Swistle,
We need your help! My husband and I are expecting our second baby boy, due in October. Our son’s name is Nicholas Patrick, and since Nicholas was the only boy name we could agree on the first time around, naming his little brother is proving to be a challenge. Our last name is Rise but with W instead of an R. Our son goes by both Nicholas and Nick. I tend to like longer names that allow for nicknames. I also like older, classic names. My husband is all over the board with the types of names he likes, although we agree that we don’t want to go with a very popular name. We will probably use Harvey or Charles as the middle name. The name we had chosen for a girl during both pregnancies was Clara.
Names we both like but can’t use for one reason or another:
Grant (Favorite! But this is also the name of husband’s best friend.)
Maxwell (Husband doesn’t want to use because a coworker of his just named his baby Max.)
Owen (Just not totally sold on this name)
Boy names husband likes:
Levi
Lambert (I physically cringed when he suggested this name)
Eli
I like:
Nathan
Gabriel
Benedict
Looking so forward to whatever help you can give! Thank you!Ashley
I like Gabriel best from all the lists. I like that both boys would have a longer name with a shorter nickname: Nicholas and Gabriel, Nick and Gabe. I like that both names are older/classic, but neither one is overly common.
Every parent has a set of personal preferences, and one parent’s Definitely Yes is another parent’s Absolutely Not, and so I will not be startled if something that is a Definitely Yes to me is an Absolutely Not to you. But I want to urge you to reconsider Grant, if at all possible. It’s the top favorite name for both of you? And you are having a terrible time agreeing on a name? And the Grant you know is a very positive association (at least for your husband)? This seems like a slam-dunk to me.
Names that remind me of Grant: Clark, Dean, Reid, Spencer.
I also suggest Benjamin. Nicholas and Benjamin; Nick and Ben.
And Jonathan. Nicholas and Jonathan; Nick and Jon.
And Daniel. Daniel shares sounds with Lambert and with Gabriel. Nicholas and Daniel; Nick and Dan.
There’s no nickname, but I love the sound of Simon with your surname. Nicholas and Simon. And I suppose Si/Sy would be a short form of the name.
It doesn’t seem to quite fit your style, but I keep coming back to Isaac. Nicholas and Isaac; Nick and Ike/Zac.
I’d take Eli from your husband’s list and make it Elias instead. Nicholas and Elias; Nick and Eli.
I would like to suggest Wesley/Wes, but I’m not sure about that with the surname.
Nathan and Gabriel make me think of Nathaniel. Nicholas and Nathaniel; Nick and Nate.
Surprisingly similar to the name Maxwell/Max is the name Matthew/Matt. Nicholas and Matthew; Nick and Matt.
Oh! Or I wonder if you might like to use the two middle name candidates? Charles Harvey is a pretty spectacular name. Nicholas and Charles; Nick and Charlie. I love this.
Name update:
Hi Swistle! A few months back I wrote to you for name suggestions. Just wanted to let you know we ended up using the name Maxwell Harvey. It suits him perfectly. Thanks again for all of the suggestions!
My husband’s name is Matthew so I will go along with Swistle’s suggestion of Matthew since you don’t hear baby’s being named Matthew anymore. I will say this- my husband’s mother was insistent that he never be called Matt but when I met him- he introduced himself to me as Matt and that is the ONLY name I call him. I have never known him as Matthew- only that it is his legal name. I mention that just so that you are aware that he may decide to call himself the shortened version of his name no matter your wishes. With that being said, I really like Matthew Charles and you could call him Matthew, Matt or “MC”.
Other suggestions:
Bradford/Brad
Nathaniel/Nathan/Nate
Forrester/Forest
Thompson/Tommy/Tom (I really like Thompson Harvey Rise!) Nicholas and Thompson
My eyes totally skipped that Swistle suggested Nathaniel and that Nathan was a name you liked! Haven’t had my morning coffee yet!
Theodore (Ted or Theo)
Anthony (Tony)
Dominic (Dom)
I love Swistle suggestions of Matthew/Matt and Nathaniel/Nate and I also like Theodore/Theo.
My husband is Matthew as well. I never would have considered it for a baby name, as I knew so many Matts growing up. However a friend of our recently used it for her son, and I have to admit it is pretty awesome on a baby. And no where near as popular with his age group. I don’t think there is a single one in our preschool.
These are ones from our preschool that I think might fit your style:
Zachary
Jonathan
Nathaniel
Andrew
Joseph
My favorite from your lists is Gabriel.
My your lists I like:
Grant (but not so much with your last name or Nicholas)
Maxwell
Gabriel
Benedict
I would consider Elijah (nickname Eli). Nicholas and Elijah. Nick and Eli.
I also like the suggestions of Matthew and Daniel.
Some other options to consider;
Alexander. Nicholas and Alexander. Nick and Alex,
Lorenzo. Nicholas and Lorenzo. Nick and Enzo.
Frederick. Nicholas and Frederick. Nick and Fred.
Vincent. Nicholas and Vincent. Nick and Vince
Andrew? Nickname Drew or Andy.
Alexander? Nickname Alex or Xander?
I also LOVE Benjamin/Ben here. It seems like a perfect pairing with Nicholas/Nick.
Both of these are great suggestions!
Sandy’s another nickname for Alexander. One of the Madeline L’Engle characters from her Wrinkle in Time series is named that.
I’m with Swistle re: Charlie — I thought Charles would be a perfect fit as a first name when I first read the letter. Nick and Charlie sound like the friendly brothers who live next door :)
What about Edward nn Ted/Teddy? That’s one of my favorite formal name / nickname combos.
OH and Gregory! Nick and Greg. Gregory Charles. Yes.
Gregory is the name that got away for me, since I have daughters. Love it!
My husband is Nathan and his brother is Nicholas (Nate and Nick) and those two names seem to go together well. I also think the suggestions of Zachary and Jonathan are good ones. Alexander seems like a good match, but it is very popular right now. I also wonder if you’d like Tobias (Toby). We have a Maxwell, and if we ever have another boy we’ll probably name him Tobias. It’s not very common, although it is rising in popularity.
Without reading the comments first, I thought of Dominic (Dom) and Gregory (Greg), I see others have had the same thoughts! There are so many great names (with great nicknames!) to pick from as a brother for Nick.
How about swapping Charles into the first name spot? Charles Grant is so perfect. Nicholas and Charles. Nick and Charlie.
I love classic boys names and not many of them are very popular right now. We have Richard who is called Rick/Ricky and out of a grade school of almost 1000 kids he was the only one. A different spin if you like the nn Rick but not the name Richard, you could do Patrick nn Rick. Nicholas and Richard or Nicholas and Patrick, Nick and Rick, or you could do Nick and Rich if you wanted a different sound. I know a couple of little Nathans but maybe that name is more popular in my area. If you like Maxwell, you might also like Michael nn Mike, there were lots in my age group but I don’t know a single child with that name. Nick and Mike. What about Marcus nn Marc? Nick and Marc? Hope you find something you like.
My husband and I considered giving our son the name of his (my husband’s) best friend and I understand how strange it is. It FEELS like an honor name, even when it’s not. In our case, it was a family name from my husband’s side. Husband’s grandfather’s name, actually, so easily explainable. (Did you name your son after…? Nope! My grandfather! Although of course we like so-and-so!)
We couldn’t do it, though. It just seemed like no matter the reason for the name, it kind of IS an honor name for best friend. After all, if you didn’t have a positive association with best friend, the name would be off the table. And if you guys hang out with best friend a lot, they’ll likely be some version of Big Grant and Little Grant.
Now, if you guys LIKE the idea of it being an honor for best friend, that’s great!! We just preferred honor names to honor someone of an older generation, not our peer generation.
I have a Matthew born in 2015. For now he’s Matthew. It was in the top 20 for boys in 2015 so it’s definitely popular. But we love it.
Benjamin is a good idea. It can be shortened to Ben, which is a name that sounds good for people of all ages. It would be easy for him to learn to write, and one that can be taken seriously all through school. No one will ever make fun of him with this name.
Swistle has lots of good practical advice here, as always.
I feel like you have so many excellent, work-able options here. So many go well with Nick and with your last name. You may have to re-assure yourself that no matter what you pick, you will grow to love the name on the little guy and all the other near-perfect names will eventually fade.
Good luck! You can’t go wrong!
I want to suggest Graham, Hugh, Heath or Swistle’s suggestion – stick with Grant.
While I was reading your email, the only thing I was thinking the whole time was, “Matthew! Matthew!” I love it – modern but classic at the same time, and a Biblical name like Levi and Eli so your husband might be able to get on board. I think it’s a great choice.
Also, I know a set of twins who are Nicholas and Andrew. The two names go together so nicely.
Whatever you pick it will be lovely.
I’ll add Steven, Stephen or even Stefan. Nick and Steve or Nick and Stef.
Lambert made me cringe too, but it did make me think of Leland– which does not make me cringe, at all!
I prefer Benjamin to Benedict– Benedict still has poor associations thanks to Arnold, and the last Pope didn’t help it much. I know this firsthand as a friend’s brother is a Benedict who goes by Ben because the Arnold issue comes up non infrequently.
You seem to like long, classic names. Some that come to mind:
Sebastian (Seb, Bastian)
Lionel (Leo)
Theodore (Theo, Ted, Teddy)
Alexander
Casper/Caspar
Bartholomew
I also don’t think a coworker’s use of a name should dissuade you from also using it, even soon on the heels. I’ve given this some thought myself as I’m in an office where many coworkers are recent new parents or on the brink of starting families. Even if one I worked with closely were to use one of the top names my husband and I have picked out, I wouldn’t cross it off the list. Names are forever, but people change jobs. Often. How would you feel if you rejected the name Max because of the coworker, and then the coworker left shortly thereafter? Just some hypotheticals to play with that I’ve run through myself.
Grant seems less workable; it’s just slightly awkward to use the name of someone you’re close to if it’s not intended as an honor name. (Husband and I have also run through this one!)
Good luck and please update us!
Elliot nicknamed Eli came to mind. Elliot seems more in line with your Gabriel and gives your hubs his preferred Eli.
Since Grant and Owen don’t really have natural nicknames, I’ll suggest Seth and Jared.
My suggestion is Caleb! I knew a pair of brothers growing up, Nick and Caleb, and it always seemed to me to go really well together.
Love the suggestions of Benjamin, Charles, Alexander, and Edward!
Nick and Ben
Nick and Charlie
Nick and Al/Alex
Nick and Ed/Eddie/Ted/Teddy
I think the hardest thing for you and your husband is going to be picking just one name; based on your “requirements”, there are so many awesome names that fit the bill. Good luck!
I think all of Swistle’s suggestions are spot on. I think she’s already thrown out most of the ideas I had.
Grant & Owen made me think of Gavin. It doesn’t have a traditional nickname, but I think something like Vin or Vinnie could work.
Bennett (Ben), Everett (Rhett), Theodore (Theo) & Solomon (Sol)
Here are some classic full-time, nickname combos:
Davis, Dave
Julian, Jules (like Jules Verne)
Philip, Phil or Pip
Winston, Win (like Winston Churchill)
Best wishes!
Joseph! Nick and Joe Rise
Christopher?
Nick and Chris
Love the suggestion of Benjamin nn Ben.
Joshua? Nick and Josh. Love!
Grant reminded me of Paul. What about Peter? Nick and Pete!!
Good luck!
I like the idea of making good use of a great name like Charlie. But I can’t stop thinking… Lucas/”Luke”.
Doesn’t everyone think of Benedict Cumberbatch when they hear Benedict now? Mmmmmmm! ;-)
Kit is another nickname for Christopher too. Nick and Kit. Maybe too close in sound?
John nn Johnny1
johnny and Nick Rise….
*Johnny!*
I love the name Harvey, Harvey Charles is very cute!
Other suggestions with brother Nicholas,
Lachlan nn Loccie
Marshall
Steven nn Stevie
Franklin nn Frankie
Vincent nn Vinnie
Timothy nn Tim
Mitchell nn Mitch
Joshua
Harrison nn Harry
Thomas nn Tom/Tommy
Hamish
Campbell
Michael nn Mike/Mick
Connor
From your list I like Gabriel nn Gabe, and I think the suggestions Alexander nn Alex, Andrew nn Drew and Winston are pretty great with Nicholas.
Congrats and good luck
Bennett is a great medium between Benedict and Benjamin! Bennett Charles Rise. Bennett Harvey Rise. (Ben _ise is almost sentence-like, but I don’t think it’s a deal breaker.)
Or Charles Grant Rise? Nick and Huck, Nicky and Charley, Nicholas and Charles.
I’m here to add a vote for Maxwell! It’s my sons name and we love it, so many fun nicknames — Might Max, Max-a-million etc, etc.
I will add that one of the workers at his daycare is pregnant with a son that she is going to name Max. When she told me (we also go to church together so we run in the same circles and they’ll only be 14 months apart) for like a split second I was a little bummed and then I moved on and haven’t cared again. They’ll each make the name their own. So if you love it, go for it!
Full names with nicknames that I think are not as common to consider;
Bennet – Ben
Callahan, Caleb or Calvin – Cal
Simeon – Simmy
Samuel – Sam
Nashton – Nash
Everette – Rhett
Coleson – Cole
Bennett, Harrison, and Calvin are my votes.
Bennett!!! Reminds me a lot of your choice of Bendict, but is a bit of a lighter name (if that makes sense?) which I think will appeal to your husband, who seems to like more chipper names. I also think it fits your criteria of not too popular and longer name with nickname options. I also like Swistle’s suggestion of Gabriel.
Nicholas and Bennett; Nick and Ben; Nick and Benny
A fr
I’d like to echo Swistle on several points:
Charles Harvey (Charlie) is a great name and meets your specifications.
Grant being your husband’s friend’s name could be seen as a plus.
Gabriel (Gabe) ticks off a lot of your boxes.
Elias gets you to Eli.
Benjamin (Ben) and Matthew (Matt) are good style matches for you.
More ideas: If Owen is almost but not quite, how about Ian, or Evan, or Roman?
How about Samuel (Sam)?
If not Grant, how about Graham?
Would you like Quincy?
Elliott is another way to get to Eli.
Yes, I thought of Sam too, but then realised it would be Samwise like Lord of the Rings. Ha!
We were in the same boat as you. When we were pregnant, we loved the name Maxwell but weren’t 100% sold on the popularity of Max. Then we discovered, instead of shortening to Max we could shortened it to Wells. What a fabulous name. Still to this day we love Wells.
What about Abraham, Abe or Bram are great nn.
Simon was another name on our list, we were thinking of using Sims as a nn.
I love the idea of swapping the name around and doing Charles Grant. That sounds fabulous.
I also really like Theodore.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Thank you all so very much for your ideas! You’ve given us a lot to think about. I will send an update after our little boy is born and let you know what we decide. (It might very well take that long!!)