Hello Swistle!
I am desperately seeking some guidance and creativity in naming our second born son, which we are due with on 8/2/17. We haven’t received the most positive feedback on our top contenders (see below) which isn’t a deal breaker if we were truly sold on any of the names but also both me and my husband have a slight suspicion that we maybe haven’t found THE name yet. I also feel like I already ran the well dry on male names we like when we named our first born. For some reason, I feel very inspired by girl names, if we were ever to have one and have ideas in droves but always come up short with another male name.
My name is Maggie and my husband is Brett. Our surname is Knight. We have a son, Graham Townes. We are seeking a boy name with a complimentary feel to our first’s- meaning a classic sounding but not common name that we will then pair with a more unique, less common middle name for some individuality. I like that all three of our names now have different sounds/endings and are heavy on the consonants- we are hoping to continue this with son #2.
A few things we don’t want:
A name that ends in N due to blending of that sound with the beginning of our last name if that makes sense
Anything super common or top 100
A name that tries to sound like a classic name but isn’t (i.e. Grayson, Jayden, Jace, Brinley)
Anything long enough to require a nickname- would rather just use the shorter name that I like. I’m a Maggie and not a Margaret for that reason per my parents :)A few we do:
Something perhaps more gender neutral
Different initials than we already have (not set in stone, just a general sentiment)Contenders (feedback appreciated):
Noel (male pronunciation)- love how this sounds but we hear from everyone that he would be constantly confused with the female pronunciation of this name.
Cary
Leland
Fletcher
Rudy
Spencer
Morgan- breaks our “ends in N” rule so might not work?Female names we love (in case we were to have a girl, a third child is something we will likely try for):
Maude
Nell
Trudy
Tess
Laurel
Rhiannon
WendyI have only thought of one potential middle name at this rate and it is Madden (my dad’s middle name and his mother’s maiden name). What else is in the same vein as Townes?
Hoping you can help us think of something that hasn’t been brought up yet or validate any of the contenders we have. We would love any ideas and are open to considering! I had a nightmare last night that we brought the baby home and months in were still staring at him wide-eyed with no name. Obviously, those are the hormones talking but am getting desperate to fall in love and it feels like my time is borrowed.
Thanks for any help you can provide! Happy Summer!
xoxo Maggie Knight
Let’s begin with a moment of silence in which we clench our teeth at the way our society loves “boyish”/unisex names for girls but not so much “girlish”/unisex names for boys. Then let’s see what we can do with the reality we’ve got.
Part of the package deals of the names Cary and Noel would be their periodic confusion with the more familiar names Carrie and Noelle. Some parents would mind this very much and for the sake of their blood pressure should not use those names for boys; other parents would be able to do a genuinely casual and friendly “Actually, it’s Cary—like Cary Grant” or “Actually, it’s Noel—the male version of Noelle” or whatever, and move on with their lives without thinking much about it.
Another issue with Noel, I think, is that the number one most popular boy name in the United States right now is Noah; with Noel at #380, people’s ears are sometimes going to hear Noah instead. Again, some parents would be tearing their hair out over this, and others would say “Oh—no, it’s Noel” and it would be zero big deal.
Another tiny issue with Cary is that with Graham I think of Cary Grant. Which is a positive association, and which is very unlikely to come up or be an issue, but I am in the mood to be thorough.
Leland is a fresh one to consider; I sat here with my coffee for several minutes, staring into space. I don’t think I’ve encountered a Leland in real life, so I was visualizing the name on various of my kids’ friends. It sure SHOULD work: the similarity to the very popular Liam and Landon, just for starters. I think you might be able to avoid the nickname Lee, but the child himself might choose to go by it later. I have a little trouble saying Leland with the surname Knight: the d/n transition is tricky.
Fletcher seems good. It feels like a different style than Graham, but a compatible one.
Rudy seems a little casual with Graham, but not startlingly so. It would rule out Trudy for a possible future girl.
Spencer is my favorite from this list: Spencer Tracy gives this name the vintage Hollywood appeal of Cary Grant. And it feels just right with Graham. Spencer is my favorite from the list. Spencer Madden Knight; Graham and Spencer. Yes.
Part of the package deal of the name Morgan is its unisex nature, so let’s take a closer look at that. In 2016, the name Morgan was #643 for boys and #133 for girls; it was used for 407 new baby boys and 2,319 new baby girls. At those usage levels, I would expect the typical person to be aware of the unisex usage but to be more likely to err on the side of guessing girl—though Morgan Freeman helps us out here. I think the combination of Morgan and Knight is fine: I think it would come naturally to leave a tiny pause between the names to keep them from running together. The running-together issue bothers me mostly when it leads to a misunderstanding of what the name is: for example, Nolan Knight could sound like Nola Knight.
My favorites from your list are Spencer, Fletcher, and Rudy. More possibilities to consider:
Alistair. Alistair Knight; Graham and Alistair.
August. August Knight; Graham and August.
Brooks. Brooks Knight; Graham and Brooks.
Ellis. Ellis Knight; Graham and Ellis.
Elliot. Elliot Knight; Graham and Elliot.
Harvey. Harvey Knight; Graham and Harvey.
Jasper. Jasper Knight; Graham and Jasper.
Miles. Miles Knight; Graham and Miles.
Quincy. Quincy Knight; Graham and Quincy.
Reid. Reid Knight; Graham and Reid.
Rhys. Rhys Knight; Graham and Rhys.
Wesley. Wesley Knight; Graham and Wesley.
I am not sure about some of these with the surname; some of them seem a little hard to say.
I searched with unisex names in mind, but I didn’t find many that were the right style. Cary and Noel feel right with Graham; Jaden and Riley don’t have that same fit. Jules, maybe? Jules Knight; Graham and Jules.
I think Madden is a great family middle name. Is Townes also a family name? If so, and if Madden doesn’t work with the chosen first name, I’d look for another family name. If not, I’d browse other similar surname names: Hayes, Ames, Brooks, Bryce, etc. Or, if you decide against Cary/Noel/Jules for the first name, they might work as middle names.
Name update:
Hello!
Thanks again for all of your help in naming our son. We read through each comment and the name Clark made its way onto our list. After our son was born, we spent a few hours with him and hacked away slowly at our name list. Clark felt so right for his sweet face and demeanor.
Clark Forrest Knight
Born 8/8/17
Thanks again to you and your readers for helping in our dilemma!
Maggie Knight
When I saw Noel and Morgan in your list I immediately wanted to suggest Nolan. Graham and Nolan! But as Swistle pointed out, it is a bit off with the surname. Bummer. Noel also makes me think of Joel and Cole as well. Both are very handsome with Graham.
From your list, I absolutely LOVE Morgan for a boy! I want the boys to take this name back so badly. I also think Spencer Madden would be a lovely choice along with Graham Townes.
Some other suggestions you may like:
Trevor – Similar to Spencer, I feel like this is a good sweet spot name. You don’t really meet a lot of little ones with this name but it’s not unfamiliar or weird. Trevor Knight. Trevor Madden and Graham Townes
Elliot – Swistle beat me to this one but I think it sounds great on its own and with brother Graham. Elliot Madden.
Wesley – Another one Swistle beat me to and another handsome name. Plus how gorgeous is the nickname Wes? I know you’re not looking for a nick name really but using Wes and Wesley seems pretty interchangeable compared to James and Jimmy for example.
Callum – So handsome and fits your criteria
Calder – same
Duncan – same
Desmond – same
Jamie – I know a 4 yr old boy named Jamie and it wears well on him.
Cameron – another gorgeous “unisex” name but may not give you as much trouble as Cary or Morgan. Wait, Cam and Graham won’t work. :(
Best of luck and please update us!
I know it’s using the same letter, but Grant would be nice!!! Grant and Graham!
Also second Swistle’s call for Alistair!
I love Noel and sorry you’re getting negative feedback on it.
I think the -er ending definitely sounds the freshest for your family and easiest to pair with Knight. Love Spencer, love Calder from the list above. If Asher isn’t too popular in your region I’d add that.
A great “soft” name for boys is Remy. It is a little like Rudy but more formal (to me) somehow because it’s European lol. It’s always been on my own list. Other softer names sadly end in n, which for me isn’t a huge deal with your surname unless you try something like Stellan. But Soren, Eben, Torbin…
I loooove Graham Townes! Such a perfect name.. Although, I kinda wish you guys had saved Townes for this baby as it would be such a good sibset. :)
From your list, I like Cary the best with Graham. I also really like the suggestion of Remy. Madden is a great middle name!
My suggestions would be:
Wells
Jude
Cole
Miles (maybe wouldn’t work as well with Madden)
Reece
Good luck!
What about Hugh?
Yes, or Hugo!
You’ve got a great list!
I really, really think you could use Cary without much of a problem. The Cary Grant thing Swistle points out is a big help–plus, Carrie and Kerry are both rarely used for girls right now, so there probably wouldn’t be a lot of daily confusion with his female contemporaries or anything. Also, if I met a boy by the name with those sounds, I would immediately ASSUME his name was the male Cary, and Carrie/Kerry probably wouldn’t even pop into my head as options (but names, to me, are almost as visual as they are auditory, so Cary and Carrie are only nominally related to each other as far as I’m concerned).
The Noel thing, though, is a real concern, since people use that spelling all the time for the other pronunciation. Could you use Nowell or Knowles? Nowell is less ambiguous, and Knowles is different altogether but very similar in sound (though it carries the Beyoncé association, which you might or might not like!).
I throw my support behind Brooks, my godson’s name–it’s great in this set of names, has a different end sound than all the others, and is very stately with Knight!
My best female friend is a woman named Cari. She was named after a little boy her mother taught all those years ago. But she is only in her early 40’s and versions of the name Cari, Cary, Carrie, etc… were pretty popular in the 70’s. So while your son might not have classmates with the name, he will have teachers, friends mother’s, aunt’s, grandmother’s etc…. who do have the name.
I love the suggestion above or Joel instead of Noel. I had a childhood friend with that name and I’ve always loved it.
Also, a word about Leland, it’s a great name and it may never come up, but it’s the name of Dog the Bounty Hunter’s son. He had a show on A&E I think for quite sometime. My husband (sigh) used to watch the show all the time and would even use the catchphrase “Get ‘im Leland!” irl (double sigh). I don’t think the show is on anymore and I have no idea how popular it was outside of my house, but I’d want to know if I was considering the name.
That wa my thought too. Dog BH is my only association with Lleyland (is that how they spelt it?).
I think Reid is a perfect suggestion! Reid is classic, but not common. It has a different ending, and it starts with a different letter. I think it matches perfectly in style with Graham (which I love).
For the middle name, Brooks is in the same vein as Townes. But I like the idea of using a family surname as a honor name.
Jumping in to say another yes to Reid (or Reed)!
Noel makes me think of Niall, which sounds nice… Niall Knight
’twas thinking the same. ..or Neil.
I know a 10 yo Graham with four brothers: Ethan, Foster, Brady, and Finnegan. I like Foster for you.
I also love Morgan on a boy. I’m a big fan of Spencer and Fletcher on your list, too.
I was just about to suggest Foster* as well! Others to consider Albert, Ambrose, Anson, Booker*, Edmund*, Fraser*, Harlan, Harvey*, Keaton*, Kincaide, Marshall, Oswald, and Wallace. (Starred are favorites with Graham)
I also like Madden for the first name!
Also from previous post, Keller.
Cooper, Tucker, Toby
Dixon
Hooray! Someone else is considering a boy Cary (I have one with the other spelling; he’s 3) Obviously, that’s my favorite ;)
Fletcher Knight makes me giggle for historical reasons; European knights were -not- archers. Making and using arrows were for commoners. Being a commoner myself, I think that’s funny :)
I like Noel, Morgan, Edmund, Nigel, Eric, Colin, and Neville, too.
I had no idea that was the meaning of Fletcher! Very interesting.
On the other hand, Harvey means “battle worthy,” so Harvey Knight would be pretty appropriate (and badass)!
(I have a 2-year-old Harvey, so I admit I’m a bit of a Harvey aficionado.)
I would LOVE to meet a boy Cary! It’s on my list of names that I want to see make a comeback for men – along with Kelly. Glad to see @Elisabeth can endorse it in real life. I do think you’d get some dumb people giggling a bit at first, but they’ll get over it and see how dashing it is. I have a BIL named Jody growing up in the 70/80s and it definitely influenced his passion for athletics and risky sports. He didn’t see it back then, but he gets it now.
I’d like to recommend Rupert! Rudy made me think of it – I agree that Rudy might be too casual for Graham, but Rupert seems just right? It makes Graham feel more buttoned down and British.
I was coming to throw my vote behind Fletcher, but that’s so interesting about the meaning! I doubt that most people would even get it, but worth a thought. I know a little Fletcher and it’s one of those names that fits in but stands out.
I like Leland but I saw it with a soft ending, so it might have the same issue as the other N-endings you’re avoiding.
I know an awesome adult (male) Spencer, but when I think of baby Spencers, it’s all girls. Along with Morgan.
I love Madden as a middle name. I think all of this said, I like Fletcher Madden Knight best. Good luck!
The 2016 usage of the name Spencer: 244 new baby girls and 1,357 new baby boys.
Mostly, we just get confusion; people think we said Terry, Gary, or Harry.
Rhodes!
I’m currently pregnant with a boy and this is one of my top contenders.
Rhodes Madden Knight
I love the suggestion of Desmond (it’s my son’s middle name).
If you like Morgan, I am going to suggest Jordan and Fordon (Fordon is my son’s first name). There was one of each of these names in my son’s 2nd grade class. Also similar, Gordon. I think the “on” endings are fine with Knight since you naturally pause.
What about Carl? Nathanial?
I really love Madden as a middle name!
I like Rudy from your list. I’m personally not a fan of the name Spencer, but I do think it goes well with Graham. I love Swistle’s suggestion for Quincy! I would name a boy Quincy except I only know one in person and I would worry that he would think I was naming my son after him. But seriously, I love it with your surname too, Quincy Knight!
I’m going to suggest the spelling of Carey if you decide to name your son that!
I love the name Leland but there is a Christian band named Leland so that’s the ONLY thing I think of whenever I hear or see Leland.
Some alternatives:
Casey versus Carey
Sebastian versus Spencer
Thatcher versus Fletcher
Noland or Nolan
Thayer
Baxter
Dewey
Colby/Kolby
Parker
I wish you would reconsider no other “G” names because there are so many good ones!
Garrett
Grady
Griffin
I thought of the Christian band “Leeland” as well (it’s with two Es) .. but the band is named after Leeland Mooring, the lead singer.. so that makes me think of Leland as all the more usable! It also helps that I know a man (probably mid-40s?) named Leland.
Leeland (the singer’s) brother’s name (who is also in the band–haha, I just looked this up out of curiosity.. didn’t know it off hand!) is Casey. That’s another great male, unisex name!
haha oops, now I see it was suggested above me :P sorry, didn’t mean to steal your thunder, Ash!
I’m just glad someone else knows who Leeland Is! I forgot their name was spelled differently! I still can’t help but think of them!
From your list I like Spencer, Fletcher, and Morgan with Graham. I think Madden’s a great idea for the middle, but I’d only use it with the first two. If you changed your surname, is your own maiden name a good candidate?
And I just love Maude if you ever have a daughter.
If you’d be willing to jettison the “no -n end” requirement (and the top 100 requirement, for the first two here), some options include Julian, Sebastian, Declan, Winston. I know one of each of these, and they’re all nickname-free. Maybe Sterling, Earl, Alfred, Felix, Oscar, Jonas, or Otto would appeal?
Crosby instead of Cary perhaps? Crosby Knight. Crosby Madden. Crosby and Graham.
Roland Peterson Knight, Roland Madden Knight, Graham and Roland.
For some reason, I’m getting a European vibe from your list. Roland is old German. I like that it’s short and similar to Noel and Leland.
Maud without the “e” is actually my #1 girl name! I’ve never found anyone else that even remotely likes it so this is quite exciting.
Continuing on to say, “Noel” has also been on our short list but I’ve toyed with spellings because it would bother me to constantly have it said “Noelle”. Would you be open to Nole (to me this works because of Cole)? Or I’ve even thought of using Knoll. But that gets into a mess of things because of the silent K. So then even considered Noll.
The other suggestion I had was Rhys. It sounds unisex but I would think by the spelling people would easily ID it as boy. Graham and Rhys.
Ohhh Rhys is a great suggestion!
I know a 4 yr old Nole! And for what it’s worth, I’ve never met a female Noel, just Noelle. And I think it’s kind of dates for a girl name anyway, but a bit more fresh for a big. I love Morgan and Cary too though!
Oh my word. Can I blame autocorrect? DATED* for a girl and fresh for a BOY*
I went to school with a Lowell, which is a name that has the same sounds as Noel. (His twin sister was named Holly, as a point of interest.)
Cary Elwes (of the Princess Bride) makes the name Cary perfectly male and useable to my eye, but apparently Cary Elwes’s full birth name is Ivan Simon Cary Elwes, if you happen to like any of those names. Graham and Ivan, Graham and Simon, Graham and Cary. Ivan Madden Knight, Simon Madden Knight, Cary Madden Knight. I really like them all.
From your list, I like Spencer best. I also love the suggestions of Roland and Duncan.
I like Rudy best from your list. What about Ellis, Clark or Arlo?
I’m a huge fan of Clark! I have a Clark myself and think it fits the bill nicely with this family of names.
I second the idea of Trevor! Graham and Trevor.
Otherwise, I once knew an elderly fellow who was a WWII vet, incredibly gallant, humorous, whip-smart, and dashingly handsome even in his late 80s. His name? Ellis.
How could I possibly not recommend him?
Graham and Ellis.
Ellis Madden Knight.
(Orville would be cool, too, if you are very daring.)
Best wishes! Excited to hear who he is!
There’s also Heath!
Graham and Heath.
Heath Madden Knight.
Oh, Heath is so nice!
Omg what about RORY? It has the long O sound of Noel and Morgan, 2 syllables and ends in Y like Rudy and Cary, has no nickname, is slightly unisex but leans masculine, uncommon but not contrived, and it is SO dashing and handsome with Graham! Rory Madden Knight. Rory and Graham. Swoon!
I love Rory! Cory/Corey would be a good choice too. Or Jory.
What about Guthrie?
Nickname potential: Gus
Graham and Guthrie
Graham and Gus
My cousin Jamie (male – so he would know what it’s like to have a unisex name) once told me that he liked the name Cary for a boy, and I’m still holding out hope that he might actually follow through on that some day. It’s a great, classic name! (If my name didn’t happen to be Kerry, it would also solve all of my husband and I’s issues with his wanting to name children after his grandfather Charles, and me not liking the name Charles…do you happen to have any Charles in your family tree?).
I also know a little boy named Leland, and think it’s a pretty awesome name (although Lee as a nickname would be a plus for me). I don’t know if it makes a difference one way or another, but Stanford University is named after Leland Stanford, and I think that might be well known enough to people’s primary association.
Overall though, I think your list is great.
I really like Davis Madden Knight for you. I do know a 9 year old Leland.
I find Rudy incredibly dashing and not at all too casual. Maybe because I knew a very nice and good looking young man with this name when I was growing up, I’m somewhat biased. If Cary can be formal enough (also a great name, btw), why not Rudy?
It’s so refreshing to hear people speak positively about unisex names on boys!
From your list, my favorites are Leland and Spencer, but I think Spencer sounds better with the last name.
From Swistle’s suggestions, I like:
August
Jules
Ellis
Ellis made me think of Eli, Hollis, and then Harris.
From commenters’ suggestions, I like:
Cole
Jamie
Remy
Jude (someone beat me to suggesting this one!)
Joel
Reed/Reid
Toby
Callum
What about Ari? A gender-neutral, nickname-proof name that sounds great with Graham and shares sounds with Cary. It means “lion” in Hebrew, making it pretty badass with the last name.
My other ideas:
Ezra
Cody
Colby
Jesse
Kai
Theo
Asa
Sterling
Ian (ends in N)
Dylan (ends in N)
Drew
Milo
Luca (Lucas and Luke are both pretty popular, though)
Lawrence
Landon/Landen (ends in N)
Kyle (dated?)
Lyle
Mackenzie
Sinclair
Sidney
Alex (too popular?)
Xander/Zander
Arlo
Aubrey
Ray/Rey
Robin (ends in N, but sounds great with the last name)
Taylor
Nico
Marshall
Harper (has gotten very popular for girls)
Has anyone suggested Clark?
Graham and Clark.
Clark Knight.
Oooh, love this suggestion!
Interestingly for me lots of the names on the list you have considered are names in my family..my maiden name was Graham..my sister used it for her son..her name is Kerry her daughter Rhiannon.
I like Noel but Noel Knight is awkward to my ear
Spencer is mostly a female name where I live ,love Fletcher Madden Knight. What about Cooper or the suggestion of Clark. I think they work well with Graham
Clark sounds really great!
Hugo immediately came to mind.Definitely fits the unique sound requirement. But Hugh is classic and British and fits well with Graham.
Well that reply went to the wrong thread!
What I wanted to add on this one was that Noel Knight did sound off to me – I hear -night instead of Knight. I think Nolan Knight actually sounds better, even with the repeated n. It seems to be a syllable thing with me – one syllable feels like more of a descriptor, so I hear gym night instead of Jim Knight.
With that in mind, Simon goes great with Graham, although I still like Hugo more.
I LOVE the name Cary/Kerry (I have seen is spelled both ways for men). I think it is very dashing, and it definitely makes me think of Hollywood.
In the discussion of the name Leland, I know a guy in his early 30s with this name who is working on is Doctorate, and only goes by Leland. I feel that with almost any name these days you do not have to use the classic/automatic sounding nicknames. My nephew is named Timothy, and that is what he is called — not Tim or Timmy.
First of all, Graham Townes. What a fabulous name. Love the middle name choice, it really freshens up Graham (not that it needs it, but Townes gives it a different feel).
Off your list, I really like Leland and Fletcher. I think I like Fletcher the best, but I definitely like both of them!
LOVE Madden as middle name, especially since it hits both sides of the families. It’s perfect.
Spinning off of Swistles’ suggestions, I actually love Hayes in the first name spot.
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Hayes Madden.
Graham Townes and Hayes Madden. SO IN LOVE.
What about Wells? We just named our 4 month old Wells and am totally in love with the name, more so then even before we used it.
Wells Madden is a pretty fabulous name.
Good luck and update us!!
I also have a Graham…if I had had another boy, both the names Rhys and Brooks would have been contenders. I absolutely agree with your parameters: truly classic names, not nouveau classic.
I love your list! I used to babysit a little boy named Nowel, I’m assuming that’s how you pronounce the male Noel? I think that’s one way to avoid the pronunciation problem. From your list I think Fletcher and Leland work the best. I know one Leland, but he goes by Lee, so that may be a problem for you guys if you are trying to avoid a nickname. I’d also like to suggest Pierce and Simon. I think Madden is a great middle name for any first name.
Good luck!
There are so many great names being suggested, and it will be hard for you to go wrong with your good taste and with the fabulous middle name Madden. I just wanted to stop by and cast my vote for Spencer from your list. Graham & Spencer, Spencer Knight, Spencer Madden, Spence. Love it. It’s pretty flawless.
Congrats on your baby boy!
Malcolm
Colin
Geoffrey
Walter
Reginald
Raymond
Warwick
Ian
Philip
Albert
Archer
Francis
Gerald
Neil
Calvin
Lionel
Victor
Vance
Barnaby
Norman
Terence
Chance
Robert
Bourke
Campbell
Richard
Cormac
Brooks
Gordon
Clifford
If you like the pronunciation of Noel perhaps you could spell it differently: like Knowell or Nowell? I’m not generally one to like creatively spelled names, but it seems less annoying when there is a good reason for it. I like Fletcher from your list and a similar name that I have always enjoyed is Shepard.
LOVE Cary! Add Carey Hart, motocross racer and husband to Pink, to your list of famous Cary men.
Your husband will understand the issues with unisex names on boys, which I think are no big deal, and if he is on board go for it
I know several Noels. I like the name and even like the alliteration of Noel Knight. One of my Noel friends said that occasionally people didn’t know how to say his name but it is easy corrected. I’d think you’d have the same issue with Rhys (which I also love). My friend says “Noel like Joel”.
Brooks is great, Spencer and Fletcher are trendy not classic to my ear (I still really like both names).
But Cary Knight. Cary Madden Knight. Cary and Graham. So handsome.
I really like Fletcher and Spencer for you, they are by far my favorites from your list. A name that strikes me as similar is Archer, so perhaps you’d also like that?
I don’t understand the confusion about Noel vs. Noelle. I’ve known a couple of Noels, and as far as I know, they’ve never had any problems or confusion about the name. Joel and Cole are similar and would perhaps people who find Noel confusing would have less of an issue with one of these? I particularly like Cole with Graham. I know a Leland (college friend of my SIL) and think it’s a great name! Simple, and easy to say/spell but not particularly common. I don’t think it “goes with” Graham as well as some of your other choices, but I also don’t think that sibling names have to coordinate exactly.
I’m not a fan of Rudy, however, it does make me think of Rory. I quite like Graham & Rory together. Or perhaps Rowan? Graham and Rowan would be lovely.
I see Laurel is on your girl list, so perhaps you’d like Laurence? It would mean striking Laurel off the girl list. But since girl names are easier for you, I don’t see this as a huge problem.
I think Madden is fine for a middle and I can’t really see it being a huge problem with any first name. Generally speaking, middles don’t get used a lot, so it doesn’t really matter if first/middle flow is perfect. I think the family connection would be more important to me.
Here are a few others that might fit the category? This family of names is right up my alley so these are the ones on my list (I have a 2yo Clark and baby bro due in August will be named one of these names!):
Boone
Calvert
Calvin
Drew
Edmund
Edwin
Fitzgerald (nn Fitz)
Gibson
Gilbert
Graham
Grant
Halstead
Halston
Hamilton
Hampton
Harrison
Heath
Hugh
Hughes
Hume
McHenry
Pierce
Van
Vaughn
Whitaker
Whitfield
Whitney
Whittier
I know one Leland.. and he goes by Leland… his brothers are Gibson and Miles.
I like Leland and Spencer from your list the best.
Spencer Miles Knight.
I like Spencer and Brooks. I don’t prefer Noel with the Knight last name, but that’s just me. Cary Knight sounds too much like Scary Night without a middle name to separate them, also a reason to avoid Harry. Have you considered Madden as a first name?
I kind of love unisex names on boys (and I don’t love them on girls). I particularly like Cary from your list. I can’t imagine naming a little girl Carrie in 2017, but I think Cary is much less dated. I also like the suggestions of Rory, Rowan, Remy, Rhys, Reid and Hugo. Some others that I like are Avery and Whitney. I also wondered if you might like Sawyer, if Spencer doesn’t quite fit the bill.