Liann writes:
My husband and I are due with our first baby, a boy, on September 20. Long before we got pregnant, I would make lists upon lists of baby names, and boy am I glad I did… I can only imagine how much harder finding the right name would have been if i didn’t already have those lists. As of right now, we have it narrowed down to three names. I would love your feedback and your readers feedback, but also any new suggestions, if you think a name just doesn’t flow. This baby will have two middle names, the second of which is my maiden name, and our last name sounds like Sny-kiss (with a long I sound in the first syllable).
Our current list is:
Emmett Rhys O’Keefe Snykiss – We both really like this name and how the whole thing flows. I particularly love Rhys in the middle – as we couldn’t use it in the first spot because it would blend into our last name. And I love Emmett, I’m just not sure it won’t get too popular with the whole Twilight situation, of which I am not a fan. Should I even be worried about that?
Arlo Desmond O’Keefe Snykiss – Arlo has been a favorite of mine for a while. It took hubby a little while to warm up to it but he recently told me it’s one of his top picks because it feels like it’s an old school name and he thinks are little boy has an old soul (I LOVED hearing that from him because our naming conversations have been mainly one-sided). Desmond is a name that has only recently been on our radar, mainly because of the character on LOST. We would not be naming him after the character, but the association does not hurt in our opinion.
Tate Henry O’Keefe Snykiss – Tate is the newest name to our list. And while we do like it, I have become worried about the bully nick-naming possibilities (particularly regarding a certain body part), and I don’t know if it’s inevitable. I have also noticed that Tate crosses the gender barrier slightly and I’m not really interested in having a gender neutral name for my son. Is Tate really going to the girls? And we chose Henry because it is my grandfather’s name and we could not come up with any other options for middles for Tate. Any suggestions?
So that’s it. We would love to have a few solid choices to go into the delivery with and hopefully once we meet him, one will just seem right. Thanks!
Would you want to reverse Tate and Henry and consider Henry Tate O’Keefe Snykiss? Tate might not go completely to the girls, but I do consider it a name that can be either for boys or for girls.
I don’t think of Emmett as Twilighty—but I’ve only read the first book. Perhaps Twilight fans can weigh in on this.
But dude, you’re not leaving me with any other work to do! Emmett Rhys and Arlo Desmond are both spectacular names. I think all that’s left to do is a poll, which I’ll put over to the right. (Poll closed; see results below.)
Name update! Liann writes:
I want to thank you and your readers for your input on our son’s name. The little man arrived on 9/23 at 7:59 a.m., 8lbs. 8.6oz., and 19 3/4 in. long. However, my naming fears came true and none of the names on our final list seemed to fit. So, we went back to the drawing board and consulted our lists, where we found the perfect name for our new baby boy.. Duncan Henry O’Keefe Snykiss is happy and healthy and we could not be more pleased with him and his name. Thank you again for your help!
I loved your option of Emmett Rhys O’Keefe Snykiss until I realized that the intials would spell EROS, the Greek God of intimate love. Not something I see a boy appreciating. :(
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Arlo Desmond O’Keefe Snykiss. I like Henry Tate as well. Wait and see when the baby is born and go with your gut on which of your top names suits the little man! I think your work is done, my friend!
I think I wouldn’t worry overly much about the initials because when things are monogramed, they generally only allow three letters anyway so you have to leave out one of the middles.
It would end up ERS or EOS on his backpack or or towel or whatever.
I think I’m voting for Arlo Desmond, but man, that’s a hard choice.
2009 SSA stats:
Emmett – 947 boys (+101 Emmet); 0-4 girls
Arlo – 155 boys; 0-4 girls
Tate – 628 boys (+ 27 Taten, 13 Tatem); 25 girls (+17 Tatem, 5 Tatelyn)
I don’t think you have to worry about any of these names crossing over in a big way in the near future. (Some of the same names and concerns were just discussed for “Baby Boy Adcock” below.)
I voted for Emmett Rhys — and then wondered about the source and history of the name Emmett. Oxford Dictionary of First Names gave a surprising answer: “Emmet (m) Transferred use of the surname, itself derived from the medieval female given name ‘Emmet’ or ‘Em(M)ot’, diminutive forms of Emma. It may sometimes be used by parents with Irish connections, in honour of the rebel Robert Emmet (1778-1803), who led a disasterous attempt at rebellion against the English.” Another reliable source adds, “This is one of the few British surnames based on a woman’s name [“son of Emma”], rather than a man’s first name. …With the rise of EMMA as a girls name, adventurous parents have rediscoverd Emmett as its male counterpart, and it use quadrupled between 1985 and 2004, though at this point [2004] it’s still somewhat rare.”
The latter baby name book by Cleveland Kent Evans, Ph.D., President, American Name Society, also has interesting write-ups for Arlo and Tate.
I like Rhys too, but love the idea of using your grandfather’s name as the middle name. Have you considered –
Emmett Henry O’Keefe Snykiss?
Love love love Desmond! One of my favourite names.
Would you consider that for a first name??
I also don’t mind Emmett… not sure about Arlo but it’s warming on me..
I just love Desmond so much! I hope you use it!
Great names. I understand why you’re having trouble deciding. I love Emmett for you. I do think that Tate is partially going to the girls, but Henry is such a fantastic name that you could put it in first position.
Good luck!
I like Emmett, but feel like Emmett Rhys flows a little funny, so I prefer Emmett Henry O’Keefe Snykiss. Even better though is Henry Tate LOVE how that sounds. But if you’re not interested in having a pretty popular name, I vote Emmett Henry. Such a sweet name and love the family connection.
I read all of the Twilight books and do not see Emmett as being quite as Twilighty as Edward or Bella. The main characters’ names will be associated with them for a while. Emmett, though in every book, is not as central and therefore should not have people immediately associating your son with the book.
While slightly embarrassing to admit, I am a Twilight fan. I have read all of the books and have seen the movies, too. Even so, I associate Emmett with Emmett Smith, the football player, not the Twilight Emmett. I wouldn’t sweat the possible remote connection to the vamp series.
Love your name choices. All are great candidates, so I don’t think you need anymore suggestions. Good luck!
Reversing Henry and Tate was my very first thought too!
Love Arlo; so very cool and it sounds so good with your last name. Just for grins thought I’d mention that Dooce named her last daughter Marlo. Very distinct male/female versions so no gender mix-ups with that one.
I like the flow of Arlo Desmond.
Arlo Desmond O’Keefe Snykiss is a man’s name! What guy wouldn’t be proud of it? It DOES sound like an “old soul” sort of name; it’s a name to respect.
Best wishes to you!
Emmett is my favourite from your list. I’m a Twilight fan (sigh… i know… lol), and agree with Jess that it isn’t a prominent Twilight name, so it wouldn’t draw immediate association for people. I also don’t think the Twilight thing will last for THAT long, so Emmett will fall off the radar as a Twilight name pretty quick (Cullen, Edward, or Bella will probably remain as distinct Twilight Names for some time, but Emmett is safe.)
Tate, SO SO SADLY, does make me think of the negative, body-part word. Ugh. I’m upset at myself that it does, but it really does… so I’m not a fan.
Arlo doesn’t seem very masculine to me. With Harlowe (sp?) and Marlo being girls names… I just feel like Arlo is right there too.
Emmett is a great name and I totally vote for it.
LOVE the name you chose! Duncan is a fine name, and I always wonder why it isn’t used more. Henry is a great name, and I’m so glad you used your grandfather’s name — that makes your son’s name extra special. Congratulations on the birth of Duncan Henry O’Keefe Snykiss!
(Both these names are special to my family too: our youngest son is James Duncan and our newest grandchild, born in April, is named Henry.)