Sarah writes:
I’m writing because my husband and I are desperately trying to find a name for our baby boy, due in December. We’re both teachers and this has infinitely complicated the naming process. Every name we’ve come up with reminds us of some student we’ve had or heard about.
We know that we want to use my father’s middle name (Earl) as our baby’s middle name.
Our last name is Van Brimmer, pronouned van (like the automobile) – BRIM (like on a hat)- er.
The names that I like are Logan and Noah. We also considered Brennan, but nixed that because of too many “B” sounds. I’m not quite sure exactly what my husband wants — except to disagree with me…We do know that we want something that is unique. But, we don’t want him to be made fun of, either. We would really appreciate your help! Thanks!
I think teaching must be just about the HARDEST profession for baby-naming! My son’s teacher just had a baby and I wondered what on earth she would name it. (She chose a name that was in style in the ’80s, before she started teaching.)
The name Logan is on its way up in popularity: it was the 17th most popular boy name given to babies in 2007. The name Noah, too, continues to rise: it was the 14th most popular boy name given to babies in 2007. (Source for both rankings: Social Security Administration.)
Let’s see if we can find some more possibilities to choose from. I’ll follow each one with its 2007 popularity ranking according to the Social Security Administration.
Isaac Van Brimmer (#41)
Owen Van Brimmer (#56)
Adrian Van Brimmer (#61)
Henry Van Brimmer (#91)
Marcus Van Brimmer (#118)
Jeremy Van Brimmer (#122)
Oliver Van Brimmer (#140)
Elias Van Brimmer (#173)
Collin Van Brimmer (#185)
Do any of those sound like names you might be interested in?
Let’s have a poll to see what everyone else thinks. Vote for your favorite of the list, but also leave your suggestions in the comment section. [Poll closed; see below.]
[Poll results (249 votes total):
Logan: 23 votes, roughly 9%
Noah: 13 votes, roughly 5%
Isaac: 47 votes, roughly 19%
Owen: 23 votes, roughly 9%
Adrian: 18 votes, roughly 7%
Henry: 29 votes, roughly 12%
Marcus: 25 votes, roughly 10%
Jeremy: 12 votes, roughly 5%
Oliver: 17 votes, roughly 7%
Elias: 18 votes, roughly 7%
Collin: 24 votes, roughly 10%]
(Also see the revisit of this question, with new answers.)
Name update! Sarah writes:
I finally won out with the name choice of Logan. I only had to watch an entire marathon of Star Wars and agree that the husband could have the final say on Baby #2. Thanks for helping us out!
i love the suggestions from swistle but i’m having a hard time pairing any of them with Earl.
Spencer Earl
Edward Earl
Boyd Earl
Duncan Earl
Gregory Earl
Malcolm Earl
Stratton Earl
The Schwant Family- *sheepish* Did you see how I just sort of casually left that out of the name suggestions? I found it difficult to find something that worked with the Van Brimmer AND with the Earl. So eventually I figured, well, the most important thing is how the first/last goes together, especially since the middle name is a family name. And then I, er, hoped no one would notice. *blushes*
VanBrimmer is a beautiful name.
Jacob VanBrimmer sounds like such a powerful name. I feel with that middle name you need something very strong and masculine for the first name. Good luck in your search!! Time is running out.
Dude! My husband is doing the same thing. He has no idea which names he likes, but he’s quite sure he doesn’t like 99% of the names I throw out.
Is there anyway you could use your father’s middle name or your maiden name instead of Earl?
For some reason, I immediately thought of the name Zachary. But I like Henry, too. :)
yes Swistle I did notice! I thought that must be the trouble since you never do it that way. :-) Totally understand the dilemma!
Thomas Earl Van Brimmer
William Earl Van Brimmer
(Will or Liam for nn)
Joseph Earl Van Brimmer
These aren’t that unique–my tastes run toward the traditional!
Kathryn, Mine is the same way too.
I think the vowel names sound best with Earl:
Owen Earl Van Brimmer
Adrian Earl Van Brimmer
Edward Earl Van Brimmer
Oliver Earl almost works, but it seems like the Rs fight each other.
I have a question. Is the last-name initial for Van Brimmer V? or VB?
With Van Brimmer I like a one or two syllable first name, but with Earl a one-syllable first name doesn’t flow well. Ignoring Earl I was going to suggest Brice (if you don’t mind the Br).On the poll I voted for Collin but prefer one l; I also like Marcus and Jeremy. Alternatively, how about Erik, Isaac, Martin, or Remy?
I voted for Collin, and I think Collin Earl works just fine. In fact, it’s a one-syllable name, which makes it easy to pair with lots of things. It’s not in current fashion, which I think is part of the reason it’s hard to pair it with names we like. But it’s special to the parents. It can work.
What about Johan? Johan Earl Van Brimmer. I think it sounds very sophisticated and is Dutch also (I’m assuming Van Brimmer is Dutch). You also have several nickname options, including Jo, Joey or Han. What do you think?
I like Johan Earl Van Brimmer too, but I think Johan is pronounced as YOH-han. That would probably rule out Jo or Joey as a nickname, but I don’t think Johan needs a nickname.
I’ve been trying to think of a Dutch name that would go with both Van Brimmer and Earl as a middle name. Currently popular in The Netherlands are both Thomas (#5) and Lucas (9): Thomas Earl Van Brimmer; Lucas Earl Van Brimmer. In nearby Germany Jonas (#8) would yield a similar result — Jonas Earl Van Brimmer.
Also, Willem (could be called Will) is a Dutch name from American history — Willem Verhulst founded New Amsterdam (New York): Willem Earl Van Brimmer.
nana- Being Dutch myself I know that Johan is pronounced YO-han, but I thought given the J in the name they could use Joe or Joey anyways. (Much like Sally is a nickname for Sarah, which I will never understand.) Having a nickname available isn’t something I even consider in the naming process, but I know it’s important for some people so I thought I’d through some ideas out there. I like Willem and Jonas too! Good suggestions!
Two of my brothers have non-Dutch first names although we have a very Dutch last name and their names flow very nicely. I’ll be very interested to hear what Baby Van Brimmer’s name ends up being!
Umm, oops that was throw, not through.