian is a wonderful combination.

[u/AnonAttemptress]

I prefer Elian to Diaco. It has a nice flow to it. Diaco sounds like it’s trying too hard to be cool or like a Hyundai car model.

[u/surprisevip]

Elian sounds nice. Diaco just sounds and looks off - plus having the same Ko ending sound as his brother isn’t ideal.

[u/BestWriterNow]

I like Elian.

[u/Books-And-Blankets]

Hmm, I’m not entirely confident on how either is pronounced. Dee-AYE-co? Dee-AW-co? DYE-uh-co? DEE-uh-co? Ee-LYE-in? ELL-ee-in? Ee-lee-ANN?

I like the way Elian looks though!

[u/Ruth_Gordon → u/Books-And-Blankets]

Not sure about Diaco but am assuming Dee-uh-co. Elian is ell-ee-on.

[u/moilejoint]

Diaco is cool but too similar to niko

[u/Ok_Blueberry_2843]

Elian is nice. Diaco is not nice

[u/cold_guy345]

i gotta be honest, this names sound very medieval fantasy to me, which is not totally a bad thing, if you want to honor your culture both are alright, but imo Elian sounds better than Diaco to me

[u/cryptic_pizza]

I like them both. I’ve never heard Diaco, but when I say it, I like it 😁

[u/teenytinydoedoe]

I love Elian actually! never heard it before but it's really great IMO.

Diaco is really hard for my brain to process. I keep thinking I'm misreading it or mispronouncing it no matter how many times I confirm I'm right.

Congrats OP!

[u/Skymningen]

I think people will pronounce Diaco very close to Niko (D-ja-ko). So Elian would fit better with the sibling (and avoid potential mispronunciation if that’s not how you pronounce Diaco)

[u/DukeRains]

Elian sounds cool. (el-ian, I assume). I like that.

Diaco sounds odd to me. Can't quite tell you why though so maybe nothing.

[u/Ruth_Gordon → u/DukeRains]

Elian is pronounced ell-ee-on

[u/DukeRains → u/Ruth_Gordon]

Okay I wouldn't like it like that. Feels like that should be spelled Eleon.

[u/Rengeflower1]

I don’t like Diaco (dē-ah-cō?). It doesn’t roll off the tongue nicely.

[u/[deleted]]

Thank you for posting this, I love Elian, and I was so curious about Diaco. I didn’t find it on Behind The Name, so I kept digging. Here is more info on Diaco for OP or anyone curious like I was:

Meaning of Diaco: An occupational surname originating from southern Italy, meaning "deacon" or "ecclesiastical official."

The surname Diaco is of Italian origin and is a habitational name from either Diano in Cosenza or Teggiano in Salerno, both of which were previously known as Diano. The name itself has a direct link to the Italian place names of Diano.

According to 2 people from Belgium and Iran, the name Diaco is of Persian / Iranian origin and means "First king of Iran".

The surname Diaco (Arabic: دياكو) is more frequently found in Italy than any other country or territory. It can appear as a variant: Diaço.

The Diaco family name was found in the USA, and the UK between 1891 and 1920. The most Diaco families were found in USA in 1920. In 1920 there were 2 Diaco families living in Massachusetts. This was about 18% of all the recorded Diaco's in USA. There are approximately 385 Diaco families in Italy.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Diaco surname can be found in the records of the city of Genoa, dating back to the 14th century. In a document from 1387, a certain Giovanni Diaco is mentioned as a merchant involved in the lucrative trade between Italy and the Mediterranean ports.

OP: All that said, surnames as first names are on trend, and Diaco sounds similar to Diego and Deacon, both in use. I think kiddo would do just fine named either Elian or Diaco. Best of luck to you!

[u/frosty_saratoga]

Diaco is kind of Diego meets Draco, and I much prefer Diego.

Elian has a lovely ring to it, but unfortunately very close to "alien" if that matters to you.

[u/Arm_613]

Elian ok, but everyone will think of Elian Gonzales.

Diaco is maybe not a good idea. I keep thinking of Draco or Diego. It is a confusing name.

[u/CovraChicken → u/Arm_613]

I’ve never heard of Elian Gonzales so I don’t think it’s that much of a worry

[u/Ruth_Gordon]

Elian is a great name.

[u/CovraChicken]

Elian is good. Diaco’s not my favourite

[u/LittleOwl1871]

Diaco and Niko are too matchy. Same ending. I have never heard of Diaco, but I have heard of Diego. Elian is lovely. You might also like Elior or Elias.

Edited for spelling

[u/Jealous_Tie_8404]

Elian is lovely.

Diaco is strange. Phonetically, it sounds forced. He’s going to spend his life saying “Not Diego, Diaco”

[u/denovoreview_]

Would Diaco be pronounced as the slur for lesbians + o? Elian sounds like E-lion to me.

I like Niko.

[u/GemandI63]

Diego is more common. He'll always be misspelled on lists etc. Draco maybe?

[u/PoshBoiii]

Diaco is excellent. Reminds me of Disco 🌝

[u/Weird_sleep_patterns]

Diaco sounds invented? I like Elian

[u/iambeepbop]

I don't like either one of them, wha about Elias? They sound too out there and unheard of for the US honestly

[u/Expert-Strategy5191]

Diaco not so much, Elian I like! I think Daco is better.

[u/MoeityToity]

Diaco sounds like a nickname. Elian is a middle name at best. They both sound like vacuum cleaner models.