Allison writes:
Please help us! We are due in a week and still without a clue of what to name our second son. My husband is not very helpful in naming discussions. He rejects all my names and seems to have a very clear idea in his mind for a name but the only name he’s actually suggested is Jackson (which I hate).
I like names like Matthew, Brandon, Cody, and Liam. Matthew is definitely my top name I love it so much, but can’t use it because three of our friends have young sons named Matthew and I don’t want just another Matthew to add to the crowd. But I really love that name, so if you know of any names similar to Matthew, that would be so helpful.
We don’t want any very trendy names, or weird spellings, but we are okay if they are common, as long as they aren’t too bland. It has to be at least two syllables so it won’t seem choppy because our last name is one syllable (it starts with a vowel and has a very sharp consonant sound).
Also, as one last bonus, if you know of any names of German heritage that are still useable in America, that would be great. But it’s just something to think about that would be nice if there was one, not necessary at all.
Our son’s name is Daren, but we don’t care too much if they are really matchy, we mainly just want to find a good name for him as an individual.
Also, I’ve found that two syllable names that end in an “ee” sound sound nice with our last name (like Kirby – which my husband hates).
Oh, and if we have a girl in the future, she will be Jamie, if that helps at all.
And middle name help would be great too – we just want something that sounds good with the first name.
Help!
Thank you so much.
Let’s see, close to Matthew… Well, there’s Matthias, Matteus, and Mateo. I also think Theo has some of the sound of Matthew.
Some usable German names from the German name appendix in The Oxford Dictionary of First Names):
Anton
Arno
Erich
Evert
Frederik
Gabriel
Hartmann
Hugo
Izaak
Jakob
Jonas
Josef
Justus
Karl
Kurt (but only 1 syllable)
Leo
Leon
Lukas
Marius
Matthias
Otto
Stefan
Some other possibilities, heavy on the -ee endings:
Adam
Brady
Caleb
Camden
Carson
Casey
Connery
Eli
Evan
Grady
Hartley
Henry
Ian
Jared
Jacoby
Kyle
Mason
Nathan
Owen
Presley
Ridley
Rudy
Wesley
Wilson
Zachary
I suggest seeing if you can use Matthew as a middle name.
If possible, I recommend DEMANDING that your husband sit down with a baby name book and make a list. Naming the baby is his job too, and it’s fair to ask him to do an equal share of the work. I think too many….well, let’s say “partners,” but it’s virtually always men—think that the best job is the one where someone ELSE does all the work and THEY do all the vetoing and criticizing. If he can come up with a list, he’ll (1) give you something to WORK WITH, so you can suggest things he might also like, or better yet you might find something he likes that you also like, and (2) see what it’s like to do all that work and then have someone reject his choices, which may make him a little less quick to reject yours. If he’s anything like my husband in the early days, I suggest having handy the answer, “Because I didn’t ask for you to Make the Final Decision, I asked you to Join the Committee.” (This is for partners who think that if their opinion is asked, their opinion must then be taken.)
I’m coming up blank on names, but…
Swistle, I’m stealing your Join the Committee line. That describes my husband only too well.
Here are my suggestions (my favorites from Swistle’s list are in there as well.
Adrian
Alexander
Andreas
Erich, Erik
Fabian
Florian
Lukas
Noah
Simon
Stefan
Maybe you could use Matthias as a first name, it’s different enough from Matthew. (Or either as a mn)
Matthias Erich, Adrian Matthias, Stefan Alexander…
Good luck!
Here are my suggestions (my favorites from Swistle’s list are in there as well.
Adrian
Alexander
Andreas
Erich, Erik
Fabian
Florian
Lukas
Noah
Simon
Stefan
Maybe you could use Matthias as a first name, it’s different enough from Matthew. (Or either as a mn)
Matthias Erich, Adrian Matthias, Stefan Alexander…
Good luck!
What about Malcolm? I don’t know if it’s German but I like it.
I really love Adrian, too.
how about Dustin? Daren & Dustin sounds pretty good together…..
How about Andrew? I think of Andrew as a subtle ‘twin’ to Matthew as both are 2 syllable names ending in -ew. (I would call Andrew by his full name, not a nn.) Daren and Andrew
Or, I know brothers called Darin and Austin and like those names together. You could spell Austen with -en to match your older son’s spelling of Daren. (I *do* like sibling names that match in some way and yet are individual too.) Daren and Austen – Austen Matthew would be a fine name. I like it a lot!
Some of these have been suggested already, but for you I like:
Alexander
Isaac
Simon
Timothy
Zachary
I think you could use Matthew as a middle for any of those.
Similar to ‘Daren’:
Logan
Declan
Similar to ‘Matthew’:
Bartholomew
Andrew
Hugh
Montague
Luke
‘Matthew’ is an excellent middle name. Best wishes as you work this out!
I love Kurtis with the nn of Kurt! This works really well with Daren without being overly matchy. Kurt Matthew.
Also, the only Jamie gal I know has a brother named Dylan. Daren, Dylan, Jamie is nice.
My last suggestion is Wade. I love this name with Daren’s name.
Good luck!
If you think your little man can rock a big name, there’s always Wolfgang. Ha!
The 2009 top 10 baby boys’ names in Germany were Maximilian, Alexander, Leon, Paul, Luca, Elias, Felix, Lukas/Lucas, Jonas and David — names mostly with a more international flair than German background. I think parents have to be careful using names that might be associated with another language/country because some of the names are probably very outdated.
I’d stick with a more usual name in this country, like your first son has.
I think if you like the name Matthew, go for it. Friends come and go… sometimes the relationships move and sometimes the people physically do! It might not be a big deal in 10 years if you all have Matthews.
But, I think the great name about Matthew is that it is a longer 1st name w/ a short, strong, nickname. So, some similar suggestions: Thomas, James, Christopher
Nathan was what sprang to mind for me. I think a more classic name would be a good bridge between the relatively contemporary Daren and the more throw-back-y Jamie.
How about Brody? It’s really similar to Cody and Kirby but a little more…masculine, if you know what I mean. It also goes well with Matthew as a middle name. It’s popular enough to not be weird but not on the top anything lists, easy to say and spell, and cute.
I have a friend who REALLY wanted to use it for her first son but was talked out of it by family. When her second was also a boy she named him Brody and gets nothing but compliments for it.
I like the suggestion of Andrew/Andy/Drew or to use one of the German names with Matthew i.e. Jonas Matthew.