Hi Swistle!
I’m Becca and my husband is Don. We are expecting our 3rd (and last!) boy the first week of June, and we are really struggling to find a definite name. I hate to feel the little guy moving around and not having a name for him. I hope you can help. I always like what you and your readers come up with!
Our boys are named Warren Isaac and Lee Anthony. They have Don’s last name, which is like Nordson, and so will the baby. My last name is kind of like Waylon, and I might use it as a middle.
Warren’s name was a my favorite name all the way back since middle school, but Don loved it too, so it felt like a joint decision. Isaac in the middle was just because we liked it and for the initials WIN.
Lee was harder to name. Don has never been the name suggestor and he didn’t like any of my favorites at the time. I just started listing any name I could think of that I didn’t hate and he clung to Lee. I didn’t really like it that much at first, so we were going to go with Leon, but when I saw him I decided that Leon was too harsh for him and went back to Lee. Anthony was chosen to honor my dad. Since he got his way with Lee’s name, we agree I get more say in this baby’s name.
I like that both Warren and Lee are surnames and English words, but they aren’t usually on those type of name lists. I like that both names are familiar, warm and laid back sort of names. I would like something similar, but there are no rules.
Names on “The List”:
Victor : This is probably in the lead, but people around here including me naturally say it like Vic-der which I don’t like. It might also be too harsh. I like Vic as a nickname.
Hugh : I love the meaning and the soft yet manly feeling of Hugh. It has been a longtime favorite of mine. Don doesn’t like it all that much, but isn’t vetoing it. Neither of us would consider Hugo, by the way.
Lloyd : My other longtime favorite. It was the name of my favorite teacher. Don likes it OK. There is a Floyd we don’t like though.
Vance : We both like this OK, but it’s not our likely choice. It could grow on me.
Perry : Probably off the list. It would be after Don’s mom because her name is Penny. Don doesn’t like it much.
Carl : vetoed but I love it!
Family middle name possibilities are: my last name ” Waylon”, George, Gene, Edwin or Edward, Donovan, Allen or Daniel. I’d also use any of the first name possibilities in the middle. My guilty pleasure middle names are Peregrine and Somerled, but I’m not sure we would use them. Really we are not too concerned about finding a middle name.
Can you come up with a fitting name I haven’t thought of yet? Or maybe just say which one on “The List” we should use? I will definitely be excited to update you all if I could get some input!
From your list, my favorites are Perry and Karl (I like the K spelling better).
I wonder if you’d like the name Terry? It strikes me with the same warm gentle sound as the names Warren and Lee, though possibly because of the extremely nice little boy named Terry I knew when I was in elementary school. He was kind and sweet and a little plump and had silvery blond hair and he used to hold my hand companionably at recess; we would walk around the playground, chatting and holding hands. I used to try to get him as a square-dancing partner in gym class because he was the one boy you could count on not to try to step on your feet.
Or Percy. Percy Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Percy.
Or Frank. It’s not quite as gentle in sound, but it gives me a similar feeling anyway, of a guy like Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables.
Harvey gives me that same Matthew Cuthbert feeling, and I love the name, and it’s another surname name of the Warren/Lee type. Harvey Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Harvey. [Edited to add: I’m sad to say I agree with the commenters who say they wouldn’t put a Harvey in a sibling group with a Lee.]
Or Gus. Gus Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Gus.
Gus makes me think of Douglas. Douglas Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Douglas.
Albert is one of my pet favorites; I’d love to see it get more popular. I think the name probably caught my attention because of Colin Firth in The King’s Speech, but also there was a good and kind swimming teacher named Albert when I was a child. Most of the male swimming teachers were preening jerks with names like Shane and Troy, who spent a fair amount of lesson time flirting with the female swimming teachers; but Al was not a preener and seemed like he really liked teaching, and he was patient and nice, and he certainly contributed to my feelings about the name.
Or Philip, speaking of royalty with gentle names. Philip Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Philip/Phil.
Or Alfred. I might like that even more than Albert. But maybe it seems a little dressy with Warren and Lee.
The name Roger got my attention when I read somewhere that it used to go with the nickname Hodge. I think that’s darling. Roger Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Roger/Hodge.
Ooo, I recommend Paul. I think it has that warm, gentle sound, and feels underused, and goes very well with Warren and Lee. Paul Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Paul.
Or Joel. Joel Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Joel.
Oh, or I like Russell. There’s a Russell in the same grade as one of my kids, and the name keeps hitting my ear favorably. Russell Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Russell/Russ. I like the way it has two syllables like Warren, but has a one-syllable nickname.
Maybe Ira? Ira Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Ira.
Is Murray too similar in sound to Warren? Murray Nordson; Warren, Lee, and Murray.
Name update:
Baby boy “Nordson” has been born and named! I figured I owed you an update since your blog was keeping me company while I had to hang out alone in the hospital room for an extra day, and also because you and your commenters were very helpful.
His name was supposedly finalized but then changed multiple times between you posting my question and his birth. We went through Victor, Perry (turns out it’s one of my grandma’s maiden names too), Timothy and S0merled (as a first name!) before arriving at Hugh S0merled Nordson.
The middle name really made my husband turn around on Hugh, and I’m happy because that is exactly one of the name combinations I came up with years ago fantasizing about just one more baby.
I like Gus a lot.
But I liked Victor, too, and see what you mean. How about Vincent, nn Vince?
Yep! Came here to suggest Vincent also because with a Victor and a Vance on a list it seemed perfect! Not gonna lie, I love Vin or Vinnie as a nickname too! Another V name that could work is Vaughn. Love it.
Thirding Vincent. It sounds a little softer than Victor (and we considered to go along with our son Julian nn Jules, but had a girl).
Oscar might work too.
I like Victor Waylon for you and I might just stop right there, but here are some more word name ideas in case you decide to go in that direction.
Nature names: Basil, Clay, Drake, Heath, Jasper, Reed, Timothy (this one fits your preference for being kind of subtle)
Occupation names: Archer, Fletcher, Mason
Misc: Gage, Grey, Griffin, Sterling
Glenn, Heath, Miles … all the great sort of suggestions I was trying to come up with and couldn’t!!
Only other thought was maybe Clifford / Cliff? Or Clive, which I love, but is less wordy.
That was supposed to be a comment, not a reply :( Really wasn’t trying to push in!
I have such a soft spot for Griffin!
Ooooh I love Joel, Murray, Albert, and Harvey so much from Swistle’s list!
What about Clark? It’s got that same surname-y kind of thing that Warren and Lee have, it’s similar to Carl if Carl isn’t right, and it feels gentle to me.
Miles strikes me as similar, too. Or Grant.
I like the sound of Grant with this group, but I do think it would be weird to have a Lee and a Grant as siblings since they are both Civil War generals but from opposing sides
I just wanted to suggest the name Frasier, a mum at my children’s school just named her son this and I think it’s such a great name!
Warren, Lee and Frasier!
My son also has a little friend named Monty and I’m surprised at how much I love this name, but it really works on this little boy, Warren, Lee and Monty.
Other ideas Marshall, Reid, Baxter, Blake or Kane.
Oh, I love Russell, Roger, Victor, Hugh, and Frank.
I’d also suggest Alan/Allan/Allen. Same soft feel as Warren and Lee.
My first thought was Heath. It has the same rugged, laid back feel as Warren and Lee. I also love Orson and think that would fit really well!!
From your list I love Hugh most. And from swistle’s my favorite is either Harvey or Russell.
Ps Somerled is one of my very very favorite guilty pleasure names. My husband likes it too. We’re pregnant with our last boy right now and we honestly considered it… but I fear it would require too much of an explanation that my son would have to deal with and possibly resent his whole life. But it’s just so handsome, I wish it was more wearable!!
Oh, I like the suggestion of Heath, too!
I’ll put my vote in for Hugh. I know two Hughs and they are both great guys.
I don’t think you should count Lloyd out because of Floyd. Similar in sound, but the names give off totally different vibes for me.
Since you like names that are word names & can be surnames, I thought of Sterling. I also thought of Donovan, which I see is on the list for possible middle/honor names.
Donovan seems perhaps too close to your husband’s name to use daily, but the nickname Van could work. Van is also similar to Vance. Or Vaughn, Vaughn strikes me as a bit softer than Vance. Or Vincent. Vincent is softer than Victor & Vince is similar to Vance.
I want to encourage you to use your surname, either as first or middle. And I really like Peregrine. I think it could work as a first name, especially with the nickname Perry.
Like Swistle, I also thought of Harvey for you, and I’ll also suggest Miles, Arthur & Felix.
From your list my favorite is Hugh and from Swistle’s additions I like Frank (although I would like Franklin a bit more for your family)
I wanted to add a few that are a little further from the mark but might be nice with your other guys. Gordon, Duncan, and Samson seem like they would fit with your last name light style.
I also feel like for a soft boy’s name you might consider Eugene or Silas or Malcolm, all of which seem to fit into your softer boy feeling.
From your list, I like Hugh and Victor best. From Swistle’s list, I really like Harvey and Alfred. From the other poster’s suggestions so far, my favorites are Miles and Jasper.
With Warren and Lee, my top picks would be:
Alvin
Aaron
Emmett
Graham
Ernest
Ernest!!
Graham/Graeme!
Also voting Alfred and Marshall and Vincent.
It occurs to me that Russell is a surname and an english word (sort of…I pronounce Russell and rustle almost identically). I also think it’s a great stylistic fit with Warren and Lee, and I like that it shares the R sound with Warren and the L with Lee, but in different orders so it’s not matchy.
I love Hugh from your list. I think it fits your style perfectly and is still fresh and young for a little boy, but can grow into a man’s name. I have trouble picturing a little boy named Lloyd, so I’d say it’s my least favorite from your list. From Swistle’s list, I would avoid Harvey because you have a Lee already and I immediately thought of Lee Harvey Oswald circa 1963 assassination of JFK. Separately neither name makes me think of him, but said together it’s all I can think of.
I have all girls and won’t be having any other babies after I give birth to my 3rd girl this July, but if one of my 3 babies had been a boy, he would have been named Davis. I love the surname sound of it, I love that it’s unique without being weird and uncommon, and I think it would suit your sib set perfectly! And I would also be tickled to see someone use it! Warren, Lee and Davis. Davis Waylon…it gives me heart eyes!
I would not do Davis, because then you have a Robert E Lee and a Jefferson Davis theme. It’s a great name though otherwise!
I would not do Harvey because you already have a Lee and that’s like Lee Harvey Oswald.
Harold nn Harry?
Calvin, nn Cal?
In addition to Russell, maybe Ross or Rush? I’m really liking Ross for you. Warren, Lee, and Ross Nordson.
Love Victor. Just love it. Especially with Lee and Warren.
It’s hard for me to suggest anything else, because I want to urge you to go for Hugh. It’s so rare! I don’t think it 100% goes with Warren and Lee (I think of Hugh as more medieval/classic/British gentry, and Warren and Lee as very American midcentury/surname), but I also don’t think that matters. It’s great with the surname and the potential middle name.
I did think of Roland…another underused classic.
I find Lloyd to be a tongue-twister with the surname, unfortunately. Saying them together is very nasal/hard, and I want to turn it into “Lloyd Noydson”. (Sorry to be blunt!)
I’m also surprised no one seems to have mentioned Clyde. It bridges Carl and Vance to me, and has a very similar vibe to Warren and Lee.
But I return to Hugh. It’s wonderful!
I feel like Seth would be a good fit, and I love the Swistle’s suggestion of Roger. The reader suggestions of Clark, Miles and Graham are also lovely.
But I also love your guilty pleasure of Peregrine, and you could go with the unexpected option of Reggie as a nickname. Or maybe Regis?
Glad that a few other people mentioned the Lee Harvey Oswald issue. It’s too bad, because I really do think Harvey is a great fit in the sibling set, but I just wouldn’t do it with a brother named Lee.
I was originally going to suggest Wesley, which I think has both the vaguely British and also mid-century American vibe of your other boys’ names, and Wes sounds good in the sibling set. But now I’m not so certain because Wesley is sort of just a longer version of Lee.
But then I saw someone else mentioned Heath, and I think that’s perfect! Warm, laid back, and Warren, Lee, and Heath are all English words (and all English words that describe a place, too).
There have been some great suggestions so far! I would like to suggest two more: Moss and Bridger. Bridger has such a great masculine vibe to it (I’m from the west where Bridger is pretty common and comes from Ft. Bridger and the mountain man, Jim Bridger). It also fit the criteria of being a word name.
I first heard the name Moss at college. A boy there was named Moss because his parents were hippies and his mom saw some pretty moss right after she gave birth. I LOVE it. If I’d had another boy, that was the name. I think Ross is pretty great too, but has a different vibe. Moss has the benefit of sounding like commonly heard names (Ross, Russ), but also taps into the nature name trend. It definitely has a gentle sound, is one syllable like Lee, and I has double letters like Warren and Lee. It’s a winner. :)
I also really like Jim for you. It is a name everyone knows, but you don’t hear it much anymore. It has a soft sound, but is clearly masculine.
Other names that have already been suggested that I also really like with your kids’ names:
Clay
Heath
Gage
Sterling
Monty
Seth
From your own list, I love Lloyd.
Good luck!
I think you should go with your first choice of Victor and not overthink the pronunciation. You love the nn Vic and will probably call him that most often.
Hugh and Lloyd would be great choices too.
You could use Penn as a middle name to honor your mother in law.
Other suggestions:
Campbell
Sawyer
Walker (has a little in common with both brothers’ names)
Clark
Russell
How about Flynn, it has that soft sound like Warren and Lee but still masculine!
So many great names! You have so many on your list that I like, and I love Swistle’s suggestions of Harvey, Gus and Albert. And I also love the suggestion of Ernest!!!
How about:
Barney
Seymour
Stewart (Stewie! *Swoon*)
Raymond
I actually have a soft spot for Stanley, after a friend of a friend gave her son this name 15 years ago – I remember it was so unexpected and familiar at the same time. Unfortunately it’s probably too close to Lee.
Good luck!
My first thought for you was Vincent, which I see a number of others have suggested. You could use Vince or Vin as nicknames if you liked. I like that it is also a surname-first name, like your other sons’ names.
I like the name Glen or Glenn for you. Warren, Lee, and Glen.
Or Guthrie nickname Gus. Warren, Lee, and Guthrie. Warren, Lee, and Gus
On second thought, I’d go with the Glenn spelling so that all 3 boys have double letters in their names.
Or Dale!
Warren, Lee & Dale.
What about Hugo instead of Hugh?
From your list I would choose Vance.
Other suggestions:
Otto
Abbott
Tye
I like the suggestions of Gus, Vincent, Joel, Paul and Murray for you.
A few additional suggestions:
Clark
Spencer
Vaughn
Heath
Stuart
Duke
Rudy
I see that someone suggested Penn as a middle name to honor your MIL. I love that idea but think it could make an awesome first name. Perhaps paired with your maiden name as the middle? This option would easily get my vote.
I know this name is not seemingly in your style, but it popped into my head and needed to share!
Talmadge nn Tal
Warren, Lee and Tal
This was a character in a novel The Orchardist who conjures up the same image for me: quiet, laid-back, but still strong.
The surnames and word names makes me think of ..
Glenn (or Glynn)
Ford
Garret
Yes, I was thinking of Ford, too!
If he feels awkward with his surname, there’s Redford as well.
Warren, Lee, and Redford
Redford Waylon Nordson (he has a solid 2-2-2 cadence).
There’s also Kincade.
Warren, Lee, and Kincade
I do love the name Glen. The only Glen I’ve known was a retired US Marshall who was the most calm, steady, capable fellow one could hope to meet.
Glen Waylon Nordson
Best wishes to you and your family!
I really like Vincent, Dale, Ross and Paul.
What about Trevor, Robert, Brian, Jeffrey, Steven, Lyle, Richard or Mark?
Oh! What about Eric?
Warren, Lee and Eric! Nice!
Gerald, Keith, Kenneth, Raymond, Harry or Archie.
All the best!
I like Glenn, Timothy, Joel, Roland & Davis from the comments.
Also:
Grove (not Grover)
“Waylon” as the first name
Reese
David
Lyle? Or Barrett? I vote for Hugh though and also like Lloyd. Lloyd feels fresh now because of lego ninjago if you’re familiar. I also like the suggestion of Clark.
I love Heath for this sibset. Warren, Lee, and Heath. All English words and all countryside related words. They’re also all both soft without harshness but feel like strong names. And none of them stand out as belonging to particular generation or decade. They feel more timeless.
The more I think about it the more I like it. Warren, Lee, and Heath.
Victor and Vance immediately made me think of Vincent. We have a wee 2year old Vincent James in our extended family..he’s Vinnie, Vinnie Jim or VJ at this point.
His name is familiar but not common and gets lots of positive response from people.
The other name I loved was Hugh
I like Hugh the best from your list!
I liked the suggestions of Ira, Clark, or Alvin.
I will somewhat randomly toss out Gerald.
I’ll add my vote to Murray, Ernest, Clay, Heath, Spencer, Gordon, Russell, Stuart and Glen!
Some other ideas:
Clyde, Finch, Satchel, Miller, Scott, Hallam, Greg, Ferris, Murphy, Burton, Ellis, Errol, Foster, Dempsey, Doug, Granger, Merritt, Chester, Robin, Roy, Vern / Vernon, Brooks, Abel, Shepherd, Fielding, Humphrey, Milton, Callum, Morris, Nigel, Hertz, Flint, August, Trent, Claude, Sherman, Lewis, Ray, Vale, Sinclair, Voight, Lowell, Hart, Merton, Webb, Beckett, Decker, Dennis, Mitch, Kelvin, Hoyt, Birch, Willard, Hale, Whitt / Whittaker, Elmore, Gulliver, Vogel
Vaughn is the first name that came to my mind. To me, it’s perfect I almost don’t want to suggest anything else.
But I also liked the suggestions of Douglas, Russell, and Ellis.
Not sure if it’s been suggested already but I thought Toby is great with your other children’s names, Warren, Lee and Toby.
I also love the suggestion of Stanley, such a great name and not heard of much these days!
What about Davis? Warren, Lee, and Davis
Of your list, I like Lloyd the best. Particularly since it continues the British Surname theme AND the double letter theme, and puts those letters in a different place.
Loving all of Swistle’s suggestions, especially Russell.
Dittoing Glenn
What about Forrest?
You like Vance and Lloyd, what about Lance?