Okay, Swistle. I really need your help. We’ve made zero headway on our baby’s name and he/she is due in less than 3 weeks. I have two boys named Marshall David and Andrew Jefferson. We don’t know the gender of this baby.
Here are my only specifics:
1. No nicknames.
2. No names that start with “M” or “A.”
3. I like honor names.For a boy, we have a few options: Conley Asher, Bennett Conley, or Bennett Eli. Conley is my mom’s maiden name. Asher is after my sister Ashley. Eli is after my mother-in-law. Bennett because I just love the name and meaning. What do you think sounds best with Marshall and Andrew? Brooks is family name too, but I am afraid that Brooks doesn’t sound good with our last name (rhymes with Poolick, but starts with a “D”).
For a girl, we are lost. Names we’ve considered:
1. Charlotte Elizabeth. When Duchess Kate used Charlotte Elizabeth for her daughter, I started to reconsider. Do you think it will become outrageously popular? Charlotte and Elizabeth are both honor names. Plus, a cousin who is due after me told me this is her name for a girl before I could say that it’s been our list since we had Marshall four years ago. So, I am not sure what to do with that.
2. Grace Elizabeth. Both honor names. It seems a bit boring/vanilla.
3. Eleanor Kate. My husband’s family is from New England so I am nervous she’ll be called “Elean-nah” and not “Eleanor.” I don’t like that.
4. Conley Elizabeth. I am not just sure if Conley can be used on a girl. Kind of leaning towards Conley right now.Other honor names: Brooks, James, Conley, Carson, Charles, Footer, Kelly
Other names we considered: Lucy, Eliza, Jillian, Emma, Caroline, Sawyer, Eli, Jack
Any names we missed? Any suggestions? HELP!
Thanks in advance.
Kate
Name update!
Swistle,
We had a baby boy. Thank you to all of the avid readers of your blog for helping us with his name. Bennett Conley arrived 15 days late at a healthy 7 lbs 11oz. We love his name! His big brothers adore him and love to be helpers! Thanks again. Kate
We have a Kate Eleanor, Elizabeth Anne, and Jane Caroline. I think we could be name friends!
I love Charlotte too but hate the Charlie nickname. I guess it would depend on your diligence in hedging it off.
“Conley” seems like it could be regularly confused with the more-common “Connie,” which makes me a bit hesitant to use it as a first name, particularly for a boy. I also love the name Bennett with your last name and think it works perfectly with your first two children. Bennett and Marshall are both familiar surname names, and Bennett and Andrew have similar sounds/feels. Sounds like a winner to me! Bennett Conley allows you to still honor your mother and also avoids the BED initials of Bennett Eli (even though BED is a fairly benign initials-that-make-a-word combination).
As for Charlotte Elizabeth, I think that combination is still useable. If you had asked me what the second royal baby had been named, I would have known it was a girl but not what they had named her. (I might’ve guessed Grace…?) So maybe I am hopelessly obtuse about the royal family or maybe people just aren’t talking about the royal family in the US as much anymore.
If we check the SSA stats for the name George, we might be able to guess how popular Charlotte is going to become in response to the birth of the royal baby:
In 2012 (the last full year before Prince George was born), George ranked #166 with 2,330 new baby boys.
In 2013 (new prince born in July of this year), George was #158 with 2,539 new baby boys.
In 2014, George ranked #134 with 2,988 new baby boys.
So the name George got a bit of a bump in the US, but it was not catapulted to the Top 10. I would think that George will get a larger spike in popularity than Charlotte because he is the firstborn and thus the heir to the throne. However, the gigantic caveat to this speculation is that Charlotte was already much more popular than George to begin with (ranked #19, #11, and #10 in 2012-2014) in the US. This will dilute out the effect of the new baby because it’s already fairly common to begin with. (You’ll get less “Did you name her after the new royal baby?” because people are already going to be used to hearing the name anyway.)
If you’d like to read some posts/comments on babies sharing a name with a relative, you can search for “same name” in the search box on Swistle’s site to find a situation that most closely approximates yours, but in general I think a little name overlap is fine. (Unless you are, say, George Foreman and planning to give all your children the same name.)
For a boy, I really like Bennett or Eli with your other kids’ names. But I LOVE Brooks–it’s one of my favorite boys’ names generally, and I think it works fine with your last name (the -ks sound is very different, to me, from the -ick sound; altogether I think it has a really interesting and memorable ring to it! I vote for Brooks Bennett, Brooks Eli, Brooks Conley, or something like that.
I think Conley (as a first name) works better for a girl here–while it would be totally fine for your boys to have a mixture of traditional and less-traditional names, I find the contrast between brothers Marshall/Andrew and Conley just a bit shocking, whereas brothers Marshall/Andrew and their little sister Conley sounds adorable. I think Conley works just as well on a girl as on a boy in general, and it’s very striking (which you may like, since you’re worried about being “vanilla”–which, I agree that some of the other names on your list risk seeming).
On the other hand, you could definitely get away with Charlotte Elizabeth without seeming to imitate the royal family. Those names are both popular enough (and Elizabeth seems to be popular enough as a middle name), and it’s just such a sturdy pairing, that it reads to me as a combination that parents who like traditional names would have easily come up with on their own. I’d be more worried about the cousin factor than about the Duchess Kate factor.
Oh wait, on second read, I see that you’re concerned specifically about the popularity of the names. Did you know that Charlotte is already on a major climb and has reached the top 10 as of last year, and that Elizabeth was in the top 10 for decades ending just last year? If you’re looking for something not “outrageously popular,” you might inadvertently be thwarting your own goal by using both of these names together. They read to me as intensely popular (although Swistle would probably clarify here that top 10 doesn’t translate to total Charlotte saturation!).
Congrats and good luck!
Conley’s a bit of an outlier– if I saw a Marshall, Andrew, and Conley sibling group, I would assume Conley was female. If I saw Conley alone, I would also assume female. I think it is because it is so close to “Connie”, which is 100% female in my mind.
I also don’t think Conley complements your surname terribly well (to be very honest!), for boy or girl. It’s a bit sing-songy and “country” sounding.
Bennett all the way for a boy! I also like Beckett a lot (especially with the surname).
On the girls side– what level of cousin are we talking here re: Charlotte? First cousin and you live in the same town and see each other all the time? Or someone a lot more distant? Is she going to find out the gender? Honestly, I wouldn’t let her possible use of the name put you off. Charlotte is my favorite of your choices, and I don’t think it will skyrocket in such a way as to make it oppressively common.
Even the most popular names right now are not actually very popular at all compared to past top-of-the-charts popularity– Sophia for example was used for around 1% of girls in recent years when it was the #1 name, meaning out of a class of 200 kids, you’d expect to see 1 Sophia. Of course regional variations mean in some places you’ll see 5. But it’s not like Ashley, Jennifer, Lisa, Mary, in their heydays, when the top name was given to as many as 4.5% of girls. For example, in 1980, the top 5 names– Jennifer, Amanda, Jessica, Melissa, and Sarah– were given to 3.2%, 2%, 1.9%, 1.7%, and 1.4% of girls respectively. The top 5 names and percentages for 2014 were: Emma 1%, Olivia 1%, Sophia 0.9%, Isabella 0.8%, and Ava 0.8%. All together they add up to just a little more than Jennifer! In 2014, Charlotte was given to 0.5%, or 1 in 200 newborn girls. Percentage-wise, the closest equivalent to Charlotte in 1980 was Shannon, which in 1980 ranked #29 (vs. #9 for Charlotte in 2014). Names have REALLY diversified.
What about Charlotte Conley as a possibility? I think it’s a really lovely and distinctive choice. I doubt there’s another one with quite that combo out there.
I like Bennett best of your boy choices and I like all your girl choices. I vote for Conley being used as a middle name.
I don’t think Charlotte will become unusable because of the new princess, but then I know a three year old Charlotte and a newborn Charlotte born shortly after the royal Charlotte, so it is already plenty popular. I might hesitate on the Elizabeth middle name however.
For a girl what about Elizabeth as a first name? Not as popular as Charlotte, no cousin/princess overlap. You’d have to be a bit vigalent to keep nicknames at bay but as a Jennifer no nickname I can attest that it’s not hard.
Also Brook for a girl is lovely.
Ah, but she said no nicknames, and Elizabeth is chock a block with them…
I really like Conley Asher. The most popular Con- name currently is Conner/Connor/Conor, by a huge margin. The second most popular is Conrad. Connie & Constance are tiny blips (I’m looking at the NameVoyager at Baby Name Wizard)…I don’t think they’re associations that many people, especially kids, will make, and so I wouldn’t worry about Conley reading feminine. I think overall, it works much better as a boy’s name.
I do think you might end up frustrated if you use Charlotte though, and especially Charlotte Elizabeth. To me it’s not so much about Princess Charlotte, but also little Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky, and your cousin’s future Charlotte…Charlotte just seems to be THE name for a certain kind of parent right now, and I get the feeling you’d prefer to be a bit different. You say Grace Elizabeth feels too plain vanilla for you…but a little Grace will be much more distinctive. Or a little Elizabeth. Or Caroline. Or Jillian.
And one last (& probably unnecessary) note…I would probably avoid using Footer, even in the middle, with your last name.
I think Conley is best for a boy as I really and truly think Ben is such a popular nickname that you will have to constantly enforce “It’s Bennett, not Ben” if you go the Bennett route. Conley has less nicknaming potential. As far as gender, I know two boy Conley’s and one girl. I live in the South though and it’s not uncommon to give your children surnames here.
And no nicknames at all? You are made of sterner stuff than I am lady! I would not be able to resist the marshmallow nickname for a son named Marshall :)
Three girl names came to mind: Ellen, Claire, and Vivian. Low nickname potential. I like all 3 with the middle name Conley.
Love Bennett Conley for a boy. Good luck!
Bennett Conley or Eleanor Kate
I like the idea of using Conley as a middle name for either a boy or girl. From your list I prefer Bennett for the first name. I want to suggest Alice for a girl but that’s a repeated first initial which I know you want to avoid. What about Julia or Louisa?
I like Bennet the best for a boy, especially with your other sons’ names. To me, Conley sounds more like a girl’s name, so I think it would work if you have a girl, but not a boy. I don’t think Charlotte Elizabeth will suddenly become more popular because of the princess, especially since both names are well known and used a good bit already. Grace is pretty and actually a fairly unusual choice for a first name as it is almost always used as a middle name. If you do use it, be prepared to hear “That’s my daughter/sister/friend’s middle name!” a lot though.
Oh, and I have friend who has a son named Bennet (he just turned 1) and I’ve never heard anyone call him Ben.
I kind of feel like Ben being the obvious nickname for Benjamin would make Ben less inevitable as a nickname for Bennett. Certainly you could go the Ben route if you wanted to, but people outside the family are probably less likely to do it on their own. Plus nicknamification is so less automatic now anyway. I know a little Jackson, and it would never occur to me to call him Jack because his parents never do.
I like Bennet best for a boy, from your list. Swistle has mentioned frequently, and I have noticed the same, that full names seem to be much more popular these days, instead of shortening down to nicknames. I think it would be easy enough to head off anyone wanting to call him Ben.
I think Charlotte Elizabeth is totally still usable. I was pretty excited about finding out the princess’ name when she was born and I even didn’t remember that was her full name until you mentioned it. Both are such classic names that I don’t think you will have a problem there. I might be a bit cold hearted, but I wouldn’t let a cousin wanting to use it influence me at all. If you want to say something to her you could just mention that it had been on your list for quite awhile as well. Especially since they are both family names you should both have equal claim over them.
From your list, I like Bennett for a boy. I think it sounds great with your other boys’ names. Conley is great for a middle name for either gender, in my opinion. Bennett Conley D00lick. Marshall, Andrew and Bennett.
For a girl, I like a lot of your choices! Bummer that you don’t like nicknames because I love Lottie as a nickname for Charlotte and I think it is way underused. Also LOVE Elizabeth with the nickname Libby. I think if you are really NOT into nicknames, I might not use Charlotte or Elizabeth since they seem to come with some fairly obvious ones. Same with Eleanor and Jillian. Me personally, if I had issue with nicknames, I would just try and use a name that was difficult to get a nickname out of, such as Mary, Clara, Jane, Rachel or Sarah. Emma is very popular where I live….how do you feel about Ella? I like Conley as a middle name for a girl too. My pick for a girl would be Elizabeth Conley D00lick (but prepare yourself for the onslaught of nicknames!), with Sarah Conley running a close second.
It sounds like Conley is your favourite of all the possible honour names you could use so I think you should use it! I do, however, think that with this sibling set and your tastes, it is a bit of an outlier name for you, style-wise. You seem to mostly like established, classic names and Conley sounds like part of the modern surname-as-first name trend. So I would be inclined to use it as a middle name for either a boy or girl. I think Conley as a middle for any of your other girl names makes the whole name sound really cool! Grace Conley or Charlotte Conley are my favourites. (I think Charlotte is such an established name that you can totally still use it, nevermind that it’s the new princess name) My favourite of your boy names is Bennett and I think Bennett Conley would work so well in the sibling set.
However, if “no nicknames” is a really serious rule for you, I think you should consider that Bennett will likely become “Ben.” Perhaps Brooks Conley would work better for this reason? I actually think Brooks Poolick-with-a-D flows really well.
I would avoid using Eleanor as a first name if you are really bothered by the way it’s pronounced in your area due to the local accent.
I would go with Bennett Conley for a boy… I really like Marshall, Andrew, and Bennett together.
I would avoid Charlotte right now because it was already top 10 before the new princess. I would also avoid Elizabeth as a middle name with Conley because of the e sound at the need of Conley rolling into the e sound at the beginning of Elizabeth.
I think I would use Conley as a middle name for a girl as well. Grace Conley (D) …lick sounds very nice to me. Elizabeth Conley also works but the nickname potential would be high.
With your boys names, I think Bennett sounds best. Conley feels like a different type & I also don’t care for it in the first name position because of the possible nickname Con (as in con-artist or convict). In the middle position it is fine, so I think Bennett Conley an Bennett Eli would be fine. If you can’t decide between honoring your mother or your mother in law (that could be though) I also think Bennett Asher could work.
I would not worry too much about Charlotte Elizabeth & the princess. They are both common, traditional names so it’s not a big deal. It might be different if the princess had a very unusual name. FWIW, I have a William & a George and nobody has made the connection to the royal family. I think the issue with your cousin is a bigger concern. It sounds like hen she mentioned it was her name, you didn’t comment right away that it was also on your list. If not, that could be tricky. If you mentioned it was also a name you were considering, then I say first come/first serve. The babies will be 2nd cousins once removed or something and it sounds as if they also probably have different last names, so it doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. However, it could mean that both Charlottes end up with nicknames so you might want to stake your claim on that now! Another option would be to switch to Elizabeth Charlotte.
Grace Elizabeth is lovely. I’d say it would be vanilla if the name were Elizabeth Grace, but I find it refreshing to see Grace being considered as a first name instead of a middle.
I would have to eliminate Eleanor Kate because of the pronunciation issues. If you don’t like how one entire side of the family is likely to say the name, you probably won’t be happy with it in the long run.
I have the same issue with Conley for a girl as I do a boy. However, my concern is not quite as strong since Conley could be shortened to Connie for a girl.
Looking at your other girl names, I’ll point out that Eliza is a traditional diminutive for Elizabeth. Something like Grace Eliza seems a little more spunky/less vanilla than Grace Elizabeth and you still have the honor association.
I also like Jillian Charlotte & Lucy Grace. Perhaps you could even do Lucy Grace as a double barrel first name, with Conley as the middle.
I might be an outlier here, but… I think if you were 100% sold on the name Charlotte Elizabeth (it was the ONLY name you and your husband agreed on, you had been dreaming of it since you were a little girl, etc.), I would say it’s still usable. But since there are other issues, and other great options, I would avoid the combination of Charlotte Elizabeth. I do think individually Charlotte and Elizabeth are still options, but the combination does remind me of the Princess of Cambridge. If you are going to use Conley, I would recommend it for a girl as a first name, or as a middle name for either gender. Conley Grace sounds lovely to me, and I don’t think people would automatically nickname a name that is so unique. I also like Brooke Conley for you. I actually love the name Eli for a boy, especially with your last name, and Eli Bennett sounds darling.
I would go with Bennett Conley or Charlotte/Elizabeth Conley. I do love the idea of Conley as the middle name, as I agree that it doesn’t quite fit with Marshall and Andrew. Charlotte will undoubtedly be in the top 10 next year, but it’s still a gorgeous name. I’m sure there are many baby girls named Charlotte Elizabeth. They’re such classic names that I don’t think anyone could accuse you of copying William and Kate.
My oldest son is also Marshall and I have a 2 week old Bennett, we have no intention of calling Bennett Ben being only 2 syllables I don’t think a nickname is needed. I think Bennett Conley is a great option for you.
I love Eleanor from your list, have you considered the name Norah?
Good luck x
I know a little girl Conley, love it! Conley Grace is perfect. Or Charlotte Conley, you could call her Cece.
Hi! I am the person who posted this letter. It sounds like you all agree that Bennett Conley is best for a boy. I agree. I am still struggling with a girl name option. My husband and I re-wrote our lists last night and added a few to the list. Here is an expanded list: grace, Charlotte, Claire, Lucy, Cora, Caroline, lily, Eleanor, Eliza, Elizabeth, Jillian, conley. Do you have any other suggestions for girls? Nothing is grabbing my attention anymore. Help!
Claire & Cora are great options if you want something classic that’s not likely to be nicknamed.
Claire Conley flows together really well I think.
Have you explored the Baby Name Wizard book? You could go down the rabbit hole with Swistle’s method where you look up one name, then look at its “sibling names,” then search out the entry for your favorite name from the sib list, etc. Maybe something will strike your fancy?
You seem to like girl names with strong L and/or C/K sounds, so maybe browse those sections of your favorite baby name book/site. If you’re concerned about popularity, I’d pass on Charlotte, not because of the royal babe, just because of general popularity.
Other ideas: Clara, Chloe, Leah, Evelyn, Juliet, Amelia/Emilia
Leah Kate
Evelyn Grace
Juliet Elizabeth
Emilia Conley
Just a note – Marshall and Lily were a married couple on “How I Met Your Mother” which may or may not bother you. If you’re still leaning towards Conley, sit with it a bit. Pretend you’re holding Baby Girl Conley ____ and see what comes to mind! I like Conley Grace myself.
Clara Conley D–lick: Marshall, Andrew and Clara
Sarah Conley D–lick: Marshall, Andrew and Sarah
Sophia Conley D–lick: Marshall, Andrew and Sophia
Beatrix Conley D–lick: Marshall, Andrew and Beatrix
Cora Jane D–lick: Marshall, Andrew and Cora
Lily Caroline D–lick: Marshall, Andrew and Lily
Elizabeth Claire D–lick: Marshall, Andrew and Elizabeth
Julia Grace D–lick: Marshall, Andrew and Julia
Emma Rose Conley D–lick: Marshall, Andrew and Emma
Claire jumps out at me from your girl list, and I love Claire Conley, or Conley Claire. The alliteration is fun! I really want to like Conley best, for boy or girl, but it’s similarity to Connor (for a boy) and Connie (for a girl) make it seem like it would cause some headaches. I have a Conrad and I’ve been surprised at how often people mistake his name for Connor. I think that many of your other choices (Charlotte, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Jillian) could end up being called by nicknames, and if you don’t want that, I would avoid it.
Hi! Some other ideas that remind me of names from your girl list, trying for no-nickname names first:
Ivy (fairly rare, classic but unexpected, NO NICKNAMES!, and it goes w/ surname)
Iris
Hazel
Willa
Pearl
Greta
Martha
Cecilia
Eloise
Jane
Rose
Margot
Amelia
Georgia
Camilla
Audrey
Lydia
Good luck! And please, please update us!
Ooh, I love all of these names! A lot of vintage charm in this list! The first five work particularly well with the siblings and surname.
I think you have a lot of lovely names on this list, so it’d be hard to go wrong. Eliza is one of my favorites, but with your last name it reminds me of Eliza Doolittle (not a bad association, though!). Do you like Louisa?
Elizabeth would be tough for nickname-avoidance because it has so many great ones. Probably not a good choice then. But Grace, Cora, and Claire are all excellent classic names that aren’t easily nicknamed. If you like Cora and Caroline, then Coraline (like the stop motion film) is another option.
If your preference for honor names outweighed your preference not to use a name starting with “m” or “a”, Asher would be a great first name.
Marshall, Andrew and Asher
Love your name options! What about a double name for a girl? Mary Brooks is beautiful and Mary Conley really softens the name.
Do you like Emily?
I haven’t read through the comments, so someone else may have already pointed this out, but Charlotte is already massively popular. It has exploded in popularity the past several years. I, personally, know four Charlottes born in the months just prior to the princess. But it’s a lovely name, and obviously well liked and well received!
Best wishes.
I actually know a little southern belle named Conley Grace and she is absolutely precious. I think you should use Conley for a girl, 100%! It’s perfect!
Love your choice of Bennett Conley for a boy. Marshall, Andrew and Bennett are great together!
What about Beckett? Similar, but less likely to have a nickname. Marshall, Andrew and Beckett?
Everett and Emmett are also great. Spencer, Carter and Lincoln also come to mind.
Claire, Eliza and Lucy are real stand outs for me from your list, especially if you want to minimize the chance of a nickname.
Perhaps:
Claire Juliet
Eliza Charlotte
Lucy Elizabeth
You have so many lovely names to choose from!
All the best!
Charlotte and Caroline are both feminizations of Charles, but are very different sounding from one another. How about Caroline Elizabeth? I think you could use this without conflicting with a cousin named Charlotte Elizabeth. Caroline seems like it should be on-trend with the Emmelines and Adelines but for some reason seems less trendy and a little more classic. I love the way it sounds on a little girl!
I like Conley and I would like it equally for a boy or girl except it doesn’t seem to be in your style of boy names used so far, so I think I’d prefer it for a middle for a boy and either a first or a middle for a girl.
Since you already have reservations about Charlotte Elizabeth, I’d leave it to your cousin. How about subbing Caroline (from your considered list) into Charlotte’s place. I like Caroline Elizabeth just as well, maybe better.
Bennett Conley is great.
For girls, I prefer Conley as a middle name- it seems like a style outlier with your other names. I love Eleanor, but you may have to deal with nicknames. (I’m always interested in the people that say nicknames aren’t used as often anymore and they never have any problem getting anyone to call their kid by their full name- my son is Benjamin, and people ALWAYS call him Ben, even when I correct them. Maybe I’m not forceful enough). If you don’t mind the alliteration, Cora, Caroline, and Claire (in my order of preference) are all great with Conley (i don’t like alliteration with the last name, but have no problem with the middle). Eliza sounds too much like Eliza Doolittle, and Lily doesn’t work with Marshall. I also like Kaela’s suggestions, particularly Hazel and Willa.
I would love for her middle name to be Conley if its a girl! So, My votes are
Charlotte Conley (CeCe is SO PERFECT! Great work to whoever thought of that up there.)
or Jane Conley–I think Marshall, Andrew and Jane are a great sib set.
I really like Conley for a middle name, boy or girl. I love my last name but it doesn’t really work as a first or middle, and I am always jealous when people have an excellent last name that works as a first or middle. I think Charlotte Conely is wonderful. My neighbor has a 7 year old named Charlotte and we never call her Charlie, honestly, it wouldn’t occur to me, she seems much more like a Charlotte to me. I also think Claire Conley or Caroline Conley are lovely. Best of luck!
I absolutely love Eleanor Kate – but I am biased because my sister is Eleanor Catherine and my mom often called her Ellie Kate. Eleanor with no nicknames is beautiful too. I think parents are choosing to have their kids go by long full names so much more often now, you wouldn’t have as much trouble fighting off nicknames for Eleanor, Elizabeth, Bennett, etc. As an Elizabeth who doesn’t use a nickname, I understand the frustration of trying to explain to people that I don’t have a nickname, but it has never been too inconvenient and doesn’t outweigh how much I love using my full name.
I am the original poster. Baby’s due date is in less than a week. I still haven’t settled on a baby name for a girl. It might just be a situation where we see what the baby looks like and then decide.
Question: If I hadn’t given you our girl “list,” what names would recommend to go with Marshall and Andrew?
Thanks folks!