Erika writes:
We are due with our second boy in less than 6 weeks and need naming help. I’ve been following your blog my entire pregnancy and love hearing your suggestions and thoughts on baby naming. My husband’s name is Aaron and mine is Erika. Our last name is Kaltenbach. Our son’s name is Jude Aaron and I love so many things about his name. We are looking for something similar with our second boy. A shorter name since our last name is such a mouthful. Something not to popular but also not strange sounding. I have also shied away from first names with a strong K sound b/c of our last name. Middle name is flexible for us. Here is a glance at what we have plodded through so far:
Leo: my favorite – my husband doesn’t like the associations paired with it
Luke: we both like it but it feels to common particularly when you throw lucas in the mix but a definite front runner at this point
Holden: both like, something just feels off about it
Ty: hubby likes, I like but not my favorite
Cy: we both really like but have good friends with a Silas that they call SiWe are stuck in indecisive land and need your help! This will be our last child. Please help us find a name for our baby boy.
Because you like Leo and Ty/Cy, I suggest Milo or Levi or Eli:
Milo Kaltenbach; Jude and Milo.
Levi Kaltenbach; Jude and Levi.
Eli Kaltenbach; Jude and Eli.
If Holden is not quite right, do you like Landon or Hudson?
Dane would go beautifully with Jude, without over-coordinating. Dane Kaltenbach; Jude and Dane.
I might like Dean even more. Dean Kaltenbach; Jude and Dean.
Finn is another good short one. Finn Kaltenbach; Jude and Finn.
Reid is one of my favorite short boy names. Reid Kaltenbach; Jude and Reid.
Or Ian is on my own list. Ian Kaltenbach; Jude and Ian.
Ooo, or Gage. Gage Kaltenbach; Jude and Gage.
If it works with the first name, I like the idea of using Erik as the middle name, after you, since your first son’s middle name is after your husband. My favorite is Milo Erik Kaltenbach.
Luke would also be a good middle name possibility, if it feels too common to be the first name. I like Ian Luke Kaltenbach.
Name update! Erika writes:
An update from the Kaltenbach crew. Our second boy joined us 10 days early and we were so thrilled to have him join our family! We had decided on his name a few days before I went into labor and it was so wonderful to look at his face and know his name was Luke Josiah (grandfather’s name). He is a calm, steady baby and his name is a perfect fit! Thanks swistle, what a wonderful site you have to help parents decide on a name for their little one.
Dane is a great suggestion.
I really like Swistle’s suggestions of Milo, Levi, and Eli. They’re all perfect. I also really love her suggestion of using Erik in the middle to honor you–it’s not often this could be so easily done.
Dane and Finn sound too Scandinavian with your surname, I think.
Luke sounds too much like Jude with the long “U” sound.
Ty and Cy are both too short, IMHO, unless they’re nicknames for something longer.
For further consideration, I’d suggest:
Tate
Seth
Knox
Nash
Remy
Theo
Rex
I like Milo, Finn, or Theo with Jude.
My favorite is Leo though.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Erik as the middle name.
Some other first names…
– Basil. It sort of brings out the B in your last name more.
– Jared. Is this too close to Jude or just perfect? I can’t decide.
– Wade. Jude and Wade Kaltenbach.
I know you are staying away from strong K sounds, but I think Kai sounds great with your last name, and it is a bit more established as a stand alone name compared to Cy or Ty.
I love Eli for you! Also if you’re cool with names that sound like they could be nicknames, Sam and Max might have some appeal.
Other names you might like: Graham, Clark, Grant, Tate, and Vance?
Good luck!
As a mom to a Leo, I’m kinda curious as to the “associations paired with it”. Did I set my kid up for something by mistake? :(
Ezra! Jude and Ezra sound amazing together.
My favorites:
Jude & Adam
Jude & Abel
Jude & Sean
Jude & Alec
Or what about:
Jude & Hayes
Jude & Beau
Jude & Ross
Jude & Lewis
Jude & Linus
Jude & Arthur
I like them all!
Also like Erikson ‘son of Erik(a)’ as a middle name.
Good luck deciding.
Oooh! I like Dean, Tate, and Reid!
I like the following names for a brother of Jude:
Owen (maybe I’m thinking in Jude Law and Owen Wilson, I don’t know, LOL)
Liam (too popular?)
Evan
Ethan
Logan
If you like Leo, you may like Elliot or Eli.
Last night I saw a movie (“Restless”) where the main character was named Enoc. I thought it was a great name to suggest here in the blog.
Other short names I really like: Cole
Max
Sam
As another commenter said, I also don’t like such short names as Ty or Cy; I guess you’ve already considered Tyler, nn Ty. It also made me think of Riley, Ryan, Ryder and Bryce.
I love the idea of using Erik as a middle name in your honor, that would eliminate all my suggestions beggining with “E”.
My favorite combination for you would be Owen Erik Kaltenbach; Jude and Owen.
Good luck!! please share your thoughts and final decision!!
I agree that both Able and Dane are great suggestions!
Do you like Graham? Jude and Graham are complimentary without matching. Graham Erik Kaltenbach has a nice rhythm and sounds refined and masculine.
How about Lane? Jude and Lane. Lane Erik Kaltenbach.
Here’s a super-underused man’s name that is a classic: Glen. Jude and Glen. Glen Erik Kaltenbach.
Best wishes to you and your growing family! Please let us know what you and your husband decide!
I love short syllable boys!
My favorite from your list is Leo. I like Dean, Finn and Gage from Swistle’s list.
How about these
Heath
Lyle
Miles
Seth
Todd
Wes
West
I think Jude and Wes are my favorite
I like Luke and Holden from your list, but I’m not sure if I like the repeating u sound in Jude and Luke or not.
From Swistle’s and commenters’ suggestions I like Dane, Ian, Milo, Reid, Heath and Seth.
How about Miles or Rhys?
Oh! I love the name Rhys!! great suggestion StephLove!!
I know a baby Jude who has a brother named Zane.
I was also going to suggest Tate, and I like Rhys, Dane and Cole as well.
Kale
Chase
Good luck!
Luka/Luca or Lucian or Lucan or Luther could be full names for Luke. But I think it can also work as a stand alone name.
Heath
Reid
Dane
Luke
Cade
Tate
Slade
Bram
Gram
Reese
Rhys
Finn
Noah
I am seeing lots of “L” sounds in the choices you mentioned, Erika. These predominated in the names we considered for our sons, too, and we were also trying for a short name to balance out a longer last name. Here are a few names we liked :
Paul
Joel
Neil
Cyril (Cy for short) or Ilan. I also like Eli and Levi.
Oh, or Cyrus.
p.s. What about Salem?