Megan writes:
I am hoping for some help. We are expecting our second son on May 30. My two year old’s name is William Troy and we call him Liam. Liam’s name came to us quickly and it fits him perfectly. What I like about his name is that it is a classic name with a spunky nickname.
Some info:
1) Our last name starts with a D and rhymes with Hirsch, and can be difficult to spell and pronounce.
2) I like Gaelic names because of our names (Brian, Megan, Liam), but this isn’t a requirement.
3) We really like Dean, Franklin, John and Patrick as possible middle names, which are all family names.
4) I think a two syllable name/nickname sounds best with our one syllable last name, and that’s where I’ve been stumped.Here are the names we are considering:
*James Franklin (Jamie)–Currently our favorite, but is Jamie too feminine?
*Charles Dean (Charlie)
*Emerson Dean–No nickname. This seems like it’s becoming popular for girls.
*Elias Patrick (Eli)
*Sullivan Dean–Not sure about the nickname Sully.
*Franklin–What do you think of this for a first name? Not sure about the nickname Frankie.
*Patrick–What do you think of this for a first name? Not sure about the nickname Pat.Other names we are considering: Miles (Milo), Henry, Keegan, Ian (not sure how this sounds with Liam), Noah and Jonah.
Names we thought about but won’t use: Aidan, Cameron, Declan, Finnian, Oliver, Samuel, Oliver, Owen, Ethan, Seamus, Sean and Henry.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I think the main trouble is that the name William and the nickname Liam are such different styles: William fits with names such as Henry and Robert and James and John; Liam fits with names such as Corbin and Declan and Riley and Brendan. It’s hard to find another name that matches both the traditional/classic of William AND the Celtic of Liam.
Emerson is indeed becoming popular for girls, probably motivated by the popularity of Emma and the nickname Emmy. According to The Social Security Administration, in 2009 there were 1006 new baby girls named Emerson, and 632 boys.
My favorite from your list is Charles/Charlie. I think it’s perfect: it meets all your requirements and is a great name. William/Charles and Liam/Charlie is an excellent sibling set.
I also like Keegan so much with Liam—though less with William.
I wonder if you’d like Nicholas? Nicholas Patrick Hirsch; William and Nicholas; Liam and Nico.
Or Joseph: Joseph Patrick Hirsch; William and Joseph; Liam and Joey.
It doesn’t have a full-name version, but I like Casey with Liam: Casey Patrick Hirsch; Liam and Casey. As with Keegan, I like it less with William.
Let’s have a poll, over to the right! [Poll closed; see results below.]
Name update! Megan writes:
James Franklin “Jamie” D____ (rhymes with Hirsch) joined brother William Troy “Liam” on June 2! We’ve been told they sound like Scottish Highwaymen, which is fitting since I imagine there will be a lot of hijinxs with these two! Thank you for all of the help! :)
I’m very excited to see the comments on this one. My son is also William, nn Liam, and while I have many girl names I’d love to use, I have a really hard time finding a boy name that goes well with my son’s name.
I really like Sullivan and Franklin from your list although I’m also not sure about the nicknames. You could use Van for Sullivan, but Van (D)Hirsch like a product. My brother’s name is James, which I love, but you were wondering about the nn Jamie. We called my brother Jamie when he was little and when he started the preschool I was already attending there was a little girl who went by Jamie. My brother was horrified he had a girl’s name and refused to answer to Jamie ever since. He has managed to avoid being called Jim/Jimmy, except for a few years of Jimbo during high school sports seasons. Hmm, after all this I’m going to agree with Swistle and say I like Charles the best. Good luck, you have a great list!
My husband was named after his father but never called that name. His middle name is James and they always called him Jayme. The unusual spelling makes it fun. He never much cared that there were girls named Jamie/Jaime around. But he is a very confident type.
I have to respectfully disagree that Liam and Charlie go together. For me at least Liam is a stand alone, adult, masculine name. Charlie is a little boy name for me but that may just be my life experience talking. It sounds too common for my ear with Liam (which is a name I LOVE). As for an alternative… I saw Declan up there somewhere. I love that name as well. And Callum. They don’t have nicknames but they don’t need them either.
My middle child (of 3) is the only one of ours with a nickname. I don’t think it’s odd when the other names stand alone very well.
Can’t wait to hear what you choose! Good Luck :)
I also have a William who we call Liam. We had a hard time picking a name for our second son, too. We went with Evan after crossing the other names off of our short list (that included Matthew and Connor). There’s no nickname for Evan, but we felt it went with both the name Liam (what we usually call our first son) and the name William (what our son’s teachers usually call him).
What about Robert with the nickname Bo? I think Liam and Bo work as well together as William and Robert do, although I know you said you wanted a two syllable nickname.
Anoter idea is Harrison with the nickname Hal or Harry.
I love Miles/Milo, though, so I’d vote for that!
Also, I live in the UK and Dec is used as a nickname for Declan. I like it!
I like Elias Patrick best from your list and Nicholas (Nico) best from Swistle’s suggestions. How about Alexander (nn Xander) or Christopher (nn Topher)?
Andrew?
William and Andrew.
Liam and Drew.
And I think Jamie is fantastic for a boy. I have not heard a girl younger than 20 called Jamie…so I don’t think it would be as much of an issue for your child in school…but I could be wrong.
I think now that the 80’s girl name Jaime is fading from style, boys are starting to reclaim Jamie. I like James as a formal name that stands up next to William. Maybe Jamesy for a family nn?
I also think William/Liam pairs great with Charles/Charlie. In fact, I am friends with a family who has two boys who go by Charlie and Will!
Of the other names on your list, I think Sullivan is great. And, personally, I don’t think Jamie is too feminine as a nickname for a boy. One of my BILs is named James, and he’s affectionately called Jamie by members of the family from time to time.
Good luck!!
Tons of good suggestions, but as I am partial to the name Patrick, I want to suggest “Ricky” as a nickname. Ricky (D) Hirsch. Liam and Ricky. William, Patrick, Megan, and Brian.
Congrats and good luck finding the perfect name!
For Patrick, I think the nickname Ricky is great, rather than Pat; Liam and Ricky just sounded so cute and spunky together! Another potential nickname, which I actually prefer, but am not sure how you would feel about, is Paddy… Either way, Patrick got my vote!
Good luck and congrats :D
LOVE LOVE LOVE the way Liam and Milo sound together, plus your sons won’t meet 12 kids with the same name in preschool. We are Irish-American, and our sons are Emmet, Éamon, and Séamus. Teachers have never needed to add their last initial (like the Nick N., Nick R. and Nick. S. we had in one class) to differentiate them from another child. Emmet needs no NN. Séamus Patrick goes by his middle name, Paddy, and É amon goes by that at school and his MN Finn at home. (Glad I fell in love with that name 15 years ago, since you can’t swing a dead cat w/o hitting a hunky TV character named Finn nowadays.) I have an Irish friend named Rory, and deeply love that name. Most importantly, don’t choose anything that sounds like Liam, or you’ll spend the rest of your days calling them by the wrong name. People have ended up mangling Éamon and Séamus, ending up with Shaman or Amos…heavy sigh. Good luck and God bless.
I was actually going to suggest Elias before even seeing it on your short list, so that’s where my vote goes!
Oh, I love Jamie for a boy! And Liam and Jamie are so great together… if that’s your favorite, I’d definitely go with it!
I just had a conversation w/ a friend regarding James/Jamie. I live on the East Coast and honestly Jamie is rarely used for boys here. But, a few years back I had a manager from the midwest named Jamie. He was very handsome and good looking, so he could pull it off, but he mentioned one time that Jamie seemed to be more used more for a James nn in the midwest than on the east coast. Just something to think about.
I like Charles/Charlie from you list and I think someone also mentioned Matthew/Matt. I definitely think you need the longer name + nn.
I do not care for Milo.
-mc
I find William “Liam” and James ‘Jamie” very compatible. Jamie was first widely used as a nn for James in Scotland and Ireland, thus the same places where Liam became a nn for William. I also like Charles “Charlie” and think it works in the same way (Charlie was also popular in Scotland from the Stuart kings). But if you prefer James “Jamie,” then I think there’s nothing to be gained regarding a predominantly boy’s name by switching to Charles “Charlie”. I’m hearing “Charlie” on girls more and more — often as a nn for the upcoming Charlotte– while it seems that Jamie as a girl’s name is decreasing in popularity. James can be called Jamie when young and the full James or Jay when he’s an adult if he so chooses. I have an adult son named James, whom we called Jamie until he was in about 4th grade (sometimes called Jay as well), but then decided to go by James and has been James ever since. I’d go with James “Jamie” for William “Liam’s” brother.
I don’t love Jamie for a boy, but I really believe that once you name a child whatever you name them, it will automatically fit. I have a friend named James, and he used to go by Jamie when he was younger but now he is back to James.
I love Charles and Charlie, I have thought about it for my own and I think it goes so great with William.
How about Francis and Frank for a nickname? It’s not two syllables but William and Francis seem really good together.
My cousin’s name is Padraic and he goes by Pat, but his nephew is Padraic and goes by Paddy, which is super cute AND two syllables.
Sully, unfortunately, makes me think of every boy in a bar from Boston, ever.
I like Franklin from your list, and Nicholas from Swistle’s, but I would use the nickname Cole. William and Nicholas, Liam and Cole.
I also liked Patrick best from your list. I think it fits very well with William and Rick is a good alternate nickname.
If Keegan is not quite right for you perhaps Keiran would be? Definitely ticks the Gaelic box and you could use the nickname Keir.
I also have a William nicknamed Liam :) His brothers are named Evan and Dean. I think from your list James nicknamed Jamie would be very cute. Good luck!
Jen
I know a family with sons named Liam and Milo (given name Miles). The name Milo has Irish connections like Liam. Miles is a timeless name like William.
William/Liam
Miles/Milo
Of the names on your list, I think James/Jamie and Charles/Charlie go the best with William/Liam.
I don’t think Nicholas/Nico goes as well with William/Liam as the names mentioned above.
I like both Charles/Charlie and James/Jamie, leaning more toward Jamie. To me, they have the same feel as William/Liam for the reason Patricia mentioned above. They all sound like good, solid Scottish men. Jamie appeals more just because it’s a bit less common than Charlie. And there was that friend of my sister who had the cutest smile….
I like Elias, nn Eli the most. Eli is a respected name on its own as well, like Liam. Charlie, Jamie, etc. all sound like nicknames. Liam and Eli sound great together!
What about William (Liam) and Dashiell (Dash)?
Braden, nn Brady
Callan, nn Cal
Cormac, nn Mac
Douglas, nn Doug
Finley or Finnegan, nn Finn
Gallagher, nn Gale
Kaelan, nn Kane
Kieran, nn Kier
Daniel, nn Niel
Rafferty, nn Rafe
Congrats on your Jamie! My son is James Kenneth, and he goes by Jamey. My dad rags on us occasionally for calling him by a ‘girl’ name, but he hated all of our other name choices too. It’s a great name!
Pleased to hear you named your son James “Jamie” — very compatible with William “Liam”, and yes indeed, Liam and Jamie do sound like a pair of Scots-Irish (N. Ireland) brothers. Well done. Congratulations!
(Mother of James Duncan — called Jamie when very young, later chose to be James & Nana of James David who is always called James.)
Thank you for the well-wishes! :) Kayt, my FIL is calling him James for that reason, but he’ll always be my Jamie. He already has a few nicknames too: Jamer ( to go with brother Lemur), J, Potato and Bubbas (did I mention he was 10 pounds 5 ounces?). :)