Here is the game we are playing:
We are going to pretend that we are naming a baby and that the name MUST start with a certain letter, and so we will need one name starting with that letter for a boy and one name starting with that letter for a girl, or else one name that would work for either, EVEN IF we don’t like any of the names that start with that letter enough to Actually In Real Life choose them. It is just a game where we place artificial restrictions on reality in order to create the kind of tension that makes games fun—like when you have to choose what foods you’d eat if you could only eat three foods for the rest of your life: the fun is in thinking it over AS IF it were a real forced decision, while KNOWING it is not. There is a baby! It MUST be given a name with a particular letter! That is the game.
After that basic concept, we can decide our own sub-rules, based on what makes the game fun and not stressful. Some examples:
• I’m not planning to play that the name has to fit with the names of my other children or with the surname, though this would be an option for anyone who would LIKE to play it that way; I think I will have more fun if I pretend it is a stand-alone baby and that the surname is not an issue, though I may change my mind as we go. (And if I narrow it down to a few options and can’t decide, I might use siblings/surname as a tie-breaker.)
• It is also fine to narrow it down to a few finalists without getting to The One Name.
• The boy name and girl name don’t have to work TOGETHER: we are only naming ONE baby, so you’d only use one or the other. But you MAY play that the names have to work together, if that’s more fun.
• It is fine to wave aside issues such as a friend who already used that name, a famous person with the name, etc., if that makes it more fun and less stressful to choose. This is just pretend, so you can pretend that those things aren’t issues if you want to. (Or you can let the issues stand as they are in real life, if THAT is more fun.)
• We can also all make our own decisions about whether the names have to be ones we think we’d ACTUALLY USE in that hypothetical scenario, or just our FAVORITE names starting with that letter, regardless of whether we think the names are practical; I am not sure which way I will play it, and I likely won’t be consistent.
• If you already have a child with a name starting with the letter we’re working on, you get to pick again from all the names that remain; you don’t have to choose your child’s name as your favorite just because it WAS your favorite: this is a FRESH baby, and you wouldn’t give it the same name as your existing child. (If you would normally prefer not to repeat an initial within a sibling group, you can just pretend that’s NOT a preference for the sake of the game.)
• You can do as much or as little explanation as you like in your comment: you can just list the names you chose, or you can explain your process/preferences/reasoning/runners-up, or whatever is most fun.
Today’s letter is N. I like the name Nadia, but I have a bad association with it that takes it out of the running for me. I like Noelle. I like Naomi. I like Nell, but would want to use it as a nickname instead of as a given name. Maybe Nora? I think I’d choose Nora.
For a boy, I’d thought it would be easy: Nicholas. I had a favorite cat named Nicholas when I was a child, and I had a very positive reaction to the name when I encountered it awhile back on a new baby: I thought “NICHOLAS! I’d forgotten the name Nicholas!” But I’m not enthusiastic about the nicknames Nick/Cole, so I also considered Nolan. I think in the end I’d choose Nicholas. I went so far as to ask Paul which of the two names he preferred, and he picked Nicholas.
Now you! If you want to! Only if it’s fun and not stressful! Feel free to adjust the game-play to be fun and not stressful!
Boy: Nash
Girl: Nara
I have been waiting for N! I have one N name for a girl that I adore and several for boys.
Nicholas has been a longtime favorite, I even like the nn Nick. So many good Nicks, a wonderful, solid name. I also love love love Nathan and nn Nate. So good. My other short, one syllable favorite is Neil. I can see Neil fitting so many different boys/men and it’s less utilized. My heart says Neil!
For girls, I like some of the trendy popular options like Nora and Noelle…but my heart sings for Nadine! It’s such a solid name that is underutilized.
So, Neil and Nadine!
N – (f) Nadine, (m) Neil
O – (f) Odette, (m) Oliver
P – (f) Pia, (m) Parson
Q – (f) Quincy, (m) Quaid
R – (f) Ramona, (m) Roger
S – (f) Susanna, (m) Sullivan
T – (f) Thora, (m) Tatum
U – (f) Uma, (m) Umber
V – (f) Virginia, (m) Vaughn
W – (f) Whitney, (m) Wade
X – (f) Xaida, (m) Xander
Y – (f) Yardley, (m) York
Z – (f) Zoe, (m) Zachary
I’ve always loved Nell for a girl. For a boy my favorite is Niall.
Girl’s name is easy: Nora.
I have a harder time with the boy’s name. I was originally going to say Newton, which is not at all my usual style, but the best one I could find. Also like Neville, Nash, and Norbert, but none of them seem quite right.
I guess I’ll go with Nicholas, not because I’m crazy about, but because I like Nico and would want a full name to go with it.
There are a number of N names that I really like.
For boys, I would consider Noah if it weren’t so popular. I do like Nolan as an alternative. I also like Neil and Niles. However, I think I would pick Nathan. I like both the full name and Nate as a nickname.
For girls, I like Natalie, Nora, Nancy, and Noelle. I would, however, probably go with Nina.
Niles! I forgot about Niles. makes me think of Frasier, but I still love it!
I’m not super excited about any N girl names, but the one that came to mind for this game was Natasha. I think it’s pretty, and it hits that sweet spot of “not too common, but familiar and easy to spell/pronounce.”
For a boy, I’d definitely go with Nicholas, nn Nick. I’ve always liked the name, and John Cusack’s speech in “The Sure Thing” seals the deal for me: “Nick’s your buddy! Nick’s the kind of guy you can trust, the kind of guy you can drink a beer with. The kind of guy who doesn’t mind if you puke in his car! Nick!”
I agree that Natasha is right in that sweet spot.
Nolan was my first thought too so I’ll stick with it. I like the name Nan so I’d go with Nannette for a girl.
So this might be an unpopular name rn, but I think I would seriously consider Nanette, nn Nan. It’s my mom’s middle name, and I really like Nan as an everyday name. Singlehandedly bringing this oldie back!
For a boy, I think either Neville or Nathaniel, nn Nat.
Hands down the classic Natalie for a girl. For a boy we considered Neo as a middle for my boys so that’s what I’ll go with.
For girls I like Nalani, Natasha, Noelle and Neve.
For boys I like Nathaniel, Nikolas and I really like Nikko on its own.
First picks are:
G – Nalani
B – Nikko
Nicholas nicknamed Cole, easy peasy. For a girl I love Nicola. Which begs the twin question…I love Nicholas and Nina as names and as saints, but I don’t love any other N names for boys. Nina and Nicholas is so great it is nearly becoming my Official Choice, but I love the ratatat rhythm of Nicola too much to give it up.
N: Nicola or Nicholas
O: Octavia and Oliver
P: Paulina or Paul
Q: Quartz and Quentin
R: Rosa and Raphael
S: Sylvie and Samuel
T: Theodora and Timothy
U: Una and Ulysses
V: Vera and Valerian
W: Willa and Walter
X: Xenia and Xavier
Y: Yvaine and Yves
Z: Zinnia and Zachary
Boys are easy: I have a son named Nico, so that’s what I’d pick.
Girls: Noemi, the Italian form of Naomi. Or Nadia. Probably Nadia if I know myself. I like Noemi in theory but Nadia has been a childhood favorite with positive associations.
I used to know a family with a baby Nicola. The cuteness of the name and the baby have always stuck with me. I think I will go with Nica, which was her nickname and means “true image”.
For a boy, I will go with Nolan. The sound is pleasing and for me, it falls pretty high on the freshness scale.
girl: Nica
boy: Nolan
My sister’s name is Nica, short for Nicola! She’s the only one I’ve heard of. (I’ve met other people named Nica/Nika but it was either a stand-alone name or short for Veronica.)
It is a truly uncommon name! The one I knew as a baby would be around 30 years old now and I’ve never met another one in all those years.
My sister is 30… you’re not from Massachusetts by any chance, are you??
For a girl, I’ll go with Nola.
For a boy, I’ve loved Nathaniel forever. I didn’t use it because one of my high school age first cousins is named it but goes by Nathan. I kind of regret not using it for my son but I think his given name fits him better.
Hmm, I found N surprisingly hard.
I love Noah, despite its popularity, but I’m struggling with a girl’s name. Usually it’s the other way around.
I might go Noa for a girl then and Nathaniel for a boy.
I have a Noah (10) and he’s the only male Noah in his grade & we don’t know any others. There is a girl Noa in his grade & they’ve been classmates before. Unfortunately Noah & Noa both have the same last initial so it became a Noa the girl, Noah the boy situation when they were in the same class.
My niece is Nadia and I really like it, or Natalie. Nora/Norah is very popular where I live. My son had 4 in his class of 16!
For girls, I had a hard time coming up with options until reading others comments. I do like Nell and Nan. But I’m picking Naomi.
For boys, I like Nash, Nolan, Nico, Nate and Nathaniel (but not Nathan). But I almost-instantly thought of 2 other N names that love and am torn between. Nigel and Neil. Neil is a bit more familiar and a bit more in-line with my actual baby names (single syllable, familiar but not popular, book-ish) but Nigel just makes me happy.
In looking back at my other picks, it turns out I almost always have trouble selecting just ONE name. LOL
N:(f)Naomi – (m)Nigel or Neil
O:(f)Olivia – (m)Orion
P:(f)Penelope(Poppy) – (m)Porter
PH:(f)Phoebe – (m)Phillip
Q:(f or m)Quimby
R:(f)Ruth – (m)Russell or Rhett
S:(f)Simone or Sierra – (m)Seth
T:(f)Tessa/Tess – (m)Tucker
U:(f)Ula – (m)Umberton
V:(f)Viola or Vivian – (m)Vaughn
W:(f)Wynn – (m)Webb or Whit
X:(f)Xanthe – (m)Xavier
Y:(f)Yara – (m)York
Z:(f)Zella – (m)Zeke
TL:DR– Neela, Norman
I love the N name options! For a girl, I do really love the Naomi, and in real life that is almost certainly what I would choose. It checks all of my boxes. But I have a bunch of other N favorites that are really outliers for my style, and which I think I would choose for this game. I like the name Nandini, which is cute and lovely. I also really really love the Neela, which is my choice. An upside would be that it is familiar in India, which I do try to look for.
For boys, I love the name Nathan, but I feel that I would end up singing at him all the time (Good old reliable Nathan, Nathan, Nathan Detriot.) I know that it seems like it would get old, but I am now more than 40, and I still think it anytime someone is introduced as Nathan, so it might not change. I like the name Neil, but I have a relative who I probably don’t want to honor named Neil. I strongly considered giving my son the name Norman, which is an underused classic. I think I would go with that.
so glad to know I’m not the only one who sings Guys&Dolls every time someone is introduced as Nathan! LOL I used to have a grandboss (Boss’s boss) whose name was Nathan. And it took me YEARS to not sing his name in my head all the time.
I love the “Guys and Dolls” association — it makes me love the name Nathan more! Thinking of the song every time I heard the name would be a positive for me, not a negative. :)
My problem would not be for me, as I also think it is a good association, but rather I am concerned my hypothetical son would disown me after the first couple years.
There are so many N names I love!
For boys I love Nolan and would seriously consider using it for a future son. I also love Nathaniel and Nathan along with nicknames Nat and Nate. Nash is fun too.
For girls, I would seriously consider Natalie (nickname Nat) for a future daughter. I love Norah as well as it’s a family name. Noelle is beautiful and Nadine is pretty and underused as well.
I was going to say I don’t really like N names, but we have a son Knox and I love it, so I do like the sound of an N name, I guess!
Girl: Naomi
Boy: Nolan
I love, love, love Naomi, so that’s an easy choice.
The boy’s name is harder. I like the names Miles so you think that I would like Niles, but I don’t. I think I’m going to go with Nash.
beeejet – I forgot about Nigel! It’s GREAT! I think my choice is still Neil, but Nigel is a close second! I always loved Nigel Barker on America’s Next Top Model back in the day!
Naomi for a girl – a long time favorite that didn’t end up being used. Nathaniel for a boy, nickname Nate, though I was tempted by Nigel.
N: Naomi and Nathaniel
O: Ophelia and Owen
P: Pippa and Peter
Q: Quinn and Quill
R: Rosalie and Roan
S: Susanna and Simon
T: Tessa and Thaddeus
U: Umbria and Urban
V: Vera and Valerian
W: Wren and West
X: Xymeria and Xavier
Y: Ysabel and Yarrow
Z: Zelie and Zebulon
N is great!
For boys, I love Nathan, Nathaniel, Noble, Nolan, Nash
For girls, I’m digging Naomi, Nancy, Nell, Nuala, Natasha
Final say: Nathan and Naomi
N: Naomi, Nathan
O: Olwen, Owen
P: Pippa, Patrick
Q: Quinn, Quincy
R: Rose, Roscoe
S: Susanna, Seamus
T: Tess, Thaddeus
U: Uma, Ulysses
V: Violet, Valentine
W: Willa, Walter
X: Xanthe, Xavier
Y: Yvette, Yeats
Z: Zadie, Zev
For N I have two favorite girl names that have similar pronunciation issues: Naomi and Nadine. And my issue is that with both I cannot PERSONALLY pronounce them consistently the same way. I find myself equally saying “Nay-oh-mee” and “Nye-oh-mee”, and I am not totally sure which version is the PRIMARY pronunciation, and I’m not sure which one I prefer. But I love the name and I love the meaning.
Nadine is a family name (beloved great-aunt), and her name was “Nay-deen” (nickname Deenie), and that is my preferred pronunciation, but I feel like this name is equally pronounced “Nuh-deen” and….I don’t like that. I think Naomi is the name I prefer if I could decide how it was pronounced (which pronunciation is the standard pronunciation??), but I do LOVE a family name. Ooh I don’t know. Nadine! Final answer.
For a boy I am less enthusiastic (a general theme with naming preferences), but I quite like Neil.
N: Neil & Nadine (strong second place Naomi)
O: Oscar & Opal
P: Patrick & Paloma (close seconds are Peter & Pearl)
Q: Quinn (for either, because I already have a Quentin)
R: Robert & Ruth (special shout out to Ramona)
S: Sawyer & Sylvie
T: Toby & Tabitha
U: Uriel & Una
V: Vincent & Veronica
W: Walter & Winonah (honorable mention to Warren)
X: Xavier & Xia
Y: Yusef & Yolanda
Z: Zachary & Zelda (but upon reflection I think maybe Zinnia)
I say Naomi both ways, but I’ve only ever heard Nadine as nay-deen.
I say Naomi only as Nay-Oh-Mee and Nadine only as Nay-deen.
My daughter is Margaret Naomi and has always gone by Naomi it home. (Margaret at school only). And for some who, y’know participates in baby-naming fora, it’s a little surprising that I don’t have a pronunciation preference, nor have I settled into one consistent pronunciation. My husband is pretty consistent with NyOmi.
I love to see the love for Nanette – I know an adult one and she’s a beautiful soul. Over the past two years in my larger circle, I’ve known of three Ninas and two Novas born otherwise they would be contenders. I have the same issue as JennyGrace re: Naomi. A lot of my GP girl names are N names – Noor (!!), Nixie, Neely, Noemi, Novalee.
G: Nell (I don’t mind the nicknameyness of it as my youngest has a nickname-name on paper)
B: Nelson called Sonny (this was the first time since the ‘hard’ letters that I’ve had a challenge finding anything I remotely love for boy names)
N is a surprisingly hard one for me. Not a lot of my favorites start with N. I do like Nuala, but prefer Fionnuala, nicknamed Nuala. I love Nell but would probably chose Helen, nicknamed Nell. Hmmmm… I also like Nora and Nina, and I like both as stand-alone names. I might chose Nina!
For a boy I’m going to choose Nathaniel nicknamed Nat. I also like Nigel- such a nice name- but it is so strongly associated with a specific person I know in real life that I could never ever use it.
Nicolas (Nico) and Nora
Nicholas for a boy – easy-peasy. He’s been my favorite boy name since as long as I can remember (although lately I’ve been more into Sebastian), and Nick/Nico are the best nicknames ever, IMO.
I’m not sure about a girl. Natalie is out because my cousin used it for his daughter, so probably Nadia or Naomi. It’s tough to choose… Nadia?
Nicholas and Sebastian would make great brother names! Nick and Seb — so cute!
I think N might be my favorite letter! I love Nell/Nellie, Nora/Norah, Nola, Nathan/Nathaniel, Nolan, Nigel…
But my hands-down favorites are Nelson and Naomi.
Natalie has been a lifelong favorite name. And I have a daughter who is born within 2 days of Christmas! It could have been perfect. But alas, my husband doesn’t like Natalie. So I’ll pick it here.
For a boy. Hmmm. There aren’t any N boy names that I have especially strong feelings about. Nolan is cute. But I think I like Norris.
Natalie and Norris.
I actually have two kids with N names of very different styles, because three years ago my youngest started using a chosen name. (In my secret heart of hearts I keep wishing for a return to the old name, but it’s not looking likely any time soon, if ever.)
If I were adding another N name to the mix I don’t think I’d even try to bridge the style gap. I’d just go with something I like that doesn’t sound TOO close to either existing name. (Nora and Nolan would be ruled out for this reason.) Nicholas and Naomi, I think. Or maybe Nathaniel and Naomi.
So many good N names!
I like Nico for any gender, but my sister’s name is Nica, so that might rule it out.
I also like Nathan, but wouldn’t use it because it’s my dad’s middle name (and I don’t like Nate at all). I do like Nathaniel and Natan. And Naphtali/Naftali. I guess I’d pick Nathaniel.
Naomi is probably my favorite girls’ N name, and one of my all-time favorite names period. But, I have a strong association with someone I grew up with, so I’m picking Nadia instead. (I don’t think I’ve ever actually met a Nadia.) I’d still use Naomi for a middle.
Runners-up: Nia, Naya, Nayeli, Norah, Noor, Natalie, Natalia
N: Nadia, Nathaniel
O: Ocean
P: Patrick, Pearl
Q: Quill, Quiara
R: Ramona, Raphael, River
S: Simone, Sylvan, Sage
T: Talia, Theodore
U: Uma, Uriah
V: Vanessa, Vaughn
W: Wednesday, Wade
X: Xiomara, Xavier
Y: Yvonne, Yonatan, Yael
Z: Zora, Zayn
I do like Norah for a girl, it was on our list. Or maybe Nanette (Nanette’s Baguette!), or is that too cutesy/nicknamey? I like Noam for a boy, he’s Noah’s reclusive cousin.
N is a good one!
Girl: Nora or Natalie. Past favorites: Nadia, Natalia, Natasha, Nastassja, Noelle
Boy: Noam after Noam Chomsky. My husband x-nayed this one for our kids, unfortunately. Noel is a second.
I love Nicholas – don’t think I could actually use it because I don’t care for Nick and wouldn’t want to fight that battle every day, but it is a lovely name. For a girl, it’s a toss up between Natalia and Nina.
Nicholas & Natalia.
Nathan and Naomi.
If I had a baby girl born in December, though, she would be Noelle.
Interesting how some names are associated with occasions like Christmas, such as Noella. I often wonder when I meet a Summer or June – what if they were born in November or something like that! Like perhaps the parent just liked the name and went with it regardless of whether or not it fit.
Hands-down favorites (names that make my heart beat faster): Nuala for a girl, Nathaniel for a boy. If Nuala came with a twin sister, I’d name her Fiona.
As I read the comments, I found myself attracted to Nico, Nigel, and Noelle.
Well, I have a Norah but for the sake of this exercise, I’m going to nix it even though I love Nora/Norah.
Girl: Nell
Boy: Nolan
Runners-Ups:
Nadine, Nancy, Naomi, Nina
Nathaniel
Nina and Nathan!
If I have another girl, I think she will be a Nina. Unfortunately Nathan was nixed by my husband for our first son, so I don’t think it would stand a chance if we have another boy.
All this Naomi talk is making me reconsider Naomi though!
Nina! My heart sings a little whenever I hear it.
Girl: Nova
Boy: Nico
I like Nate and considered it for one of my sons, but don’t love Nathan or Nathaniel. Recently the name Nash has grown on me, so I’d pick that!
For a girl I pick Naomi. I love nicknames though so I’d want to think of some cute ones for Naomi since there’s not any obvious ones
I knew a Naomi who everyone called Nomo. Not obvious but suited her really well!
For anybody seriously considering Nolan, it’s my husbands name and while I love it, I cannot even count the amount of times somebody has thought I said “No one”. Such as “No one’s coming to pick me up”, “No one will be there” etc. Not a deal breaker, but I think the people should know!
I would pick Nola for a girl and Nigel for a boy.
Very easy one for me, I’d use Niv (Hebrew name, rhymes with Eve) for any gender. Would consider the spelling Neve for a girl. I love it but it was vetoed by for both kids.
Also love so many of your choices!
For a girl- Natalie, Nellie or Nore (we honeymooned by River Nore in Ireland, so it’s been on my list as a middle name. For boys, I don’t love any of them- I think I’d go with Nolan.
Nolan and Nore.
Naia and Nicholas
I love Natasha and Natalia, but mostly because I love Tash and Talia as nicknames. So I’m going in a whole different direction and trying to decide between Naomi and Noemi. I think for the game, I’m going with Noemi.
Nicholas is one of my all time favorite names, and I can go with Nico.
N: Noemi, Nicholas
O: Ofelia, Owen
P. Pippa, Paola
Q: Quinn, Quentin
R: Rory, Rodrigo
S: Serafina, Simon
T: Tessa, Thomas
U: Uma, Ulve
V: Verda, Valentin
W: Willamina, William
X: Xochitl, Xavier
Y: Yara, Yvegeny
Z: Zelda, Zebediah
Nolan for a boy.
Natalie, Nella, or Norah for a girl (would depend on the circumstances).
For a boy, easy. Niven (a Scottish name meaning Little Saint).
Maybe Niven Felix or Niven Mathis.
For a girl, much, much harder. There isn’t really any N names that I love. I like Nell, but only as a nickname for Anneliese. I like Neve, but only as a nickname for Geneva. There’s Niamh, but I’m not remotely Irish so it doesn’t feel right.
Maybe November nn Emmy if I was feeling brave, but probably not. More likely Noelle.
Noelle Ariana.
November! I hadn’t thought of that but really like it.
Girl- Neve (but I also love Nora)
Boy- Noah
Nell and Ned!
I would probably only use them as nicknames IRL but I love them both more than any other N names. I met a young man named Ned recently and got a thrill when I heard his name. But I could never actually use it because I have a Frederick nicknamed Freddie/Fred.
Nora and Ned
This is a tricky one for me. For boys I was stuck with several I don’t particularly like but don’t actively dislike, including Nicanor (nice but too fantastical for me in real life), Nye (I like the look and sound but don’t like that it’s a nickname), even Neville which is at least a family name although I don’t really like it. But then I met a family on our street with a little boy called Nova and that was a real wow moment, would never have thought of it but I think it’s great! So Nova for a boy.
For a girl I’ve always liked Niobe (rhymes with Hermione) but it’s too much for real life. Ditto Nimue. But everything else is leaving me uninspired. Nessa is ok but I’m not loving it. I also kind of like November, not like my normal style at all but something about it is appealing!
In the end I think I will go for Niobe.
Niobe and Nova
Odette and Orson
Petra and Pascal
Quilla and Quincy
Rhiannon and Ranulph
Sorrel and Sorley
Tarn (changed my mind) and Tallis
Undine and Unwin
Vale (changed my mind) and Vaughan
Winifred and Woodrow
Xanthe and Xanti
Yvonne and Yves
Zelda and Zigmund ‘Ziggy’
I already have a Nathaniel, nn Nat. And I LOVE it and have no regrets, so I’ll stick with that.
My girls choice would be Nina. My much loved, so-sad I’ll never get to use it girls name, the one that got away, is Nina Beatrice. Although Nell comes a close second!
There are several lovely “n” names on my girls’ list, but I think I was thinking of them all as middles, names like Niamh, Noelani, Noelia, Nimue, and Noemi. It would be harder to choose a first. I love Naomi, but it’s a little too popular, and I also have the issue with pronouncing it two different ways. The modern pronunciation of Nina rhymes with my name, so that’s out. I love Nora but would use it as a nickname for Leonora, so I won’t count it for the letter “n.” I would consider Nadezhda with the Nadia diminutive, and I would also consider Naida if I could get people to pronounce it with three syllables. Or possibly Nereida. In the end, I think I would probably choose Naiara because I could shorten it to either Naia or Nara.
I had a huge problem with “n” names when I was naming my son because there are several I love, but…
— Nolan was too popular,
— Noam is almost Noah and almost as hard to hear with the word “no” (“No, Noam!”),
— Nathaniel (nicknamed Nat) is probably my all-time favorite boy name but didn’t feel fresh anymore,
— and then there was the Nicholas problem.
Nicholas was my Greek grandfather’s name, and according to tradition, he should have had grandsons named after him but none of his children followed the tradition. So I thought that I might follow it with a great-grandson and use my favorite nicknames Niko or Cole/Kole because I can’t stand Nick. I also wanted to tweak it just a little because Nicholas is/has been so popular. So, maybe the original Greek Nikolaos or the Russian Nikolai (which would also give me the much-loved Kolya diminutive)? Did I dare name a child Nicholson? Could I give up Cole/Kole and use a Greek name beginning with the same root that I liked better than Nicholas — Nicanor, Nicander? Nicodemus was a near-legendary cat that my mother had before I was born, so I nixed it. Nicabar was cool too, but not Greek. Then, my aunt pointed out that my cousin had named his daughter Nicole, so there was already a great-grandchild with the honor name, and my son’s father vetoed the front-runner Nikolai. So I gave it all up, and now my son has a “z” name.
But if I were picking by myself for a new child, I would meet the child and then choose among Nathaniel, Nikolai (Niko, Kole, Kolya), and Nicander/Nikander (Niko, Anders).
Well, except Nikolai would now have the same long “i” ending as my son’s name, so it would be out IRL.
N for a girl is easy for me. I chose Nina if my oldest was a girl. Alas, he was not. It is a family name and although she pronounced it Nine-a. I would pronounce it Nee-na.
For a boy, I would probably go with Noah.
Ophelia (nn Phee), Oliver (nn Ollie)
Piper, Porter
Quinn
Ruby, Rafe
Seraphina (nn Phee), Sawyer
Tallulah (nn Lulu), Tyler
Urla, Ulric
Vashti, Varden
Willow, Winter
Xiomara, Xavier
Yara, Yates
Zola, Zachary
It’s not my heritage but Nabila is so beautiful! I just love saying it.
Nerissa is fun. I recently met a baby Nyx which is memorable. I guess my final girl pick would be Nadia cause it’s more in line with my actual heritage, but it’s not a strong favorite.
For boys, Nash is cute but too country. Nico is dashing, and I do like Nigel. Nickleby has the literary reference, and could be a more unusual way to get to Nick.
Maybe I’ll stay on the Slavic theme and use Nadia and Nikolai.
Natalie and Nolan
Natalie & Nolan
Olwen & Oleander
Persephone & Phineas
Quinn & Quinlan
Reese & Ronan
Sela & Scott
Teagan & Tate
Ursuline & Uriah
Viridian & Vale
Waveny & Wells
Xanthia & Xavier
Yvaine & Yates
Zara & Zander
Girl: Nev
Honorable mention: Nimue
Boy: Nathaniel (Natty)
For a girl, since we get to fantasize a little here, I would pick Noah. I wouldn’t in real life because it’s so established as a boy’s name, but I it’s one of those Biblical names like Ezra, Ira and Elisha that sounds like, in modern times, it could be a girl’s name. And it would make a beautiful girl’s name with the unique appeal of starting with that pleasing n sound.
For a boy, I’ve had a name crush on Nicodemus since I watched The Secret of NIMH as a child, It sounds sharp and wise at the same time and could easily carry the familiar nn Nico or Nic.
My son Noah (10) has one other in his grade, Noa who is female!
I know a little girl named Nina, and it’s grown on me so much I’ll say Nina. For a boy I’ll go with Nate, even though I don’t love either Nathan or Nathaniel.
~~ Noble & Nelle ~~
We have always loved the name Niamh (Neve) for a girl. For a boy, it’s a toss up between Nathaniel and Noah.
Noah and Natasha!
Norah, though Nadia is a close second. And Noah for a boy, though obviously not with Norah :)
Nicholas has always been a favorite boy name that I wouldn’t necessarily name a child I had because it’s low on the overall list, but that makes it an easy pick for the purposes of this game. I like “Nick” and “Nicky” as nicknames, too. Runner up is Nathaniel because I knew a Nathaniel in high school whose nickname was Than, which I always thought was unique and kind of cool.
I used to love the name Nora, though more as a nickname for Eleanor, and I love the name Naomi in a vacuum, but I know/have met kids with both names they’ve lost their luster (nothing wrong with the kids in particular, just a loss of zing in the name for some reason). I think I would go with Nerissa, with Rissa (pronounced Reesa) as the nickname.
Is Nathaniel popular? It certainly features strongly in this comment section! Nathaniel would be my boy pick, Naomi my girl. Although I love the sound of Nala and Nash.
N: Naomi and Nathaniel
O: Olive and Oak
P: Phoebe and Peregrine
Q: Quinn and Quentin
R: Rowena and Ransom
S: Sylvia/Savannah and Simeon
T: Tara and Thomas
U: Una and Uther
V: Vivienne/Vera and Vincent/ Vale
W: Willa and Wallace
X: Xena and Xavier
Y: Yael and Yves
Z: Zella and Zion
I’m not sure about the US (I think it is?) but in the UK it hovers around 150, so i wouldn’t call it popular but certainly not rare. My toddler son is Nathaniel Fr@nk (Nat) and we were torn between both names – it turned out they’re fairly similar in terms of popularity but Frank is actually the higher of the two by 5 or 10 places, which surprised me a lot!
Nash for a boy; Nereida for a girl
Runners-up: Nicholas and Norah
My first thought for a girl was Nellie, but I’d rather have Nellie as a nickname of something longer. Then I thought about Noelle which is a name I’ve been loving for a good few years now and would definitely be happy with it, or Noelia even better. But then as I started to think on a boy’s name I realised I didn’t really have any N names I’d like enough that I could use except Noel, and Noel and Noelle don’t sound too creative. Thankfully there’s another girl name I love – Nadine (but not nay-DEEN, I intensely dislike nay-DEEn but I love nah-DEEN). So I’d have Nadine and Noel. There would be huge downsides like I guess people would say nay-DEEN a lot of the time and Noel would be associated with Christmas and The First Noel all the time but otherwise I could happily give my children these names in an English-speaking setting so perhaps I could get used to these downsides, at least to the Christmas thing, not so sure about the nay-DEEN. :D Maybe if I’d be too frustrated with nay-DEEN I’d change her name to Noemi after her birth. Or Nerys or Nia or something.
Girl: Norina or Norella (nn Nora), or Nina (and I also love Nadine..)
Boy: Norman or Nimrod
I have always loved Nell for Eleanor. Adore Naomi (Nay-oh-mi in my mind) and Natasha and Natalie (too dated now??). I know little boys named Nate, Ned and Neil all of which wear suprisingly well IRL. Ooh Nicola or Nicole are great as is Nicholas.
Nicola or Nicholas (but they look funny in this font!!)
I love Nathaniel and it would work so well without last name and the names of our other three kids, but my nephew’s name is Nathan and that’s too close for my liking. So my second choice, and the one I’d use for a boy if I had to use an N name in real life is Neil. I like 1950s style nickname-y names. Like, astronaut names: Neil, Buzz, Gus. We do have a one-syllable last name so Neil isn’t ideal, but it’s good enough.
I didn’t realize how hard N would be for me for girl names! I’m not thrilled with any of them. I do like Nora but it’s so popular in my area I don’t think I could do it. And I like Nellie, but I’d want that to be a nickname, not the given name. I guess I’d use Nina as the compromise between popularity, sibling named, and compatibility with my last name.
Nessa for a girl.
Naoise (NEE-shuh) for a boy.
Actually, maybe Naoise for any gender. (And definitely not Nessa and Naoise as siblings… Nora and Naoise in that eventuality.)
Ooh, so many lovely ‘n’ names! I pick Noah for a boy, and Nell fod a girl.
Matteo/Margot
Noah/Nell
Odin/Orla
Penn/Phaedra
Quin/Quilla
Roman/Romilly
Saxon/Saoirse
Teddy/Tess
Uriah/Ulla
Vincent/Valentina
Wolfgang (Wolfie!!)/ Wren
Xandros/Xanthe
Zara/Zeus
/
a
Noelle & Nathaniel
Nina, though I’m also fond of Naomi, Nora and Natalie for girls. For boys, my husband likes Nicholas, but it’s so omnipresent among our generation that it’s lost its luster for me. I think I’d go with Neil, which is a family name.