Jarrod writes:
Looking for some help here with a boys name. I have a son Flynn Andrew, 5, and a daughter Piper Jane, 3. We have a boy coming in less than a month, and are struggling with a name…..or maybe I am.
The boys middle name will be “William,” after my father-in-law. My wife loves the name “Cash,” and I like it, but am struggling with Cash meaning money. We really like names that are unusual, and names that are traditionally last names. Also, we like one syllable names.
Can you give us your opinion on Cash, and how it goes with the other kids names?
Thanks for your help.
I, too, always think of money whenever I hear the name Cash. It’s too bad, because that name has a lot going for it: it’s strong but it’s softened by its ending; it’s unusual but familiar; it’s easy to spell and pronounce. But I always think of cash money and cold hard cash. This is one of the downfalls of Noun Names.
Let’s see if we can find some other names to choose from. I like to start by seeing what The Baby Name Wizard suggests as brother names for the children you have already:
Flynn: Keane, Hayes, Fife, Archer, Wynn
Piper: Reece, Carter, Finn, Walker, Riley
Well, it’s always hit-and-miss. I mean, seriously: Wynn as a brother for Flynn? Flynn and Wynn? And Fife looks took much like Fifi to me. And of course Finn isn’t going to work.
But Keane seems like a very good option: one-syllable, unusual, and a surname name. It has the same hard-C sound as Cash. It’s great with your other children’s names: Flynn, Piper, and Keane. And it’s good with the middle name: Keane William. I love it. Hayes and Reece seem good, too, although I’d use alternate spelling Rhys to avoid reminding people of Reese Witherspoon.
Some more one-syllable options:
Beck
Cade
Clark
Dane
Ford
Gage
Graham
Grant
Nash
Reid
Tate
Teague
From that list, my favorites with Flynn and Piper are Beck, Graham, Reid, Tate, and Teague: they all have the same happy sound. Teague seems like a particularly good candidate: Teague William; Flynn, Piper, and Teague. Tied with that is Keane, which I think is just about perfect on all counts. Those are the two I’d put my money on, speaking of cash.
All you really asked, though, was whether I thought Cash went with your other kids’ names. I think it’s not a clash, but not a perfect fit, either. Flynn and Piper have a lighthearted, almost whimsical sound; Cash has more of a preppy sound (if it makes you picture expensive suits and slick hair) or a country sound (if it makes you think of Johnny Cash). I would put Cash with siblings such as Brooks and Sloane, or with Ty and Wyatt. But again, I think it works fine with Flynn and Piper, too.
The rest of us, let’s vote! I put Cash along with my favorites in the poll at right [poll closed; see below], but of course you can do write-ins in the comment section.
[Poll results:
Cash: 17 votes, roughly 10%
Keane: 49 votes, roughly 29%
Beck: 18 votes, roughly 11%
Graham: 11 votes, roughly 7%
Reid: 33 votes, roughly 20%
Tate: 19 votes, roughly 11%
Teague: 22 votes, roughly 13%]
My husband actually knows TWO people named Teague! And they both work in the same small profession in the same town! Crazy, because it seems so unusual and hip. I voted for that one. I have also seen the alternate spelling of Tieg, which I think is cool, too.
This one is hard! Flynn and Piper are so distinctive. I’ll have to think on this one for a while.
I chose Keane, a name I’ve noticed and liked before. Tate is also a cool but easy name, like Flynn and Piper.
(Sidles up to Swistle and taps her on the shoulder. Um, who says “Graham” (Gray-am) is one syllable? Oh, the same people who pronounce “crayon” as “CRAN”!)
I think Cash is not in the same category name-wise as Piper and Flynn. I like Keane.
I was thinking the same thing as Mairzy about the name Graham. I say it with 2 syllables- it’s my BIL’s name. I thought maybe I sid it that way becasue I’m from the south.
Sorry, I meant to type the word because, not becasue
Okay, fine! Graham is SOMETIMES one syllable, and sometimes two! I say it “gram,” as does the single Graham I know.
I didn’t vote for Keane because I associate it with the English band. While Cash does have the money thing going against it, it has the Johnny thing going for it, which seems less trendy than a late-90s band. Cash Warren (Jessica Alba’s baby daddy) might help — or hinder? — the name as well as far as mainstream acceptability.
I also don’t love Flynn and Keane together. I’m just one of those types that don’t think siblings should have remotely similar sounds in their names! (In this case, that all-too-popular “-en” ending)
Ultimately, I voted for Tate. I’ve only known one Tate personally in my 30-ish years on Earth, and he was one of those people everyone gravitates toward. Charismatic, funny, athletic… Tate B. had everything going for him, including a rad, not-too-common name.
I like Cade – similar to Cash but without the connotation. Flynn, Piper, and Cade. Totally cute and not too weird ;)
Shoe Addict — I’m from the South, too. I think “Gray-am” is a regional variation. Personally, I like our way better. Not that that’s a Southern way to think or anything.
I love the name Beck, and I think it goes well with Flynn and Piper. I am going to steal all of these names for my children.
Ok, I’m loving Cade. I think Tate is good too, but people I know tend to say “little man” in front of Tate almost instinctively.
I vote for Cade, Graham, and Keane. I don’t think that you need to worry too much about the variations in regional pronunciation, because 1.) it’s recognizable either way, and 2.) having moved from the North to the South, I’ve noticed that a lot of names tend to go that way.
For example, sometimes Southerners think Katie —> Kitty. But it’s cool. I know what my name is.
Graham is one syllable (the h is silent), while crayon is two syllables. What is in the water in the south? ;)
P.S. I voted for Keane as well. I don’t mind the association with the English band, and it fits well with both Flynn and Piper.
What about Cole. I like Kade, too.
I had trouble voting for just one, but I voted for Beck in the end. I don’t even know why, I sort of just let my instincts click the button.
However, I like Cade and Tate as well; and Cole as was just suggested about.
Flynn, Piper and Cole sound really good together. I like the L sound in the brother’s names (it sounds nice when you say aloud, “These are my children – Flynn, Piper and Cole”; which is a test I always do when I think of sibsets. So good suggestion, Lisa!
I pronounce Graham as “Gram”, but crayon (correctly) as “cray-ON”. I’m from Toronto.
We we SO close to naming our latest addition Keats, like the great romantic English poet, John Keats. We also considered Cash, but had the same reservations you do.
We think Keats is strong, original, great one-syllable name. We loved it because it’s unusual but not weird. A Keats could be a brainy kid, or an artistic kid, or both!
Good luck choosing a name, and go with your instincts. If something feels even a little “off”, it probably is, and you likely won’t change your mind about that.
Best wishes!
flynn, piper and cole william
I like Tate or Reid. I like Tate William the best as a single name, but I think Reid goes really well with Flynn and Piper.
I voted for Beck, but I also liked Tate. Another variation of Cash that I have considered but my husband hates is Kase/Case. I have always liked the sound of Kase Mitchell, but probably won’t use it. Good luck! Great name choices, by the way. I want to be brave and name my children with not-so-normal names, but my family is too annoying about it:)
Beck!!! I love it! Here’s my thoughts on the others.
Tate…meh.
Teague…reminds me of League
Graham…reminds me of a snooty rich guy.
Cash…reminds me of Johnny Cash which is NOT a bad thing.
Keane…in print it reminds me of Keanu Reeves which IS a bad thing.
Cade…Love that, one, too, just not as much as Beck
Reid…meh
I knew a boy in high school named Cache, and I like that spelling better. But my second choice would be Teague.
I was thinking about it. I have a lot of issues with names like “Teague” (that type of spelling of names)…
I always want to read it as “Tea-g-uuu” (like, phoenetically, I can’t figure out how to write it out hahaha).
Even though I can read “league” properly, I still can’t see “Teague” without trying to say it phoenetically.
Is it just me who has a weird brain like that? I’m not sure why I do that with names, but it’s like I always try to pronounce them phoenetically (I have trouble with all really uniquely spelled names, it takes me time to figure out why I’m supposed to be reading them as).
Also, to add to what Bird said about Tate, I think people would have a tendency to say things like “Tater Tot,” which is a little too cutesy for my taste, even though I love the name Tate.
I’ve been thinking about this A LOT…
What about Cohen. It has the same appeal as Cash – hard and soft sounding, without the negative association of money, and it goes awesome with Flynn and Piper.
Steph, I am also from Toronto but I consider Graham to be two syllables with a silent h. Gray’mm. I would consider Graham for number 2 but now that I know that some people would pronounce it Gram, it’s off the list!
My 2 year old son is named Keane and I think it is a great name. We named him after the surname Keane and not the band.