Hi Swistle,
I’m pregnant with baby #4, which is so exciting because I’ve always dreamed of having four kids and my husband told me it would have to be with my next husband. But then he came around, so hurray!!!
This baby is a surprise on the sex, we’ll find out when he or she is born (all four were surprises) and he/she is due on May 27th. We’re a little short on time, but I was just telling Josh that you help people with baby names and he said EMAIL SWISTLE!! We need help!
Our three children are:
Gabriel Scott (Gabe)
Josephine Shai (Josie)
Sebastian Eli (Seb or Sebastian)We are all over the map with names. If it is a girl, our top contenders are likely Alexandra or Simone. Maybe Alexandra Simone or Simone Isabel. It can’t be Simone Alexandra because our last name starts with G and I wouldn’t want her initials to be SAG. We are open to all suggestions, though.
For a boy, my husband adores the name Julian but I can’t seem to get behind that name. It feels too feminine to me. I like Alexander, but not the nickname Alex. I also like Henry and Harrison but he doesn’t love those. I like Nathaniel (Nate) but he doesn’t. We are fairly desperate on the boy front in particular.
I’m the kind of person who needs to *feel* the name. I keep pretending to yell the names out the back door and I can’t tell which one is my baby!
Thanks in advance,
Nathalia
What about Anders as a nickname for Alexander? I always have thought that was cute and original. I like the flow of Julian Alexander as opposed to Alexander Julian, but either combo could be a good compromise of what you both want.
It seems like you like traditional/classic names, but that sound fresh. Here are a few that come to my mind… Edward (nn Ted or Teddy), Nolan, Vincent, Charles (nn Charlie), Leonard (nn Leo), Nicholas (nn Cole if you don’t like Nick — Nico could be cute when he’s a baby?), Graham, Cormac (nn Cory).
Also I noticed that you seem to have a trend of single syllable middle names. Is that deliberate? I love Mae as a middle for a girl. Alexandra Mae sounds so sweet if you go with Alexandra. Good luck!!!!!
It doesn’t sound like you are headed that way based on the email, but Alexander Julian is a clothing designer if that sways you in either direction.
Julius? Feels more masculine to me, should also be a bit less common.
Adrian?
I’ll try to think of more.
I love the name Alexandra, but if you don’t like the nick name Alex, I wouldn’t use it for a girl. There are a ton of names I like, but have an obvious nickname that I’m not crazy about, so I wouldn’t use it. I do think Simone goes well with Josephine, though there is no obvious nickname there. I love Isobel as a first name or middle name. Maybe Sabrina, Margot, Clara, Samantha, or Lenore?
For boy names, Ezra, Daniel, Oliver, Lucas, or Samuel. I also really like Julian; Jude is an excellent NN for that.
I second that – if you don’t like nickname Alex, you shouldn’t use it for a girl, same as with a boy. the Alexandra I know goes by Alex 75% of time.
I know an adult Alexandra who goes exclusively by Lexie, but so much so that people don’t even know what her full name is. Probably not the solution you are looking for.
For boys (since you said you were desperate), how about:
Micah
Owen
Miles
Caleb
Graham
Peter
Or, would you use Simon if you don’t have a girl?
It looks like you really like 3+ syllable baby names that weren’t popular in the 80s, so I’d start there. (you can look at baby name wizard -> basic name tools -> name finder for more names, or for different search criteria)
Boys: Abraham, Elijah, Donovan, Elliot, Everett, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Julius, Theodore, Zachary, Oliver, Rafael, Xavier
Girls: Alexandra, Amelia, Eleanor, Aurora, Carolina, Cynthia, Gwendolyn, Lydia, Juliet, Miriam, Sabrina, Winifred, Vivian
I’m guessing your favorite for boys will be Theodore/Ted or Ezekiel/Zeke,
and your favorite for girls will be Gwendolyn/Gwen, Vivian/Vivi or Alexandra/Lexi (is this cheating?).
Oh my, Simone Isabel is lovely!
For boys, I love the nickname Sander for Alexander. But my heartiest suggestion is Thaddeus with the nickname Taddy/Tad.
Julian fits in well with Gabriel & Sebastian. I don’t think it’s too feminine at all. Perhaps if you did Ian as a nickname instead of Jules it would feel better for you?
If you don’t like Alex, perhaps you could do Xander as a nickname instead? Or perhaps something like Alistair instead?
For boys, I’ll also suggest Simon, Bennett, Benedict, Benjamin (I guess I like Ben for you!), Oliver & Miles.
Alex is very commonly used for girls, since it has ruled out Alexander for you, I think it would also rule out Alexandra. I do really like Simone for you. It seems like a great fit with he sibling names. I’ll also suggest Audrey, Audra, Amelia, Cecily, Beatrice, Estelle & Victoria.
Lovely names! For a boy – Frederick?? I also like Benjamin, Lucas/Luke, Theodore, George (only 1 syllable, but it “feels” longer for some reason), and Louis.
I love Alexandra, but any Alexandra I’ve known has gone by Alex. What about Isabel for a first name? I prefer it to Simone with your other childrens’ names. (Although Simone is great.) Other girl names that come to mind with your Josephine are Cecilia, Louisa, Veronica, and (wildcard here) Bernadette.
For a boy, I’d nominate Dominic, Theodore, Nicholas, Adrian, Tobias or Frederick. (or Julian).
For a girl, I’d nominate Vivienne, Althea, Beatrice, Miranda, Sabine, Lillian, Antonia, Annika or Noemi.
I’d tend to want to stay with 3-syllable names since you’ve got that theme already going.
I think Julian is a nice fit for your family but if it’s not your cup of tea, Julius is a good alternative. I also agree Simon could work. You could also go with Xander as the nickname for Alexander instead of of Alex.
Or how about Christopher (Topher), Finnegan (Finn), Mateo (Teo), Theodore (Theo), or Tobias (Toby)?
I see a lot of comments suggesting you ditch Alexander or Alexandra due to your dislike for the nickname Alex, but what about using the nicknames Xander/Sander or Sandra? I like those a lot!
Your name preferences to me run as established but not overly traditional. I actually LOVE Julian as a boys name but if it sounds too feminine to you then maybe you just don’t like it. What about Malcolm, Raymond, Gilbert, Desmond, Timothy, Gregory, Calvin, Wyatt, Gavin, John, Jonathan, Nathan, Nicholas, Curtis, Matthew?
Every Alexndra I have known goes by Alli. Does that work for you?
My best friend is naming her girl Alexandra even though she doesn’t like Alex. They’re calling her lexa!
Just adding that I know a little Alexander nn Xan (pronounced “zan”). I think that is a great compromise between the parent generation nickname of Alex and the nickname Xander which can have more niche associations for some.
A girl could be nicknamed Xana (“zana”) pretty easily and be adorable.
I was just coming here to suggest the nickname Zanna! It’s a nickname I love and I’m forever searching for new names it can be applied to.
I don’t think not liking Alex means you shouldn’t use Alexandra – the Alexandras I’ve known have gone by Allie, Xan, Lexi, and Alexandra in full. I love both Alexandra and Simone – I think you’re set on that front.
For boys, what about: Tobias, Damien, Gavin, Matthias, Theodore, Alistair, Christopher, Clayton, Derrick, Donovan, Jeremiah?
I adore the name Alexander/Alexandra, but I would also recommend striking it from the list if you don’t like the nickname Alex.
For girls, I suggest:
Jane (unless you don’t like a repeating initial)
Audrey
Matilda
Delia or Cordelia
Michaela
Odette
For boys, you might like:
Calvin
Frederick
Louis
Benjamin
Patrick
Conrad
Dexter
Oliver
Best of luck!
If you like Julian/Julius but it seems to feminine, what about Augustus? I think that would fit great in the sibset. It has a couple of nicknames that might appeal as well: Gus or Augie.
For some reason, I’m feeling Georgia or Margot for a girl for you.
And I lovvvve Frederick/Freddie for a boy
I’d second the suggest of Tobias for a boy. I also love Simone.
It looks to me like you like familiar but uncommon names with nicknames. For a boy, What about Westley (nn West). Zachary is not very common anymore where I live.. maybe Zach?
Ah… I LOVE SIMONE. :) I think it a fabulous match to the other kiddos names, is feminine and spunky and is so underused.
As for boy names:
I love the idea of using Anders for Alexander.
I also prefer Julius over Julian. Julian does feel too feminine for my liking.
If this is your last baby, and it is a boy, would you consider Simon?
Other names I like:
Oliver
Arlo
August nn Gus or Auggie
Graham
Vincent
Theodore
Hugh
Hugo
Louis
Frederick nn Fritz
Eee… good luck and keep us posted!!
You seem to be in good shape on girls names. Either of your choices are lovely.
For boys, I really like Marcus, Emmett, Adrian, Byron, Lionel, Theodore, Vincent or Zachary for you.
I think Simon(e) makes a nice middle name, and as a bonus all of your kids would have an “S” name as a first or middle.
The only Alexandra I know is called Lexie. Alexa nn Lexie or Ally is cute too!
Isabelle, with the French spelling, seems to ‘fit’ better with Josephine. Isabelle Simone nn Izzy or Belle perhaps?
I’d also like to suggest Adelaide nn Addie or Abigail nn Abby. The suggestion of Matilda is a great one and the nn Tilly would be adorable!
For a boy I like the suggestions of Zachary, Benjamin, Tobias and Christopher. Zac, Ben, Toby and Kit!
Others: Joshua nn Josh, William nn Will, Maximilian nn Max, Lucas nn Luke, Joseph nn Joe/Joey, Dashiell nn Dash, Nicholas nn Cole or Jonathan nn Jon/Nate.
All the best!
Whoops! Obviously not Joseph or Joshua!
I would highly recommend having a name with the same amount of syllables as the other kids.
Boys suggestions are
Zachary
Theodore
Fredricton
Alexander with nn xander?
*i also think Julian is too girly. I always hear Julie-Anne
Girl suggestions
Isabella
Henrietta nn heni or Etta
Genevieve nn geni or vivi
Alexandra with nn Lexi is great too!
*i like the name Simone but I feel like it’s an outlier when used with your other kids name.
Another idea to consider is having the middle name start with an E as the two oldest have S middle names and then the two younger would have E middle names.
Alexander, Isabella, Henrietta, and Alexandra all have 4 syllables, rather than the 3 syllables of the other kids names.
I agree that all names being long (3+ syllables) is more noticeable than all names being exactly 3 syllables.
As an alternative to Alex as a nickname, my sister is Alexandra but has gone by Xandy 99% of her life.
Simone Isabel is amazing!
…and how about Alexander with the nn Xander?
I haven’t read the comments so I am unsure if it has already been suggested, but how about the nickname Ellie for Alexandra? Alexandra doesn’t have to be nicknamed Alex. If you purposefully called her Ellie, and she went by that most of the time, people wouldn’t call her Alex. :)
I love Nathaniel (Nate) with your other names. Like love, love, love it! Hope your husband comes around to it. I also think Julian is a bit feminine, but still a nice name in the sibling set. Other names you might consider (haven’t read through all suggestions yet)…
Solomon (Solly)
Theodore (Theo or Ted)
Cameron (Cam)
Abraham (Abe or Bram)
Alexandra Simone is beautiful, but since you don’t care for the nickname “Alex,” I would definitely choose an alternate nickname (Lexie, etc) ahead of time and be vocal about it. You would still be taking the risk that down the road your child or others may go with “Alex.” I guess you just need to decide if you can live with that.
Would you consider Isabel in the first name spot? It sounds perfect with your kids’ names – and has 3 syllables, just like the others. I think the nickname “Bel” is so sweet.
I think Elliott is a great suggestion and sounds fantastic with your other kids’ names.
Gabriel, Josephine, Sebastian and Elliott
You could have the nn Lio/Leo too!
I love your girl finalists and think they are perfect with siblings’ names, especially Simone Isabell! As for boys, how about Anthony, Victor, Maceo, Ambrose, Emil, Lucian, Barnaby, Atticus? I love the suggestions of Alasdair or Alistair, August, Vincent and Frederick.
Xavier?
It seems you and your husband like the same sorts of names that I do – we have a son named Julian and we’ve discussed Gabriel and Alexander for a second. And Simone is one of my favorite names for girls…
For boys:
Isaac
Simon
Eliot/Elliot/Elliott
Benjamin
Ezra
Good luck!
I don’t usually comment, but couldn’t resist because you and I seem to have a similar naming style, especially for boy names. My son is Sebastian Joshua, and Julian is on our short list for names if we have another boy in the future (much like your situation, my husband loves it and I am on the fence–mostly because I think SebastIAN and JulIAN are kinda matchy–but I am coming around to it). I also really like Gabriel and Nathaniel (my husband vetoed both), and Eli was on our list the first time around, too.
So, here are the other names currently on my boy short list. Maybe one would be appealing to you (and scrolling through the comments quickly, I think some have already been mentioned, but can’t hurt to throw in another vote for them!):
Frederick (I actually can’t use it now because we ended up naming our daughter Louisa and Louisa+Frederick gets a little too Sound of Music-y, even without the German pronunciation…but maybe you can!)
Vincent
Malachi (nickname Kai)
Augusten or Augustus or just August
Matthias
Tobias
Gabriel Scott (Gabe)
Josephine Shai (Josie)
Sebastian Eli (Seb or Sebastian)
Simone Isabel is lovely, Julian is fantastic but you have a Josephine and a Sebastian . It’s just my quirk, I like to mix up first initials.
Amelia, Bernadette, Claudia, Emmeline, Felicia, Laurel, Margaret ( love nn Margo/Midge), Natalie, Priscilla, Rosalind, Teresa, Violet, Valerie, VIvian
Anthony, Benjamin, Christian, Duncan, Dominic, Felix, Hayden, Lucien, Malcolm, Nigel, Oliver, Patrick, Roland ( Rolly/Rolo), Tristan, Trevor.
I love Elliott for either a boy or a girl! Sorry I don’t have time to read all of the comments, so sorry for any duplicate ideas. :)
Girl: Elliott, Charlotte (nn: Lottie), Violet, Alexandra (LOVE this name…nicknames: Lexie, Lex, Ali), Georgia (nn Gia, Gigi), Delaney (nn: Laney), Virginia (nn: Ginnie).
Boy: Elliott, Nolan, Graham, Nicholas (nn: Nick, Cole), Alexander (nn: Xander).