(My mother-in-law is in town this week, but the babies don’t wait and the questions are coming in faster than I can answer them, so I’ll post some for anyone interested to work on.)
Karen writes:
Your help would be appreciated in coming up with names for our baby if it is a boy. I am due in October.
Some info on us: We have a one syllable irish surname: Kane. We have a daughter, Shannon. If we have a girl this time, she will likely be Margaret Thomas nn Maggie. Thomas is surname from my family that we would have used for a boy’s name, but a child in the immediate family was named Thomas so that is no longer an option for us. Where possible, we’d like to use Thomas as the middle name. Other middle name possibilities we like are Ryan and Patrick (family names as well).
We tend to lean towards celtic/irish names, but also like traditional and classic names as well. We tend to shy away from anything too obscure (although one could argue that Seamus & Cormac are pretty obscure) but we are also leery of top ten names and don’t mind unusual yet familiar names. We like decidedly masculine and strong names for a boy.
Names we like that are on The List:
- Maxwell Thomas – nn Max. My concern is Max is getting (or already is?) pretty popular, but we still like it.
- Seamus Ryan or Seamus Patrick. Love Seamus. My concern is would two siblings with names beginning with the “Sh” sound be a little too singsongy? Should I even be concerned about this? Also, their names would begin with the same letter – something I guess I never imagined myself as a parent doing, but this is it for us for kids, so the sibset would consist of the two of them.
- Cormac Thomas – nn Mac. Love nn Mac. My concern is too much emhpasis on the hard “k” sound and blending from the hard “k” ending of Cormac into the hard “k” of our last name.
- Magnus – nn Mac – alternative to the heavily “k” sound laden Cormac.
- Malcolm – nn Mac – alternative to the heavily “k” sound laden Cormac.
- Ryan Thomas. Ryan is husband’s middle name. It’s okay to us, but we aren’t wowed by it, but it’s solid and irish and well known.
- Charles Thomas or Charles Ryan – nn Charlie. We don’t love Charles, and rather dislike “Chuck” but we do find Charlie to be a nice nn. Charles is also a family name.
- John Thomas – nn Jack or JT. John – oh boy. My dad is a Jack Jr., my older brother is a Jack III. Love the name, but is it overkill with all the family members with this name? Also – is Jack just too trendy at this point?
- Lincoln nn Linc – husband likes but I am not sure what I think yet. Could grow on me.
Let’s have a poll over to the right! [Edit: see Karen’s comment in comment section; new set of names for poll.] [Poll closed; see results below.]
Poll results (198 votes total):
Cormac (Mac) Kane: 46 votes, roughly 23%
Seamus Kane: 44 votes, roughly 22%
Liam/William Kane: 108 votes, roughly 55%
Name update 10-30-2009! Karen writes:
Seamus Patrick arrived on October 26, 2009! Thank you to you and your readers and commenters for their insightful posts. Seamus is a doll and his sister loves her new baby brother! We love his name and feel that this was the best choice for us. Thanks again! – Karen
I also love Max, but I do think it is quite popular and would be hesitant to use it myself for that reason.
I love Cormac, but I see your point about the hard k sounds….
Malcom is really adorable and Mac is a great little nn. Malcolm Thomas or Malcolm Patrick both sound fantastic.
What do you think of Griffin? It sounds very Irish to me and would also go with the middle names Thomas and Patrick.
What about Patrick? I am IN LOVE with that name. Or Connor. Connor Patrick sounds good. Or Patrick Thomas.
Good Luck!
Libby
There is a man at our church named Malcolm, nn Mac. He is kind, funny, and incredibly handsome. I have a little crush on him, even though he is old enough to be my father or possibly my grandfather. I LOVE Malcolm Thomas — strong, masculine, and neither name is overused today. Good luck!
My favorites of those are Malcolm & Magnus. But would this rule out using Margaret/Maggie in the future?
Others I like are
Doran
Callum
Fergus
Desmond
Blane/Blaine
Donovan
I absolutely love Malcolm Thomas. My favorite of your list by far.
:)
Ack! Original poster here, Karen! I was about to send an updated email to Swistle to let her know our list had been pared down and changed a bit from a few months ago, but looks like I am a little tardy! In any event, we nixed Maxwell, Magnus, Ryan, Charles, John and Lincoln from our list.
Our list for a boy name now consists of:
Cormac nn Mac;
Seamus (concerns about the SH sound for both of our kids remains,however); and the addition of
Liam – either stand alone name or as a nn for William
Malcolm was not officially off the list but it wasn’t a top contender, probably because I don’t love the MAL (bad) connotations and the heavy association to Malcolm X… but it appears that many of the posters so far like it, so we’ll see!
So far, my husband leans toward Mac (Cormac Ryan) and I lean toward Liam – likely stand alone (Liam Thomas). If it’s a red headed boy, however, we still may use Seamus!!
So – if I may ask for the advice of Swistle and her excellent readers/posters on a few queries:
(1) what are your thoughts on the alliteration issue with Shannon and Seamus?
(2) What are your thoughts on William nn Liam or stand alone name Liam?
(3) Hubby’s name is Patrick, so we don’t want that as a first name, but he reminds me that his name has a hard k ending flowing into the hard k of kane – and he isn’t bothered by this, so that’s why he leans towards Cormac – anyone else think this is an issue at all?
Thanks everyone!!!! And sorry again for the late update on our boy name list changes… at least it went down in number and not up!!!
PS – I love Grifffin, hubby doesn’t like it at all, sadly – I think nn Griff is pretty awesome….
I definitely think the blending of the names Cormac and Kane is an issue – in fact, in this case, I see it as a dealbreaker. To me, it sounds like “Core McCain.” Eek! I’m also worried about even using the nickname Mac, because when paired with the last name, it sounds like “McCain.” I don’t think it would *necessarily* be a dealbreaker as just a nickname, but I would really give it some thought.
Also, in my opinion, Shannon and Seamus *is* too singsongy. But that’s all a matter of opinion.
A note about the Linc nickname for Lincoln: there is a very popular Nintendo character called Link. Friends of your children will definitely know who Link is – lots of adults will know, too, because the character has been around since the mid-eighties. In addition to that, it does blend with your last name. Just something to consider!
You don’t sound wowed by Charles or Ryan. So that leaves Maxwell (Max) and John (Jack) from your list.
Max and Jack are both very popular (especially Jack), but they’re both classic, and such terrific names! If you love them, go for them!
As for names that aren’t on your list, I’m going to second a previous poster’s suggestion of Callum. I love this name! It has an Irish feel, it’s not too common but not too weird, and it goes well with Shannon. The only issue is that it starts with the same sound as your last name. Callum Kane. How do you feel about the alliteration? Callum Thomas Kane. I like it!
My favourite Irish name is Declan. Declan Kane. Shannon and Declan. I agree the Mac Kane combo is a bit confusing to the ear (McCain?) Though Dec Kane isn’t any clearer. Hm. Liam!
I prefer Liam as a stand-alone. It never seems like a natural nickname for William to me. And there is the added bonus of Liam actually being Irish/Celtic, where as far as I know, William is not.
I also like Irish names: my son’s name is Kieran. Have you thought about Kieran? :)
I love Cormac! I haven’t heard it before, so it must be unusual, yet I know immediately how to pronounce it. Cormac Kane… the repeating consonant doesn’t bother me, though I hadn’t thought of the McCain sound (Mac Kane, as commented on above). It’s not that serious of a problem for me, but Liam is a lovely option too.
I like Seamus and Shannon together! Not too singsongy for me.
I like Liam alot. I have a cousin named Liam, and his brother is Eamonn. Liam is the Irish version of William, and I tend to agree that it is a stand alone name rather than the nn for William.
I know several people who have named children Lincoln (linc) in the past couple years, so it seems to be on the rise.
And I also agree that Callum Thomas Kane sounds pretty awesome.
Too bad your hubby didn’t like Griffin!
In light of the updated names…
Malcolm is still my fave if it still has a possibility of being on the short list.
Liam is my second favourite, and I think it goes the best with your last name. I would use it as a standalone name.
I also have the same issues with Cormac Kane – hard to say! Patrick Kane is different – probably because the last syllable isn’t stressed and there is only one k sound.
Good luck!
Karen, I just saw your post. I LOVE Liam, alone or as a nickname for William. That gets my vote! That would be SO PERFECT.
Liam Kane, Liam Thomas Kane, Shannon and Liam.
William Kane, William Thomas Kate, Shannon and William.
Love, love, love.
Now, my vote tends to go for the longer version of something – in this case, William instead of Liam – just because I like having options. He can go by Liam all the time, but if he’s (for example) applying to a job and wants to look super professional, he can use William. But they’re both great names, and it’s your call! :]
I adore Liam! I think it’s great as a stand-alone name. Also, Shannon and Liam sound like a great sib-set!
Oh: The other thing too, is Patrick Kane doesn’t have the “Mc” issue that Cormac/Mac has… that’s why it works and Mac doesn’t work *quite as well* — it’s not the hard K so much as the particular sound of Mac Kane. You can of course do it, but in my opinion it just ends up souding like a brand of McCain Curly Fries, a McDonald’s product, or John McCain.
So… LIAM!
I love Seamus and Liam. I don’t mind the double Sh sounds, but if you’re hesitant I’d say don’t use it.
Liam sounds better with Kane than Cormac- the double C sound bothers me. And just generally I think Liam is a great name!
Libby
what about Mclain nn Mac?
ok just kidding – forgot your last name was Kane!
To me, Cormac Kane is a bit sing-songy on it’s own. Mac Kane doesn’t really flow off the tongue well.
I have zero problem with Shannon and Seamus.
Liam, at least where I live, is quite popular and probably getting more popular nationwide … just something to consider.
To me, Cormac Kane is loads more prone to running together than Patrick Kane… while Cormac and Mac are great name options, I just don’t think they work well with your last name.
I love Seamus! To me the two “Sh” sounds are not a problem. Harry Potter has made this name a bit less confusing in the US, so I think it’s a great, striking choice.
Liam is a fine name, too. I think it’s hard to compare it with Seamus because one is many orders more popular than the other… to me, that tends to push me to Seamus, but to someone else it might do the opposite.
I still love Malcolm, even though the nn Mac with your last name is a bit awkward. Shannon and Malcolm. Malcolm Kane. Solid.
I also like Liam, but not as a nn for William. I get where it comes from, but that also seems awkward to me.
The word verification is giving me the idea of Wesley. Shannon and Wesley. Wesley Kane. Wes Kane.
James?
Do you live in an area with lots of people with Irish heritage? I do and there are a gazillion Williams and Liams. Something to consider if you don’t want your child to have the same name as other kids in his class.
I voted for Seamus.
I think the Cormac Kane thing is a little harsh on the K sound. I love, love, love Griffin! Hadn’t thought of it at all, but saw it in your comment. I love Malcolm too. Liam is a little too common for me. I really like Seamus, such an under-used name! I can
Thank you everyone – your comments are so helpful.
I am liking Malcolm more and more, actually, and I am having less trouble with using Seamus too, even though our two kids would share the SH sound at the beginning of their names.
If I could sell husband on Griffin, I would, but it’s not looking likely…
Liam is still a top contender, William probably is not the one we would use, and while it is fairly popular, it’s not that bothersome to me, I guess.
I think Cormac is probably not to be, since Mac is a fine nn for Malcolm, and Malcolm, in my opinion, just sounds so much better with our last name. Now just have to sell it to my husband some more!!!
I’ve also mentioned Declan to him and didn’t get a quizzical look or an immediate no, so that’s another possibility, but we like the others so much I hesitate to add another to The List…
Anyway, it seems that we are most likely down to Liam, Seamus, Malcolm (nn Mac) or possibly Declan…. Thanks everyone!
If you like Declan, one name that always reminds me of it is Lachlan. Maybe that would be up your alley?
(My vote still goes to Liam, though!)
Lachlan is pronounced LOCK-lin, by the way.