Help Swistle!
We are having our second child, a boy, in four days and still don’t know what we are going to call him. He’s been called Baby Brother throughout the pregnancy. Our first child is a girl named Hannah Claire. Her middle name is a namesake for a dear family friend and Hannah both my husband and I instantly loved. Our last name is Burt0n.
We like traditional / widely recognized names that are not too overused.
I love Holden for a boy but I don’t think it works with our surname. I also like Finnegan and Finn but again struggle with the N sound at the end.
My husband likes Noah for a first name. Noah reminds me too much of “No” and I imagine myself shouting “No, Noah!” at the playground! Perhaps this association would fade though?
I’d like to use my Grandfather’s name James as a namesake but as a middle name since it’s so popular now. My husband is considering it for a first name, since we haven’t thought of anything else we can agree on. At any rate James is the only name on the yes list at the moment.
Samuel is also a contender, though we have a few girl relatives who go by Sam or Sammie.
We both come from large families and a lot of the typical traditional names have been used (Matthew, Daniel, Richard, Charles, Thomas, Nicholas, John, Anthony, Alexander, Benjamin, Jacob, etc.)
Any thoughts?!
Many thanks,
Sarah
This post has some feedback in the comments section on whether “No, Noah” is an issue: Baby Boy Smith, Brother to Carson Michael. I don’t think it would be a problem. A bigger issue for me is that Hannah and Noah both end in -ah and both have strong N-sounds: they sound and look very similar to me, almost like rearrangements of each other. I don’t think that would need to rule out the name Noah, but since it also reminds you of “no” and you’d prefer to avoid overused names (it’s currently the most popular boy name in the United States), it seems like it isn’t the name you want.
I vote for James. It’s less common at #13 than the #1-ranking Noah (18,090 new baby boys named Noah and 13,416 named James in 2013); you both agree on it; and it’s a family name. I love the names Hannah and James together, and I think James Burt0n is a wonderful name. Perhaps Noah would work as the middle name? James Noah Burt0n.
Name update!
It was so great to see your response and everyone’s comments. It was helpful to have new suggestions we hadn’t considered before. In the end, we decided on Samuel James, which I love – though we do still call him Baby Brother quite often! I can hardly believe he is already 3 months old. Thank you again for the input!
I agree with Swistle that your grandfather’s name James could be the perfect name for your son. James is strong and classic and not overly popular. I have an 11-year-old grandson named James (called only James, no nickname), and even though he’s in a very large school system, he’s never had another James in his class. (The name James ranked at 18 the year he was born.) James Noah would be a fine name and is very compatible with your daughter’s name — all classic and/or biblical names, plus each includes an honor name and the two names mirror each other in sound:
Hannah Claire (2 syllable name, 1 syllable name) H0lden
James Noah (1 syllable name, 2 syllable name) H0lden
Oops! I see that your last name is Burt0n. Hannah Claire Burt0n and James Noah Burt0n.
I think James fits your criteria nicely, and yet if you’re not convinced, maybe it isn’t the name for you.
Around the same popularity as Holden:
Judah
Reid
Simon
Graham
Everett
More popular than Holden, but less than James:
Leo
Asher
Josiah
Oliver
Henry
Levi
I’m tempted to suggest Oliver, probably because I know a few Hannah-Oliver pairs. But the name that springs to mind is Levi – Hannah and Levi, Hannah Claire and Levi James. Familiar, but not so everywhere that you’re guaranteed to be Levi B. in school. And the “i” ending works well with Burt0n.
Best wishes!
I know siblings named Hannah & Levi! Though Levi is older than Hannah. And they are a Biblical sibset, along with their siblings Jeremiah & Elizabeth. There are actually now 3 boys named Levi at our church, though they are all different ages. I’ve heard it a lot on the playground too.
I agree with Swistle that Hannah and Noah are too similar for a good sibset. I do like James Noah for you but it sames like James is kind of a default because you can’t think of something else.
Some suggstions for you:
Ian James (B)urton – Hannah and Ian
Lucas James (B)urton – Hannah and Lucas
Eli James (B)urton – Hannah and Eli
Nicholas James (B)urton – Hannah and Nicholas
My son is named Noah and my mother-in-law had the same concern. It hasn’t been an issue. Now she says Noah is her favorite boy name and she denies she ever had any concerns about it.
But I do like James and Samuel, too. James a bit better for you because it’s an honor name. How about Isaac? Isaac James Burton?
Or Joshua or William…
Here’s another vote for James Noah. Even though James is #13, I’ve never met a baby James. I have met several Noahs.
I really like Samuel, and unless the girl relatives are close in age and you’ll see them frequently – the fact that there are a few Sams in the family wouldn’t bother me at all.
Since it seems we may have a similar naming style for boys, how about:
Isaac
Elliott
Leo
Felix
Jonah
Callum
Good luck!
Good luck!
Hm, I vote neither Noah nor James for the first name.
I like James just great for the middle name position.
Have you considered Ethan? Ethan James.
Or maybe Joel? I’d like to see a baby Joel. Joel James Burt0n. Hannah and Joel.
The other one I’d throw out there is Isaac – Isaac James.
Hth!
Hm, I vote neither Noah nor James for the first name.
I like James just great for the middle name position.
Have you considered Ethan? Ethan James.
Or maybe Joel? I’d like to see a baby Joel. Joel James Burt0n. Hannah and Joel.
The other one I’d throw out there is Isaac – Isaac James.
Hth!
I also agree that James seems like a better fit than Noah and I like the sound of Hannah and James.
But I agree with the poster above that if you are not sold on it, it may not be the name for you. Also, I have the opposite experience: I don’t know any baby Noahs and I know several (at least 4 under age 4) James and Jamesons.
I like the ideas above of Isaac, Ethan, Leo, Oliver and Sam.
Some others:
Hannah and Caleb
Hannah and Owen
Hannah and Lucas
Hannah and Gabriel/Gabe
Hannah and Eli
My first thought was Gabriel. I love Hannah and Gabe together. I also love both James and Noah. So many good choices.
I like Gabe, too, but there are four babies and toddlers named Gabe at our small-ish church. There’s also one Noah, one Luke, one James, one Samuel, and a handful who don’t have Bible names. They’re all great names, but there might be quite a few of them, depending on what kinds of activities you’re involved in.
The No/Noah issue isn’t a huge deal for me. I happen to know a little Noah & it’s never really been an issue. I agree with Swistle that is does seem very close to Hannah though. In addition to the “ah” ending, I find the paring very Biblical. For some this could be a positive, for others not so much. But it may be something you’ll want to consider.
Holden doesn’t work with the last name & it’s another I find too close to Hannah. I could see myself calling out things like Honnah and Halden.
Finnegan isn’t as problematic with the last name. That extra syllable in Finnegan is just enough that they don’t seem sing-songy to me. If what you really want is Finn, perhaps you’d like Finley?
Samuel also strikes me as a very Biblical pairing. It doesn’t have the same ending sounds of Hannah though, so it works much better for me.
James is my favorite. Either the full James without a nickname or Jamie as the nickname instead of Jim/Jimmy.
Suggestions that aren’t on your can’t use list-Andrew, Timothy, William, Oliver, Simon, Theodore & Jack.
It probably strikes you as a very Biblical pairing because it actually is! In the Bible, Hannah prayed for a son and when he was born, named him Samuel! : )
I really like the name Samuel, also, but since you have a Hannah, the first thought that comes to mind is the story of Hannah and Samuel in the Bible. You may or may not like that link with the Biblical characters. If you don’t like it, a name with a similar style is Nathaniel. I think Nathaniel James B_____ is a very strong name and pairs well with Hannah.
Yes! I immediately thought of the Biblical Hannah who prayed for a son and was blessed with Samuel. That’s something to bear in mind, if you don’t want to come off as having Biblical themed children’s names.
Yes, me too, I immediately thought of this. It’s fine if you DO want a Biblical theme, but something to be aware of if you don’t.
I see a lot of people have suggested Isaac and I’d also like to put in a vote for that. Isaac James is very handsome. Hannah and Isaac are great together. I think Everett James is a fantastic choice too. Everett and Hannah. Perfect. I think John would also be a great choice. Extremely well known but not much use for little boys today. It would be refreshing to hear a little boy names John. John Noah, John Samuel, John Holden. Hannah and John.
Other names that may fit your style:
Gavin James
Thomas James
Peter James
Lucas James/Luke James
Caleb James
Elias James
Ezra James
Grady James
Emmett James
Owen James
What about Miles Noah?
I like James for the middle. Noah and Hannah are too close in my opinion.
My first suggestion was going to be Nathaniel James, so I second the comment above!
Another thought, Robert James…would love to see a baby Robert!!
Love the name James and James Noah is very handsome.
Thomas, William, Lucas, Miles and Ethan are all great suggestions too!
What about Zachary James or Benjamin James?
Hannah and Zachary
Hannah and Benjamin
David James would be great too! I actually know a David and Hannah pairing.
All the best!
I would agree that Noah is way overused today and James is a perfect solid middle. For firsts, classic but not overused:
Nathaniel
Bradley
Charles
Philip
Wesley
Marcus
Ian
Luke
How about Andrew? It’s classic, biblical, doesn’t end with ‘n’, and is familiar without being common.
Andrew James Burt0n. Hannah and Andrew.
Or if you like Noah, how about Josiah? Josiah and Hannah are both prominent figures in the Old Testament. Josiah gives you an ‘every man’ nickname of ‘Joe’ and a more modern nickname of ‘Cy’.
Josiah James Burt0n. Hannah and Josiah.
Best wishes to you as you anticipate the arrival of your son! Please let us know what you and your husband decide!
I know a Josiah Burt0n! It’s a very nice name.
I do agree with swistle, the I immediately thought that Noah and Hannah both look very similar to each other, although that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I do really like the sound of James Noah Burt0n. I’m not a huge fan of the nn Jamie, but I also feel like this generation don’t automatically resort to shortening names like our parents, or even our, generation. So, if it were me, I would name him James and call him James. If you did want to go with a nn, what about using Jack?? I know it’s not conventional, but if you can get Poppy from Mary or Jim from James, why can’t you use Jack?? I would suggest using Jack as a first name, but then that would eliminate using James as a middle name.
Other options:
We have an Oliver. I wasn’t 100% sure of the name when we used it (we had a ton of trouble settling on a boy name) but we absolutely love it now. Oliver also makes me think of Arlo or Oscar. Oscar makes me think of Felix.
What about Walter?? I know it’s an older name, took me a while the first time my husband suggested it but now I love it. It’s our #2 boy name (behind Charles…but you said that Charles is already taken?).
Simon. Love this name as well. Very classic yet underused.
What about Wells?? I so love this name. Or Maxwell?
Other names I like:
Louis
Elliot
Judah
Theodore
Samuel
Phillip
Peter
Good luck!!
What about William?
I know it’s super popular right now but it’s always sort of been a popular name. I think the fact that there are many Williams in all age brackets helps diffuse the popularity- it seems “classic” as opposed to “trendy”. I also think William James is possibly the perfect name.
Julian?
I love your daughters name Hannah Claire is beautiful!
I really do like James for either a first or middle name its a great strong name and I’m yet to a meet a young child with this name.
some other suggestions-
Patrick
Bennett
Flynn
Michael
Timothy
Blake
Congratulations and good luck x
I love Nathan James for you! James Nathan or James Noah would also be nice.
I don’t really get why names are off the list if they’ve already been used in a family? I have two cousins named Daniel (Danny), two named Emma, an aunt and a cousin named Devorah (different sides of the family, too!) My sister’s sister-in-law and I have the same name. I have a cousin and a nephew named Shane. Two aunt Esthers, different sides and generations. Two aunts named Frances, ditto. Two grandmothers named Sylvia (stepmother’s mother, dad’s step-father’s third wife — he was widowed twice). One cousin Julie, one Julia, one Julian. Don’t get me started on all the Davids!!!
My point is, names tend to repeat through marriage, through generations, etc. if you like the name Daniel, use it!
I don’t mind the match-ness of Hannah and Noah, but only if you feel very certain this is your final child. If another child is a possibility, I’d take Noah off the list.
I don’t like two syllable names ending in N for your last name (like Holden) but I quite like the sound of a one or three syllable name ending in N, or at least I really like Finnegan/Finn, especially with Hannah. I find the repeating N and short A sounds very appealing together in a sibling set.
I’m going to suggest
Adam James.
Adam is a great underused biblical but not intensely biblical no nickname name that sounds great with Hannah bc of the short A sound.