Rose writes:
I desperately need your help! My name is Rose, my husbands name is David and our last name sounds like Lucas. I have 2 & 1/2 year old twin girls named Seraphina Lily and Arabella Poppy, and a 9 month – yes, 9 months old!!! – old baby girl named India Violet. We call the girls Sephy, Bella and Indie about 75% of the time. We have a baby boy due on the 7th of October – can you imagine the look on our faces when we fell pregnant not even 3 months after Indie?This baby will definitely be our last!
So anyway, we are having a horrible time trying to name him. I think it’s hard because our girls have such unique, gorgeous, princessy, names. For example Seraphina, Arabella, India and John sounds strange (not that I even like the name John). We know that his middle name will either be Henry or James after my father, depending on which sounds better with the first name. I’m also not sure on whether we should choose a name with a nickname as the girls all have nicknames.
A name we loved for India was Emerson “Emmie”, as Emerson is David’s, mothers maiden name. I know that Emerson is a ‘uni-sex’ name, but is it masculine enough for a boy? It could possibly be an option. Emerson James Lucas…
Here are a few names we have considered:
Oliver – But I’m not a big fan of the nn Ollie.
Jude – I really like, but I don’t know if it fits with the girls names.
Elliot – My husband likes it, but I am worried I would call him ‘Elle/Ellie’.
Max – I love Max, but I think it sounds too much like a nn and my husband doesn’t love it.
William – We both quite like the nn Liam, but Liam Lucas doesn’t sound any good.So there you have it. Please help us!
Name update: Rose writes:
Sorry I didn’t get back with a name update sooner. Unfortunately our sweet baby boy was stillborn on the 30th of September 2011. We named him Emerson James.
We had decided we would wait until he was born to name him, and had the names Theodore ‘Theo’, Judson ‘Judd’ and William ‘Liam’ on our list. However when we saw him we knew he was an Emerson! The twins refer to him as ‘baby Em’ and love to look at the pictures we have of him.
Thank you for your wonderful suggestions, even though we did not use them.
I like your idea of using Emerson James. I think it fits your naming style and I do not think Emerson is too feminine for a boy at all.
I only know a girl Emerson, it may be on the girls side for me. What about Emett? Elijah with nn Eli would go well with his sisters’ names. I’ve always dreamed of naming a son James Oliver with nn Jollie, its too bad you don’t like Ollie as a nn. Cameron with nn Cam? I think Grabriel with nn Gabe would be a great fit with your daughters’ names too.
I immediately think of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Absolutely masculine enough and fits your style perfectly. I don’t know that the nickname Emmie works for a boy, though.
WOW! Congratulations to you!
Emerson is cool because it does have a family link. If I had to guess without knowing the person’s middle name, I’d think it was a girl though, based on how many girls lately are getting “boyish” names. Also, you were considering it for your girl, so does it have feminine overtones to you?
Other ideas I’m pulling out of Nymbler:
– Howard James, nn Howie
– Malachi
– Demetrius
– Maximilian
– Sebastian
– Vernon
Adding Henry or James in the middle spot is excellent.
If you go with Elliot, would a suitable nickname be “E.J” after Elliot James? Or maybe “Lee”? Does that even work? I don’t know, I just hear the “Lee” sound in Elliot.
LOVE Jude Henry.
I think Jude matches the other names. Jude Henry Lucas sounds great!
How about William, nicknamed Liam so then when you introduce him as William it sounds fine with the surname but you can use Liam also?
I’ll chime in for Sebastian or Maximilian.
I do think Emerson reads ‘girl’ for me as a first name, but I think it would make a fantastic middle name for your son.
I also like Sebastian for you. Seraphina, Arabella, India and Sebastian. Nice to bookmark the names with the same letter.
And a few additional suggestions, which I think also work with the middle names Henry or James, if you don’t like Emerson:
Nathaniel Emerson. Seraphina, Arabella, India and Nathaniel.
Roderick Emerson. Seraphina, Arabella, India and Roderick.
Dominic Emerson. Seraphina, Arabella, India and Dominic.
Florian Emerson. Seraphina, Arabella, India and Florian.
Gideon Emerson. Seraphina, Arabella, India and Gideon.
Everett Emerson. Seraphina, Arabella, India and Everett.
Best of luck to you!
Emerson is absolutely masculine enough for a boy. I have a 5-year-old son named Emerson, whose nickname is Ems. I think Emerson James is fantastic!
I think in your family I would assume Emerson was a boy because it would be an odd choice for a girl with those sister names. If I was encountering the name out of the family context I’d be pleasantly surprised to find it was a boy.
How about Alexander for you? It’s a nice match for the sisters if you don’t mind repeating an initial and it has good nicknames (Alex, Xander) and pairs well with both middles, especially James.
Or if you want to go in a different direction, how about Zane, or Quinn? I like those with Henry.
I like Henry as a first name, with middle name Emerson. Henry sounds very stately and holds up well with those beautiful princess names.
Other ideas:
Walter
Edward
Otto
I love the girls’ names, by the way! I think India is an awesome choice!
I second Henry as a 1st for you. Henry Emerson is wonderful! What about Alistair, Darius, Jasper, Felix or Nathanael?
Here’s another idea since the girls all have botanical middles– Basil or Timothy as a middle with James or Henry as the first name. Or make Basil or Timothy the first name. I like Basil especially with your girls’ names.
My absolute favorite boy name of all tiem is Cullen.
Cullen James Lucas.
You could call him “Cully” for short.
By the way – your girls’ names are gorgeous!
LOVE your girls names! I second Sebastian, lovely.
Everett James Lucas? Seraphina, Arabella, India & Everett? Nn Rhett or Ever
Or maybe something more whimsical… Phinnneaus James or Finnegan Henry. Nn Finn.
Congrats and all the best!!
Your list seems classic and, perhaps, safe. This strikes me as unusual because all of your daughters’ names are somewhat daring and totally feminine.
So I’m going to toss a few boy names onto your pile that are classic but not run-of-the-mill.
1. Chapman (his nickname could be Chap or Chaps)
2. Redford (nickname of Red or Ford)
3. Carlson (nickname of Carl or Cars)
4. Ulysses (if you WANT a nickname, it could be Yuke)
I’m torn over Emerson. To me, it IS a boy’s name. Period. But to everyone else? Well… that’s where it gets dicey. If it were me, I’d avoid any name that is ‘uni-sex’, especially since your girls have feminissa sort of names. He’s going to have to be tough anyway with three big sisters! (WOW!)
He’s got a great last name that will stick with him his whole life that sounds like a classic first name. If Chapman becomes too ‘out-there’, he can always be called by his surname.
All the best to you and your growing family! Very, very excited to hear what you and your husband decide!
I absolutely adore your daughters names. Gorgeous!
I liked the suggestion above about Everett, which is sort of similar to Emerson (which I do think is more feminine).
What about Maximillian, nn Max?
Sebastian
Quentin
Thaddeus nn Thad
From your list, I like Oliver and Elliot the best. There’s just something about the subtle repeating of the L’s that I love. I would never default to the nn Ollie if I met an Oliver, unless the family called him that.
I think Emerson is becoming associated more and more with little girls, so I’d carefully consider that before I chose that name.
Of the previous suggestions, I really like Everett.
My suggestions:
– Stanley David Lucas.
– Eugene James Lucas. nn Gene.
– Phillip Henry Lucas.
– Glen (?) Lucas.
Oh, I was just looking through the top 1000 names in the 1880s. (Man, I should get a hobby!) Anyway, I wondered across JUDSON. How great is that name!? Would your husband like Jude better if you use it as a nn for Judson? It also opens up the possibility of the nn of Judd.
Ooooh I’m LOVING some of these suggestions!
I realllllly love Everett, Cameron and Judson. I also love Sebastian, but I’m not 100% sure if we want to repeat an initial…
Thanks Swistle for posting my question, and thanks to everyone who has made suggestions! Keep them coming :-)
Oh and I just noticed that when I re-sent this question to Swistle I forgot to change Indie’s age to 10 months. Not that it matters, lol!
What about Lucian? With a nickname of Lou?
Or Royce, nickname Roy?
Or Christopher?
Your daughters have gorgeous names. Good luck and let us know what you choose!
It is really too bad Emerson has gone to the girls. I just wanted to chime in on Cameron. There are three in the VERY small town where I live and the oldest (8) is a boy while the two toddlers are girls. Has the same happened with Cameron??? Maybe even more so really. You have done such a great job with your daughters names the right fit will come for your boy! Congratulations!
I like Eugene..
Theodore nn Theo
Evander nn Evan
Congrats on yr little boy!! And i also love your little girls names they are gorgous!
For your little man i like the suggestions Judson, Elijah (nn Eli), Everett and Alexander (nn Alex) all would be great with your girls names.
Can i suggest
Flynn
Noah
Xavier
Malcolm (nn Mal or Mally)
Lincoln
Theodore (nn Theo)
Kingston
For me i do think of girl when i here the name Emerson as i know a few girls with this name who go by Emme! but i guess it could work on a boy but i think maybe as a middle name!!
Congrats again and all the best xx
Oliver – But I’m not a big fan of the nn Ollie.
Jude – I really like, but I don’t know if it fits with the girls names.
Elliot – My husband likes it, but I am worried I would call him ‘Elle/Ellie’.
I really love Jude with your set. I actually have an Arabella and a Jude and their names fit rather well together. I think that the other two girls’ names don’t pose a problem with Jude either. Oliver would be a wonderful choice. I also adore Elliot (call him Eli) and am considering it if I have another boy.
A few suggestions I might have for you:
Nathaniel (which has been suggested)
Theodore (too traditional?)
Everett (another previous suggestion)
Sebastian
Ezra
Milo
Owen
To me, Emerson has gone girl. But the nickname E.J. for Emerson James might help since I love the family connection.
Otherwise I say go with a longer name for Max ie Maximillian or Maximus or something else I”m not thinking of.
Congratulations! Your girls are so beautifully named! You’re right, baby brother needs something equally regal. I think Emerson could work because, though it is a bit unisex at the moment, your girls have such uber feminine names that Emerson works for a boy in this family. That said, I think there are names much better suited to your pack. I would love to see:
Leopold (Leo, Doe)
Earnest (Earnie)
Albert (Bertie)
Theodore (Theo, Teddy)
Julian (Jules)
Oscar (Ozzie or Oz)
Raphael (Ralph)
Claudius (Claude–though Claude alone would work)
Cassius (Cas)
Roman (Ro)
Beaumont (Beau)
Additionally, I did a post recently called “The Bearded Boys” with a lot more names of this feel!
Best of luck to you and your beautifully named family! I can’t wait to hear his name!
I love the suggestions of Maximilian, Theodore, Leopold, Reginald, and others similar. They seem to be the male equivalent to your daughter’s names.
I wonder if Sterling would work? Sterling James Lucas, or Sterling Henry Lucas.
I love Theodore ‘Theo’ too! I also like Oscar and Roman ‘Ro’.
I considered Miles ‘Milo’, but I don’t think that Milo Lucas sounds any good, and he would go by Milo even more than the girls go by their nicknames. What do you guys think?
Your daughters names are stunning.
Emerson also reads feminine to me. Once a name starts to go “girl” I have a hard time accepting it once again as “boy”. But that is just me!
I love the previous suggestions of Everett, Theodore, and Sebastian.
Seraphina, Arabella, India,
How about Willem? Or Graham? Or Edmund? These immediately came to mind.
Also:
Rafferty
Piers
Bennett
Rupert
Arthur
Tristan
Declan
Camden
Charles
Stellan
Sebastian Jame Lucas sounds great!
Another nickname for Sebastian (instead of Seb) is Baz. Baz Lucas is pretty cool…
Personally I don’t like Emmerson – on a girl or a boy. Not that my opinion should matter to you, but I like the suggestions here better.
I thought of Leo / Leonardo and I see someone else thought of Leopold – and I think either one would work well with your daughters’ names.
Has anyone suggested Dorian yet? I thought that name seemed feminine until I learned that it is a guy’s name and the few people I know of with the name are guys. I am not sure if I like Dorian for myself, but I like it for you and I feel Dorian is better than Emmerson.
I see someone suggested Alistair, Theo / Theodore and Thad / Thaddeus, and I like those names too. I like how Thaddeus is sort of complex and refined but still masculine – the perfect name for a guy with three older sisters with princess-y names.
I love your girls’ names :)
I think the boys’ names that fit with your daughters are long (like others have suggested Alexander, Theodore, Maximillian) or just a really handsome name (not that the aforementioned names aren’t handsome too). That will depend on what you think is handsome, but probably not unisex or too cutesy. Everett is really handsome.
I think Emerson is absolutely a boy’s name. In fact, in Scandinavian tradition, “____son” names meant you were the “son of ____”.
And Emerson James is a completely charming name! Please use it!
I also think Emerson is a boy’s name. The only Emerson I know is a 17-year-old boy. He is called Emo (Eh-mo, like Elmo without the L) or Emerson.
Or, how about Tolliver? (I’m reading backward today…)
If you don’t love Oliver, why not jazz it up a bit? Tolliver Henry Lucas. Tolliver James Lucas. They are both terrific.
Tolly, Tover, Toll, Tiv would make great nicknames.
Good luck to you!
Emerson does seem to have kind of gone to the girls, alas and alack. Beckett? Leopold? Walden? Sawyer?
Noble James
To coordinate with the girls’ names, something whimsical yet stately seems fitting.
My favorite would be Trevelyan, nn Trev.
Others:
Lancelot nn Lance
Raphael nn Rafe
Quentin nn Quin or Quint
Reginald nn Reggie
Congratulations! Your daughters’ names are gorgeous — and I can see why you’re having a hard time picking a boys’ name that “fits.” However, sometimes I think we make naming more difficult than it needs to be by imposing all sorts of rules on ourselves. Here are some things to keep in mind:
— It’s not unusual for families to have different styles of boys’ names and girls’ names. For example, families are often more daring with girls’ names and more conventional with boys’ names. (That’s why Seraphina, Arabella, India, and John doesn’t really sound all that strange. John is regal, like the others — he’s just far more common.)
— Matching sibling names isn’t as important as we make it out to be. Once he’s a teenager or adult, most of the people who know your son won’t necessarily know the names of all his sisters. When I’ve met families in real life, it’s not often that I’ve thought, “Wow, those sibling names sure sound strange together!”
— Finding a first name you love sometimes matters more than finding a name that flows perfectly with the surname. As long as it’s not actually BAD, I think it’s fine to use a combo that’s not 100% textbook “ideal.” Of course, everyone draws the line in a different place. I think Liam Lucas is okay. Liam Loomis, on the other hand, sounds funny.
— It’s okay if the nickname and the surname aren’t a perfect match. Most of the situations that call for using surnames also call for using full names. And it’s fine to say, “I’m William Lucas, Liam for short.”
That being said, there are a lot of different directions you could go with a boys’ name. Since you’ve described your girls’ names as pricessy, something equally regal works for boys (from the conventional to the more romantic):
William
Charles
Frederick
Robert
Philip
Henry
Maximilian
Julius/Julian (nickname Jude, perhaps?)
August/Augustus (same initial as Arabella, but different sound)
Darius/Darian
Cyrus
Your daughters’ names also seem literary, so I think literary or artistic surnames work well:
Emerson (I know a baby boy with this name)
Eliot (nickname Eli or Lio; Lio Lucas is kind of cute)
Maxfield (another way to get to Max)
Tennyson
Byron
Tulliver (character surname from “The Mill on the Floss”)
Bennett (surname from “Pride and Prejudice”)
Ends-in-A names work since they match the sisters’ names in sound:
Judah (nickname Jude)
Ezra (also literary!)
Jonah
Hosea (might be strange if you’re not Jewish or Christian; not sure what nickname you’d use, either)
Your girls’ names are old-fashioned, but they kind of have an modern, edgy feel, too. Some boys’ names that match that feel:
Felix
Jasper
Miles (Milo Lucas is fine)
Jude (sounds fine with the sisters)
Everett
Emmett
Arthur (if you don’t mind repeating initials)
Walter
An “angelic” name works well, since it manages to have the softness of your girls’ names coupled with plenty of strength:
Gabriel (common but nice)
Raphael (nickname Raff, Rafe)
Some “softer” three- and four-syllable boys’ names work well:
Benedict (nickname Ben)
Elias (but Elias Lucas isn’t great)
Dmitri
Barnaby
Phineas (nickname Finn; the S-enders aren’t 100% ideal with your surname, but they’re okay)
Theodore (nickname Teddy/Theo)
Alasdair (sounds great if you don’t mind repeating initial)
Tobias/Tobin (nickname Toby)
Ephraim
Good luck!
Jude Ruby (yes Ruby – my uncle was Ruby and I loved it for him)
Johannes Blu.
Emerson is (sadly) all girl nw, I think. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE Leopold for you! Serephina, Arabella, India and Leopold.
Though I have heard Emerson for plenty of girls lately, I love the Ralph Waldo __ connection.
For a nickname, maybe I suggest Merson? I think it is strong and masculine, and not as feminine-feeling as Em. Sephie, Bella, Indie, Merson.
Blessings to your family!
Hi everyone, my email has been playing up so I will just have to leave this comment and hope it is found!
Sorry I didn’t get back with a name update sooner. Unfortunately our sweet baby boy was stillborn on the 30th of September 2011. We named him Emerson James.
We had decided we would wait until he was born to name him, and had the names Theodore ‘Theo’, Judson ‘Judd’ and William ‘Liam’ on our list. However when we saw him we knew he was an Emerson! The twins refer to him as ‘baby Em’ and love to look at the pictures we have of him.
Thank you for your wonderful suggestions, even though we did not use them.