Hello there!
A friend from work introduced me to your blog when I was pregnant with my first child. Since then, I have always enjoyed reading your thoughts and suggestions! I am now pregnant with our third child, a baby boy who is due the beginning of December. This little one will be the sibling to our 3yo daughter, Elliot Marie Determann, and our 23 month old son, Judd Hobson Determann. I should include that our last name is pronounced like “better man” with a D. We would like to stick with J names for boys and E name for girls. Of course we had a girl name picked out, Evyn Hazel, but God had other plans;) Fingers crossed that we get to use the name one day!! Also, we like to include a family name in the mix. Elliot and Judd’s middle names are both family names. Some names that we have thrown around inlude:Johnny Webb (I love, husband hates)
Shelby Jones (he would go by Jones or possibly Jonesy?? My grandfather was Shelby Hughes and some people called him Hughsey)
Jentry/Jent
Jesse/Jess
Jeb
Jules (husband not a fan)Some possible family names that could be used as first or middle names include:
Webb
Hughes
Wallace
Mac
Butler
RobertWe tend to like names that are different, but not to far out there. I’d like to stay away from anything to on trend or popular! Thank you for your help and I look forward to hearing back from you!!
Emily
Judd and Jeb seem too similar to me for brothers. I find I start thinking one of the names is Jed.
Judd and Jent also seem too similar to me, with a similar Judd/Jed confusion. But Judd and Jentry don’t seem too similar at all, and I don’t usually worry so much about nickname compatibility.
And then Jules and Johnny are crossed off by your husband, so that leaves us with Shelby and Jesse and Jentry. Presumably you’ve already been through the whole J section of the baby name book, but let’s see if we can find some more names to add to the list anyway.
Jones. I assume there is already a reason this has been rejected as a first name choice, and yet wanted to specifically say how well I think it meets your preferences and works with the sibling names.
Jasper. This depends in part on whether you like the repeating -er- sound with the surname.
Jagger. Another with a repeating -er- sound.
Jennings. This has a strong Peter Jennings association for me: not too strong to use it, just strong enough to make it familiar and positive.
Jace. Possibly too on-trend, but I thought of it because of Jess.
Jamie. Similar to Jessie and Johnny.
Jax. Possibly too on-trend.
Janson/Jansen/Jenson/Jensen. I wonder if that ending is a little sing-song with the surname.
Jarvis.
Jay. I love the simplicity of this, and I think it works with Judd without being too similar. Elliot, Judd, and Jay. I especially like Jay Wallace, but I also like Jay Hughes, Jay Butler, and Jay Robert.
Jem. A pleasing To Kill a Mockingbird reference, though does give me the Judd/Jed confusion. I think it’s something about the short-E sound combined with a consonant ending. Jem could also be a nickname for Jeremy or Jerome.
Jim/Jimmy. This has gone out of style as a nickname for James, so that people in the parent/grandparent generation are using it but the people in the child generation are mostly not. In this way it reminds me of Johnny, and I think it has a similar appealing sound.
Joe. I like this as much as I like Jay. Elliot, Judd, and Joe. I like Wallace best again for the middle name; I also like Joe Hughes.
Joel. This one joins my favorites list as well. Underused and appealing. Elliot, Judd, and Joel. I especially like Joel Robert, but also like Joel Butler.
I like Jesse Hughes and Jones Shelby.
Have you considered:
Jethro, Jordy, Jersey, or Jeryl
Oh I LOVE Jethro!! I also like Jansen and maybe Julian as a compromise for Jules could get you Jules as a nickname.
Oh I like your style!
My absolute favorite from your list is Jentry. Judd and Jentry don’t really sound all that alike to my ear (or Judd/Jent for that matter). Judd I say with the “uh” sound, Jentry like the beginning of Jennifer?
Anyway, I vote for Jentry Hughes. Love!
I love Jentry! Jones/Jonesy is also cute, and like Swistle said, I’d put it in the first name spot (despite that your grandfather was Shelby, it reads all girl to me — I would definitely put it in the middle if you really want to use it). I also love the suggestions of Jethro, Jordy (one of my personal faves!), and Jersey (or Jerzy? Which I believe is the Polish form of George).
I’ll throw in Jory Webb. A little bit of gender confusion maybe with Elliot as a sister, but that doesn’t bother me and it doesn’t look like it bothers you with Jesse and Jules on your list. And its not like preschool classes are teeming with little girls named Majorie these days. It’s got a similar rhythm to Johnny while being enough different that maybe your husband will like it.
I also like Jesse Hughes a lot though.
Would your husband like Julius instead of Jules? Julius Wallace is very handsome, in my opinion. (Wallace might be an underappreciated middle name option for boys actually…it seems to go with everything).
I just remembered Jerome. I think Jerome might be perfect you
1) Its unambiguously a boy name next to Elliot.
2) Its not trendy at all
3) Its not so formal that it seems awkward next to Judd (I think Judd & Jonathan might be a little mismatched, for example) or so informal that you’re boxing yourself in if you have a third son someday (Judd, Jerome & Jonathan works better than Judd, Jett, and Jonathan I think)
4) Both names give me a subtle cowboy vibe.
Another vote for Jesse Hughes! It is such a handsome combination and would fit perfectly with his siblings. Jesse is such a classic yet underused name for a little boy. Congratulations and good luck!
I also love Jones in the first place! It coordinates so well with the siblings’ names and your last name. I also like Kerry’s suggestion of Julius. “Judd and Julius” sound lovely together.
I am that friend who recommended swistle all those years ago! So to my dear friend, Emily… These are my opinions
Jones Butler ** my favorite. Sunny agrees too.
Jentry Butler (or Hughes)
Jace Butler
Addition:
Jett Butler (I think this sounds awesome. And very original.)
I veto Jesse and Johnny. Too normal. And Jeb I love but sound like Judd.
Love you, Em! Can’t wait to see what you choose!
I like Jett too! There’s nice similarity between Judd & Jett spelling wise as well that’s very appealing to me.
I don’t like Butler though. With Jett, I would go with Wallace – Jett Wallace.
Agree – Jett Butler sounds like Rhett Butler and unless you’re going all in on that, steer clear in my opinion!
If your husband doesn’t care for Jules, would he go for Julian? Also, if his objection to Johnny is using a nickname as a full name, could you use John (or Jonathan) as the formal name and call him Johnny/Jonny? My favorite J-name for boys is Joshua, but that might be too popular for you. Maybe Josiah would be better.
How about Jervis (from Daddy Long Legs?) or Jerry? Julian? Julius? Of Swistle’s choices I like Joel best.
I like:
Jonah
Julius
Julian
Jesse
Joel
Jacob
Shelby does usually read female, so paired with a female Elliot people might be confused…that’s their problem, of course, but it might annoy your kids.
I think Jones is perfect! Elliot, Judd, and Jones.
I also love the feel of Jay, Joe, and Joel – simple but strong.
I think if you really want to stick with the “j” theme, Shelby Jones just doesn’t work. Even if you called him Jones all the time, he’ll always know his real name is Shelby. This could be particularly problematic if you have a 3rd son and give him a “j” first name. I also hesitate about Shelby as a first name for a boy. It will still appear as the name on official forms/at the doctor’s office, etc. Shelby is overwhelmingly a girl’s name these days. The possible gender confusion could be difficult for him, particularly in those angst-y teen years. FWIW, there was a boy in my son’s K class last year with the first name Jones. It was a bit surprising at first, but I found it did fit in very well in a class full of kids with surnames as firsts.
I agree Jeb is out as it does start to slur into Jed with Judd. Jules and Judd also leads me to want to say Jude. Jentry doesn’t have this problem. I really like Jesse for you.
From Swistle’s suggestions, my favorite is Jasper. I also know of a boy named Jalen (Jay-linn). I think Jalen works well with your overall namestyle. Jordy and Jai also come to mind.
I’ll add that Evan seems like it would make a really nice brother name for Judd. Though it would mean giving up the “e” for girls and “j” for boys theme (as well as Evyn for a future girl). Perhaps the theme could become that you alternate “e” and “j” names instead?
With a girl named Elliott, Shelby would be a very confusing name for a boy. I think you should aim for something very masculine. I like jones or jenson the best.
Love all these names! Adding a vote for Jones. With or without Shelby in the middle, I think it’s completely perfect for this sibling set.
Other J suggestions:
Jamis
Jamison (maybe too rhymey)
Jackson
Johnston (less surnamey than Johnson, could get you to Johnny)
Since your daughter’s name has been traditionally a boy’s name (though lovely as a girl’s name) and you hope to have an Evyn (sounds like Evan, a traditionally boy’s name), I would go with a masculine boy’s name so there is no confusion as whether your new boy is a girl or not. (Judd is very masculine) I think Jules, Jentry, Jessie and especially Shelby sound like daughter names compared with Elliot and Evyn.
I love your naming style! I wouldn’t go with Shelby for the boy, as stated above also, because Elliot is more of a unisex name and Shelby is used mainly for girls these days; that would cause confusion when the siblings are introduced as a group. I personally, however, do NOT think that Judd and Jeb OR Jedd (!!) are too close. If you picture standing on the deck and calling them inside for dinner, for example, saying, “Judd, Jedd: Time for dinner!” they’d both clearly hear their own names. I think either Jedd or Jeb would be absolutely adorable and ultimately masculine as a sibling set for two boys. Those names would also make Elliot sound more feminine to my ear. To me, Jess/Jesse could sound like another girl name since Elliot is more unisex…
I like Jones and Jentry for you also. Either of those would be fantastic, too! How about John? I don’t think it’s nearly as common for a little boy these days as it is for older men, and it’s a very classic name. I wonder if you would like Jarrett?
Good luck!
My votes would be for Jones or Jasper, with Jesse close behind, from both your list or Swistle’s. All seem to fit your name styling, go well with Elliot and Judd, and are unusual but familiar enough to be spelled and pronounced properly and with little negative reaction.
I had a strong negative reaction to Jentry. It feels misspelled and thus a forced name – similar to how I feel when I see the name “Jinger” on the list of Duggar family names. It’s not the proper spelling and I think he may get a fair amount of eye rolling through life based on that. However, the sound of Gentry is fine, even if not the best fit with Elliot and Judd – it’s just the J spelling I strongly reacted to in this sense.
I completely agree about Jentry. It’s not the sound (I like Gentry/Gent), but the “J” feels very out of place.
I like Jesse, Jones, Joe, and Joel. Also Jett as mentioned by a prior commenter.
Congratulations!
I agree about the Jentry spelling of gentry. Also, if I were a boy/teenage boy/grown man, I’d really not want to be called “Jent” any more than as a woman I’d want to go by “Lady.” It’s a bit too limiting: With my personality, I’d certainly have rebelled and become the opposite.
I find your name preferences to be very much on trend. Am I misunderstanding that preference? I think that Jentry comes across as misspelled. Jasper and Jones both seem to fit will with your other names.
I’m reading this as a “no to Jack or Jayden, but that doesn’t mean they want to name their baby Donald” amount of non-trendiness.
I agree that the style seems very on trend to me.
I have a Jonty, what about that?
From Swistle’s suggestions I like Jarvis.
I love Jonty! I’ve seen it as a nn for Jonathan — is your Jonty a Jonathan?
Shelby sounds like a girl’s name to me.
My favorites are Jentry and Joel! I am surprised how much I’m liking Joel these days. Jett, Jasper and Jones are nice too.
I would stay away from Shelby in the first spot. It’s all girl to me, especially with big sister Elliott.
Some other options to consider:
-Jensen
-Justice
-Jefferson
How about Jace?
I do think your naming styles are very on trend, which is not a bad thing to be at all! I grew up with a name that was off-trend (not unique or quirky or vintage, just out-dated and clunky) and I would have given anything to have had an on-trend name. So I want to urge you to not discard a name just because it follows current naming fashions–in my book that isn’t a bad thing at all. (Also, there is a big difference between being fashionable and being a top ten name).
Jones is great if there is any way you can use that. If not, Jax or Jaxon, Jett, Jason, Jace are all great.
If you would be willing to reconsider the J usage, Hughes and Webb are absolutely awesome first names, and I am quite envious that they are also family names! Perhaps you might also find some fun names by doing a double barrel with John: John-Webb, John-Mac, etc.
I think the style is “on trend” as in – it’s trendy to like more unique/different/less used names right now.
But I don’t think any of the names themselves are trendy? Judd hasn’t been in the top 1,000 names for boys at all over the last 14 years (& neither have Jent/Jentry or Gent/Gentry).
Love the suggestions of Jonty and Jerome!
Also:
Jarrett
Jarron
Jolyon
Jolson
Jalen
Jethro
Jonas (like this one!)
All the best!
I have to say, Jones Shelby is by far my favourite. LOVE the idea of using Jonesy and putting the Shelby in the middle name spot… it’s such a neat way to honour your grandfather. By reversing the order, you avoid the problems that come with using a middle name as a first name (documents such as passports and health services numbers and drivers licenses all have to be in official format, but then items like credit cards are a bit more flexible and that can result in a heap of trouble if you ever need your documents to line up). Also, if I were to see the sib set Elliot, Judd, and Shelby. I would automatically assume Shelby was the girl. If you used something like Jones, then that reverses your thinking into Elliot as the girl. Not that that should be a make-or-break situation though, especially since you have the connection to your grandfather’s name.
I do really like previous suggestion of Julius. It seems like a good compromise as well. Your husband gets a longer, official version, and you can still shortened to Jules (which I love, it’s in my husband’s family dating back to early 1800’s… all men in the massive family either have it as a first or middle name, including our son).
I also love the suggestion of Jagger, could use nn Jag.
What about Jiles? Although typically spelt Giles, in the early 1900’s the spelling Jiles was popular. I love this name. It’s quite uncommon but it feels very fresh. Love the sound of Judd and Jiles together.
I feel like Jensen or Jayden don’t fit into your naming style at all.
If you wonder off the “J” trend, I do really like Hughes as a first name! Not sure if that is something you would consider or not. BUT I LOVE WALLACE. Seriously, if you go with a name that doesn’t start with a “J” I would strongly urge you to use Wallace. What a fabulous name. :)
Good luck and keep us posted!!
What about Jeremy nicknamed Jem?
Oooh, I like this much better than Jem on its own because I otherwise think of Jem as a nickname for Jemima.
Jem can also be a short form of James (ref. Anne of Green Gables- grown up Anne had a son James nn Jem!)
And maybe too far from left field, but what about Jericho? Meets some criteria (biblical, J), and sounds great with a few of the middles, my faves:
Jericho Robert (nn JR?)
Jericho Hughes
Jentry sounds really bad to me. My mind reads/hears gentry and immediately adds -fication. I think it would be a very uncomfortable name to bear.
Jointly immediately came to mind… I see it has already been suggested, and have to agree. It has spunk and is not common.
I meant Jonty! Damn auto-correct!