Julia writes:
We are expecting # 2 in September.
Our son is Frank Michael…our last name is two syllables with the first being “Mall”.
We like strong traditional names for boys–nothing too popular or trending.
Names we like are–but open to anything not on this list!
Wesley James
Lewis James
Maxwell James
Samuel James
Daniel James
Jude Wesley
I do like Max–worried it is too popular now. Also want to make sure the nickname sounds good with Frank.
I also love the nickname Bobby, but do not like Robert or Bob.For our girl name, my middle name is Mae and my husband’s is Lee..so we want to name her “Maelee” and use my grandmother’s name for her middle–Maelee Lucille.
We don’t like weird, made us names, generally, but think this has a nice classic almost southern sound. Does the 3-“e” spelling bother you? Another thought is Mikela Mae–also open to spelling recommendations. We want to keep it traditional.
Thanks!!!
and
Hi, writing again because I’m due in 3 weeks and we’ve narrowed our list…
Our son is Frank Michael our last name is two syllable starting with M, similar to Mallsmith.Our boy list is down to
Frederick James “Freddie”
Maxwell JamesI love Freddie, but fear it’s too similar/matchy with Frank.
Our girl name is Maelee Lucille…a combo of my husband’s and my middle names. Want to make sure it’s not too odd, and the spelling isn’t too bizarre.
We like classic, strong names that are not too common (my fear with max). Frank is not a junior…we just like that it was a simple, strong name.
Thanks!!
Neither Maelee nor Mikela meets your preference for traditional names, but I don’t think it’s as important for the boy names and girl names in a family to match styles.
To me Maelee seems modern/invented rather than classic, but not odd or bizarre; it fits well with current names such as Miley and Braylee and Bailey and Haley. A double-name spelling like Mae Lee would nudge it more in the classic/traditional direction, though it might change the pronunciation, depending on how you’re pronouncing Maelee—are you saying it to rhyme with Haley (MAY-lee), or are you saying it more like Mae Lee already (equal emphasis on the two syllables)?
Another option would be to use Mae as the middle name if the baby is a girl, and Lee as the middle name if the baby is a boy.
Either Mae or Lee would make a good first name and a good sibling name for a Frank, but I’m not sure either name works well with the surname.
Frank and Fred do seem too similar to me, but not to the point of ruling it out if you love it.
Maxwell seems more popular/trending than your preferences, but I think Frank and Max is a great pairing. Since Frank is a nickname name, I might go straight for Max. Does either Max or Maxwell work well with the surname? They seem like they might tangle the tongue a bit. Sam/Samuel and Daniel, too, seem like they might not go well with the surname; M and L sounds seem to sometimes create some issues. (This also seems like it might be an issue with Maelee Mallsmith.)
For a boy, I like Lewis from your list (I prefer the Louis spelling, with the nickname Lou), and Wesley. Other possibilities:
Clark
Davis
George
Grant
Harris
James
Joel (might have L issues with surname)
John
Joseph/Joe
Karl (might have L issues with surname)
Nate
Stanley/Stan
Wade
Warren
My favorite is George. I think it goes very well in style and tone with the name Frank, and I like it with your surname. I also like James as the first name; I like both James and Jim with Frank.
Ohmygosh! Before I even read swistles answer I thought George!! Frank and George. But if you like Fred, maybe you would like Henry? Freddie and Henry are similar in sound but I would avoid Freddie as it sounds way too matchy to Frank. Frank and Henry (nickname Harry) or go straight to Frank and Harry (as full name) You could use Harris to get nickname Harry too.
But I love love love George with Frank and with your surname!!
Frank and George
Frank and Henry
Frank and Harry
Frank and Miles
Are my favourites for you. Best wishes!!
From your list, I like Lewis the best. I like Swistle’s suggestion of George.
Frank and Maxwell do not seem like a great sib match, but that is okay, too. They are their own people.
I would suggest Edward James and Philip Westley.
Maelee Lucille Mall____ is quite the tongue twister. Why not try Lucille as the first name? Lucille Mae Mall____ is a bit easier to say, and doesn’t have the made up name issue. I would use Lucy Mae. Lucy Mae Mall____ is quite cute, easy to say, and has a Southern feel.
I think Frank and Fred are too similar as brothers, and Maxwell with your surname sounds like another tongue twister.
From your original list I like Wesley, Jude, and James.
Here are some other suggestions, if you have a boy:
Alexander, Alex
Bradley, Brad
Ethan
Gregory, Greg
Joseph, Joe
Nicholas, Nick
Paul
Peter, Pete
Ross
Reid
My son is named Frederick James, so I obviously like that. I actually don’t think Frank and Frederick are too similar. Maxwell would work just fine too. Max is much more popular, though.
Hello, again!
After saying Lucille Mallsmith over and over, I have decided it really isn’t much easier to say than Maelee Mallsmith. And if you have your heart set on Maelee then go for it, but I would use a different middle name. I love Lucy Mae, and I think Frank and Lucy as a sibset sounds lovely.
I think the sound of Maelee is lovely, (and I really like how it incorporates both your names), but the spelling is a little tricky. It makes the name look harder to pronounce than it is. Would you consider spelling it Maylee instead? I think it looks so much prettier, and makes the pronunciation immediately clear. Maylee Lucille is nice!
I feel like the name Peter is really underused. I love it with Frank, and I think it goes great with your last name. Peter James Mallsmith.
For a girl how about Lucille Maelee instead of the other way around? I think it’s a better match with Frank and easier for standard spelling, etc.
I love both Freddy and Max for a boy.
I have recently fallen head over heels with Ivan and I like it for you. Ivan and Frank. In fact I think Ivan is a stealth name. It’s got everything going for it yet it’s practically unused except in the southwest.
I also like Vincent nn Vince for you. Frank and Vince.
i also think Glenn, Walt, and Lawrence are good brother names for Frank, Mae, or Lucille.
I agree Maelee has a very trendy/made up sound that doesnt seem to match your preference for classic names. I also think that when combined in a class full of Haley, Bailey, Kaley names it sounds much more common than it is. I do like mikayla, but would suggest spelling it Michaela if you want the more classic feel. The suggestion of Lucy Mae is great-it really seems a good match for Frank. For a boy, I like Lee. Frank and Lee. You could also do something like Leo or Leon. James, George, Sam and Harry are also good. I don’t think Frank and Fred are too close, my only concern would be if u would feel obligated to use another F name if you have a 3rd child later
Why don’t you use Michaela and use Maelee as a nickname? Caeley is a nickname for Michaela, so I don’t see why Maelee couldn’t be too…and it actually kind of justifes the spelling because the ae is already built in.
The well-known”Hardy Boys” mysteries and movies featured brothers called Frank and Joe — names that are great together. While “Frank” can be a nickname, it’s also a full given name, and I would use a full name for your younger son’s name too: Frank and Joseph “Joe”.
Other suggestions:
“Charlie”/Charles
“Tom”/Thomas
“Will”/William
Jack
My favorite of the names you like is Lewis James. I prefer Lewis spelled that way. According to the Oxford Dictionary of First Names, Lewis is the “English form, since the Middle Ages, of the French name Louis.” Lewis has revived strongly in Great Britain in the last several years, especially in Scotland, where it was the #1 name for boys born in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. For all the other years from 2006 – 2011, Lewis ranked second, with Jack as #1. In
England/Wales Lewis ranked #39 last year, ahead of Louis, which ranked #68. Lewis/Louis reminds me of Henry/Henri: Henry is far more usual in the US than Henri, so why not Lewis as well?
When I read that you like the name Maelee for a girl, I immediately thought of the Korean and Chinese adopted girls whose American parents gave them some version of that name (May-Lee, Mei Lee, etc.). The name *sounds* Asian to me and not at all “classic”, and thus doesn’t seem to fit well with Frank. But you and your husband love it so much and Maelee Lucille has so much meaning for you, that I would hesitate to recommend changing it.
As for the spelling of Mae + Lee, according to SSA baby name records for 2011, 66 baby girls were named Maelee, while 214 were named Maylee. I might use that spelling because I think the Maylee spelling looks better than Maelee and also seems more familiar since there are six ‘-aylee’ names (and no ‘-aelee’ names) in the SSA 2011 Top 1000 names:
Kaylee
Haylee
Baylee
Caylee
Jaylee
Braylee
After reading a few of the comments I hadn’t seen earlier, I agree that Frank and Lucy might be the classic pairing you’re looking for:
Frank Michael Mallsmith
Lucy Maelee Mallsmith
Lucy as an honor name for Grandma Lucille and Maelee, your middle names combined — very special and with a classic first name too.
I prefer Maxwell to Frederick and if you dip back into the old list, I like Lewis, too.
How about Mae-Lee Lucille (call her Mae-Lee) or Mae Lee Lucille (call her Mae)? If you use Michaela, that’s my preferred spelling.
I knew someone named Maley. But she spelled it that way. :)
I totally agree with Patricia that Maelee sounds Asian. I don’t think that’s necessarily a deal breaker, just something to think about.
I personally don’t like the Maelee spelling- I do think there are too many “e”s. Maley is a bit better, though it has the word “male” in it, which could cause some teasing. Maylie might be better.
If it were me, I would use Maelee as a nickname for something else. The suggestion of Michaela was a good one. Or you could do something like a first name that starts with a “May” sound and middle that starts with a “Lee” sound like Mabel Lee, Mae Leanne, etc.
I really like Frederick of your boy choices- Freddie and Frank- really cute!