Hey Swistle,
I am hoping that you can help my husband and I out with our naming road block. We currently have two boys aged 3 and 1 (ironically with the same birthday) named Milo and Theo (surname Benton). Milo’s sex was unknown before birth, and was named after his paternal grandfather (Myles), since both Myles and Milo have identical meaning, we thought it would be nice to give our son his own name, yet, have the meaning remain the same to avoid two Myles B’s in the family. Theo, we knew was a boy. Throughout pregnancy, his name was Archer, but he was just born a Theo- and it suits him. At first I was worried that the two long O endings were a bit much, however, given that other letters are all different, I think both names are finely suited as a sibset. Now, however, we are expecting baby #3 in mid May and are stuck. Although it is too early to find out the sex, we are not sure that we will (this is our last baby, and we like the surprise). Our dilemma lies in the name selection- do we keep the long O ending for the next or is it overkill? We both like short names, so both of us are partial to four letters, two syllables (however we are also open to suggestions). Should we stick with the long O our possibilities lie in Arlo, Otto, Hugo (boy), and Juno, Margo, Cleo (girl). We both agree and like Arlo and Juno but are unsure if it is simply because the fit our trend. If we are not sticking with the long O ending, we have tossed the idea of a long O in the name to compliment the sound (ex: Nora, Nola, Toby). We also like Finn, Jane, and Felix (doesn’t fit any scheme but it’s cute and quirky in my opinion). We are just looking for some direction as to what you suggest from an outside ear and would appreciate any help you can offer :)
I think you are in the happy situation of being able to go either way on this. Rather than deciding first whether or not to go with another -o name, I think if I were you I would try to choose favorites without taking that into account—at least early on in the process. If your top favorite name turns out to be another -o name (or if you find yourself really wanting to use another -o name), I think it’s a fun little theme; if your top favorite name is not an -o name, I think there are upsides to avoiding a theme—especially if you might have more children after this one.
I really like your idea of instead finding a name with a long-O elsewhere in the name:
Chloe
Colette
Elodie
Eloise
Fiona
Hope
Joan
Lois
Naomi
Noelle
Nola
Rosalie
Rose
Simone
Sloane
Sophia
Zola
Brody
Cole
Joel
Joseph
Noah
Owen
Roland
Of your -o options, my own personal favorite for a boy is Arlo. For a girl, I am more uncertain: my own personal favorite is Margo, but sharing first AND last sounds with a sibling’s name is something I’d want to avoid. Juno is my next favorite; I like the nicknames June and Junie.
And I think Finn, Jane, and Felix are all great with the sibling set, too! In short, I think you have a lot of terrific options.
And let’s do a quick one-day Twitter poll: https://twitter.com/Swistle/status/1057268327628840960 [poll closed; see results below:]
Name update:
Good evening,
Baby boy (brother to Milo and Theo) was born on May 27, 2019. We named him Toby Frederick Benton and his name is just perfectly suited to him.
Thanks for all of your help,
Sarah
I took the survey on Twitter and voted no to another -o name. I feel like it really is too much to keep going. My niece has two children with E names; in my family of origin we had 3 girls with matching initials. It really does paint you into a corner. Especially when it’s your last baby, you want to feel really great about the naming so you can end on a high note.
I think you should just pick whatever you happen to like best! I think another name ending in -o is a little much but that’s just me. I think either another 4 letter name or a name with a long O in there somewhere is a nice way to tie all the names together without them matching.
For a boy, I really like Nolan with Theo and Milo. The long O ties them all together nicely but the 2 syllables also helps them all sound individual as well.
For a girl, I think Josie sounds great along with Theo and Milo.
Oooo, I like those
For me, it depends on the baby’s gender:
If it turns out to be a 3rd boy, I would probably stick to the -o ending pattern, otherwise he may kind of stand out among 3 brothers… I like Arlo the best too, but I would also add the likes of Aldo, Bruno, Enzo, Jericho or Roscoe to the list of possibilities.
However, in case of a girl, I totally don’t feel the need to have her name such perfectly coordinated with her brothers’ names. From your list my absolute favorite is classic, elegant and greatly underused Jane. Jane Benton sounds great and Milo, Theo and Jane would make an awesome sibset!
I like the compromise of a long o somewhere else in the name. I’m partial to Noah and Juno for personal reasons, but I also like Fiona, Rose, & Simone from Swistle’s girl list. Also Jonah for a boy.
I think I be a little more inclined to go with an ends-in-an-o name for a boy. Arlo is cute, but I wonder if the -lo ending is too much like Milo. Otto would be my pick from your list.
And Owen, from Swistle’s list. I forgot that one. I like that it switches things up by starting with that sound.
Girls:
Rosa
Nora
Orla
I really like Swistle’s suggestion of Joan
Boys:
I like all of Swistle’s suggestions and also your own list of Arlo, Otto, and Hugo.
Keeping with two syllable 4 letter names, what about Alec or Alex? For girls, Anya, Nina, Anna, or Lisa?
I agree with Swistle that you can go either way here. Theo, Milo, Otto. Darling. Theo, Milo, Lando. Cute! It is a little matchy, but they aren’t going to live together forever and it is a fun connection. I also like it with the girl names. My favorite is Juno. Milo, Theo, Juno. Love!
I also think there is no real reason to continue if you would rather not. Jane is absolutely stunning with Milo and Theo. You have some truly beautiful options here. Good luck!
Honestly, I didn’t even notice Theo and Milo end with the same letter right away. Perhaps because I was reading silently? Anyway, I don’t think it’d be a big deal if you went along with similar style (short, kind of classical but still pretty modern, too) but a different ending. So Toby and Hugo would be cool, but so would Daniel or Felix. (Just occured to me that both names have an E like Theo and an L like Milo, lol)
For a girl, I like Josie, Alice, Hazel, or Margot.
I like the idea of deviating from the “o” ending. I feel like the deviation will make it feel like the end of a really nice sentence. A conclusion.
Milo, Theo and Felix is my favorite if you have a third son.
I like Jane or Eloise for a daughter.
I personally really like Jasper and I wonder if June would be a good compromise between Juno and Jane?
And in the event that you end up with a fourth blessing, you aren’t obligated to use ends-in-o name.
I like the ‘o’ ending if your third is a son.
But maybe not have four letters? I mean, they both have two syllables… how about Lazslo?
Milo, Theo, and Lazslo. Sounds pretty fantastic!
Cleo is lovely, but she rhymes with Theo. As you pointed out, your boys have distinctive sounds to each of their names. But if you stood at the bottom of the stairs and yelled, “Cleo!”, chances are both her and Theo would hang their heads over the bannister.
I truly understand having an excellent name all picked out, and the baby is born and is just a different person. Maddening but completely fine, right?
How do you feel about using Archer this time around? “We *thought* your brother was you and we’re prepared to name him Archer, but when he was born, we realized he was Theo instead. So we had to wait for you, darling!” Can you imagine that conversation?
Are there other relatives you were hoping to honor? Perhaps a Rose somewhere in the family tree? She has the long ‘o’ and is four letters, too!
Congrats and best wishes! Please let us know what you decide!
If it makes YOU happy to continue some kind of spelling or syllable pattern, go for it. Otherwise, it’s simply not an issue, in my humble opinion. With a lovely sibset like Theo, Milo, and Felix, I wouldn’t notice that one name had a different ending or a different number of letters. It would probably occur to me that a sibset like Theo, Milo, and Remmington was somewhat mismatched in style – but even that wouldn’t be an issue if all their names were chosen with care and love. I WOULD immediately notice Theo, Milo, and Otto. If you don’t mind that some people might consider the rhyming names slightly cutesy, then those are all wonderful names and I wouldn’t hesitate to do that either. So if Arlo or Juno is truly your favorite name, go for it. Otherwise, see what happens if you take away the limitation of the O. Does it make you excited? Or does it feel overwhelming? Only you and your partner can decide. For what it’s worth, you have a lovely list and your child will thank you being so thoughtful.
Here’s what I think:
– If it’s DEFINITELY your last baby, and a boy, another -o name is a must-do. Also, how cute, modern-feeling, and fun! I’d probably go for Arlo or (if I wanted to avoid repeating the -lo ending) Otto/Hugo, or maybe Aldo. I personally happen to love a lot of the -o options–it’s a great problem to have!
– If it’s DEFINITELY your last baby, and a girl, an -o name isn’t necessary, but it’s Clio/Cleo is on my girl list, but my husband almost definitely won’t warm to it. Also, what about Coco for a girl?
– If it’s NOT definitely your last baby, ditch the -o either way (so you don’t have to worry about it next time), but stick with four letters. My sense of order finds the switch away from -o names less jarring as long as all three names still have something significant in common.
Personally, I really like the idea of having a name with a long O sound somewhere other than the end. Some more suggestions (in a completely random order!):
Oakley, Zoe/y, Posey/Posy, Poet, Clover, Romy, Rowan, Bodhi, Sophie, Odin, Cohen, Cody, Roman, Ronan, Orion, Paloma, Ramona, Ione, Iona, Elowen, Viola, Odette, Odessa, Ophelia, Leona, Nova, Logan, Cove, Opal, Caroline, Hope
For another name ending in O, Arlo is one of my absolute fave names for both a boy and a girl, though I love all of your options. I know you said you like four letter/two syllable names, but I think if I were going for another O ending, I would chose a three syllable name to break up the ‘matchiness’ (maybe Indigo or Orlando?). Or Beau is four letters, but only one syllable – though I suppose it depends how you feel about alliteration.
I’ve just realised that not only do Milo and Theo have a long O sound, but they each have another long vowel sound. Perhaps you could choose a name with a long A/E/I/U sound and tie the names in that way? Jane and Felix? June, Luca, Luke, Lucy, Luna, Ruby, Gray, Isla, Lila/Lyla, Jace, Hugh, Evie, Jude, Louis, Lewis, Lucas, Grayson, Grace, Ivy, Mabel, Maeve, Layla, Piper, Maisie, Mason, Eve, Ethan, Faith, Blake?
I met a little Hugo and was charmed (!!) So cute!!
I like that it doesn’t repeat any sounds of Milo and Theo except the O. Like, long I, long E, long U. I also like Owen, which keeps the pattern, but flips it.
I had a first initial B pattern going for kids 1 and 2. I struggled with a third B name that I liked as much. Kid 1 is boy, kid 2 is girl, kid 3 is girl. So I went ahead and chose the name I liked best (an M name). Now at 6 7 and 14, the girls notice the difference, but M child is happy she matches M for mommy. I mention this because the Feeling Left Out is a Thing, but it’s not a THING, especially if you have a good story (we named you after a Queen!)
Good luck with baby 3 and keep us posted.
Guess I’m in the minority here but I love LOVE love the matching endings. So cute, and more creative than all-sharing-the-first-letter sib sets.
My favorites are Hugo and Juno. But there is also Niko, and Romeo.
Hugo for a boy and Juno for a girl are great suggestions for continuing the ends-in-o theme.
I love the name Lilo (LEE-lo) for a girl, but it seems…confusing in a sib-set with Milo.
Milo, Theo and Echo
Milo, Theo and Halo
Milo, Theo and Dot ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7Q4tPTLUVk
I would like to echo what some other people are saying–
1) That if you have another boy and you are CERTAIN it will be your last, then you should probably include a long-O somewhere (I don’t necessarily think it has to be the ending, but somewhere) and…
2) If you have a girl, the O isn’t a necessity, but maybe you’d want to at least stick with a shorter name. However, since boy abd girl sibling names are often different styles, I don’t think it matters as much.
Personally, I’d take eight names with me to the delivery: one O-ending name, one name that contains a long-O, one that is short but no O, and one you just plain like that doesn’t follow any pattern, for each sex. So four boy names, four girl names. That way, you can see what fits the little one and just go with your gut, like you did with Theo.
I would bring Hugo, Owen, Finn, and perhaps Archer, Felix, or Oliver as your final boy name. I would probably bring Margo or Juno, Chloe/Nola/Hope, Iris or Jane (I actually really like Jane for you) and then the wildcard could be whatever. You could use Genevieve and I don’t think it would be that weird.
Name update- baby 3 is a boy!! Loving the he names from the post still but have added Leon, Jude, Bodi and Edwin to contenders list- thoughts?
Toby! I love it.