Amy writes:
I’m pregnant with our 3rd and probably final baby, due in February. We have a 3 year old boy named Atticus and a 2 year old girl (whose initials you and your readers helped us with before she was born, thank you!) named Elm. We love both of their names and want something unique but meaningful for this baby too. Atticus was named after To Kill A Mockingbird and I like that it has an easy explanation for introductions (“Atticus, like To Kill A Mockingbird”). Elm was named because my husband and I met while working at a summer camp and fell in love in the woods. It also has an easy explanation (“Elm, like the tree”). Our last name starts with W which rules out lots of lovely W names such as Willa for a girl or Wilder for a boy. Can’t start with W and you have to be able to pronounce it at first glance are the only hard and fast rules. Our name method has always been that I’m the one who comes up with the names and my husband is the one who vetos. I am less picky than he is and would have happily settled on several different names for each of our kids.
Here are the girl names he has vetoed so far for various reasons for this baby:
Felicity (my favorite)
Iris
Lucy
Juniper (June)
Calla
FionaWe had decided on a boy name, Orion, but now my husband says he’s having second thoughts and is worried it’s too “out there.” It’s very close to Atticus in rank on the social security list and considering Elm has never even been on the list at all I don’t think it’s too “out there” for our name set. I love the stars and mythology tie-ins, it has an easy introduction explanation (“Orion, like the constellation”), it’s something I can remember as child my mom always pointing out to us in the sky, and I love the idea of a stars/space nursery. Atticus, Elm, and Orion. What do you think?
The middle name for either boy or girl will be Beck, my mother in law’s maiden name.
I’m only 10 weeks along but we like to have our names picked out early on and we will pick one definitively and stick with it, not keep 2 or 3 rolling around until he/she is born. So laying a hand on my belly and thinking about baby Something Beck Doubleyou just isn’t doing it for me. Help!
Thank you!
Before I’d encountered the name on an actual child, I might have guessed the name Orion would be too out there. But I’ve encountered one boy named Orion and one girl with a similar name (Auryan), both in a way that let me hear their names said again and again, and the effect was not out-there. On the girl, the name had the flavor of Aurora (exotic, yes, but not weird), combined with the boyish Ryan. On the boy, the name sounds so much like the familiar Ryan (in fact, my ear first heard it as O’Ryan), it takes the “out there” factor down significantly. It definitely catches the ear as distinctive, and also as distinct from Ryan—but the similar sound makes the ear say “Well, why WOULDN’T that be a name?”
Girl name possibilities (I’m suggesting even ones that aren’t ideal with Beck):
Athena
Audra
Azalea
Briar
Clarity
Cleo
Clover
Coral
Fallon
Fern
Haven
Hyacinth
Juno
Lark
Linden
Marigold
Opal
Pearl
Prairie
Spring
Verity
Wren
Zinnia
Name update! Amy writes:
I wrote to you several times this pregnancy (Baby W, sibling to Atticus & Elm) and you & your readers were so helpful. My husband and I read through your reply & all the comments multiple times. We quickly & easily agreed on Ivy Beck W. as our girl name after several people suggested it in the first post. The boy name was trickier & at different points we had settled on Sullivan nn Sully then Hawthorn nn Hawk when two days before the birth we both decided it just didn’t feel right and went back to our original choice, Orion. I think secretly we were both expecting a girl and thought maybe that’s why we’d had so much uncertainty about a boy name. But surprise! It IS a boy and we’re thrilled. Orion Cash W., 2/10/14, 9 lbs 5 oz! (middle name honors my husband’s best friend). He and his name are both perfect- thank you again for all your help!
How about Orrin?
I’ve always really liked Orion, and I agree that is certainly not too “out there.” I also agree that the surname O’Ryan can help Orion sound more name-like and familiar to people.
I actually quite like the idea of Aurora for you-“like the aurora borealis” and you’d be able to keep the space/star theme you seem drawn to. Along those lines, maybe you’d like other names with a celestial feel. Stella, Estella, Luna, Lyra or Nova.
As always, Swistle has a lot of great suggestions. I especially like Clover, Coral, Verity & Wren. In fact, I might even encourage you to make an except to the “no W” rule with Wren. The W is silent, so it sounds more like an R name and I don’t think it’d be problematic with a W last name.
Some other ideas, Cora, Cordelia, Pearl, Viola, Olive, Ivy, Bliss, Echo, Avalon & Vesta.
Love the suggestion of Avalon
unisex names I really enjoy so I chose names that will work for both a boy and a girl.
Kyler
Rory
mayer
Dallas
Lochlan
Marek
I think another plant name, like Azalea or Briar, might be too much with Elm. From Swistle’s suggestions, I like Juno and Audra the best. I also like Aurora with your sib set. Or if you like the star/space theme, how about Stella??
Some other girl unique names with easy explanations:
Ruby (like the gem)
Calliope (like the Greek muse of poetry)
Cressida (like from the Trojan War epic)
Isolde (like Tristan and Isolde)
Selene (like the Greek goddess of the moon)
Viola (like from Shakespeare)
I love Larkin (or Lark) and especially Linden if you are willing to go with another “tree” name.
We also considered Atticus as a boy name (we had a girl: Annika), and I love your style on the other choices, so I’ll go ahead and suggest my oldest daughter’s name: Soleil. Every once in a while we get a raised eyebrow, but for the most part people swoon over it and immediately mention how beautiful her name is. And of course, since it means “sun” in French, it lends itself to lots of fabulous decor ideas. I think “Atticus, Elm & Soleil” is a wonderful sib set.
Our runner up for baby #2 was Celeste, another “celestial” name. And I like Luna, too.
I tend to prefer different initials for siblings, but if that doesn’t matter to you, I absolutely love the sound of Audra with your children’s names. Atticus, Elm & Audra. So beautiful!
I actually knew both an Orion and an Atticus growing up, they were in the same grade and were friends, so it sounds very familiar for me to hear those names together! I think it makes a fine sibling set.
For a girl, I love the suggestions of Spring, Verity, Zinnia. If you want another vowel name with a different initial, I like Ivy. I also knew an Oakley, but the Oak syllable may be too matchy-matchy with Elm…
Good luck!
Astrid! Although it’s not technically a star name, I always think of it as one, and I think it works well with Beck. (Which sadly, my other favorites – Lark & Spring – do not). To me, the challenge is find something that doesn’t seem overly frilly next to Elm, but has more than one syllable so it won’t seem choppy with the middle. I also like the suggestion of Aurora above. Or Aster could be a subtle flower name.
Orion doesn’t strike me as particularly out there at all…I know of at least one.
(also, I think Elm is fantastic)
Orion is fab for a boy. I love the suggestions of Cleo and Soleil. A few others:
Ingrid W. — Atticus, Elm, and Ingrid
Fern W. — Atticus, Elm, and Fern
Sasha W. — Atticus, Elm, and Sasha
Greta W. — Atticus, Elm, and Greta
Margot W. — Atticus, Elm, and Margot
Hestia W. — Atticus, Elm, and Hestia
Marigold (Goldie) Beck is sweet. I also like Clover, Cleo and Juno. Cleo Beck is nice and that short look next to Elm but with the 2 syllables isn’t choppy with Beck. I also love Rio for a girl (or a boy for that matter). Some other ideas:
Clio
Rio
Arbor
Harbor
Oakley (boy or girl)
Eden (too close with Elm?)
Verona (as in the Verona Fern)
Gardener (boy or girl)
Poppy
Gemma
Juliet
Laurel
Daphne
River (boy or girl)
I also think alliteration is sweet so depending on sounds in your last name I think Wilder or Willa might work.
oh, and Prairie could make for an interesting choice…
I love. love. love. the name Felicity. I am eons away from having kids, but I am bound and determined to name a daughter Felicity Kate.
That said, I also adore the name Zinnia. One of my online aliases (used less frequently) is Zinnia Bee, and I really enjoy that. I would name a daughter Felicity, but I would rename myself Zinnia.
Your naming style is great, and I hope you’ll send an update when you decide on a name!!
How about Blythe that would work with Atticus and Elm!
If it were me, I would want to pick a girl’s name that is also unusual, and not overly frilly, to mesh well with Elm. Some suggestions:
Freya
Story
Azure
Ember
Haven
Tamsin
Lyra
What about Beck as a first name for a boy? It has a lot of meaning for you, in the same way Atticus and Elm do.
Great idea! Still love Orion too
Love, love, love Aster! Yes, it is a flower but also Greek for star. Pretty! I have also seen it spelled Asta.
Atticus, Elm and Asta
I would also like to suggest Mira, Vega, Lyra (love this), Leda, Calypso, Apollo and Castor.
All the best!
So many great suggestions! I think Orion is perfect for a boy. I don’t even want to suggest anything else. Not too out there and it has very familiar sounds. But I will suggest Atlas – it’s my favorite boy name! Perhaps to close to Atticus though.
For a girl, my favorites that have already been suggested are:
Athena
Aurora
Calypso
Daphne
Juno – this is a perfect substitute for Juniper (which I also love!)
I don’t think these have been suggested yet, so I’ll add them here:
Clea
Evening
Junia
Phoebe
Story
Thisbe
Evening and Story are my favorites!
Atticus, Elm and Evening
Atticus, Elm and Story
I think Orion is awesome, especially considering when you are due:
Soon after a February sunset ORION will be found rising in the east and appearing to lie on his side, as if he was getting out of his bed on the eastern horizon. Around midnight in February ORION will be directly south and positioned upright. As the months progress ORION, like any equatorial constellation, will move eastward eventually catching up with the Sun and become lost in its glow. In the summer months ORION can only be seen as a morning constellation (if at all), so February evenings are the best time to learn how to find “him”.
For a girl, how about
Winter (Atticus, Elm and Winter sound great together!)
Meridian
Seren (means star)
Iris (associated with February)
Io
Orion (boy) or Nova (girl).
I also really like Maria’s suggestion of Meridian!
Someone may have already mentioned this, but the name Fern would tie Atticus and Elm together in a nice way. Fern, like Elm, is a plant and Fern is also a beloved literary character (Charlotte’s Web) like Atticus.
I don’t think Orion is too out there for your family. I’m also going to suggest a name I like and rarely suggest because it’s a little out there– Ursula. It means bear and reminds me of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. I also like Ivy for you. Atticus, Elm, & Ivy. Ivy Beck W.
Haven! Please use Haven for a girl? I can’t – won’t work with last name. But you can! One of my favorites ever. (And Orion for a boy is perfect!)
I know a sibset of brothers named Galen, Orion, and Tristan…..
The most unusual girl name in our community is Passage, borne elegantly by a now 17-yr-old. I’m certain this isn’t in the top 1000. I also love Rumi for a girl. But maybe, if you’re planning on Beck for the middle, your skewing toward a more obviously feminine first……Some all-over-the-map ideas:
Ines
Millicent
Pandora
Orla
Roxanne
Wisteria
Rosamund
Rozenn (Bretagne for Rose, but with easy English pronunciation)
Josefa
Love the suggestion of Winter! I met a little Winter a few years back and totally fell for the name. I don’t think you should rule out all W names…Winter Beck “W” sounds beautiful…and you are due in winter, right?
I vote for:
Orla
Cordelia
Finola
I love Orion. Just thought I’d toss out this suggestion: Twain.
It has an easy explanation: “Twain, like the author Mark Twain.”
I love your naming style.
What about Sojourner for a girl? It’s a bit long next to Elm, but Elm is such a strong name that it can handle it I think. You can always say, “Sojourner, like Sojourner Truth.” I think it is a beautiful name.
I also like many of the previous suggestions, especially Juno, Meridian, Story, and Nova.
I also like Winter, Willa, and Wilder. If your surname starts with Wi- I can understand not wishing to use a Wi- first name….but if it is something else, I think the alliterative aspect could be nice.
I think if it is a girl, you’d best choose a quite strong name to accompany Elm– more flowery or feminine choices might seem jarring.
For a boy, I don’t think Orion is that out there at all. I’ve known a handful of them over the years and it is well settled in the top 1000.
I like Atlas, as someone else suggested, but I think it is too close to Atticus. Do you like Auberon/Oberon? Or Auden? Or Aurelian? I know someone named Mars who carries it well. Mars Beck might be a little jarring, though.
Best of luck!
I know a guy in his 30s named Orion and it doesn’t seem that out there. Especially with a daughter named Elm.
What about Juna? I know someone with a daughter Juna who is named after a 19th century poet, Djuna.
Otherwise I like:
Celeste
Seren
Calliope
Lucia
Lucienne
Ivy
Lu
Myla
Felicia
I love your naming choices and many that Swistle suggests. Orion was my husband’s second choice name for our last baby (if it had been a boy which it was not). Fiona was our second choice girls name. I knew an amazingly talented and attractive Orion a number of years ago so he is who I think of when I think of the name. Good choice!
I love Gemma, Isolde or Isadore/Isadora for a girls name. I also like Wren with the sibling set… I know you said you wanted to avoid “W” because of your last name but Wren doesn’t sound like a typical W, rather an R so it could possibly work depending on what your last name is.
As for a boy name, I LOVE Arlo. But also like Orion (I know a boy with this name, and they call him Orion, O or Ryan for nn. So it has a lot of possibilities.
So it could just be a product of growing up in hippie California, but I have met at least 5 Orions in real life, ranging from my age to my son’s age, and it never struck me as too ‘out there’. I also grew up with an Oriana.
Well, Orion would be my vote for boy, too. It has the same number of syllables as Atticus, also starts with a vowel, and is nice in balance. It gives him initials that don’t spell anything, and that’s often a plus!
For a girl, I’ll echo the ideas of Ivy and Fern… and add the name Echo! But if you’d rather have different starting letter, how do you fancy Snow or Swan or Glen?
Atticus, Elm, and Swan is probably my personal favorite, but you’ll choose just the right name! Best wishes to you and your growing family! Please let us know what you decide; your and your husband’s naming style is wonderful!
I have a brother-in-law named Orion, and will attest that it is very usable and not at all too weird for daily life. The sound similarity to Ryan and Brian makes it easy for memory and pronounciation, while being more unique. Plus, it is one of the most well-known constellations, aside from the Big DIpper. Personally, I find Orion much less surprising than Atticus, but perhaps that’s because of my familiarity with a real person with the name.
BTW, I also think it’s a verastile name. The Orion I know was named by hippie parents in the 70s, but he is completely NOT hippie-learning himself. Instead, he fixes motorcycles and likes big machines. The name still works well for him.
For a girl, I think with Elm you shouldn’t go super frilly, and so I agree about no Felicity. I like ones along the lines of Pearl, Opal, Juno, Coral, Fern…I like the gemstone names more than another tree or a flower, as it fits the nature style but isn’t quite so matchy.
Here are my suggestions, based on the style of Atticus and Elm (which I love by the way) and Orion… and suitable to use with Beck.
Girls –
Aster
Ayla
Ever
Xanthe
Isla
Sable
Starling
Haven (but it is getting popular)
Boys –
Bastion
Caspian
Luca
Oberon
Caspar
Leander
Nestor
Sachin
Tanis
Zephyr
Perrin
Peregrine
I don’t think you HAVE to rule our a W W name… but that’s just me. Coincidentally, my grandfather’s name was Webster Wilder. My married name starts with a B and we’re naming our son(due in november) Wilder. :-) So I am biased toward that name!
You’ve got some great suggestions here–come back and tell us what you decide on!