Tracy writes:
We need some baby naming help. Our unknown gender baby will be born Sept 20th.
I so joyously get to have the final choice on this child’s name because my husband did on our 1st child.
But we need to agree on the final 3. Brody Charles is the name of our 3 year old son.
Now our last name is Short and it dose not flow well with every name on our list(s).
Please can you and your lovely readers help us narrow it down to 3 boy names and 3 girl names? And please tell me what names would be just awful with Brody or with our last name or just simply are……sometimes you just don’t see or hear what others do. Finally, We would love some new suggestions. Especially our boy list. The list hasn’t changed since we had our son.Here is our list of boy names:
Eli Joseph (this was the name I wanted with our 1st boy)
Levi Joseph
Liam Reese
Owen
Desmond (not sure if this is a goes well with Brody)
Cohen
Luca (this is my guilty pleasure name. I love it but don’t think it will age well?)
Griffin Rhys (mostly b/c of the nn Fin)
Dylan Forrest (we are nature lovers so it suits us)
Greyson Michael Short
Tyler Stuart (my husband dislikes)
Cole Elliot
Rhys Michael**the name Rhys/Reese we both really love. I feel we can not except that it doesn’t flow that wonderfully, as a first or middle name, with our last name. Am I right and just in denial?
Names that we both ‘ho hum’ about:
Gavin, Nigel, Jasper, Samuel, Ezra and Cohen
Elsie, Elise, Willa, Marina, Chloe, Lily and JuliaNames we can’t use because friends or family has:
Sofia, Louie, Nicholas, Matthew, Finley, Jack, Jacob, Ella, Ellie
Vivienne, Sadie, Molly, Grace, Hayden, Audrey, Noah, Benjamin,
Harrison, Henry and Oliver.This is our girl list:
Fiona (this might be too classic with Brody)
Isla (this was my number 1 choice for many years until it got popular)
Freya
Lola
Olive Esme Short ( my husband dislikes)
Ivy Juliet
Quinn Isabel
Quinn Bennette (Quinn Short? Not sure if I like.)
Olivia Quinn
Violet Elisabeth
Luella Flynn
Meredith Kate
Ava Maisie (We know Ava is so popular but it is the only name we like with Maisie)Our son’s middle name is after one of his grandpas. We don’t feel we have to use a family name.
So here are some family names thatwe could use in the middle.Joseph, Michael, Kevin, Paul, Stone and Stuart.
Elizabeth, Lee-Ann, Isabel, Jean, Olive, Chelsea, Maisie and Helena.
Thank you so much!
Oh, fun! Yes, let’s make lists!
I agree that Rhys is (1) a great name and (2) hard to use with your surname. I wonder if you’d like Reed/Reid or Reeve? They’re still not great as first names, but might work as middle names.
Levi Short makes me think of a cut of jeans. And Luca, even though I KNOW it’s a boy name, seems feminine to me. Some other possibilities:
Camden Short; Brody and Camden
Carson Short; Brody and Carson
Ethan Short; Brody and Ethan
Keegan Short; Brody and Keegan
Lawson Short; Brody and Lawson
Mason Short; Brody and Mason
Riley Short; Brody and Riley
And now for the fun choosing! My top three boy name choices with Brody are:
Eli Joseph Short
Liam Stuart Short
Owen Joseph Short
And my top three girl name choices with Brody are:
Fiona Jean Short
Isla Jean Short
Violet Elizabeth Short
Name update 10-12-2010! Tracy writes:
Our baby boy was born Sept 20th. Healthy and beautiful.
We chose the name Liam Rhys Short.
Thank you all for your input!
Owen Joseph Short
Griffin Rhys Short
Dylan Forrest Short
Violet Elisabeth Short
Ivy Juliet Short
Fiona Chelsea Short
Top 3:
Eli Joseph
Liam Reese (I think it’s ok if the middle name doesn’t flow as well— you love it)
Dylan Forrest
Fiona Quinn
Isla Kate (I don’t think it’s too popular)
Freya Elizabeth
Good luck!
I wouldn’t use Jean with Short. Very first thought was jeans shorts.
Thanks for the ‘Jeans shorts’ thought. I didn’t clue in to that.
I really like Ethan Short but its just too popular. And Riley I like better on a girl.
I love swistle’s suggestions of Carson Short and Mason Short.
I think Eli Joseph is still the #1 choice right now and Owen #2.
Any more suggestions or comments would be lovely!
baby boy:
Eli Joseph Short
Owen Luca Short
Carson Rhys Short
baby girl:
Fiona Isabel Short
Isla Kate Short
Meredith Luella Short
I looooove the name Isla.
Anonymous- Jean Short! Ha ha! I hadn’t noticed that either!
Eli Joseph Short is my favorite, too.
Coleman Michael Short (nn Cole)
Owen Thomas Short
Meredith Kate Short
Margaret Hazel Short (nn Maisie)
Leilah Ann Short (could be pronounced Lee-la or Lay-la)
my top three:
Eli Joseph
Dylan Forrest
Liam Reese
Fiona Olive
Isla Chelsea
Violet Elisabeth
(and I really like your ho-hum names Samuel and Willa. Samuel Paul; Brody and Sam. Willa Elizabeth; Brody and Willa. So cute!)
other possibilities:
Logan, Maxwell, Nolan
Ashton, Erin, Muriel
Good luck!
My last name is hard, too. Rhymes with puff, starts with an H. It’s soooo hard to come up with names that don’t sound cartoony, too abrupt, or like a description!
I think Rhys Short is fine. It’s not the super perfect name, but I think it sounds really nice.
Rhys Joseph
Eli Joseph
Desmond Michael -I think Desmond is fine with Brody! They’re siblings, not bookends. The O and D sounds make them sound nice together while allowing them each a different feel.
Jean is a nice family name, but not with Short.
Isla isn’t too popular still, I think it’s great!
Isla Chelsea
Fiona Quinn -I don’t like Quinn as a first name for a girl. Sorry. It makes Fiona sound less classic, though, and adds a nice modern sound.
Ivy Juliet -easily my favorite combo of your choices. So cute and modern while being classic. I’m not sure how I feel about Ivy Short, though. I wouldn’t use it, but maybe the two words together don’t bother you.
The name Brody is trendy, informal, regular guy. Brody has a Scottish/Gaelic connection, and I would choose a name that fits with that (branching out to Ireland and Wales if need be) and also give this son a family middle name as his older brother has. Too, I would stay away from names with a usual one-syllable nickname. Thus, I would chose these 3 from your list for Brody’s brother:
Liam Joseph Short
Owen Michael Short
Dylan Michael Short
I’d use similar criteria for a girls’ name and would choose these 3 from your list:
Fiona Elizabeth Short. (“this might be too classic with Brody” — Fiona isn’t a classic name, but does have a Scottish connection.)
Isla Maisie Short (“this was my number 1 choice for many years until it got popular” — SSA 2009 Top 1000 baby names stats: Brody ranked 77 (5346 baby boys given that name), while Isla ranked only 346 (936 girls give the name). Isla has a Scottish connection too.)
Maisie Isabel (Brody and Maisie — very nice together)
Isla may not rank very high, but it has been rising very quickly. It entered the top 1000 in 2008 at 619 and by 2009 it was at 346.
I try not to comment on Fiona any more. I fear I may begin to sound like a broken record. It is my daughter’s name and the most important thing is that it fits her. And I still think it is petty. But I actually regret the choice in some ways, one of the reasons being it is NOT a classic. I ended up naming my son Paul 3 years later.
With that said, Fiona has been rising, but hasn’t had the astronomical sudden rise like Isla. It entered the top 1000 in 1990 at 942 and has been steadily rising every since, in 2009 ranking at 313. What this says to me is that, while you cannot predict what a name will do, if a name suddenly rises, it will likely suddenly fall, and therefore Fiona may have more staying power.
The other names I like on your list are Ivy, Violet and Meredith.
I should probably comment on the boys too. I like: Owen, Griffin and Cole, but Cole may not go with your last name.
Good luck.
Oh, I was watching the weather this morning, and on the screen I saw “Danielle, Earl, and Fiona.” I guess Fiona is one of the upcoming hurricanes!
This was surprising, because usually, obscure names are picked for hurricanes, and while Fiona used to be rare, lately it has become somewhat mainstream. But I consider Danielle also mainstream. I guess the meteorologists are running out of unusual names!
I don’t bring this up to discourage you from using Fiona, but rather to point out the strange coincidence.
Dylan Forrest
Griffin Rhys
Liam Reese
Olivia Quinn
Violet Elisabeth
Quinn Isabel
Some further thoughts…
I like the repeating long ‘o’ sound in
Brody and Owen
or in
Brody and Fiona
Those are my favorite pairs for you. I think each set of names sounds well together. Also both Owen and Fiona have Celtic connections like Brody.
Owen Michael (for a family name) or Owen Rhys (a very Welsh combination)
Fiona Elizabeth (family name) or Fiona Kate
Cole Short and Quinn Short are a little, well, short in my opinion.
I love Isla and Ivy but “I Short” may get teased. “I R Short” and “I M Short” will definitely get teased so I would stay away from Maisie or Meredith as middle names with either of them. Ava Maisie “A M Short” may be a bad idea too.
My picks would be:
Dylan Forrest Short
Desmond Michael Short
Liam Rhys Short (prefer this spelling)
Violet Elizabeth Short
Olivia Quinn Short
Meredith Kate Short
Good luck
Carson Rhys Short is excellent!
(And, as silly as it sounds, it’s a helpful mnemonic device for new acquaintances to remember which brother is first because their names are in alphabetical order!)
Ivy Elisabeth Short is a lovely, strong, and classic name. Brody & Ivy. Nice.
Best wishes are your new bundle!
Thank you everyone. I never thougt of the ‘I.M. Short’ or’A M Short initial ‘issues’. Thanks Megz!
I’m so glad people share these findings. It helps cross names off the list and my main goal is to simplify the list.
I stand corrected when I typed that Fiona was to classic with Brody…I guess I meant classy perhaps. But it seems to be a favorite which I am happy to hear.
Kayt
I like your comment “they are brothers not bookends” so true.
Isla is not as popular as Brody but I have yet to meet another Brody (in my town so far) and I’ve met a few Isla’s.
Carson Rhys Short is a good name too!
So far Ivy, Violet and Isla seem to be most peoples favorites for girls. Owen, Eli and Liam or Griffin for boys.
Again thanks, this is helping.
enjoy you day!
This is probably totally irrelevant for people in the US, but there’s an old (1930s?) series of books that used to be popular (at least until the 1970s, because there was a made-for-TV version that I used to watch) called “The Just Wiliam Stories” (by Richmal Compton). They’re about a very naughty middle class English boy (called William, of course) and his friend, Violet Elizabeth. All I remember about her was that she used to say “I’ll thcream and thcream until I make mythelf thick!” all the time, in a high-pitched, very irritating voice… All that to say that “Violet Elizabeth” would be a complete no-no for me because of this one, very strong connotation.
And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I really don’t like Fiona (sorry to the mother whose daughter has this name – I don’t mean to offend; I even have a cousin with this name, though to be fair, she’s over 50 and Scottish) because in Britain it’s really old-fashioned, very Scottish and utterly unglamorous, unromantic… To me, it conjures up a not-quite-old Scottish woman, with a cigarette in her mouth and a deep-fried Mars bar in her hand (yes, they really DO eat these in Scotland!)…My cousin fits the first part, but not the rest, but is still definitely the right age-group for Fiona in Britain. Sorry to all you Fiona-amdirers!
That said, it does mean “princess” in Gaelic, so maybe I should just shut up!
Magic 27 your post mad me laugh! I have such a funny image in my head now. :)
This is a very late comment, but I was surfing the internet to find names that go well with our kids: Eli and Fiona! So funny to see them on the top of both of your lists! And we are thinking Desmond ;)