Laura writes:
Please help. My baby boy is due in March. His daddy is Callum and my name is Laura. We have a very Scottish last name Mac…
His big sister is Rowan Christine. This suited us because the first name is both Scottish and botanical. (Dad was born in Scotland and I’m a treehugger). Her middle name is common in both our families.
I have picked several first names for him. I love them all and cannot decide among them. I would not be disappointed with any of these names:
Alasdair
Bracken
Duncan
Heath
Lachlan
RannochI like the middle name Malcolm because it literally means ‘son of Callum’. However, it does not go with all the names above. James (a family name) might do better with Duncan for example.
Please help me choose.
Thanks!
This is the perfect place for a poll! My own choice would be Heath. I like that it’s a nature name, I like it with your surname, I like it with the sibling name, and I like how easy it is to spell and pronounce. I also think it works with the middle name Malcolm: Heath Malcolm Mac_____.
My runner-up choice would be Lachlan: Celtic and nature as with the name Rowan. I would also love to see the name Alasdair become more common.
Lachlan and Duncan make me think of Declan; I wonder if that would be another possibility.
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I’m loving Duncan! Fun, unusual, classic Scottish! Unfortunately, Duncan Malcolm Mac_ doesn’t sound nice at all. Duncan James, however, is very distinguished.
My second choice would be Heath. Heath Malcolm Mac_ is a good name. While it doesn’t flow optimally, it flows well enough. I do think the middle of Malcolm with it’s meaning is adorable!
GL!
I disagree. Duncan Malcolm Mac– sounds fine to my ear.
Absolutely love Lachlan and Heath. Lachlan James and Heath Malcolm are such great names!
Would also like to suggest Ramsay and Cameron, two of my favourites. Ramsay Malcolm and Cameron James sound soooo handsome!
What about Malcolm James?
All the best!
I love Duncan so much. Heath as a name itself I’m pleasantly indifferent to; it sounds like a good name for a modern kid to grow up with, but I’m not too attached to it. BUT as a naturey Scottish name (that goes well with Malcolm, which I ALSO adore) it begins to seem a bit perfect.
Bracken does NOT sound like a good choice; I think of brackish waters. Google says it’s a type of fern, which sounds like a neat idea, but I still dislike the name.
My first two choices would be Alasdair Malcolm and Heath Malcolm. I love the idea of using Malcolm for a middle name so I would try to choose a first name that would go with it.
Good luck!
I shared Swistle’s gut reaction! Heath Malcolm, followed by Lachlan. I think Lachlan works with Malcolm or James.
Heath & Rowan are a really lovely sibling pair. And Heath Mac[Anything] has wonderful rhythm. Heath is also great because it feels fairly timeless. Lachlan edges towards potential trendiness because it shares a lot of sounds with two very up and coming names, Logan and Landon (and probably some others I’m not thinking of).
Bracken is even trendier because of its -en ending (like Aiden, Jayden, Holden, etc.) I know it’s a plant, but for me, Bracken conjures up an unpleasant image, too, because it is so close the word “brackish”, as in slimy water. I know someone who named their son this and I still think “brackish” when I hear his name several years on. I can’t help it! :-/
Rannoch is a bit obscure– I assume he’d be the only one (or nearly so). That’s quite a contrast to Rowan, which is comfortably familiar though not that popular. In isolation Rannoch doesn’t read as immediately Scottish (though in googling I realize it’s a Scottish place name). It has an almost sci-fi quality. I don’t think it passes the “Would I want this for my own name?” test just because it is so hard to place/startling. Also no one will ever spell it right the first time, ever, his entire life, unless he is near the place he is named after.
Alasdair is ok but a little generic with a Mac- surname plus a difficulty for Americans to spell. It also seems quite different from Rowan.
So, Heath gets my vote for sure!
I forgot about Duncan! It’s fine, I think, but pales in comparison to Heath I think, because it lacks that nature component. (Same goes for Lachlan, actually, when I think about it).
While I know Rowan is mostly used for girls nowadays it seems to me it’s a unisex name. I don’t know the numbers for Lachlan but it sounds like it could be used for a girl. Therefore in this sibset I would want to make it clear that Rowan was the girl. I think the other names besides Lachlan do this, but my pick is for Heath.
Nope, Rowan was used for twice as many boys as girls in the USA in 2012. It was #301 for boys with 1,138 male births, and #455 for girls with 678 female births. It’s pretty much held steady around those numbers for both sexes for the past five years.
I have loved the name Heath for a long time. Health Malcolm sounds great and would be my choice.
That said, the only names on your list that I don’t like are Bracken and Rannoch.
Heath Malcom would be my top choice! LOVE Rowan & Heath together!
I picked Heath, for a lot of the reasons others have listed, but particularly because it seems like an obvious “brother” name for Rowan. I could see new acquaintances thinking to themselves something along the lines of, “I know her kids are named Rowan and Lachlan, but I can’t remember which is which…”
I think you should consider Malcolm as a first name! I love the meaning, the alliteration with your last name, and the fact that it is definitely masculine since your daughter’s name is unisex.
I also thought of Declan as a great option to be added to this list!
I love Duncan and have a son named James Duncan, so my vote is for Duncan James — very Scottish indeed! And that’s why we chose our son’s name.
My brother is named Duncan (as is my grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great, great-great-great, etc and so on) so I am extremely partial to this name. His middle name is a Mc-name, however, so I can’t help you with good middle names to go with.
Maybe Robert?