Grandma writes:
My daughter is due May 30 and the sex of baby is unknown. She has a daughter Addison Philips Hopes (Addie), born 2008. If she has a boy it will be Robert William Hopes III. Nicknames are possible , Trey, Trip, Will or Liam, none of which they really like. If it is a girl they are having trouble finding one they both like. A few possible are Taylor, Reese, Payton. She likes Mackenzie, Tori, Emerson, Ansley. They would like to use the middle name Lynn a family name but it sounds very country with some first names. Could you give suggestions for boy nicknames and girls names.
Is “Rob” already taken by her husband? That’s my favorite nickname for Robert. I also like the old nickname Robin, but in my area that cause confusion with the girl’s name. I know a baby Robert who goes by Bert/Bertie, and it’s surprisingly adorable. But I think in this case, if Rob is what the dad uses, I would use William/Will: it’s simplest, and William is a great and currently-well-liked name. They don’t love it, but this is one of the main problems with Sr./Jr./III stuff: generally it’s a name the parents wouldn’t have otherwise chosen, so there’s bound to be a “meh” feeling about the choice. That will likely fade as whatever nickname they choose BECOMES their darling baby boy and doesn’t even seem like a name anymore.
Girl name possibilities:
Avery
Braelyn
Brinley
Cadence
Delaney
Devyn
Ellery
Jaelyn
Jordyn
Keely
Kerrigan
Kierra
Kiley
Maren
Mckenna
Paisley
Shelby
Skyler
Sydney
Teagan
Some of the names on this list wouldn’t work at all with the middle name Lynn: Braelyn, for example. I included them anyway in case your daughter and son-in-law change their mind about the middle name, or in case they want to use it as part of the first name instead (Braelynn, Jaelynn).
I guess I just don’t understand why someone would name their child a name they don’t like? My husband is a Larry James _____ II and absolutely REFUSED to name either of our boys Larry James _____III. That being said, Robbie/Robby is a nickname for Robert that fits a little guy. I personally prefer Liam to Will as a nn for William.
As for girls, Lynn can make a name sound a little more country (my own daughter’s middle name is Lynn) but using one of Swistle’s suggestion with -lyn/-lynn included would solve that issue.
What about the name Tatum for a girl? Tatum Lynn Hopes. I likie.
What about Emmalin for a girl!?
It’s one of the characters on Army Wives and I absolutely love it. There are tons of different spellings you could use
Emelyn,
Emmelyn,
Emmalyn,
Emmalin,
etc etc
We are having a boy otherwise I think that’s what I would want to name our baby!
I like Liam for a nn for a boy.
If it is a girl, I like Emerson a lot. Emmie is a cute nickname. Emerson Lynn Hopes, Emerson Hopes. Addie and Emmie is cute.
I like Liam for a boy’s name.
Emerson is really cute for a girl! Emmie and Addie. I like it.
It seems they like unisex names for girls and while that’s not usually my style, I do like two on their list– Taylor and Reese. Taylor Lynn Hopes is fine; Reese Lynn Hopes, a bit choppy. Maybe Reese Lindsay Hopes.
Or maybe Lindsay as a first name. It started life as a boy’s name, and it could honor the family member. Lindsay Reese Hopes. I’m liking it.
McKenna is a nice alternative to McKenzie, which has become so common. And McKenna Lynn flows well. Only problem is a nn with McKenna, it’s not an easy nn name.
Personally I think Bobby is really cute for a little boy, too. Otherwise I like Rob and Liam.
I like having the double letters in both children’s names, (or all three, if you use Robby/ Bobby) so what about:
Jenna Lynn
Rebecca Lynn
Kennedy Lynn
How about Caylen? Caylen ___ Hopes. It has the Lynn sound, with a different spelling. Or Jayla? It seems similar in style to some of the names Swistle suggested. Jayla Lynn Hopes.
my hubs is a III and although his gramma wanted an IV (and his mom might have as well) we did not (and lucked out having a girl anyway!) but I do like Rob/Robbie and LOVE Liam as a nn for William (my BIL is a William – but goes by Bill) and I have a nephew Liam on hubs’ side…
I really like Emmerson (and I think Lynn sounds just fine with it!) I might be biased though – I’m Rusti Lyn :) also – my dad’s sister & niece are Lori Lynne and Trista Lynne and my mom’s sister and niece are Cathy Lynn & Kerri Lynn – it’s a running middle name in our family I guess :)
Good luck to your daughter & son-in-law!
It would help to know what Grandpa Robert I goes by (Bob?) and what Dad Robert II goes by (Rob?). If so, I think the best options for this little boy are to call him either Robbie/Robby or Bobby, and if he finds that nn too young when he’s grown up, he can use the full Robert.
We named our third son Robert, called him Robbie and expected he’d want to be called Rob as an adult. But he prefers his full name and is known as Robert now.
If the parents don’t want to call their son any form of Robert, then why not switch the names around, call him William Robert and choose either Will or Liam for his nn. (One of my grandsons is William Robert “Will”.) I personally don’t understand why ordinary people ‘need’ to have a III.
Another option would be to find a name they *really* like and name him that followed by Robert William. With a short last name, this could work well for them:
_______ Robert William Hopes
For a girl, how about another name similar to Addison nn Addie — a gender neutral FN with a traditional sounding nn (although I can’t offhand think of what that might be)?
I love the name Ainsley, but I don’t think it works well in this sibling set.
Of your list I like Emerson.
I love Lanie and Addie together. Lanie can be a stand alone name. It can also be used as a nn for Elaine.
Good luck! JM