Cailen writes:
I just discovered your blog a couple of days ago and have been reading it non-stop since (back into the ‘archives’!)
I should start by saying that I come from a family of unique names-my name is Cailen (pronounced Ky-len), and my three brothers are Tison, Anders, and Eamonn. I loved growing up with a different name and my husband (whose name is Ben) is also into the idea of selecting a unique name for our baby.
Our son is due at the end of June. We really like the sound of scottish/Irish/Gaelic names given that our last name is Irish-but haven’t fallen in love with anything yet. My family heritage is scottish and my maiden name (Campbell) is really the only name that we have selected that has stuck with us throughout the pregnancy. We love that it has meaning and that it is somewhat unique. My husband is pretty much set on it, but I have a couple if reservations. It seems like everyone named Campbell is a girl, and I don’t want people to see our son’s name in writing (Campbell McCormick) and think that he’s a girl. We were thinking about pairing it with a more masculine middle name to counteract this a little bit, but I’m worried that middle names aren’t necessarily used enough to make a difference (middle names so far are James-from my side of the family or Marshall-from his side of the family).
Just to give you an idea, we had the name Ensly picked out for a girl. . . Other names that we have considered but do not want to use for our baby include: Jamison, Maddox, Calan, Cullen. I like the names Beckett and Bennett, but my husband does not.
We are really looking for a meaningful name (which could just mean it represents our distant heritages) that is unique but not so odd that it sounds made up.
We appreciate any help you can provide!!
I love it so much when a maiden name works as a first name, and yours is great for that. Let’s start by seeing how the name has being used in the U.S. over the last ten years of Social Security Administration data:
2002: 197 girls, 143 boys
2003: 260 girls, 164 boys
2004: 318 girls, 164 boys
2005: 389 girls, 186 boys
2006: 435 girls, 177 boys
2007: 392 girls, 148 boys
2008: 387 girls, 165 boys
2009: 396 girls, 147 boys
2010: 359 girls, 186 boys
2011: 237 girls, 147 boys
It looks like it’s holding relatively steady: more girls than boys, but boys are not giving it up—and girls might be. It’s hard to say what it’s going to do next: is it falling for girls, but staying steady for boys? or is it in a brief dip for girls, but basically staying steady? I’ll look forward to seeing the 2012 data when it comes out in May.
There are two things that make the name Campbell seem more girl-name to me: the -bell ending, in an age of Isabelle; and the potential nickname Cammie. But on the other hand, Cam is a common nickname for boys, and surname names often come across as more boyish. Still, the way the name has been consistently used more often for girls would concern me if it were my own son: any unisex name will come with the occasional mistake/confusion—and the more it tips toward one sex, the more mistakes/confusion for the other sex. I think I would prefer to save it for a possible future daughter (I love the mother/daughter link), or use it as a middle name.
If you do use it for a boy, I definitely like your plan of using a clearly boyish middle name. The average person wouldn’t know the middle name, but doctors’ offices and schools are the places it’s most important to me that people keep straight if my child is a boy or a girl. Campbell Marshall seems like a lot of L, but Campbell James is great.
My primary concern with the name is that Campbell McCormick is such a brand-heavy name: I immediately thought soup/spices. It sounds like a successful business conglomeration. Neither name on its own gives me that instant association, but together the effect was startling to me when I saw it in the email. Even for a girl, I think I would use Campbell only as a middle name. On the other hand, if you do use it as a first name, “It was my / my wife’s / my mother’s maiden name” seems like it would cover just about any startled reactions.
Name update! Cailen writes:
Our beautiful baby boy was born on June 22nd! We decided to go with Campbell James McCormick. It really fits him perfectly and my husband and I are so happy with the final decision (we debated the middle name for about a day in the hospital and ended up going with our original favorite!) We have had very good feed back from ppl we meet and family members/friends love his name! Thank you for all of the help!
I typically think girl when I hear Campbell but that is only because I’ve never met a boy Campbell. If you love it, then go for it.
Maybe one of these could work for you: Cavan, Ewan, Keane, Cillian
Not sure if it helps but in New Zealand (and I think Australia too) Campbell is definitely a boy name. It is fairly commonly heard here, but only for boys.
I definitely wouldn’t think girl when I heard Campbell. The only ones I’ve come across have been boys.
I also immediately thought of the Cambell Soup adn McCormick spices association with the two names together. I wouldn’t associate the two separately, though. I really love Campbell and maiden names as first names, and since the association is not a negative one, I would go for it if I’d exhausted all my naming options and couldn’t find an alternative that I loved as much as Campbell. Good luck!
Campbell is used a lot as a girls’ name where I am, but people in my area are way into the unisex trend. I know more Emersons who are girls than any other name I can think of. And in this instance, Campbell is your most meaningful choice which trumps many other requirements in my opinion. I agree that Campell Marshall is a little clunky sounding. But Campbell James is a great name with a lovely flow. Using both names in social situations where you need to dispel any confusion right off the bat is always an option. “My son, Campbell James” sounds quite natural. It has the same appeal as a double name like John William or Anne Marie. I say go for it!
My first reaction was also that it is two brand names. All I could think was soup/spices.
I think of it as unisex and I only know one (male 30ish) so that doesn’t bother me, but I thought a little longer about the brand name associations before deciding that I just like the personal meaning so much it trumps it. I’d go for it.
Oh, and I also prefer James as the middle.
Thanks to swistle and everyone for the feedback! We didn’t even think of the soup/spice connection (I think because we hear the names everyday!)
Does anyway have any thoughts on name alternatives? We aren’t ruling Campbell out at this point but would love any suggestions! Thanks so much!
Hi!
I am a speech pathologist and worked with an adorable boy named Kirby and his brother was Campbell, I love Campbell! They were both the sweetest, cutest little boys! I say go for it!! Other cute boy names I like are Hudson, Landon and Cash! All three were sweet boys I have meet working in a school!
My first thought was also the soup/spices association. I think the family name tag on it can override that though…. Seamus or Angus?
I do love Campbell, but here are other suggestions:
Rowan
Stellan
Ewan
And lastly, Callum. I adore this name, but I can’t seem to sell my husband on it. I think it works so well with your last name: Callum McCormick.
Go with Campbell! Like you said, it has meaning to you and it’s unique. I don’t think the brand connection is a big deal…I’m sure most kids on the playground will not make this connection…
I have to be honest, when I first saw this I immediately thought no. The reason why is because both Campbell (soup aisle) and McCormick (spice aisle) remind me of food and grocery shopping, exactly like Swistle stated. I agree with using it as a middle name, but would choose something different for the first name.
Other suggestions:
Corbin or Korbin
Walker
Evan
Dylan
Kai
I haven’t read the entire post OR the comments, but needed to jump in right away and say that as soon as I saw Campbell McCormick I thought “Oh no! The writer doesn’t know that this like looking at soup and spices!” If you’re unfamiliar, they’re both very popular brands in grocery stores. I wouldn’t do the name for that only. I think Campbell would be fine in the middle name slot though.
Where I am (Australia), Campbell is definitely a boys name. I have never even heard of it on a girl!! We also have a Premier called Campbell Newman who is really quite masculine and he’s the first reference that pops into my mind – so definitely male for me!
I say go for it :) if you have hesitations, though, I LOVE the suggestion of Callum above! Callum Campbell McCormick would be absolutely amazing!
I definitely think of Campbell as a boy’s name that is often used for girls, rather than as a girl’s name: if I saw Campbell on a list I’d be prepared for the person to be either sex. I guess some people might assume he’s a girl, but I certainly don’t think anyone would be surprised that he was a boy.
I didn’t notice the soup/spice connection until it was pointed out, but now it jumps out at me.
We live in area with too many coffee shops with this name, so it has ruled out Duncan for us. Duncan McCormack could work. Leland McCormack could work. What about Rhys? Rhys and Campbell would be a cute sibling pair.
I wonder if you’d like the name Roland. Roland McCormack sounds great to me.
A few thoughts:
1. I didn’t think of soup and/or spices AT ALL. Maybe that is a testament to my lack of domestic skills? :)
2. I do quite like the name Callum. With your last name, though, I would be tempted to choose something that didn’t end in M. Perhaps Callan as you originally suggested, or Cian/Kian.
3. As a early-30s women (in Canada), I wouldn’t have ever known that Campbell is used for girls! I know two Campbells and they are both male.
4. I adore the name Sawyer, but can’t use it with my own last name and really want to push it for someone else! :)
Best of luck to you, and please keep us posted!
Here are some Gaelic/Irish names I would suggest with your last name:
Declan James McCormick
Seamus Marshall McCormick
Rowan James McCormick
Diarmid James McCormick
Malcolm James McCormick
Gavin Marshall McCormick
Padraic James McCormick
Also, I have to throw in my son’s name: Finnian.
Hope one of these helps!
Speaking as someone who works with a database of people, I can attest to the importance of middle names in determining someone’s gender. Swistle’s point that medical offices, schools, banks, etc. are most likely to have and to use middle name information is valid.
I think another important consideration is how Campbell reads with possible siblings. If I heard of siblings Campbell and Ensly, I might not automatically assume they were both girls, but I would assume they were both the same sex. They’re close on the androgyny scale. On the other hand, Campbell and Jamison sound like two brothers. Campbell and James sound like a sister and a brother, while Campbell and Jane would sound like a brother and a sister.
Anyway, here are some suggestions! I think most of these have alternate spellings too.
Bryson
Ellis
Flynn
Gannon
Grady
Griffin
Keegan
Leland
Lowell
Sinclair
Tobin
Hmm … Marshall isn’t so common that it wouldn’t have some unique flair. (Okay, maybe not .. it’s in the 300s while Campbell is in the 900s ..). Somehow it still sounds unique to me.
Also, the Scottish origin of Campbell means “the beautiful field” (or crooked mouth in gaelic, but let’s not go with that for this purpose ..). Maybe another field-meaning name?
-Blair; Scottish
-Crofton; English (ooo .. Crofton McCormick is interesting)
-Whitaker; English
-Forbes; Scottish (maybe too financial?)
-Chesley; English
-Dallas; English (maybe a bit feminine sounding?)
Some other heritage options …
-Eoin (another “owen” variation like the ones mentioned above)
-Evander
-Graeme
-Lochlan/Lachlan
-Niall (variant of Niel … huh)
-Sawyer
-Tadhg (pronounced “tieg” .. variants Tadg, Teague, Tiege, Tighe ..)
-Kieron
-Colman
-Archibald (nn Archie–so cute!)
-Brody
Ah, McCormick is such a great last name–almost everything sounds good with it! Heh, except the first suggestion I was going to give you, then realized how un-thought-out it was: Cormac. What a handsome name, though.
I also completely support the Callum idea :)
Personally, I feel like people are making too big of a deal about the brand name association. As a child, other children will not make the association with both names and likely as he gets older (old enough that others around him could potentially make a connection) there will be different brand of spices that are down the grocery aisle (for example in Canada we don’t even have that brand). When you are introducing your son as Campbell to others, you likely won’t use his full name so adults now a days will not even consider that either. I think it’s great that you have a family name that you could use as a first name. Use it!
Other names that I like:
Seamus – I love this and is probably my favourite, plus has gaelic/scottish history
Flynn
Simon
August or Augustus – Love this as well.
Good luck and keep us poster
I have always liked the name Campbell and, as the only one I know is male, I don’t see any problem with it being a boy’s name.
Campbell James McCormick is such a distinguished name and the maiden name connection makes it extra special too!
I’d also like to suggest the Scottish Clan name/ surname Ramsay (Ram-zee) which is also used as a first name.
Ramsay James McCormick sounds great and the nn Ram is cool too.
All the best!
Actually, Ramsay sounds great with Marshall too!
Ramsay Marshall McCormick
Good luck!
I agree with a previous poster that if I heard your boy/girl pairing together, I’d probably assume they were the same gender. And, yes, the soup & spice combo jumped out, too.
But I’m all for offering suggestions, not just pointing out detractors!
Do you like Conrad? Conrad James McCormick?
Or how about Desmond? Desmond Marshall McCormick?
It’s more British than Scottish, but Nigel might suit you. Nigel James McCormick.
This one is definately still underused in this generation, but what about Gordon? Gordon James McCormick.
Stuart might work, too. Stuart Marshall McCormick.
Ah! Or there’s Arthur. Arthur James McCormick.
Whatever you and your husband pick, best wishes to you three as June approaches! Please let us know what you decide!
This is my favorite list of suggestions! I second all of them.
I do think Campbell James McCormick is fantastic. The only Campbell I know is a 30-something female, but I’ve never thought of her having a girly name. I know the data speak differently, but it strikes me as a perfectly unisex name. The maiden name connection is the kicker for me – I say go for it!
Hi,
It’s so interesting to me that to you Campbell is a girls name, in Scotland where I am it is always a boys! I have a friend whose name is John Campbell but always goes by Campbell. Maybe you could call your sweet baby James Campbell but use his middle name? That way you avoid any gender confusion and when he’s older if he wants, he can change it back to James. Conversely, I also go by my middle name (Anna Rachael) and it really isn’t an issue, I quite like being a bit different.
If you’re looking for other Scottish boy names here are a few,
Lachlan
Harris
Lewis
Blair
Nairn
Innis
Alasdair
Angus
Callum
Colin
Craig
Euan
Murray
Ruaridh (roo-ray)
Crichton (cry-ton)
Donald
Douglas
Fraser
Duncan
Iain
Fergus
Forbes
Gregor
Grant
Hamilton
Hamish
Keir
Kerr
Laird
Nicol
Strachan
Struan
Some food for thought, good luck!
I think the name Campbell James McCormick is lovely enough that most people would get past the soup/spice association fairly quick….but just in case you change your mind:
Gregor-Scottish
Greer-Scottish
Ian/Iain- Scottish variants of John
Neil/Niall-Scottish/Irish
Padraig- Scottish form of Patrick
Rory
Craig
Brady
Brennan
Amos
Names I particularly love:
Brennan James McCormick
Amos Marshall McCormick
Campbell Craig McCormick
Campbell James McCormick
Lachlan Keane McCormick
Some good suggestions already….If you’re looking for more unique, I’d add:
Conall (pronounced con-ell)
Eogan (pronounced o-gan)
Fergus (could use nn of Gus)
Llyr (pronounced leer like the jets)
Oisin (pronounced aah-sheen)
Oops–pronunciation of Eogan would be O-gin, with a hard g.
Thank you all so much for all of the lovely suggestions and input! We have a lot to think about :) particularly liking ‘Callum’ and ‘Campbell’ is still on the table for now!
I love Campbell McCormick, but for me personally the brand association is too strong (and I hadn’t actually noticed it until Swistle pointed it out). I also think that, like a couple of prior posters, I’d assume that siblings named Ensly and Campbell were the same gender.
With that being said, I think Callum McCormick is WONDERFUL. Callum James McCormick.
I definitely think of Campbell as a boys name.
Campton, Kiptyn, Caleb
Madden, Paxton, Hampton, Huntley, Leander, Lennox
Have you considered the name “Camp” as a nod to your maiden name? It would get rid of the soup/spice and be really cute… I know of one little boy named Kamp, and have always thought it sounds so sweet! Camp McCormick would be adorable!
Kamp is adorable! I love when names are shortened & made into a “new” name. Good idea :)
I think Campbell James McCormick is AMAZING! If I heard of a Campbell in class or on a team I would not assume boy or girl. And the soup/spices thing doesn’t bother me at all. From what the others have suggested I really like Declan and Ewan.
Someone beat me to the punch already……but I think Evander is such a great name! Evander McCormick.
I also like Callum a lot.
I would also like to suggest Dash, just because I think it’s such a cool name! Dash McCormick.
Also Magnus. It’s very popular in Scandinavia. Magnus McCormick.
How about Camden as an alternative to Campbell? The name’s origin is Scottish and means “winding valley”. It is strongly in the boy’s column since it ranks #160 on the SS list for boys and isn’t in the Top 1000 for girls. Camden James McCormick is fantastic!
I was going to suggest Camden as well. I know the sweetest little boy named Camden and it fits him so perfectly, but I also like Campbell (esp with the family connection). Maybe you could spell it different if the bell part seems “girly”. I instantly thought of it as a boy name though!
Update!!
Our beautiful baby boy was born on June 22nd! We ended up naming him Campbell James McCormick- it fits him perfectly!! We have had great feedback this far! Thank you to everyone for your help!!