Megan writes:
So I am due in seven weeks and my husband and I are at a total impasse when it comes to boy names. I tend to be more traditional/old school with names while my husband is all over the board. I am stil in shock we actually landed on our first little guys name – Elliott – it was honestly the only name either of us even somewhat like. Our last name is Jones so a lot of the names I like are killed because I don’t want to name him after an old singer (Davey Jones, Tom Jones) or a financial institution (Edward Jones).
Part of our struggle too is I like the middle name to have meaning (Elliott’s middle name is my maiden name) so some of the names we like don’t sound good with our two middle name options right now (Christopher – husbands’ middle name and Raymond – Grandfather’s name). The boys names we like at this point are:
Miles Christopher
Gavin Christopher
Charles RaymondWhile I am not one to get flipped out if another kid has my child’s name I don’t want every kid on the block to have the name which is my concern with Charles (Charlie). My husband doesn’t love Gavin but I have been keeping it on the table since it was my great grandmother’s maiden name so I like that linkage. And for Miles I just wonder if it is a good little boys name…I can see it as a grown up but I have a hard time imagining a little baby names Miles. Clearly I am overthinking all of these!! I just wish i LOVED a name and right now I don’t!!
Thoughts on the names we are contemplating are greatly welcome or if there are new ideas we will listen to those too!
Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated and i swear i will send a pic if you help me out with this!!
If your husband isn’t crazy about the name Gavin, and if you want a meaningful middle name, I suggest using Gavin as the middle name. I especially like this idea when the surname is the husband’s: that way each family line is represented in the child’s name.
I think Miles is wonderful with Elliott, but the repeating s-endings of Miles Jones makes it a little difficult for me to say. (Charles Jones has the same issue, but it stands out to me less if you’ll be calling him Charlie.) Do you like the name Milo? I like the repeating long-o sound of Milo Jones. Milo Gavin Jones; Elliott and Milo.
Oliver would be nice with Elliott, and I also like it with Gavin. Oliver Gavin Jones; Elliott and Oliver.
The Baby Name Wizard suggests these five brother names for Elliott: Bennett, Graham, Duncan, Reid, Miles. I think Reid Jones sounds handsome. Not everyone likes the 1-1 syllable sound, but I think sometimes it works (Brad Pitt, Sean Penn) and sometimes it doesn’t. Reid Gavin Jones; Elliott and Reid.
One of my favorites is Simon. I’m not sure it works with Gavin as a middle name—I can’t tell if the repeating endings tie the name together or if they’re too much -en sound. Simon Gavin Jones; Elliott and Simon. Or Simon Christopher Jones is nice.
Another of my favorites is Ian. Again, the repeating -en sound is something that some will like and some won’t. Ian Gavin Jones, or Ian Christopher Jones; Elliott and Ian.
Calvin crosses that Liking/Not-Liking line for me by repeating the entire second syllable: Calvin Gavin Jones. But Calvin Christopher Jones or Calvin Raymond Jones both work. Elliott and Calvin.
I think the name Isaac would work beautifully, and I like the repeating S-as-Z sounds in Isaac Jones. Isaac Gavin Jones; Elliott and Isaac.
Or do you like Nathaniel? Nathaniel Gavin Jones; Elliott and Nathaniel.
Or Gabriel. Gabriel Gavin Jones; Elliott and Gabriel.
Or Micah. Micah Gavin Jones; Elliott and Micah.
Or Karl. Karl Gavin Jones; Elliott and Karl.
If you don’t mind repeating an initial, I suggest Edmund. Edmund Gavin Jones; Elliott and Edmund.
Elliot Reed was a main character in Scrubs. I suppose it’s not such a big deal as the show has ended and your children won’t be growing up with it, but it’s still important to know this I think… You don’t want to find out that little piece of trivia later on and be disappointed!
Just wanted to chime in that my little guy (13 months) is named Miles and it doesn’t seem too old for him. I had the same doubt when my husband suggested it. We call him Milou most of the time.
I love the name Miles for you, and like the previous poster, have no problem imagining it on a little boy because that’s my 2 year old’s name.
I also like Swistle’s suggestions of Reid and Oliver.
I’m pulling out my own list since we seem to have similar taste in boy’s names. Here’s some other suggestions:
Leo
Preston
Nolan
My two favorites are Oliver and Miles.
I like Simon a lot for you. I also keep coming back to the name Peter, for some reason. I love Gavin as a first name, as it sounds great with Elliot, and Gavin Christopher is just great.
I love the baby wizards suggestion of Bennett and it works well with either middle name choice although I prefer Bennett Raymond Jones. Good luck!
We have the same last name! Our boys names are Christopher James and Andrew Joseph. We wanted traditional and I really like the “J” middle name with our last name :)
I like the name Gavin best since the names ending in “s” give me a hard time w/ your last name. Otherwise I really like the suggestions of Simon and Isaac.
Good luck!
I don’t quite understand your problem with Charles — it’s currently 67th in the US, so your neighborhood can’t be that over-run with them. Gavin is commoner at 37th.
By the sound of it, you like names that are not too common but are pretty traditional. My thoughts:
Austin. Like Elliot, a medieval name.
Henry. From the same stable as Charles and Miles.
Dominic, Nicholas, Timothy. All trad, old names. The three syllables work well with a short surname like Jones.
Tristan, Colin. Both Celtic like Gavin, as well as sharing that ‘n’. Both long, rich heritage.
I know a toddler named Miles and it is just darling. Gavin and Charles are nice, too.
I thought of Simon immediately when I read the post’s title and I really like Simon Christopher Jones. Simon Jones. Elliot and Simon. I also like many of the other suggestions.
The Miles I know has a big brother Liam – do you like that?
I like Miles for you! Elliott and Miles – cute. And to echo previous posters, I know a toddler named Miles (super cute).
Since your surname is more common, I also think you can get away with a slightly more unique first name.
If you are looking for more ideas to consider, how about…
Clinton. Nn Clint. Clinton Jones. Clinton Raymond Jones. Elliott and Clinton.
Wade. Wade Jones. Wade Christopher Jones. Elliott and Wade.
Theodore. Theodore Jones. Theodore Raymond Jones. Elliott and Theodore.
Nolan. Nolan Jones. Nolan Christopher Jones. Elliott and Nolan.
Vaughn. Vaughn Jones. Vaughn Christopher Jones. Elliott and Vaughn.
I like Charlie! It is a lot less common than Oliver too.
I like the idea of shifting Gavin to the middle slot so you can accommodate your desire to use it
(what a great family connection) and the fact that it’s not your husband’s cup of tea.
How about Alexander Gavin Jones?
Or you could reverse Gavin Christopher to Christopher Gavin. I like that, too.
Anonymous- Charles is #66 in the United States; combining it with the given name Charlie brings it up to #45. Oliver is #88. But these are national statistics (source: Social Security Administration), so if Oliver seems more common to you, it may be that it IS in your area.
I love Reid Christopher or Simon Christopher. I also love Oliver Gavin.
I am elementary school teacher and have had a few boys named Miles (or Myles) and the name fit them perfectly!
Nolan Jones sounds great! I agree with Leigh on That one. I wish I had Jones as a last name so I could use Nolan and have it sound that good! It is something about the ‘o’ sound repeating maybe.
Miles is fantastic, you can use Milo as a nickname as he grows up. Milo Gavin Jones is perfect.
What about using Christopher Gavin, nn Topher, Kit, or Chip?
Oh my just stumbled accross this post….. i have a 3 yr old Eliott and a 1 yr old Myles (Mylo) as he is often called! What would be another boys name to match theae two?