Molly writes:
We are expecting our second boy to arrive via c-section on 4/7 and are stuck on name options. We keep thinking we have it narrowed down, and then one of us wavers and we’re back to square one. Our older son is named Reed Alexander Matthews. Reed is a family name, and Alexander is my husband. We do know that we want to use Wallace as a middle name for this baby. We’ve kicked around Ryan, Rowan, and Quinn, but keep getting stuck and can’t make a decision. Our only requirements are that it go well with Reed and it not be too popular or overused.
Do you have any ideas or suggestions that would meet our criteria that we’re just not seeing?
The Baby Name Wizard suggests Grant as a brother for Reed/Reid. Grant Wallace Matthews. Reed and Grant. More options:
Declan. Declan Wallace Matthews. Reed and Declan.
Casey. Casey Wallace Matthews. Reed and Casey.
Tiernan. Tiernan Wallace Matthews. Reed and Tiernan.
Keegan. Keegan Wallace Matthews. Reed and Keegan.
Corbin. Corbin Wallace Matthews. Reed and Corbin.
Cael. Cael Wallace Matthews. Reed and Cael.
But you know what I think I like best? Quinn, from your list. Quinn Wallace Matthews. Reed and Quinn. I also like Corbin. Let’s put a poll over to the right and see what everyone else thinks. [Poll closed; see results below.]
Poll results (284 votes total):
Ryan: 30 votes, roughly 11%
Rowan: 16 votes, roughly 6%
Quinn: 88 votes, roughly 31%
Grant: 81 votes, roughly 29%
Declan: 17 votes, roughly 6%
Casey: 4 votes, roughly 1%
Tiernan: 4 votes, roughly 1%
Keegan: 8 votes, roughly 3%
Corbin: 30 votes, roughly 11%
Cael: 6 votes, roughly 2%
Name update 04-22-2009. Molly writes:
Thank you so much for all of your suggestions, and for the helpful poll. We were on the fence right up to the last minute. We hadn’t considered the name Grant at all until your poll, and when it became a front-runner and we chatted about it some more, we decided that we liked it quite a bit. When we went into the OR for the c-section, we had narrowed our options down to Grant and Quinn, and agreed to see what he looked like before tagging him with a name. Once we got a good look at him, we agreed that he is definitely a Grant.
Thanks again for all of your (and your followers) helpful advice!
I like Grant a lot, but how about Asa, Forrest, Eben, Egan, Eli, Calvin?
I like Quinn, but to me, it sounds like kWinn Wallace, which has too many W sounds for my tastes. My tongue gets stuck on the second W. Maybe Quentin or Quinlan would work better? (The second syllable separates the two W sounds.)
I plugged Reed, Ryan, Rowan, and Quinn into Nymbler. Here’s what I got. Any you like?
Carson
Keane
Logan
Rourke
Gavin
Jack
Owen
Sean
Finn/Finley/Finlay
Donovan
Keegan
Brennan
Riley
Duncan
Liam
Vaughn
I also like Swistle’s suggestion of Corbin.
I like Quinn from your list and Declan from the wizard. Declan was on my boy name list, and makes a good name for my little girl’s future husband. ;)
Ryan or Quinn have my vote! I don’t get stuck on the W sound, but maybe because I lived with a W name for the majority of my life. My friend has a little boy named Asher and I love that name.
My first choice, as I have voiced my opinion loudly, will always be Wally Porkchop Matthews. :)
Love you Molly! So happy for your family!
I’m partial to Grant, which I would think was super cool, since I have a Grant and I’ve been so close to the fetus. But I like Quinn and I also like Roan. This kid is lucky, no matter what his name will be! And he’ll always be Cletus to me…..
Love Ya!
So many great names here – I love Grant and Declan, and I have loved Keegan forever and have never met a kiddo with that name. But, I voted for Quinn because it was on your original list. I can’t believe your baby is going to be here so soon!
Molly, it’s Debbie. I chose Casey on your poll but i realu like the names Nolan and Gavin. My friend has a Gavin and i just loved it when i heard it. So i wanted to throw them out there! I’m sure you will chose the right name for your son!
I really love Grant, and Corbin. I sort of like Quinn too – but feel Grant and Corbin are more substantive – don’t ask me why.
I really like Ryan. But, I (*gasp*) love siblings having matching first initials ;). And that’s not so popular with everyone.
If not Ryan, Grant would be my next vote.
I voted for Grant which I think would be an excellent sibling match with Reed:
Sound — the ‘r’ sound can be heard at the beginning of both Reed and gRant, but with Grant that’s more subtle than going with another name beginning with R. Also, both names are one syllable names ending in a strong consonant.
Etymology — each name began as a surname.
Gender — each name is exclusively male.
Drake or Brock would also go well with Reed, similarly to Grant.
Of the three names on your list, I prefer Ryan because it also began as a surname and has stronger associations as a boy’s name than the other two. I think Reed and Ryan make a nice sibling pair: both begin with the same letter and are short names, yet Ryan, with it’s two syllables and softer ending consonant, is a nice contrast with Reed.
I voted for quinn. It’s a great name and goes well with Reid. I also like Grant. Also, according to ssa, Quinn (as of 2007 – and it dropped after peaking in earlier years) for a girl is less popular (579) than Ryan for a girl (457) and even Logan (455) for a girl. But maybe the previous poster was just talking about association vs. actual usage? Just thinking….
What about Blake or Cole? I definitely like the name Quinn, but for a girl. I do love Grant, and I love one syllable names for him too….
Danielle, I was thinking more of the lengthy association of Ryan as a male name and its huge predominance as a male name. Ryan has been in the SSA top 1000 boys’ names since 1946, in the top 20 boys’ name since 1976. Ryan is also being used for girls, but much less frequently, with the highest rank being #339 in 1986. I think when most people hear “Ryan” they immediately think the child is a boy. In 2007 15,494 boys were named Ryan, while only 694 girls were given that name.
On the other hand, Quinn and Rowan are newer to the top 1000 (Quinn – boys’ list 1960, girls’ 1995; Rowan – boys’ 1999; girls’ 2003) and less gender specific. While they are presently being used more for boys than for girls, the male/female ratio is much closer for those names than for Ryan. In 2007 1297 boys were named Quinn, as well as 512 girls; 853 boys were named Rowan, as well as 703 girls.
Reed is clearly a boy’s name, so Ryan is my preference of the three names the parents are considering. But Quinn and Rowan are nice names too.
I’ve always loved the name Ryan, so I say go with that. I think Reed & Ryan sound great together. As for the above discussion, I think just the sound of Ryan is more masculine than Quinn or Rowen. I don’t necessarily think boy name/girl name when I hear those two names but i don’t think, hey those are some masculine names. So, Ryan gets my vote!
Mollace, I too am disappointed that some of our friends’ choices are not listed. However, I chose Ryan. One of my dear friends from Pgh has a sweet little boy named Ryan. Best of luck this week. I remember those days…