Hi Swistle!
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time as we’ve named our three daughters, and I’m finally writing in as we struggle with baby #4 due in February!
My husband and I have no problem agreeing on girls names. We both love unique, old-fashioned but recognizable names. Meaning also plays a significant role.
Our three girls are: Ser@fina Audrey, Be@trice Lucy and Ingr!d M@gnolia Jane. Our last name sounds like Handlin. If this little one is a girl, her name will most likely be Eliza or Marigold.
For all three kids, we’ve had an impossibly difficult time coming up with boy name options and have never settled on any “finalists”. Our biggest issue is that our all-time favorite boy name, the one we both love and would choose in a heartbeat, is Harvey. I feel like we’ve gone through every boy name in the book, and we just don’t love any compared to Harvey.
The biggest hesitation is that I’m not sure how I feel about alliterative names and would love your feedback. A part of me doesn’t mind them, but I feel that there is some unspoken rule that if one does choose an alliterative name, it should at least have a different number of syllables and a different “beginning sound”. Harvey obviously doesn’t comply with these rules with the two-syllable repeat and beginning with an Ha-.
What do you think? The few people we have run it across have told me it sounds like a DC comic book character. I’m not sure whether this is good or bad? Part of me thinks a boy may like that type of association, but what about as he grows up?
Are there unspoken rules to alliterative naming? Is Harvey Handlin too cutesy/comical, or is it usable?
Other names we like but don’t love are:
Theodore
Wilfred
Sebastian
WesleyHelp! Thank you!!!
Use Harvey. Use Harvey. USE HARVEY.
Okay, I will try not to put on too much pressure. It is YOUR decision. What’s important is what YOU like, not what I like. But here are my reasons:
1. I love the name Harvey. …I mean, YOU love the name Harvey. You both love it. It is your all-time favorite. You don’t love any name as much as you love the name Harvey.
2. There are no rules about alliteration; there are only preferences. Some people like it, and some people don’t. It is the same with syllables: some people prefer them to match, and some people prefer them not to. I have occasionally heard “rules” such as that first and last names have to have different numbers of syllables, or even that all three names must have different numbers, but I am going to take a strong stand and say that that is silly. Yes. I said it. SILLY. I think that’s a matter of someone having a strong preference and going around stating it as a fact, and other people hearing those preferences-stated-as-facts and getting nervous.
We have a perfect example of someone using a very similar alliteration/syllable pattern: the actor Harry Hamlin. I skimmed a short list of celebrities to find a few more: Amy Adams (though the two A’s are pronounced differently), Farrah Fawcett, Janet Jackson, Kelly Clarkson, Lindsay Lohan, Ryan Reynolds. Some people even go further: Joseph (Joe) Jonas, for example, where the entire first syllable repeats. Or Vince Vaughn, whose parents mixed up the syllables when they named him Vincent, but he deliberately uses a 1-1 syllable name—another situation people frequently cite as something they think they have to avoid.
My own opinion is that it has to be taken on a name-by-name basis, but that in many cases the effect is pleasing and memorable. Another person might have the opposite feeling and wish to avoid it—but you’d be likely to look at THEIR choices and think, “Oh dear, no.”
Harvey Handlin doesn’t sound cutesy OR comical to me. I’m surprised that not just one but several people have independently associated it with comic book characters–and not just comic book characters in general, but specifically DC comic book characters. I wondered if this meant there was a specific character I wasn’t familiar with that they were all thinking of; I looked through a list and didn’t see an unusual number of alliterative names. Or I think it is possible that in your distress, it FEELS as if it’s several when it is not as many as that, or that you’ve asked them about that issue specifically and they’ve agreed, or that it’s several among many rather than all of the several you’ve asked. Peter Parker is, after all, Marvel Comics.
Name update!
Well, after all the hubbub over our boys name, we ended up with a fourth precious daughter :)
Matilda Esther was born on Monday 2/22.Thank you for taking the time to respond to my email!
I totally agree love love love the name.
Oh goodness, use Harvey! (Or, more accurately, don’t NOT use Harvey simply because of this issue.)
Among other things, a name is supposed to distinguish a person from the other people around him. That’s why we give things (people and objects) names: so that, for example, if I ask for an apple, I am not likely to be handed a potato; so that if I want to single my child out of a crowd, I have an easy way of getting his attention. If I’m not mistaken, that’s exactly why 75% of the people who write to Swistle are looking to avoid using popular names. Harvey Handlin is striking because it’s unique!
I think the reason people associate alliteration with comic book characters is that these characters are supposed to seem memorable and larger-than-life. The name Peter Parker has an impact that the name Dave Parker does not. And while many people would go for the safer, more blend-inny Dave Parker option, the fact that you named your other children as you did suggests that you prefer names with some impact. Harvey! Harvey! For all you know, maybe he will grow up and actually BE a superhero, or run for president (in which case his campaign posters practically create themselves).
This letter reached out and grabbed me because I have four names (first middle1 middle2 last), all with two syllables each, and all but middle1 begin with the same letter. Actually, middle2 and my last name are almost identical names (think Laura Lawrence, something similar to that but beginning with an S). I might have preferred slight variation in the syllable numbers (like a shorter or longer middle name), and I have been teased about it at various points, but the teasing phase doesn’t last very long, and overall a name worth teasing is one that people remember. Totally go for it.
Use Harvey!!!!! I love alliteration names. I love Harvey Handlin together. It’s a perfect duo- like peanut better and jelly. ;)
This name rolls off the tongue for me.
If I heard all of your children’s names, I would think you were the best baby namer in the entire universe. You should win some sort of award. 😄
Good luck to you!!
Use Harvey. Please use Harvey. I wanted a Harvey and instead have 2 beautiful girls.
It’s a fab name, underloved and underrated.
And if he does sound like a superhero – all the better!!
I think you should use it, too! I love alliterative names.
I love Harvey too its a great name, its the perfect fit with your girl’s names. Harvey Handlin sounds fine together, I dont think the alliteration is a problem!
I think Harvey is a great choice and I like Harvey (H)andlin. I see no reason to second guess this choice.
USE HARVEY! I’m not saying this because it is one of my all-time favorites (although it is) but also because it sounds awesome with your daughters’ names.
I would agree with the comic book assessment, but I think that just adds to the coolness of the name. And anyway, they were talking about the superhero civilian persona, not the superhero name (“Um, why are you naming your baby ‘Aquaman’?”) or supervillain name (“Do you really think ‘Lex Luthor is a good choice….’?”). The civilian persona is generally a cool guy name that will still fit in with society. So I think that’s a compliment.
Potential names are also subject to much more intense scrutiny (particularly by casual observers who often say thoughtless things) because they don’t belong to anybody yet. If you’re worried about people questioning your choices — you seem a little extra fretful on this alliteration/syllable issue — then you might try not debuting the name finalists until the baby is born. As Swistle has pointed out many times, there are all sorts of names in the world that might have minor issues but that seem totally insignificant once the name belongs to an actual human being.
I have my fingers crossed that this baby is a boy because I like Harvey (H)andlin that much! Please be sure to write back and update us!
P.S. Not that you’re asking, but I like Eliza a little better if the baby is a girl. Marigold is a cute name, but one of your daughters already has a flower name starting with M. I also think Eliza sounds best with the names you already have chosen.
Love Harvey also!
DC has Lois Lane and Clark Kent, Swistle — probably the main ones drawing that connection, I guess. But I love both those names too, PLUS Little HH would have two two-syllable names, which aren’t as attention drawing as one-syllable alliterative names, I think.
I’m an advocate of using the name you love best unless there’s an absolute deal breaker and I don’t think this is a deal breaker. I do lean toward the liking alliteration side, though.
p.s. My girl pick is Marigold. I’m not bothered by its similarity to Magnolia, since that’s a middle name. Eliza feels a little too nicknamy to go with the sibling names to me.
HARVEY! Yes! And with the surname, it’s fantastic. It is memorable and yet flexible. I could see it on anyone from a newscaster to a lawyer to a surgeon to a writer, and so on. It works.
I agree use Harvey! Love Swistle’s response. We’ve had a similar dilemma with our 2-syllable “T” last name, but I’m putting Thomas back on my own list.
Harvey Handlin is awesome! Go for it!
USE HARVEY. You (I) love it and it’s adorable. It goes well with your daughters’ names. (I think the only Harvey “young” people may have heard of is a character from the Batman movies and that is why they are making a comic book association. De nada. )
Just FYI — Harvey Dent is the name of Two-Face in the Batman movies before he gets burned up in a fire. That is probably the association. It is not a positive one because he is a villain. But I don’t think that makes it unworkable nor does that mean it will be the first thing most people jump to. And if you have a happy, kind little boy, then the association won’t happen.
I LOVE Harvey.
Are people just being reminded of Harvey Dent (he’s a DC comic book character….)
This is EXACTLY what I was coming to post. They’re thinking of Two-Face.
For me, Harvey from Sabrina the Teenage Witch is the dominant pop-culture association. I don’t think Harvey Dent is a deal breaker at all.
Alliteration doesn’t always work this well, but Harvey Handlin sounds snappy and memorable in the best possible way. Please use it!!!
I don’t think it’s a deal breaker, I was just agreeing that I think that’s the tie in to DC comics.
Jumping in with everyone else to say you should use Harvey! I think it sounds great with your last name, it is fun to say!
Personally, I love names that start with the same sound — I would deliberately look for those names and consider them preferable to other names because of the sound. I do think some are even better than most, and Harvey Handlin would be one! As I was reading your letter, I instantly liked it a lot and hoped Swistle and the other commenters would agree.
First of all, Swistle must have been jumping up and down reading this letter… I know you/she loves the name Harvey and has Been wanting someone to use it!
Second of all, USE IT!! I’m not a cutesy, alliterative type of person but I don’t find this name cutesy at all. The alliteration and same syllables don’t bother me at all. I think it’s a very charming name, almost distinguished. If you love it, don’t look back.
LOVE the alliteration and matching syllables! We have tried to do this with our last name but have had less luck finding names we like.
Also, I think Harvey Dent is only fresh in people’s mind because The Dark Knight was a major blockbuster only a few years ago (2008). The further you get from any major movie event, the less likely people associate with the name. Also, once you put the name on an adorable baby, no one will think “DC comics” EVER. :)
Harvey really seems to have gained traction after the dark knight with Harvey dent as two face played by aaron eckhart. Think this portrayal makes this ‘villain’ name a little less taboo due to the fact his story is a love tragedy. But none the less still a cool association for a boy.
I like the name, but found it so close to Harry Hamlin, which I immediately thought of, that I think I’d get the names mixed up if I didn’t know your family well (so if I was a teacher, pediatrician, etc). I don’t know how many people this would be a problem for (hopefully not many??) but I’d always be calling the child “Harry, I mean…Harvey? Harry? Which is it again?
I think it’s compounded by the fact that both names are so close, but not quite the same. To me, it sounds like using the name Schmarry Schmandlin.
Oops, maybe that second paragraph wasn’t clear. I meant if I was writing a story or something and couldn’t use the name Harry Hamlin but wanted people to get who I was picturing, Harvey Handlin would be EXACTLY the kind of name I was looking for. It’s clear which star you mean without going as far as libel.
BUT! Like I said at the beginning, I still like the name. I just find the association with a lesser-known actor to be very strong and wanted to mention it.
I agree there are no rules about names, only preferences. I personally am not a fan of alliteration. However, I find that I’m OK with it with some letters/sounds. Harvey Handlin is fine to me-it’s only barely alliterative. The H in both is really just barely a whisper. The dominate starting sound of Harvey is really “ar” and the dominate starting sound of Handlin is really “a” (as in apple). It’s fine, really.
I agree that Harvey would be great for you. My husband has an alliterative name, although it’s not the same number of syllables in each name. But I think that’s fine anyway. One of our sons has a 2 syllable name and our last name is 2 syllables and I think it sounds great too.
USE HARVEY!!!
Adding to my above comment, there’s a Delegate in my state named Monte Mason. There’s also Ronald Reagan .
100% in the USE HARVEY camp. It is an excellent name and I love it with your last name.
Another vote for Harvey! I like alliterative names.
Use it!
I can understand where people are coming from with the comic book character thing, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I have a bunch of old schoolmates whose names were alliterative and comic book-ish, and none of them got teased that I know of. If anything their names are just more fun to say, and definitely more memorable. I’ve forgotten a lot of people’s names, but not any of theirs! I definitely think you should use the name you love.
Oh I just love the name Harvey! My kids’ last name is Heck with a B and I really loved the name Barbara for one of my girls but my husband didn’t like it because his stepmother also had an alliterative name with Heck with a B and he thought maybe his mom would think he was somehow paying homage to his stepmother which of course he wasn’t, but we still didn’t use it. But my point is that in normal circumstances, that alliterative name wouldn’t bother me at all. Best of luck!
If my second child had been a boy, Harvey would have been my #1 favorite choice! I love it! And it sounds better with your surname than mine (even though my surname starts with a different letter). I hope you use it if your 4th is a boy! We broke “rules” with both my kids’ names–my son’s first and last names both have 2 syllables, and the last letter of his first name is the first letter of his last name, and my daughter’s initials spell a not so great word (think SAD). And it’s ok. They still have great names that we chose because we loved them.
He can always break it up by using a middle initial, if he doesn’t prefer the sound as an adult, ie. Harvey J. Handlin.
Love, love the name. I can’t imagine you’ll regret it.
Signed,
K1mberly C@den@ <— also alliterative w equal syllables – have always loved how it sounds together.
Ok I am in the minority but…
Me maiden name fits this pattern (alliterative 2 syllables) and it is/was fine. My dh however has a ha , ha name 2 syllables each and he Hates it. People make jokes about it all the time. His names are both more unusual than yours however. I dunno – I am clearly in the minoraty.
I do think though that you shouldn’t get too caught up in rules. My kids names break lots of rules and they like them.
The only rules that matter are the ones you make for yourself. Mine are “everyone gets their own name” and my husband d’s is “no occupational names (Hunter, Sawyer, Taylor. ) Our kids fit those rules. Nobody else’s has to, and although I might wrinkle a mental nose at metting little Mason, Jr., I’ll still think he’s a cutiepie.
Harvey is a winner.
Harvey! Harvey! Harvey! This name (ESPECIALLY with your surname) is a winner!
Your girl names are beautiful, btw.
And use Harvey, it’s great.
As the mom to a nine-month-old Harvey, I say use it! Let’s get some more little Harveys out there. And I love the alliteration.
Sorry, mom of nine-month-old Harvey here again. Wanted to add that in my experience, I’ve gotten only 1-2 “oh, like Harvey Dent” comments. I’ve gotten a few comments from people of a certain age (like my parents’ generation) that are along the lines of “oh, like Harvey the rabbit from the Jimmy Stewart movie” (which I still have never actually watched).
FWIW, part of what got me on the Harvey bandwagon was the character Harvey Specter from the TV show “Suits.” :)
Team Harvey! Love it. Just met another little Harvey the other day and it was so refreshing. He was about two years old.
I also noticed that your other children’s names have repeating sounds in them:
The “ah” in Ser@phina and Audrey
The “sss” sound in Be@trice and Lucy
The “ih” sound in Ingrid and M@gnolia (ok, this one is a stretch, but kinda close!)
Harvey would fit right in!
Also, I recently had my second child and went with an alliterative name (a double “M” after much back and forth) and I’m so happy we went that route! It’s fun to say and quite memorable.
Finally, Eliza and a Marigold are both delicious. :)
Love Harvey Handlin!! I like alliteration and think this is a striking name. I love all your other girls’ names too! Well done!
Ps. I love Marigold :)
People are probably thinking about comic book characters because of Marvel more than DC– Stan Lee, who came up with most of the Marvel characters’ names, regularly gave them alliterative names because those were easier to remember. Marvel character names that are alliterative off the top of my head:
Peter Parker
Bruce Banner
Matt Murdock
Reed Richards
Sue Storm
J. Jonah Jameson
Betty Brandt
Robbie Robertson
Otto Octavius
Pepper Potts
Scott Summers
Stephen Strange
Victor Von Doom
Fin Fang Foom
And that’s leaving out all the alliterative super-hero names (there’s a Miracle Man, a Molecule Man, and a Molten Man in the back issues) and the more obscure secondary characters (Carl Creel, Gideon Graves) that most people wouldn’t recognize. There’s not too many in any one area (the only places in the Marvel Universe overloaded with alliteration are the Fantastic Four and the Daily Bugle offices), but it’s enough to make an impression.
Yes, that’s what I was thinking…there’s a Big Bang episode where Raj listed all the alliterative Stan Lee characters, there are a lot!
Congrats on your baby girl! We have very similar naming tastes – Ingrid Magnolia is quite literally my secret front runner for our baby due this fall!