Amanda writes:

We are due with our third child in October. We are having trouble naming this little boy mainly because I am being stubborn and I am set on a name that my husband likes “o.k.” but I guess he is not head over heels for it the way I am! Anyway, to give you some background information our last name is Moncla. I believe it is french and pronounced just as it looks Mon (like mom) cla (almost like claw but without the w). Our first child was a girl, Lucille (Lucy) Elizabeth and our second was a boy Eli James. He goes by Eli.
I knew for when naming them that I wanted each of them to have a saint name being that we are part of the Catholic faith. What I didn’t intend was that they would each have a saint name and a biblical name. So for our third son I would like to stay with that criteria.
I would like for his middle name to be Jude for St. Jude (but not a must) and this would leave his first name to be the biblical name. (Yes, I know that Jude is also a biblical name.)
The name I “LOVE” is Abram. My husband actually had read it to me but it didn’t strike me until later. Now he is unsure about it. The other names that I like that he has shot down were Silas and Asa.
Names on my husbands list include Isaac, Ian, Sebastian (too long to go with Lucy and Eli, in my opinion) and Xavier. I like Isaac and Ian but I do not love them.
I am having a really difficult time making a decision and knowing that I have approximately 98 days left as of today is making me quite nervous!
Any help would be appreciated!

 
If you would like to be talked out of Abram because of your husband’s uncertainty, I’ll mention that the M at the end blends a bit with the M at the beginning of your surname, and that the name Abram Moncla is a little difficult for me to say aloud. Neither of these things are dealbreakers by any means—but I find for myself, it can help me to release my grip on The Perfect Name if I can find ways in which it’s not completely Perfect.

The name Abel leaves you with much of the sound of Abram (as well as with the great nickname Abe), but it removes the M problems. Abel Moncla; Lucy, Eli, and Abel.

I wonder if you would like the name Asher? I think it goes very well with Lucy and Eli. Asher Moncla; Lucy, Eli, and Asher.

Or Nathaniel. Nathaniel Jude Moncla; Lucy, Eli, and Nate.

I think Seth helps balance the strong sounds of the surname, and also goes well with the similarly gentle name Eli. Seth Moncla; Lucy, Eli, and Seth. I don’t think it works well with the middle name Jude, however.

Or Gabriel. Gabriel Jude Moncla; Lucy, Eli, and Gabe.

If your husband likes Isaac, I wonder if he would like Zachary? Same “zac” sound. Zachary Moncla; Lucy, Eli, and Zach.

I think Samuel would work perfectly: Samuel Jude Moncla; Lucy, Eli, and Sam. That’s my favorite option.

Or Jude could be moved to the first-name slot, though this is something you would have thought of already, so I’ll just say it because I like it: Jude Moncla; Lucy, Eli, and Jude.

If you find yourself hopelessly stuck, I’ll remind you of something you already know but which is so easy to forget during the baby-naming process: any self-imposed restriction can be removed. It’s easy to inadvertently set up a series of preferences that paint us into an impossible corner where not a single name we like works with all the preferences, and it can be a relief to realize that that’s all they are: preferences. You’ve mentioned that Jude is also a biblical name—which means that if necessary you could look in the Saints section for a first name instead of in the Biblical section, which wouldn’t even require the preferences to be altered (though I can certainly see wanting the Saint Jude instead of the Bible Jude). James and Elizabeth are biblical names, but they’re also regular traditional names used without biblical associations—which means you can drop that restriction if it’s trapping you, especially if you chose the names originally without thinking of their biblical characters. The name Jude could be ditched entirely in favor of a saint first name and a new biblical middle name—which again, means you could try your luck in the Saints section instead of butting heads in Biblical.

Name update! Amanda writes:

I very much enjoyed reading your suggestions for naming our third child and also the comments were great! You had suggested a name that I had thought of but didn’t really care for before but after seeing it with the other childrens names I fell in love with it. Samuel Jude Moncla was born on October 4th at 11 am weighing 8 lbs 8oz. There were some comments about the way Sam Moncla may sound like salmon claw but even that didn’t stop us. I absolutely love his name and it fits him perfectly! Thanks for all of your help!