Baby Boy or Girl Sauce-a-man, Sibling to Russell (Russ); Also, a List of Things to Watch Out for When Choosing an Outlier Name

Leann writes:

My husband and I are expecting our second child in September, and since we love the element of surprise a new baby brings, we chose not to know the sex of the baby until he or she arrives. However, we are very much in the same boat naming-wise as we were two years ago with our first, a boy, Russell (Russ), trying to choose a girl name that just feels right for us. Russ was my late grandfather’s name, and is so special to us both, we knew it was “the one” for a boy, but we had several girl name options going into the delivery room. Not much has changed this time either!

Our last name sounds like Sauce-a-man. I had worried about it being a mouthful with Russell, but really we haven’t had any problems with it. For a boy we really like the name Burke Velde. Burke is just a surname we have heard that is not really “significant” to the family, but Velde is my husband’s grandfather’s name, and we like that as a middle name. There were no other notable contenders for a boy name, but I haven’t completely closed the door either.

For girl names we are stumped. I love the name Louise (nn. Lou) for a little girl. My husband loves the name Wynn (nn. Winnie). I like his name choice too, and he likes mine, but we LOVE our own picks. Haha. I would “let” him choose Wynn, really, if I could get rid of the feeling that it looks/sounds kind of made up. Do you think it seems like a made up name or a super trendy name? I just wonder about my dad “getting it” or spelling it correctly eventually if it is too out there.

We haven’t chosen a middle name for a girl yet because I read on your blog not to pin yourself in with a middle if you haven’t chosen a solid first yet…so…that’s what we are doing J We have read a particular naming book that was helpful for finding our “style” which ended up crossing into a few others, but mostly sticking to more traditional, older names. I work with senior citizens, and this did not surprise me at all! Burke may be an outlier from our style, do you think that is a terrible thing?

Our other names for a girl were: Meryl, Marie, Winifred, Diane

Other names on our boy list were: Reid (didn’t want to be the “R” family), Clark

Ruth was a top contender along with Louise for our first baby, but now that he is a Russ, I would rather not be the Russ-Ruth-_R_______ family if we are fortunate to have more! (Which I hope we are!)

Again, thank you (and your readers!) so much for any suggestions,

 

Wynn seems neither made-up nor trendy to me. I also like the spelling Wynne.

But my attention is seized by Winifred in your list. This seems like the perfect name to me: underused, definitely not made-up or trendy, and you could use Wynn as the nickname. Russell/Russ and Winifred/Wynn. I especially love Winifred Louise.

No, I don’t think it’s a terrible thing to use a name that’s a style outlier for you. I think the things to watch for are:

• that the name not make the group of names sound comical, or make it seem as if the parents have special plans/hopes for one child (David, Einstein, and Andrew, for example)

• that the name not suggest to hearers that the parents wanted a child of the opposite sex (three girls named Isabella, Sophia, and Elliot, for example)

• that the name not cut you off from names you might want to use in the future, by making the style-outlier-name child seem more and more left out of the group if you choose the names you usually like

While Burke feels somewhat different in style and popularity, both Russell and Burke are surname names and seem compatible.

I like Clark even better, though. Burke when said aloud makes me think of burp and berk. Clark has a similar snappy sound, and goes very well with other names from your lists. Or Blake would be nice, or Beck, or Grant.

 

 

Name update! Leann writes:

We were so happy you jumped in and helped us! After probably too much discussion, we tabled our names for a bit, and actually ended up making the final decision whilst in the car zooming to the hospital in labor :)

We were blessed with a baby girl.

You were so right! (As were many of your readers…) We had been overlooking THE name that we’d already had on our list. We named her Winifred Marie. I love it more every day. One of the comments that stuck out to us was this one by Heather, “A lot of vintage names come across as all pearls and lace, but Winifred can make you tea and beat your sorry behind at golf”. I think you were right, it was right in our “style” the whole time!

Here is a photo of Russell and Winifred together… this is as close as he would get to her!

Again, thank you so much! We so appreciated the help!

photo

27 thoughts on “Baby Boy or Girl Sauce-a-man, Sibling to Russell (Russ); Also, a List of Things to Watch Out for When Choosing an Outlier Name

  1. Mary

    I like Burke Velde, and if Burke somehow doesn’t seem right, I think Blake, Beck or Brooks would do just as wonderfully. Apparently in the UK “berk” is negative slang: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/berk// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Hunt > not sure how much that would affect your decision.

    Seeing that you do plan to have more kids, I would hold on to Velde for a boy in case you have a girl now (although I do think Louise Velde would also be really nice).

    What about going with Louisa Wynn(e)? Russell & Louisa both have that old-time classic feel to them. So does Luella or Lucy.

    I think Wynn sounds like a real name, not made up at all. Some names that could give you Wynn/Winnie as a nickname include:

    Bronwyn
    Winona
    Guinevere

    Didn’t Jimmy Fallon just name his daughter Winnie Rose?

    Reply
  2. Sheri

    Another thought about Burke (which I like!) – do you mind that it may be confused with Burt? I think people who hear it quickly may make that mistake. My husband (Theo) gets called Leo a good bit and my daughter (Afton) gets Ashton a lot – it isn’t a big deal, but could be annoying if you really dislike the “assumed” name. Clark or Blake wouldn’t get mixed up like Burke will.

    If you’re worried about Wynne seeming trendy, and it kinda makes sense that you may read it that way if your natural style is more old-fashioned/traditional, the great compromise is to take one of the old-fashioned names that allows for the nickname. I think you got great suggestions! Winnifred, Bronwyn and Gwyneth are so lovely!

    Or Louisa Wynne, Mom’s nickname Lou, Dad’s nickname Winnie =)

    Reply
  3. Sheri

    Oh! Winnie Cooper on the Wonder Years was a Gwendolyn.

    Gwendolyn Louise or Gwendolyn Velde would be great!

    Reply
  4. Lawyerish

    I knew a Wynn growing up, so it seems like a real, non-trendy, non-made-up name to me. I also was reading your letter thinking, “Winifred!” since you like Winnie, so add a vote for me for that suggestion. Gwyneth or Gwendolyn would also be nice with that same nickname.

    I love Swistle’s suggestion of Clark for a boy. I think that is adorable.

    Reply
  5. jen

    When I saw Wynn, my first thought was the hotel in Vegas. But I’m going to Vegas in a month so that could be why it immediately came to mind. That being said, I do think it’s very pretty and I especially like Bronwyn, Gwendolyn, or Winifred with the nickname Wynn.

    Reply
  6. Rachel

    I agree with Swistle that Burke makes me think of burp or Burt, and Burke Velde sounds harsh to my ear. I love the suggestions of Clark, Blake, and Grant, ideally with a 2 or three syllable middle name. For a girl, I love Gwendolyn, Gwenyth, or Winifred – all give you the nn’s Wynn or Winnie, and match the style of Russell/Russ.

    Reply
  7. Kim C

    I love the name Wynne as a full name. Wynne Louisa is lovely.

    What about the name Wynter? It is a surname like Russell and Wynter Louise is adorable! Winnie-Lou!

    Grant is my favorite for a boy. Russell and Grant sound so great together. Grant Velde! I’d also like to suggest Graham nn Gray.

    All the Best!

    Reply
  8. DrPusey

    Count me as another vote for Winifred. I’ve always loved it, since I had a beloved great-aunt with that name. I think it’s absolutely ripe for a revival.

    My great-aunt went by “Fred,” though. :)

    Reply
  9. Heather

    My husband tried to sell me on Winifred a while back and I was so against it, but the more I see it the more I wonder what I didn’t like about it. Maybe it was the Fred part (now I’m thinking, who doesn’t like Fred??) anyway, I think I am totally sold on it now. Winifred has that vintage charm thats so fashionable right now, but she also reads as a strong, sophisticated woman to me. A lot of vintage names come across as all pearls and lace, but Winifred can make you tea and beat your sorry behind at golf. I’m all for Winifred, nicknamed Winnie or Win, middle name Louisa so you can call her Winnie Lou on occasion :)

    Reply
  10. Lanie

    My daughter’s middle name is Wynne, and I’m kind of bummed I can’t use it more day to day. It’s just kind of hidden in paperwork, and it’s such a gorgeous name. Like maybe I should have kept it for another daugher’s first name. But now I have my eye on Gwendolyn. :)

    I’ve loved Gwendolyn since “Charles in Charge”.

    Reply
  11. Trudee

    Perhaps this will seem too trendy, but I fell in love with the name Elowyn [EL-o-win] (a version of Elowen) a while ago. The combination of Louisa and Wynn made me think of it. I also love the suggestion of Bronwyn, but I like Elowyn better with Russell.

    Reply
  12. March

    I only think berk, when I see or hear Burke I’m afraid. I think Velde would make a great first name or middle name.

    Love Wynn for a girl, but also really love it for a boy (it’s a welsh boys name), but spelt Wyn for a boy.

    I second the suggestion of Winter for a girl, but Louisa would probably be my favourite.

    Reply
  13. Sela

    Oh, I love love love Wynn/Wynne. I’ve loved it for a long time and really want to use it on a future child. It’s just a beautiful name, a “real” name, and is just great. Wynne Louisa is a gorgeous name.

    Reply
  14. Kim

    Please think long and hard about calling your dear son Burke. It is the same as calling him prat. You don’t want a self fulfilling prophecy :/

    Reply
  15. Diana

    I think you almost can’t go wrong with any of your names or the suggested names for a daughter.

    As for a son, I think Burke is perhaps questionable. What I’m struggling with is two single syllable names. The fact that he would likely just use his first and last names most of the time makes it better. If you were to consider a two-syllable first name for a boy, you might look at something like Bennett that can be shortened to Ben very easily. (There are certainly other options, too.) Bennett Velde. Clayton Velde. Curtis Velde. Barton Velde.

    Best of luck. It always works out in the end!

    Reply
  16. bee

    I like the name Burke and know someone with the name. His said his name has given him no more hassle than having to correct someone once in awhile.

    However, I don’t think it goes well with Russell or with the middle name Velde. A previous comment suggested Bennett, which sounds great with Velde and as a brother to Russell.

    I LOVE the name Winifred and wish I heard it more often. It gives great nicknames of Winnie or Win/Wynn and goes wonderfully with Russell.

    Reply
  17. Charlotte

    Wynn seems made up to me, particularly with that spelling. Winifred or indeed Winnie are great choices though! Win would made a great nickname. In Wales, -wyn is reserved for male names and -wen for female names. I know plenty of male Gwyns, for instance.

    How about Winston if you have a boy?

    Burke sounds like berk (British slang for a fool) and is apparently Cockney rhyming slang for a rude word… Swistle makes some fantastic suggestions for alternatives though.

    Reply
  18. Megz

    Wynn is a real name to me, although I prefer the Wynne spelling. If you and your husband can’t agree, perhaps a name like Glenis or Pearl would suit you both?

    I can’t help thinking Boyd would make a great brother name for Wynne and Burke.

    Good luck.

    Reply
  19. Wynn's mum

    Wynn is my daughter’s middle name and my only regret is that we didn’t use it as a first name!
    It certainly isn’t made up – a Welsh speaking friend of mine used the spelling Wyn for his daughter. Spelt Wynn it is an English surname. For us it was a family name from my husband’s side.

    Reply
  20. KELSIE

    Oh my goodness I just had to tell you that I was googling similar names to Russell and your post came up on the list. It caught my attention when you said your name sounds like Sauce-a-man. I have the same last name (spelling?) And we named our Son Russell (also a family name sort of). I’m just blown away by the similarities! We didn’t think there was anyone else with his name.

    Reply

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