Nara writes:
We are expecting our second child in August and have had a very difficult time agreeing on a name. Our daughter’s name is Ayla Rheann. This time we are having a boy. Our last name is Skipper. We’d like a strong name with the possibility of a nickname. We also want to stay out of the top 100. The middle name will be Jeffrey, Louis or Dean depending on what first name we chose. We are avoiding names that end in “er” because it just sounds funny with Skipper and we do not want a gender neutral name.
My husband absolutely loves the name Lincoln with the nn Linc. I was just about on board with it until I started saying it combined with Ayla. Does Ayla and Lincoln sound too much like Abraham Lincoln? He will be devastated to not use the name, but I don’t want our two children to turn into a school joke. Do people always put the oldest child first when saying their names?
If we have to ditch the name Lincoln, our other favorites include-
Everette, nn Rhett
Paxton, nn Pax
Pierson, nn Pierce
Lawson, nn Laz or Law
Sullivan, nn SullyI realize 5 of our names end with the ‘en’ sound and I’m not sure how that flows with our last name. Please help!!
It’s not too close for me. And even though some of the sounds of the phrase “Ayla and Lincoln” might bring the connection to mind, I don’t think anyone would think it was because the name Ayla was too similar to Abe or Abraham: the sound combination is a coincidence, and much of it comes from the “and” sound in between the names. If your husband will be devastated not to use the name, the possibility of some particularly clever and well-educated playground children noticing the sound connection between the names of two children in different grades (particularly when the connection is to someone who is generally considered in a very positive light) wouldn’t rule the name out for me.
Let’s have a poll over to the right to see what everyone else thinks. [Poll closed; see results below.]
The only thing about “Ayla and Lincoln” that brings to mind Abraham Lincoln is…Lincoln. The Ayla doesn’t make the connection any stronger and isn’t at all close to Abraham for me.
My Daughter is Ava and my son Lincoln i have never actually thought about the close sounding to Abraham Lincoln!! Im all for you using Lincoln as I love my sons name and I dont think it is an issue saying that though Linc does get people calling him Abe or Abraham as a joke which i hate but i guess it comes with the name! But no one has ever picked up on Ava, Lincoln sounding like Abraham lincoln and I doubt you will have that issue with Ayla!
I also love Lawson from yr list!
Congrats and good luck x
Look, it does sound a little funny, but if he known by his nickname, you would be saying Ayla and Linc, and that is much less obvious.
I think you should consider Lincoln Jeffrey, it sounds great together and gives the initials L.J. Skipper, which to me sounds VERY distinguished! Also, he has the future option of being known by the easy abbreviation “L.J.”
I said Ayla and Lincoln out loud several times and the connection didn’t strike me as very strong. I agree with Swistle that 2 kids in different grades are unlikely to be teased because of it. That said, I wonder if your concern about Lincoln isn’t because you aren’t really on board with the name. I understand it is your husband’s favorite and he’ll be disappointed if he can’t use it, but you should both love the name. If you have doubts then your husband needs to be willing to explore other options with you.
Go for Lincoln! I wouldn’t have noticed any connection to Abe Lincoln. I also like Everett (without an ‘e’ on the end… with the ‘e’ makes it look feminine to me).
The association isn’t strong at all, to me. If that’s the name you both love, I’d use it! As someone else noted, Lincoln Jeffery Skipper is a great, strong name – & Linc is a wonderful nn!
I do not think Ayla and Lincoln is bad, but if you do name him Everette, please take off the e at the end like AirLand already mentioned. It reminds me of the female name Yvette. Everett looks more masculine.
Good luck naming your son! =]
Ah, go with Lincoln; what lovely names your children will have! Even when sibling names DO sound interesting or odd in combination–and I don’t think yours actually do–this comes up during such a limited phase of life that I don’t think it’s worth consideration unless it’s a REALLY arresting combination. For instance, I don’t think my parents should have named my younger siblings (not twins) Hans and Gretel. But my friend whose kids are Ella and Samuel (think “Sam and Ella”=”salmonella”), it’s not a big deal, since he’s never called “Sam” anyway.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that sibling pair, so if you like it, too, go for it.
If you’re not sold on it. I like Reed or Basil for you, with the middle name Louis.
I would also recommend spelling it Everett.
You can always say “Lincoln and Ayla” if you hear Abraham Lincoln the other way around.
I agree that you should spell Everett with a final t.
I agree with dropping the final E if yo use Everett. Your spelling looks female to me but it is a great name
HowEver so Is Lincoln, and there is nothing negative about an Abraham Lincoln connection even if some people do hear it that way.
But if he is called Linc then it is even less likely and I agree initials L.J. are brilliant!
Yes, I agree that you should drop the “e” off Everett. It looks too feminine. Think of all the female names that end in “ette.”
Also, Sullivan, Lawson, and Pierson are all becoming more and more gender neutral. In fact, I’m a teacher and only know female Sullivans and Lawsons. One female Pierson.
Lincoln is awesome. Strong and masculine. Go for it!!!
I am a big fan of the name Lincoln! If you love it and your husband feels that strongly about it, I say go for it. It’s difficult to find a name that both parents LOVE and if you’ve found it, that’s wonderful. I wonder if your hesitation about the combination of sibling names is just a brief last-minute thing that most of us need to have before finalizing a decision. :) Best wishes to you!
You say that you had a very difficult time agreeing on a name. If you both like Lincoln then stick with it. It is a strong masculine name which has a few nicknames to choose from ie the Linc and L.J. That have been suggested, and the Abe Lincoln thing is really not a deal breaker. If saying their names together sounded rude or silly or whatever then you might need to rethink, but Abraham Lincoln, if it is ever even noticed, is not “tease-worthy”. Go with the name you both like! Jeffrey is great for middle, too.
I think Lincoln works quite well, if you both love it.
What about using Leverett as a compromise between Lincoln and Everett?
I wouldn’t go for Lincoln because you plan to call him Linc. Linc Skipper sounds a bit off – I think it is the repeating c/k. Try saying that out loud 3 times ;)It begins to sound like Lin Skipper.
Of your list, Law Skipper makes me giggle a bit, Rhett Skipper makes me think you’re saying Red Skipper, while – to me – Rhett Skipper sounds good as does Pierson, nn Pierce.
oops- I meant I like Sullivan Skipper, nn Sully :)