M. writes:
I would love your honest opinion and ideas. My husband and I are naming a potential boy (unknown sex, due in May) James, after his father. I think it is a strong handsome name and am very happy with it. The problem is the middle. I like unique, fun, a little different names-especially in the middle spot. He likes traditional names with meaning for us. I fell in love with the name Atlas but husband really hates it. He says he hates it because of the sad mythology and its in line with naming your kid Adonis, Hercules etc, its too powerful, it just sounds silly-the list goes on. I just like the sound, especially with James and it works for us b/c we love travel and aspire to keep traveling with our kids. He really struggles with picking anything that doesn’t have meaning to us so we have been trying to come up with clever names that have something to do with our love or our lives.
So the question is two part. I’ll give you our small list-none of which either of us are completely jumping at, and then I’d love to hear any suggestions. Our last name is Dixon.
James Webster (Webster is the town where his family cabin resides, many good memories there)
James Oscar (my greatgrandfather- we think he might have been an SOB so we’re pretty sure we want to name our baby after him)
James Forster (my greatgrand mother’s maiden name-a stretch since we didn’t know them or really anything about them, but I like that is reminds me of nature al la forester)
James Stellan (a mix of William & Stevens, two family names. I’ve been told this is too full of the ‘s sound)
I like Archer (but the raunchy cartoon ruined it), Brooks (but his friend named his son that), Fitzgerald (but he thinks it sounds too Irish) He suggests a lot of words in German or French that apply to us but they never sound right and I don’t think he actually likes them anyways. We love travel, nature, hiking/camping, literature, history, music…we’ve also contemplated Hemmings & Walden (for literary reasons), Hugo, Canon (he can’t get on board but I like it!), Amory (This Side of Paradise Character). Other names I like but he thinks are too “out-there” or he doesn’t like them for other reasons: Knox, Gray, Heath, Wilder. Family names from my side that we don’t want to include outright but wouldn’t mind a twist on include: Rudolph, Joseph, Ora, Alan, William, Stevens.
Thats basically it. We are naming a girl Charlotte Auden. We wouldn’t want to use Auden for a boy.
Any suggestions? I realize you don’t know us so matching our loves or lives isn’t easy but I thought i’d ask anyways. We’re getting close to the end (I’m already 36 weeks!) and I’m worried we’re never going to find a perfect fit.
Thank you!!
P.S. I realize I left out- this is our first baby and we have a dog named Henry & a cat named Olive.
If both the surname and the first name are from your husband’s side of the family, I would be very inclined to look for a middle name from your side. You have a great-grandfather’s name and a great-grandmother’s maiden name on your list, but do you have any closer connections? Perhaps the name of your father or grandfather, a brother or uncle or cousin, your own family surname?
Looking at your list of names you don’t want to use without changing them, I’d suggest Rudy instead of Rudolph. James Rudy Dixon.
Instead of Joseph, I suggest Jonas: it has a little of the sound of Atlas, too.
Instead of Alan, I wonder if you’d like Nolan. I’m not crazy about the choppy sound of it with the surname, but full names are hardly ever said aloud, and I see from other candidates on your list that this isn’t a sound that bothers you. (This is the same as the issue of “too much S”: if it sounds like too much S to you, then it’s too much S; if it sounds like too much S to someone else but not to you, then it’s not too much S.)
Instead of William, you could use Liam or Wilson or Wills or Wells.
Instead of Stevens, you could use Evans. But to me, all these suggestions feel like they suck the meaning/significance right out of the names. Since meaning/significance is very important to the two of you, it seems better to find something you can use in its original form, if possible.
If Archer is out, I suggest Asher.
If Brooks is out (though with middle names especially, I think duplication is fine if everyone is fine with it), I suggest Hayes and Wells and Felix.
If you like the sound of Atlas, I wonder if you’d like any of these:
Adam
Addison
Adler
Amadeus
Angus
Atticus
August
Augustus
Curtis
Cyrus
Dallas
Darius
Davis
Edison
Elias
Ellis
Hadley
Harris
Julius
Linus
Louis
Lucas
Madden
Marcus
Mathias
Moses
Nicholas
Patrick
Patton
Phineas
Sebastian
Silas
Thaddeus
Thatcher
Tobias
Travis
Watson
Wesley
Wyatt
Are there any names you considered as a first name but rejected for reasons such as not going well with the surname, or already knowing a baby with that name, or not liking the initials? Names that had to be ruled out as first names can often be salvaged as middle names.
Instead of looking for names that relate to the two of you, I wonder if there are names that include goals you have for him? James Felix could tie in to a desire for him to be happy and lucky; James Sterling could tie in to hopes for his character. More virtue-name possibilities:
Able
Constant
Earnest
Justice
Loyal
Merit
Noble
Worth
While the goal is to find something you’re both happy with, it sounds to me as if your husband could stand to do a little more compromising on this: the first name is thoroughly traditional and meaningful, which are his priorities. It’s also a significant honor name from his side of the family. For the middle name, which is mostly hidden and unused and so is a great place to be more adventurous/whimsical, it seems like he could budge a little toward your preferences: something perhaps a little more fun and different than he’d normally prefer, without going quite as far as Atlas. It might work to have him make a list of names he’d consider a little fun/different, and see if there’s anything on there that appeals to you.
Name update! M. writes:
Hi there! Just wanted to update everyone on our sweet baby boy. James Willis Carraway Dixon was born May 7th at 2:24p weighing 6lb 15oz and 20″ long.
After my question was published we took a long walk and I read every single comment out loud. Between when I sent the question and it was published we had been throwing around Willis (as a play on William) but it still seemed to be lacking the extra something I was looking for. We are huge F. Scott Fitzgerald fans and our life travels have in ways mimicked both himself and Nick Carraway’s from the Great Gatsby. In the book Mr. Carraway is a great story teller and an empathetic observer of people. He is a chronicler and see’s people deeply. We admire these traits and feel happy giving our son this name with multiple meanings to us.
We want to thank everyone for their helpful comments and kind observations. Cheers!
I have to agree with Swistle that I think maybe your husband should be more willing to compromise. He does have the first & (I assume) last name. His father’s name has a lot of personal meaning. So why not go further afield and pick a fun (but still meaningful) middle?
Travel-related names that are less “out there” than Atlas: Miles/Myles, West, Peregrine (means traveler in Latin), Doran (means wanderer in Irish Gaelic). Christopher also comes to mind. It’s more boring, but it is the name of the patron saint of travelers. Maybe you could freshen it up by using a variant? Kit, Christoph, Topher? Or are there place names from places you’ve visited with your husband? I think Webster is on the right track, but it does make the name feel unbalanced as far as representing you/your side of the family.
Stars & constellations are used to navigate, maybe your husband would agree to an astronomical name? Sirius, Orion, Leo, Polaris, Halley (the comet). Hopefully these won’t feel as “big” as Atlas.
Names that have the same kind of sound/feel of Atlas (though they loose the travel connection) are Amos, Atticus, Ansel, Linus, Alaric (German name).
I love Swistle’s suggestion of a virtue name. Felix seems perfect, uncommon & a little spunky-but still traditional for your husband. Or perhaps nature names with a dash of travel/adventure? Summit, Zenith, Canyon, etc?
I do really like Archer. Had to look up the character. Raunchy yes, but I’m not sure it’s well known enough to give me pause for concern. Maybe Fletcher? Just Fitz instead of the full Fitzgerald? If you’re naming after the author, perhaps a character name or something? Gatsby?
I really like Swistle’s suggest of Rudy. Calan instead of Alan? Winston? Similar to William, but maybe too different for a namesake.
Oh! Or what about using the name of a famous traveler? They could be real or fictional. Darwin, Gulliver, Lindbergh, Earhart, Meriwether (as in Lewis & Clark), Magellan, etc?
Oh, oh! Peregrin is also Pippin’s (from Lord of the Rings) real name. He was a traveler and a hero! But then, I’m rereading Return of the King right now and had Arwen on my short list for girls names!
James Peregrin(e) Dixon sounds very distinguished!
I like James Canyon!
I like James Peregrine too…but is it really less “out there” than Atlas?
James Forrest is another idea.
Starting with the names you have already considered I really think you should reconsider Hugo- it sounds great in the middle spot and is a handsome strong name as well. I also like Forster and Webster
Some variations and ideas on the other names you mentioned:
Liam instead of William
Willem instead of William
Alden – kind of a mix of Alan and Auden
Jory- Joseph/Ora (fives JJ initials if you like that as a nn option)
Of the names mentioned by Swistle I especially like:
Patrick,
Phineas (and I really like JP),
Linus
Wyatt
Some other ideas that I think would pair well:
Isaac
Maxwell
Evander
Good luck and keep us posted!
Also, Elliot
More ideas:
Axel
Alaric
Auberon
-and I think August is very handsome too. James August Dixon ~ swoon!
I love James August.
We are North American but long-time friends with a German family (as in, they are German having always lived in Germany) and the father’s name is Wolfram (we call him Wolf for short though, with the German influence, it sounds more like ‘Vulf’). You mentioned nature and German names and this came to mind. I never got on board with celebrities naming their children Bear, but I think Wolfram is kind of different from that. I think of it as quite strong, as definitely being able to work as a middle name and as nature-related without being a literal word. Just a thought: James Wolfram Dixon?
Or the similar Wolfgang… I have a friend who named her son this and he goes by “Wolfie”
My BIL and SIL just named their daughter Ella October (she got to pick the first name so he got to pick the middle name). He chose October because it was the month they met, the month he proposed, the month they got married, and is an overall favorite month because of autumn. Is there a month that has significance to you (or both of you) that might sound good with James?
I like Atlas a lot for you and if it were your husband writing I’d try to win him over to it. I think the idea of the name of a famous traveller is good, though, and something you could easily keep as a theme with future children. James Christopher and Charlotte Amelia, for instance. Very traditional but with a hidden meaning for you.
If you can get him to be a bit more adventurous Odysseus (or Ulysses) would be right up your alley. He took a journey of 20 years!
The underlying tension/conflict, it sounds like, is between one person who really loves “cool”, on-trend names, and one person who is moderately interested in “cool”, but very interested in “authenticity” – ie a name your child will have a genuine cultural or familial connection. So it feels clear to me why your husband feels so strongly and so unwilling to compromise – at least to me, because I secretly empathize with his position! So perhaps a fresh way to think about it is, what is the coolest name that is also part of your collective family’s historical record? That is, did your first known American ancestor live in a town with a cool name, or come to America on a ship with an interesting name, or live in a German village with an interesting name? and so forth.
What about another literary name? Is the MN Auden for a girl after WH Auden..? Have you browsed his life for boy ideas? Lots of great names in here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._H._Auden – he was inspired by a theologian with the excellent name Reinhold, for instance.
Did I catch not one but two F. Scott Fitzgerald references in your post? I hope so… how fabulous would the following be?
James Carraway Dixon
James Francis Dixon (the F of F. Scott)
James Blaine Dixon (instead of Amory)
Just a thought that the Jazz Age might be an unexpected place for the two styles to meld :)
Good luck!
With such a short first and last name (James Dixon), the middle spot could also be the perfect place for a classic longer name that you both like.
James Bartholomew
James Horatio
James Emmanuel
James Thelonious
James Tiberius
Since you like to travel, what about James Tripp Dixon?
I also think your (I’m sure very lovely) husband is being a wee bit bull-headed and inflexible on this one. But if he won’t come around, let’s find some creative ways to “create” meaning behind a name. I’d mine all his & your favourite books, movies, authors, performers, teachers, family, friends, historical figures etc for names that you like. I’d go further than just main characters in books… look at ALL the character names! Find a seventh cousin 14 times removed with a name that you like! (Is that even a thing?! Ha!) And boom… all of a sudden the name has meaning and you get a cool name that you like. I think also you should get a little more sway on the middle name since he gets the meaning and tradition with the first name and surname.
Big fan of inspired middle names- we named our first born after the island on which we were married. It’s alliterative with his first name (the steady, strong William) but totally works as his hidden middle, which we adore. So you might guess that I would vote for Webster, but I think Swistles suggestion of virtue names is GENIUS. I super super love James Abel or James Noble- timeless and inspired!
PS- my first thought for you was Homer before I even got to your choice of Atlas, but I have a feeling the toon would be a strike against it?
James Ford Dixon
James Fenric Dixon
James Saylor Dixon
James Talen Dixon
James Conley Dixon
James Hart Dixon
James Foster Dixon
James Thorn Dixon
James Fuller Dixon
I love James Atlas Dixon.
My husband is a geographer, and he wanted to name our daughter Kiev. I thought it was twee for a first name, but we used it for her middle name. When our second daughter came along, I wanted to continue the tradition, so we chose Vail for her middle name. Although we are likely done having children, I often name future hypothetical “oops” babies, always with a city or geography-related middle name. My current favorites for boys are Oslo and Caspian. If you love travel and think that might hold significance in naming your baby, try picking up an atlas and scanning the index. You’d be surprised by how many names of obscure little cities or towns sound like “real” names. If there’s a country you and your husband have visited together, or always wanted to, it might help sway him to something a little less conventional if it relates to that area.
Am I the only one that thinks Atlas is a BRILLIANT middle name for a travel-inspired couple? Because, hey, an atlas is a book of maps… and it wears a lot better than James Globe Dixon or James Rand McNally Dixon.
Forget about the tragic story; Atlas is a winner in its own right!
Other travel names: Leif (Erikson), Magellan, Copernicus, Columbus, Lewis, and Clark.
Best wishes to you both as you welcome your tiny addition!
If you cannot agree – if you husband wants to use the middle name spot to honour another family member and you would like it to have a fun, spunky name – then have you considered using two middle names? One for him and one for you? Both of our kids have two middle names and we haven’t had any issues as of yet (although our kids are quite small). Plus, even if it doesn’t flow well, how often do you really say the full name out loud?
If you called him James Webster Atlas Dixon (I actually think this sounds fabulous!), your husband could use “James Webster” when calling him out (just an example, if that was his most favourite name) and you could use “James Atlas” when calling for him….I know growing up, when I was in trouble I could always tell because my parents called me by my first and middle name. Or you could both use your favourite/chosen middle name as a personal nn for him. Just a thought!
I was excited to suggest Brooks…then re-read the original post and see that’s out.
Then I was going to suggest Holden and nope never mind, didn’t think that one through properly.
So my last suggestion is Abbott. But I think you already have a great list and are getting some fantastic suggestions. Good luck!
So I’m not being real original here but wanted to give a second shout out to favorites: Canon, Webster, Atlas, Able are all brilliant! Fwiw I think you will regret not having some fun with the middle slot. But if the hubs can’t be persuaded, the theme of famous travelers is awesome & you could be as traditional or as obvious as you wanted! Good luck :)
Drawing from some of the sounds is Atals:
James August (if the month as any special meaning for you)
James Amadeus (music – Mozart)
James Arlo (music-Guthrie)
James Aramis (literature-Three Musketeers)
Other ideas:
James Ernest (literature-Hemingway)
James Elvis (Music -Presley)
James Miles (travel)
James Clay (nature)
James Reed (nature)
James Silas (literature-Silas Mariner)
James Emerson (literature-Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Thoreau?
You have a strong middle name in Auden for either sex! James Auden Dixon. Or use the “H” in W.H. Auden: James Hugh Dixon.
Not to perseverate on Auden, but Just for fun, “Wystan” is the W in W. H. Auden: James Wystan Dixon.
I wonder if you’d like Atticus, as in Atticus Finch? Or maybe Traveler? I know that’s a word name, but James Traveler Dixon is intriguing and fantastic. Good luck!
Oh, I like James Traveler Dixon!
Lots of good suggestions. This one may be too far out there for your husband, but I have a soft spot for Somereld, sometimes varied as Somerled, which is an anglicization of a Scandinavian name that means “summer traveler”. (The original name has a character I can’t produce on this keyboard – I think it’s pronounced like soo-mar-lee-thee.) I keep it in mind for the middle name spot in case I need it one day! :)
Is the issue with Atlas the creativeness of it, or the Charles Atlas connotations? I can definitely see a dad worrying that Atlas might be a bit much for his son to live up to…but maybe your husband could be reassured that most people are making the association with travel, not muscle men. Or it does seem like there might be a different name that would be perfect for both of you. I especially like the suggestion of Wystan above.
Walker? Horatio (for Hornblower)?
Oooh I like Horatio.
Wheeler? March? Way? Wander? Ford? Forge? Range or Ranger? Wendell?
Thank you everyone for your kind and helpful feedback. I think we found our solution. I’ll keep mum for now until the birth but will definitely report back once it’s official. Thanks again!
Yessssssss! Congratulations and welcome James Willis Carraway Dixon! Thank you for updating :)
Great choice- Very handsome. Welcome to the world James!