Liz writes:
We have just one week to go until our baby boy arrives and need your help naming David’s brother! Our surname (pronounced tir-boarg) is kind of a mouthful and we always need to clarify pronunciation and spelling. So we’re keen on familiar, classic names like David that feel friendly and timeless, and wont be constantly misspelled. We also like names that seem appropriate on a little boy as well as an old man.
The challenge that we’ve had naming #2 is that many of the names we like either start with a T or end with “ter”, and we’re not sure how this repetition sounds with our surname. We both like the name Peter (my father’s name) since it is a timeless name that you don’t hear much on little boys these days (much like David), but wonder about the repetition of “ter”. As an alternative, we’d like to use it as a middle name if possible.
My husband’s first choice is William, which I like because it is classic and warm sounding, but I’m afraid with all the Williams and Liams out there now that he’ll be lost in the crowd. But maybe that’s silly with such a classic name? I also have many Williams on my side of the family so it seems overused to my ears. Although William Peter sounds very distinguished to me (but maybe too much for a little boy?).
My husband’s other favorites include Daniel (I’d like to avoid siblings with the same initial), John (family name on his side, too common for me), Theodore, and Carter. Names I like (but do not necessarily meet our criteria) are Ethan (husband thinks it is too “soft”), Evan (ditto), Joshua (ditto), Simon, Robert, Grant, Owen, Lucas (Luke), Tyler, Jeffrey, Gregory and Landon.
I’m hoping you can help us find a timeless name that fits well with our surname before this baby jumps into our lives! Thank you!
I tried saying Peter with your surname several times aloud, and I think I prefer Peter as the middle name. I love the sound of William Peter; I think it would be adorable on a little boy and yet great on a grown man.
The names David and William seem to me to be the traditional classics of different eras: William feels more recent, even though both names have been popular all along. Perhaps it’s because William AS WILLIAM is more current: a generation or two or three ago, so many of the Williams were Bills. Or perhaps it’s just that classics drift in and out of stylishness (even if their popularity stays pretty steady), and William currently feels quite stylish.
Theodore, Carter, Evan, Simon, Grant, Owen, and Landon also have a much more modern sound than David to me.
I would be more inclined to look at the traditional names that were in style when I was a child, or when my parents were. Daniel, Joshua, John, Robert, and Jeffrey all fall into the category I’m thinking of.
Andrew, maybe. Andrew Tirboarg; David and Andrew. Andrew Peter Tirboarg.
Stephen Tirboarg; David and Stephen. Stephen Peter Tirboarg.
James Tirboarg; David and James. James Peter Tirboarg.
Adam Tirboarg; David and Adam. Adam Peter Tirboarg.
Michael Tirboarg; David and Michael. Michael Peter Tirboarg.
Nathan Tirboarg; David and Nathan. Nathan Peter Tirboarg.
Aaron Tirboarg; David and Aaron. Aaron Peter Tirboarg.
I absolutely love the name David. It is a gorgeous name that you don’t hear on young boys much these days.
I like the name William too but I really love the name James with David. They both go so well together, both being strong, manly names that sound great on young boys as well as adults.
David and James
James Peter Tirboarg. Awesome!
I’d also like to suggest Joseph, Benjamin, Isaac and Simon.
All the best!
Peter is a little tricky with the surname. If it was the first choice of both parents, I’d say go for it anyway, but since you have different favorites, I lean more to William. I think it fits well with David. I also like Owen from your second string list. Andrew was a great suggestion. How about Matthew, Thomas, Stephen, Joseph, or Grant?
I’m kind of surprised Swistle passed up the opportunity to say John really isn’t very common for this generation and I feel compelled to say it for her. Jack would a nice nickname if you want one.
A few more that might be up your alley: Anthony, Philip, Timothy
John Peter — I love it for your second son! I agree that John is not a name we’re hearing a lot these days, so it seems a perfect fit with David. John Peter is my youngest brother’s name (Peter is after our maternal grandfather), and I’ve always loved this name.
We named our second son John David — John because it’s a family name we liked a lot, and David is my husband’s name. John always said he wanted to name his son David — and he did. When a second son came along, he and his wife called him Jonathan, and when yet another son was born, he was called Henry: David, Jonathan and Henry — I like that set of names very much!
I also find the combination Peter Tirboarg just fine. Because ‘ter’ isn’t accented, while ‘tir’ is, I think the names sound alright together: PE-ter TIR-boarg. Peter holds special appeal for you because it’s your dad’s name, and as you noted, it’s a classic name not in frequent use today. David and Peter would make a nice sibling set. I don’t see any strong reason not to use Peter as the first name, but if not the first, then most definitely I would use Peter for the middle name.
I like Peter and William, but I think I like Will even better with David. David and Will. Would you use a nickname for any of the names? If you choose Peter but mostly call him Pete that eliminates the repetition of “ter.”
Great suggestions! While I love the name William, I teach younger grades and am beginning to see a big surge in the Williams, Liams etc. I have only seen 2 Davids come through our school in the 6 years that I have been there. However, I have also had only a few Andrews, James, Theodores, Daniels. All of those names also have nick names, Andy or Drew, Jim or Jimmy, Theo or Teddy, Danny.
We have a new grandson named John and even though, like you, I first thought it a bit plain and/or common, I’ve come to utterly love how fresh, elegant, and relatively rare it sounds on this generation. So I’d love to encourage you to be open to John.
My friend just had a William Peter, and they are calling him Liam. It’s definitely a classic name, you can’t go wrong.
I like Gregory from your list, haven’t heard that on any kids lately and it’s a great name.
How about Mark or Marcus?
Patrick
Charles
Kenneth
Craig
Bradley
Good luck!
David is a wonderful name for a big brother, and many sibling possibilities spring to mind:
Warren
Noel or Neil
Patrick
Richard
Mark or Marcus
Calvin
Nathaniel
Edward–Ted, Eddie, Ward
Kenneth
Lee
Many of these have nickname potential, but like David, can stand alone as a wonderful names on their own.
Out of you favorites I would say Ethan. David and Ethan. Here are some other suggestions that you might like:
Walter
Edward
Frederick
Benjamin
Joseph
Lewis
Warren
Thomas
Eugene
Richard
Floyd
Henry
Richard
I have a little Robert (2.5 years), and I am constantly surprised at how much people love to hear Robert on a little person. I
There have been a lot of great suggestions I’d second. I love Joseph, it feels like one of those names we heard a lot growing up but seems to have declined in this generation, on par with David. I’d also suggest Clark. It’s not everyone’s favourite but I know a baby Clark and it completely transformed the name for me. Clark makes me think of Lewis ;) Another name I never hear on kids nowadays but seems to fit alongside David. Another previous suggestion I love is Jonathan. David and Jonathon Tirbourgh sounds like natural brothers and Jonathan Peter is especially nice. And in a way your family name John is honored.
Thank you for all of these wonderful suggestions! I think we’ve decided on Peter as a middle name now (I know it’s crazy to decide on a middle before a first), but are still toying with the first name. William is still in the running, but we’re strongly considering Lucas as a front-runner now too as an alternative classic but less-used name. Not many comments on the Lucas option so far, so I’m curious what people’s thoughts are on Lucas Peter Tirboarg. Thank you SO much!
When I specifically say out Lucas Peter Tirboarg with the intent of being nitpicky and tough, I hear a repetitive sing-song-y aspect because all names are two syllables. But I doubt he’ll be going by all three names on a regular basis, plus potentially going by “Luke” would change up the rhythm as well. I like a lot of the choices you have in front of you! Best of luck!
Lucas is fairly popular, but heard far less than William or Liam. I just reviewed SSA stats for 2011 (http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html) and see that William was the 3rd most popular boy’s name, with Liam at #15. While not in the top 20 (yet?), Lucas has been steadily climbing the chart.
Popularity of the name Lucas in the last 5 years:
Year of birth Rank
2011 29
2010 35
2009 39
2008 46
2007 53
Lucas is nowhere near as popular as William and also less used than David (#18).
I think Lucas Peter Tirboarg sounds very distinguished, and as David and Lucas pair well together, Lucas would be an excellent name possibility for your second son.
I have a William and honestly, I’m not sure where the others are hiding. It was #3 in my state for the year my son was born & we’ve only ever met 2 others. Both of them used nicknames (my William does not). Peter isn’t ideal with your last name. John is actually less common than both David & William, so if you really love it then don’t let popularity stop you.
I agree with Swistle’s assessment of the names on your list that seem to fit best with the style of David. I’ll also add Jason, Anthony, Michael, Paul, Patrick & Charles.
Have you considered using Luke as the full name and not the nickname?
Luke Peter Tirboarg
David and Luke I like that pair!
I think the single syllable name breaks up the double syllable “sing-songyness” another poster suggested. I also feel like you hear Luke a lot less than Lucas nowadays.
I like Luke, but my personal preference with one syllable first names is a longer (3 or more syllables) middle name. Luke Benjamin Tirboarg, for example. Luke Nathaniel Tirboarg. But if Peter is a sure thing for the middle name, then I would aim for a first name that isn’t a single syllable long. I think one of the things that makes Lucas Peter (or Lucas Peter Tirboarg) seem so sing-songy is that the emphasis is on the first syllable for both given names, and for that matter the surname, too. A two-syllable first that had a different emphasis…I’m trying to think of one.
Ok I can’t think of one off the top of my head! But you know what I’m talking about.
And thinking of names for you that match the classic yet underused but easily recognized vein I like:
Geoffrey
Stuart
Jasper
Iain
Gregory
Phillip
(some of these have alternate spellings, though, so if wanting a no-spelling-issues name is forefront, maybe Stuart or Geoffery or Iain aren’t ‘your’ name!)
:-)
Before reading the original poster’s comment, my favorites were John Peter Tirboarg and Joseph Peter Tirboarg. I love the nickname Joe – I think it translates beautifully as a kid name and a grown up name.
I’d nix Simon Peter unless you want to go EXTRA Biblical.
Lucas Peter runs together strangely for me (Luca Speeter? something like that), but it’s likely not an issue for most of life. I think having all those 2 syllable names in a row is not my favorite.
Longer name suggestions, since others have commented about the 2 syllable repetition:
Jonathan Peter
Nathaniel Peter
Alexander Peter
Jeremy Peter
Benjamin Peter
I really wouldn’t be as concerned about the number of syllables or even a name’s popularity as much as giving your younger son a name you really like and with Peter as the middle name. You seem to prefer traditional names, and just about any name in that category will go well with David. Likewise, Peter is a fairly easy name to use as a middle name.
I think WIlliam Peter is a fine combination and definitely not “too much for a little boy”. I have an almost-7-year-old grandson named William Robert (2 syllable last name), and I hardly ever think of him as William Robert, but just “Will”, sometimes called “William”.
MANY boys/men who have traditional first names end up with a 2-syllable pattern. Our family has a 2-syllable surname. Merely by chance (because it never occurred to me that 3 2-syllable names in a row might be less than ideal), only one of our five sons has 3 2-syllable names. But among our 9 grandsons with our 2-syllable surname, there are 4 with that pattern. One of my 3 brothers has a 2-2-2 name, as does one nephew ( Joseph Peter). William Peter Tirboarg, Lucas Peter Tirboarg … I really don’t think it matters that each name has 2-syllables.
BTW, now I’m wondering how many syllables David’s middle name has. Was that something you were concerned about when naming him?
Do you care for Thomas? Thomas Peter Tirboarg? David and Thomas?
A bit more ‘out there’ is Bartholomew. Bartholomew Peter Tirboarg. David and Bartholomew.
There’s als Cyrus… Cyrus Peter Tirboarg. David and Cyrus.
OH, or Nolan! Nolan Peter Tirboarg. David and Nolan.
Nicholas is classic, too. Nicholas Peter Tirboarg. David and Nicholas.
Best wishes to you and your growing family! Please let us know what y’all decide!
I think you have to decide if you want a biblical name theme or not.
If I hear David and James, David and Peter, or David and John, I am get a biblical vibe.
On the other hand, David and Robert, David and William, or David and Jeffrey just make me think solid classic names.
I would also consider whether or not you like nicknames and what style you like. William for example feels very heavy for a little boy, but has classic feeling nicknames like Will or Bill as well as more “modern” feeling nicknames like Liam, which is cute but does not really fit your criteria/name style.
Other Biblical options to consider –
Benjamin
Nathaniel
Mark
Michael
Matthew
Samuel
Other non-biblical name to consider –
Edward
Walter
George
Frederick
Henry
Carl
Louis
Richard
My favorites for you from this list
Biblical – Benjamin (David and Ben), Mark (David and Mark)
Non-Biblical – Henry (David and Henry), Robert (David and Rob).
I think Lucas Peter T.. is a great name. I think it goes well with David. Given that you are due in a week and that you have put a lot of thought into these names, I would go with what feels right to you – adding more suggestions doesn’t seem to be what you are looking for. Honestly, I think once you’ll meet your baby you will know what name suits him best – he will be a William, a Lucas, and Everett for that matter.
All your names are great and make for wonderful sibling names to David :)
I second the suggestion of Nicholas.
My vote is for Michael Peter. David and Michael. Dave and Mike or Davey and Mikey Sounds traditional and like they belong together.
I also like Stephen. David and Stephen. Dave and Steve repeats the ‘v’ sound, I think this works.
William Peter is also great as is Peter William.
I also like
Anthony
Philip
Andrew
John
Basically just thought of all the traditional names in my family that work well together. In my family David and Anthony (Tony) are brothers and in my husbands family David (Dave) and Andrew (Andy) are brothers. In my husbands family Dave and Mike are cousins and best mates who travelled a lot and had many adventures together and that is why I think Michael works well.