Rebecca writes:
I’m 38 1/2 weeks pregnant, and I’m hoping you can help me with some last minute indecision. My husband and I are expecting a boy (or first) any day now. Since the beginning we have been using one name, and it wasn’t until recently that both of us are starting to doubt our choice.
Our last name is Anderson, and my first name is Rebecca (usually shortened to Becca) and my husband is Nathan (shortened to Nate by everyone but his parents). There were generally three things we were looking for:
1. I’m Jewish and want to have something in the child’s name that is either Hebrew or reflects that fact that he’s not fully Scandinavian
2. The name Rebecca is so common I want to avoid the same thing for my child. I want to avoid top 10 names if possible, but don’t want the name to sound made up.
3. (Less important) We both have shortened names that our friends use – if possible I’d like to give him a name that he can use with everyone.
The name we’ve been using is Eli (full name Eli Nathan Anderson). The thing that has me a little concerned is that Eli ends in a vowel and Anderson starts with one. When I say it out loud I’m concerned that his first and last name run into each other if his middle name isn’t in there. Other names we’ve considered are Jack, Charles, Elliot, and Hayden – but none of these really fit the criteria we’re looking for and I’m not in love with any of them.
Any advice?
I said “Eli Anderson” out loud a few times, and it doesn’t run together for me. For comparison, try “Elias Anderson,” which comes out “Eliah Sanderson” or just “eliasanderson.”
I think if you’ve both liked this one name all along, it’s unlikely that your current doubts are anything more than the very common “WAIT!! Are we SURE??” feelings that keep most of us up at night at the very end. I found it reassuring to leaf through the baby name book Just To See, and also to think to myself, “If he doesn’t look like a _____ when he’s born, we have plenty of time to rethink.” (For me, both exercises resulted in feeling better and keeping the original name. Results may vary.)
(See also: Baby Naming Issue: Last-Minute Doubts.)
Sounds great to me! I don’t find the names running together at all.
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I think it’s a great name! Go for it! We’re expecting a baby any day now, too, and I’m feeling kind of the same feelings. This is our second boy and our naming our first was such a home run that feeling good about this name instead of fantastic makes me worry. But Swistle’s suggestions of just trying it out once he’s here reassure me. :)
I think Eli Anderson sounds lovely. Excellent choice.
Eli is my son’s name. He just turned 1. So I really like it!
I don’t have a problem with how it sounds. You could use Eli as a nickname for Elliot though!
didn’t run together for me. although i like Fran’s idea of Eli as a nickname for Elliot..but really, it doesn’t run together. i wouldn’t worry about it. i bet when he’s born you will take one look at him and know that he is Eli!
Maybe Elijah, with Eli as a nickname?
His name is sound. Eli Anderson.
Masculine. Defined. Ideal.
Nice work!
I do love the sound of Eli Anderson, and the name doesn’t run together at all for me. Very handsome!
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Helena- That’s a commenter saying she has a one-year-old named Eli—not the original question-writer.
Oh, I read it wrong, my mistake. I do like Eli Anderson, though, and I think using his father’s name as a middle name is a nice touch.
Eli Anderson sounds great and meets your criteria. Having his dad’s name as his middle name makes the name perfect for your little boy. It’s not unusual to have doubts about the chosen name close to the time your baby will be born. I hope we’ve reassured you that the name you’ve chosen is splendid!
Elijah?
Eli Anderson sounds fine to me, and doesn’t run together at all. I want to say, though, that I have always decided on boy and girl names very early in pregnancy and then I always, ALWAYS have some doubt. I am pregnant with my fourth and I am super doubtful now about my names. I have always stuck with it, remembered why I loved them when I chose them and it gets me through. I hope it does for you too, congratulations!
Elias and especially Elijah are both MUCH harder for me to say with Anderson than Eli. The ‘i’ and ‘a’ sounds are so different that I actually think they flow quite nicely into one another. And Eli fits your criteria so well! And I think if you’d WANTED an Elias or Elijah or Eliot, you’d have named him that in the first place. But you didn’t. You named him Eli, and if your only reservation is that Eli and Anderson run into one another, and no one else really agrees with that, well…. you see where I’m going with this.
I love the sound of Eli Anderson, and I don’t think the names run together at all. Since in the Bible, Eli was the mentor and protector of Samuel, you could name a second son Samuel. I think Samuel Anderson sounds good too. Eli and Sam. I know, you didn’t ask about your NEXT baby!
Thanks for all of the feedback on the name! I do feel like we are just getting cold feet, and hearing such positive comments is reassuring.
Rebecca (I asked original question)
I have a son named Eli (he’s 4 now). Our last name is Sanderson. Sometimes I have to stress the “s” in Sanderson b/c ppl think I’m saying Eli Anderson. :)
Great name!!
I also like the names Ezra, Aaron, and Levi.
Can’t wait to hear what you picked!!
I know four Eli babies born this year! I think its a great name. I think it works great with your name and your husband’s, too.