Hello!
We are expecting our third kiddo (a boy) and cannot agree upon a name from our very limited list of ideas so far.
My husband and I are Jenny and Bryan, last name is two syllables and starts with a B. Our daughter is Elizabeth Louise (Lizzie) and our son is August Charles (Gus).
We like classic / traditional names that can be shortened to less common or punchy sounding nicknames. There is family history to both first and middle names of our first two children. In hindsight, we wished we would have not used Charles as a middle name for our first son so that this baby could be Charles (Charlie or Chas) which is a family name. We are also feeling much more pressure this time around to select a name that goes well with the sibling set and that follows the trend of going by a nickname of the given first name. Names that we have considered but that we cannot commit to or agree upon include:
Henry (nn Huck) — though Henry by itself seems so popular right now if Huck doesn’t stick and we don’t care for other nicknames for Henry such as Hank.
Ezekiel (nn Zeke) which my husband says sounds too biblical compared to our first two.
Archer (nn Archie) — perhaps too popular now with the royal family association?
Jack
We also considered Theodore (Theo) until this baby’s grandma chose that name for her cat.
Sullivan (Sully) — though we like the nickname Sully, Sullivan seems to break the mold of the more traditional sounding names of the first two.
Sidney (Sid) which my husband doesn’t care for as a boy’s name.Other family names we could consider as middle names but probably not as a first name unless we came up with an unconventional nick name would include:
Thomas
RobertThank you for your help!
Jenny B
I am interested to see if commenters will have good fresh nickname options for Thomas/Robert. I have heard of Robin as a nickname for Robert; and there’s Bertie, which is starting to sound cute again. My kids go to school with a boy nicknamed Robbie, which felt at least a little fresh to me.
I’ve been noticing a little uptick in the use of old-fashioned nicknames such as Johnny and Jimmy and Timmy and Eddie, and I wonder if any of those would work for you. Because the trend has been for kids to go by their full names, even standard nicknames such as Bobby and Tommy are starting to sound fresh again.
I think the concern about Huck (or any nickname) not sticking is a valid one: it’s wise to make sure you’d also be happy using the given name. The name Elizabeth is so popular, the popularity of Henry seems like less of a concern in this case. One thing I particularly like about Henry is that because it ends in -y as many nicknames do, it has a sound that goes with the other two names either way: Elizabeth, August, and Henry; Lizzy, Gus, and Henry.
Ezekiel does feel biblical (and much more distinctly biblical than Elizabeth, even though Elizabeth is also a biblical name); but biblical names have become so mainstream, I think it isn’t too jarring. And I think Gus and Zeke are terrific together. It does bother me a little how much the names Elizabeth and Ezekiel overlap in letters/sound/emphasis. But Lizzie, Gus, and Zeke is fabulous.
It’s hard to predict the effect of the royal family on the name Archer. I remember with previous royal babies Charlotte and George, there was a shying-away from those names: we got many letters saying “Oh no, we’d decided on Charlotte/George, but now we can’t use them!” Elizabeth, August, and Archer; Lizzie, Gus, and Archie. That’s pretty great!
I can’t tell from the letter if you want to stick to family names again this time. If not, I’ll mention a few others that came to mind.
I think Cal would go very nicely in this group. Elizabeth, August, and Calvin; Lizzie, Gus, and Cal. Or same grouping, but nickname Vinny.
Or Wes. Elizabeth, August, and Wesley. Lizzie, Gus, and Wes.
Or Ned. Elizabeth, August, and Edward; Lizzie, Gus, and Ned. Oh, or same grouping, but nickname Ted/Teddy. I like that! Lizzie, Gus, and Teddy.
Or Freddie. Elizabeth, August, and Frederick; Lizzie, Gus, and Freddie.
Or Frankie. Elizabeth, August, and Franklin; Lizzy, Gus, and Frankie.
If you continue to struggle, I suggest dropping some of your preferences. After only two children, no pattern is so established that you should feel forced to continue it. If this time there is no good nickname, or the nickname comes from initials instead of from the first name, or the name is less traditional or the nickname is less punchy—all of those things are fine, and not startling or unusual.
Jasper Thomas nn Jack. Lizzie, Gus and Jack.
I’m here to comment Alfred! Has so many nicknames such as Al, Red, Freddie!
From your list, Henry is my favorite. You mentioned not liking Hank, would you consider Harry or Hal as nicknames? Though I agree that Henry works fine without a nickname with Lizzie and Gus. My second favorite from your list is Theodore. Honestly, the cat won’t be around forever. Or perhaps there is a chance you could convince the grandmother to change the cats name? I realize that would mean revealing names you are considering and maybe you’d prefer not to do that. Is the cat actually called Theodore? If so, and your son is always called Teddy or Theo-it seems like it could work.
Would you consider Tam for Thomas?
I think at this point your should try ranking your preferences. What’s most important to you? Family name? Nickname? Popularity? Not sharing with a cat? It may be that you only land on the perfect name once you’ve given something up.
The best way to get a nickname to stick is to use it with outsiders as much as possible. Put it in parenthesis after the full name on the birth announcement. Introduce him by his nickname to everyone..
You could go with Robert Thomas and use the nickname R.T. or Artie.
Another nickname name I like for Robert is Bert or ,Swistle’s suggestion of, Bertie.
Lizzie, Gus, and Bert or Lizzie, Gus, and Bertie.
If you wanted to reverse the names and go with Thomas Robert, you could go with the nickname Thor. Lizzie, Gus and Thor.
Since you both like the nickname Sully, what what do you think of Sammy. Elizabeth, August, and Samuel. Lizzie, Gus, and Sammy (or Sam, which I like better with Gus).
Thomas Robert nn Thor is genius!
Elizabeth, August, and Samson
Lizzie, Gus, and Sam
I’m in the unique position of having a baby named Ezekiel Thomas…. our last name also starts with a B. We call him Zeke/ Zeekers and we got so much monogrammed with his name and gifted to us. Including one charming layette set that has “Zeke Thomas” all over it. Im not going to keep all this baby gear and yet what do you do with something this specific? So. If you pick that name let me know and your 3rd child will feel very treasured with lots of clothing loving monogrammed for him. 😂 Our second son is named Peter, which is an underused traditional name with the adorable nickname of Pete in case that appeals to you more. Sadly that name was decided after birth and he has nothing with his name of it
As someone with a Charles August, I feel uniquely qualified to chime in here. I get weird royal family comments with a Margaret and Charles so maybe that makes you feel better about not having saved Elizabeth and Charles.
Samuel – Sam. Sammy. Lizzie, Gus, and Sam. Elizabeth, August, and Samuel. I love this most.
Joseph – Joe, Joey, Jep – Lizzie, Gus and Jep. Elizabeth, August, and Joseph. (Maybe a little biblical between Elizabeth and Joseph?)
Thomas nn Trip – Lizzie Gus and Trip. Elizabeth, August, and Thomas.
Elizabeth/Lizzie and August/Gus are such sunny, friendly names! I am also someone who likes sibling names to coordinate in terms of style, but I don’t think the names you’re considering are too far afield at all. A slightly more modern-sounding like Sullivan, a slightly more biblical name like Ezekiel or a non-nicknamed Henry would fit beautifully with your set.
A few suggestions for the full-name-with-snappy-nickname approach:
Nathaniel – Nat
Graham – Gray
Jeremiah – Remy
Nicholas – Cole
Beckett – Beck
I like all of these with a middle name of Robert and all but the last two with Thomas (Nicholas is a little repetitive and Beckett is a little … saintly.)
I agree with the previous poster that Theodore might still be workable if your baby will mostly go by a nickname. I love the nickname Teddy and think it’s adorable with the other two. If you don’t feel like you can get away with Theodore (or want to), I think Edward is another great choice and gives you the option of Teddy, Ted or Ned. I think Thomas would also be nice and I know of one person who goes by the nickname Massey. I have always been charmed by the nickname Bertie and Robert is a great option for this!
My outside-the-box nicknames choice for Thomas is Mo. It’s there! Don’t you see it? Lizzie, Gus and Mo is fabulous.
I love Mo!
I love the name Nathaniel in any context. Elizabeth, August and Nathaniel. Lizzie, Gus and Nate. <3
Alexander. Repeats an initial, but you can call him Xander/Xan or Zander/Zan.
Zachary. Lizzie, Gus and Zack.
Xavier. Lizzie, Gus and Xave/Zave.
LOL I have an August Charles (Gus) and a Theodore Robert (Theo) and my husband’s name is Robert (he has gone by Bobby, Bob, and Rob over the years), so this question is IN MY WHEELHOUSE!
I mean honestly, if Theo is your favorite, that is what you use, because the kids will probably love the cat connection and…the cat won’t be around forever.
But here are other names from our short list:
Frederick nn Fritz. Lizzie, Gus, and Fritz!!! FRITZZZZZZZZZZZ
Oscar. Nicknames aren’t leaping to mind but it’s great with the set.
Ezra. Same.
Arthur nn Artie
Albert nn Bert/Bertie
Clark
Hugo nn Huey
Walter nn Wallie
Ozzie! Ozzie is SO cute as a nickname for Oscar.
I have a second cousin Robert who goes by Bird. It is adorable, and a pretty traditional nickname for Robert. I have a Robert who uses his full name. I didn’t love the name Robert when I used it, but it has definitely grown to be one of my two favorite names.
(Sorry if these are repeats.. didn’t read every comment above :)
Timothy nn Otie is my favvvv
Jacob nn Cobie
Walter nn Wally
Richard nn Ricky
Dennis nn Denny
Peter nn Perry (love!)
Rafael nn Rafa (this is Alec & Hilaria Baldwin’s son and I love it!)
Frederick nn Ricky or Derry? Or Frey?? Red? Fox?
Francis nn Frank (LOVE)
Franklin nn Frank
Herbert nn Bert or Heb
Filip/Philip nn Flip
Michael nn Mick or Mickey
Grover nn Groves
Oscar nn Carey
Martin nn Marty
Raymond nn Ray, Ray-Ray, Remy
Jeremiah nn Remy (wanted to use this myself but my husband wouldn’t let me since it’s a distant cousin’s name)
Patrick nn Paddy or Ricky or Perry
Andrew nn Drew may feel fresh at this point?
Curtis nn Curt
Gordon nn Gordie (heart eyes!!)
I have an August (Gus) and our Dog’s name is Sullivan (Sully), clearly I love your taste in names!
I wouldn’t worry too much about the nickname not “sticking” as it sounds like Gus and Lizzie have stuck which is an intentional choice as they aren’t just a shortened name to the first syllable (Ben from Benjamin for example).
My favourite from your list is Henry to Hank, but I like Frederick to Freddie too (that’s a contender for our next!)
I have three suggestions:
1. Henry but use the nickname Hal. I’m biased because we *very* nearly went with it for our son and if we ever had another baby boy he’d almost certainly be a Hal.
2. My actual son’s name 😂 – he’s Nathaniel, but always Nat – would you consider Nathaniel or Nathan? Lizzie, Gus and Nat! Nate would also work?
3. Use Edward, but Ted or Teddy for short rather than Ned. If you can’t use Theodore then Ted is the closest thing?
Old timely nicknames are my jam and NED is top of my list!
Edward/Ned
Chester/Chet (or Chas)
Andrew/Drew
Harold/Hal
Philip/Flip
Isaac/Ike
Leonard/Leo
Pardon any repeats; I just scrolled to the bottom to comment before reading.
Robert. Nickname Hob/Hobbs
Matthew. Nickname Hew
Andrew. Nickname Anders
Philip. Nickname Pip
Kristopher. Nickname Kip
Peter. Nickname Rocky
Jonathan. Nickname Jones
James. Nickname Jim’s
Bartholomew. Nicknames Tolo, Bart, Bo
Congrats and best wishes!
I think the name Robert Thomas R.T. Artie is awesome. I feeling initial nicknames are due for a resurgence.
I also second Hal for Henry
One of the names we considered for my son was Thomas James and we were going to call him Thomas Jay
I also like the nickname Fritz. But don’t know if it would have a family connection.
I find with nicknames if you want them to stick the parents have to be all in on the nickname. Seems like you have done this twice so I don’t know if I would worry so much about Huck not staying unless you are not 100% sold.
I also wouldn’t worry about the royal connection.
How about Edmund, nn Ted or Teddy?
Also, I think you should reconsider using Charles. My cousin has two sons, and the youngest’s first name is the oldest’s middle name. There has never been an issue with the boys regarding this and I doubt they’ve even given it a second thought.
How about Wallace with a nn of Ace? Otherwise I think you can use Charles again? I also like the suggestion of Robert Thomas with a nickname of Artie!
You have lots of great options, good luck with the choice!
Why is no one using Bo as a nickname for Robert? To me, it seems perfectly legitimate and SO cute. Lizzie, Gus, & Bo? I really want you to use it!
This!!! I immediately thought Bo too! Lizzie, Gus and Bo are perfect!!
I also thought of Solomon instead of Sullivan which you characterize as not traditional enough. Can’t get more traditional than Solomon, and you still end up at Sol/Solly.
Thomas nn Trip (or Trey for that matter) is great. He is the third child, so it does substantiate the three reference too.
What about Walter, nn Walt. Is it still too Disney? I feel like Walter is due his return.
Oscar nn Ozzie is pretty awesome too. Lizzie, Gus and Ozzie. I love the s/z repetition.
Best of luck!
Ooh thought of two more possible Robert nns. Bruce or Rex. I know. Not intuitively from Robert but they would work.
Lizzie, Gus, and Bruce.
Lizzie, Gus and Rex.
I’ve always loved Kit as a nickname for Christopher. I think both names fit your style!
Another vote for Bo or Bowe for Robert.
I really like the name Tom as a nickname for Thomas and think it sounds fresh even though it’s an older traditional nickname.
I’m reading a book on American history and was struck by how Grove would be the cutest nickname for Grover.
I like Henry, Ezekiel, and Archer for you. Theodore, too, if you can get over the cat association. (How far away does the grandmother live? Will you see the cat a lot? And not to be morbid, but is it a young cat?)
How about Christopher (nickname Topher)? Or Alexander (nickname Sasha or Xander)?
Walter-Walt
Rupert- Rue
Barnaby-Barnes (I know a 19 year old named Barnes and it fit so well as a child, teen, and now)
Oscar-Ozzie
I feel like an Ansel could almost be called Sully. The sounds are SO close.
Of your choices my favorite Zeke, short for Ezekiel. I quite like it with the sibset. Other favorites:
Zachary nn Zach
Jeremy or Jerome nn Jem
Henry nn Hal
Christopher nn Kit
Nicholas nn Cole
Alexander nn Sandy
Samuel nn Sam
In Ireland a common nickname for Thomas is Mossy. Its just perfect, I think.
I like your options a lot! Especially Henry and Archer (totally fine re the royal connection in my opinion). I also wanted to suggest Asher, Ezra, Gilbert, Stuart (Stu!!), Winston, and Ben.
I actually like your first three options a lot:
Henry (nn Huck)
Ezekiel (nn Zeke)
Archer (nn Archie)
If you are worried about the royal association with Archer (nn Archie), perhaps Arthur (nn Artie) is a close option? It also puts a literary and classical spin on the whole sibling set: Elizabeth, August and Arthur… Lizzie, Gus, and Artie.
Jack is a cool name on its own or could be the nickname for a longer option: John, James, Jackson, Jacques, Jacob… For example: Elizabeth, August, and James. Lizzie, Gus, and Jack.
Alas, I LOVE Theodore, too, but the cat association kind of makes it unusable.
I’m not feeling Sullivan (Sully) and Sidney (Sid), though. I think immediately about Monster’s Inc. with the first and either Toy Story or Ice Age when I hear the second.
Circling back to Henry with the nickname Hank. You can force the nickname with a little bit of effort. Our youngest (and third boy) is Jeremy nn Remy. I just kept introducing him: “This is Jeremy but we call him Remy.” and then intentionally used “Remy” during in-person conversations and FB posts until everyone… even his very stubborn great-grandma, could not help but call him Remy, too. Remy fits him so well that sometimes I forget his full name is Jeremy. He is almost 10-months and only responds to Remy.
I have a Thomas and his nickname is Thomo/Tomo (long o, spelling depends on the person lol) …