Our first baby boy is due at the end of May and we need help! His sister’s are Matilda “Mattie” August and Genevieve “Evie” Francis last name Weier (sounds like ‘wire’). Our girls’ names have a regal, traditional but uncommon vibe, with a hint of religiosity (names inspired by saints) and we haven’t been able to find the same with a boy’s name. If we were having another girl top candidates were Florence, Josephine, Winnifred, Felicity, Phillippa and Beatrix with the middle name James (we did kind of masculine girl middle names.)
A couple names we considered and rejected:
• Copper, but we didn’t feel like it had a strong enough meaning being derived from a profession
• Conner, still OK but then husband mentioned something about a lacrosse bro and that was done
• Husband Vetos: Anderson, Malcolm, ReedOther thoughts:
• I had a dream we named him Hayes
• Samuel has been on our Boys list for YEARS and now we are finally here and I’m kinda bored of it, plus it’s REALLY common and doesn’t feel special like out girls names
• My favorite name which I still can’t convince husband of is Shepherd. It has great meaning and significance and I just have a feeling about it. But the husband gets a ‘culty’ vibe from it. If you want to write a whole post about why we SHOULD use Shepherd so I can convince him that would be great 😀
• Kind of liking Deacon and Beau lately
• MUST have a nickname! Husband will immediately veto if he thinks there is no good nickname for it.
• Recently husband has been thinking something “Texas-y” since that is where we live. Not super obvious like Austin but a Texas vibe.Do your worst, or best :)
I think first we should check to see if your boy-name style is in fact regal/traditional/uncommon with a hint of religiosity like your girl-name style, or if it’s different. Conner, Hayes, Shepherd, Deacon, Beau, Austin—those seem more contemporary/modern/surnamey to me (though some have that hint of religion). It is possible that you’re stuck because you’re trying to get your boy-name style to match your girl-name style, and maybe it doesn’t. One reason I so heartily recommend The Baby Name Wizard is that it divides names into categories in a way I find helpfully diagnostic: you can look at each category, and notice how many names you like in each one. It can lead to “Well, I’ll be darned: we like Exotic Traditionals for girls, but Country & Western [or Surnames, or Celtic, or whatever] for boys!” moments.
Let’s start by working on a list of names that meet at least some of the regal/traditional/uncommon/religious preferences and see what we get (we won’t worry at this point about how names work with the surname and the sibling names, and we won’t yet require nicknames):
Adrian
Aidric
Alexander
Albert
Alfred
Alistair
Andrew
Arthur
Augustus
Bartholomew
Caspian
Charles
Claudius
Conrad
Desmond
Dominic
Edmund
Edward
Felix
Finian
Frederick
George
Harold
Henry
Hugo
James
Jasper
Julian
Julius
Lancelot
Laurence
Leopold
Louis
Marcus
Nathaniel
Nicholas
Oliver
Philip
Quentin
Richard
Sebastian
Silas
Simon
Solomon
Sterling
Theodore
Victor
Wesley
William
Winston
Xavier
When you look through that list, does your heart beat faster? Do you think, “YES, THIS kind of name!!” Or are you thinking, “I dunno. Meh. None of those seem Quite Right”? Let’s look now at an assortment of names trying for more of a modern/contemporary/surname/Texas feel (again, without worrying at this point about surname, sibling names, or nicknames):
Abbott
Ames
Barnaby
Barrett
Beckett
Blaise
Brecken
Broderick
Brogan
Camden
Carson
Carter
Casey
Clancy
Cormac
Crawford
Crosby
Cullen
Darcy
Darby
Declan
Ellis
Everett
Fletcher
Ford
Gage
Garland
Garrett
Grady
Griffin
Harris
Hatcher
Heath
Houston
Hudson
Irving
Jacoby
Keaton
Keegan
Lawson
McKinney
Merrick
Miller
Nolan
Redford
Rhett
Rufus
Spencer
Tanner
Teague
Wells
Weston
Wilder
Wyatt
Yates
Does this list click in any better? Or is it too lacrosse bro?
Or possibly we want to look at the names that could be said to work on both lists in different ways: Wesley, Sterling, Spencer, Nolan, Frederick, etc. Frederick specifically stands out to me: sounds regal and traditional, fairly uncommon, has good nicknames, good with the surname, good with the sibling names. Matilda, Genevieve, and Frederick; Mattie, Evie, and Freddie/Fritz.
I also like Everett: could read as surname/cowboy or as gentleman/regal, nickname Rhett if you want it or E._. with the middle name (as long as it doesn’t sound too much like Evie); Matilda, Genevieve, and Everett; Mattie, Evie, and Rhett/E._.
Or I like Laurence, which I wonder if enough of us have read Little Woman that it wouldn’t be too difficult to pull off the nickname Teddy for it? Matilda, Genevieve, and Laurence; Mattie, Evie, and Teddy.
Or if Nicholas is not too common, it’s quite regal/saint and you could use Cole as Texas-vibe nickname for it. Matilda, Genevieve, and Nicholas; Mattie, Evie, and Cole.
Broderick sounds similar to the saint name Roderick, and gives you the Texas-vibe nickname Brody. Matilda, Genevieve, and Broderick; Mattie, Evie, and Brody.
I liked the name Shepard (I’d likely go with that spelling to reduce the occupational association) after reading a book with a great character named Shepherd/Shep. But I found it harder to imagine on an actual child in an actual classroom. I’d be interested to know what I’d think of it if I encountered it in real life.
I think Hayes would work great with the sibling names, but with the surname it makes me think of the word haywire.
I’d like to request that your husband take a step back from his insta-veto on names without nicknames. It’s such a limiting requirement, and there are so many other ways to get nicknames: initials, letting them happen on their own, etc. Also, many of the boy names with good standard nicknames are the more common names. I suggest FIRST coming up with a list of names the two of you can agree on, and THEN seeing what can be done about nicknames.
Let’s think now about middle names. You gave your daughters masculine middle names; do you have a similar interest in giving your son a feminine middle name? If you want something with a less traditionally masculine feel, and you are in favor of the current administration, the name Robinette would be a fun honor name. If you hadn’t thought ahead to what seems like the messaging of using boy names for girls but not girl names for boys, and now you feel a little stuck but on the other hand don’t want to give him the middle name May or Leigh or Jane, one workaround is to choose a family maiden name (yours, your mother’s, etc.) as his middle name. Or perhaps you can find some unisex names of women in the family tree, or names that were once used for men but are now used mostly for women (Lindsey, Lesley, Allison, Addison) and still have a sort of surnamey/unisex sound as middles. Is Shepherd’s personal meaning/significance in any way connected with a woman? If so, that might (1) make a terrific middle name and (2) give you access to the nickname Shep, if the first name doesn’t have a natural nickname. Or perhaps there is a Roberta/Patricia/Paula/Louise/etc. you’d like to honor by giving him the middle name Robert/Patrick/Paul/Louis after her.
Name update:
Dear Swistle,
I can’t thank you enough for answering my letter and providing such great advice. You truly helped to un-stick us! We found it incredibly helpful to rethink our “style” of name for baby boy. Reading through the two lists you provided we both connected more with the “vibes” of the second more contemporary name list. Turns out I actually was really gravitating toward surnames but it was just about finding the special one. I also forgot to mention in my initial letter that my husband and I come from large families with lots of first cousins who are very fertile :) so many names that you and your readers suggested, and that we love, have already been claimed.
With the help of you and your readers we revisited our list with a new outlook and openness. Ultimately we decided on John Rhodes, the first name after my FIL and middle is the maiden name of my Grandmother. While we plan to call little guy Rhodes, husband especially liked all of the nickname options like: Ro, Roey, Rodeo, Roadie, JR, and even Jack.
Baby Rhodes made his arrival on Wednesday May 19th and we are all home enjoying spending time as a family of 5.
When I read the title of this post my first thought was “Frederick!” So I was pleased to see Swistle list it. For a Texas theme, have you considered Otto? It’s a Texas town, uncommon and it’s a Saints name with a regal history.
I love your daughters’ names. In fact, I think we have a similar style. Matilda, Genevieve, Josephine, and Winifred were all on our list and we have a Beatrix. So I didn’t know if our boys name list would spark anything since our girls list overlaps so much: Frederick, Simon, Magnus, Calvin, Hugo, Nathaniel, and Jude. We went with Dashiell (pronounced like castle/bashful) Edmund and we’re thrilled with it. There’s a bit of a learning curve since it’s not pronounced like it’s spelled, but it’s a quick explanation and the nickname Dash helps if he decides he doesn’t want to have to correct someone when he’s older. It’s funny–my husband was also anti-nickname, so I just said you’ll call him Dashiell, I’ll call him Dash, no problem. But now my husband has at least 5 nicknames he happily calls him lol.
Good luck with making your decision! I think you have a lot of great options, and Swistle, as usual, has offered great advice and suggestions.
Dashiell Wire! Dash! Love it.
How about Jethro? A rad name that fits on many levels.
Religious/biblical: check!
Fun nickname: Jeb!
Texas-y: Captures that old-time outlaw gunslinger vibe.
Recognizable but not super-common: check!
Jethro [James?] Weier. Sounds great!
Some other ideas for consideration:
Jedidiah (also Jeb)
Elwood (Woody)
Harlan (Hal)
Hiram
I also like Jet as a nn for Jethro!
My vote is for Shepard! I do have a Shepard in my class, and I love the name!
Congratulations, and let us know what you decide!!
That first list is great – I love Alistair, Julian or Sebastian with your girl names. Alistair being my favorite.
When I read Swistle’s lists my immediate thought was Blaise – it’s very Saintly, but on her “other” list so maybe bridges that gap. And who needs a nickname with a name like Blaise. But on reflection, with the surname maybe it sounds too adjective-noun. But I do love it.
I thought of Blaise right away too! Its so great!
My first thought was Benedict, one of my favorite names and definitely goes with the girls’ names. And I love Saint Benedict too. :)
My son is Sam, but his name is actually a family name, Salvatore. For whatever reasons, all the Salvatores in our family have gone by Sam, not Sal as a nickname so we kept up the tradition.
Nicholas, nn Nico would be cute and modern. I also love Dominic (Dom, Nic, Nico)
I love the nn Bash for Sebastian
That’s funny – I also have a great-uncle Sam whose given name is Salvatore.
How cool! My paternal grandfather and maternal great-uncle were both Salvatores called Sam. My nana married someone with her brother’s name and nn!
Ooh. After reading all the comments, I’m throwing a vote for Sebastian nn Bash or Dashiell nn Dash or… SHEP! If you use a P middle I could totally see Dashiell Peter nn Shep!
I love Swistle’s point about reviewing your self-professed style. Thinking through my friends with boys and girls, it’s pretty common to see different styles for each.
My only other ideas for you are Lincoln (Linj!) or Hamish (Hayes)!
I love Frederick, nn Freddie/Fritz for you.
With Matilda (Mattie) and Genevieve (Evie), I really like:
Oscar ( Ozzie)
Alfred ( Freddy)
Angus (Gus) – this seems rather Texan to me
Gilbert (Gil or Bertie)
Gabriel (Gabe)
Wyatt (Wy) – another nod to Texas/cowboy
Silas (SI)
Ooh! What about Roswell with the nickname of Wells? Wells has a similar sound to Hayes and Roswell is a city in Texas.
Caldwell is also a Texas town that nicknames to Wells.
Roderick nn. Rory would be perfect. I like Roderick Shepherd or Roderick Deacon. There’s a city just south of Austin called Lockhart and I think Roderick Lockhart sounds both regal and Texas-y. If a unisex middle name is preferable, how about Emerson? It sounds a little like Anderson but more unisex. Roderick Emerson. Mattie, Evie, and Rory
I’m really loving this letter and Swistle’s response because I’m also looking for a boy name, and I feel like we have similar styles! We are “team green,” but have some of your girl name candidates/existing daughters’ names on our list.
So just throwing out a few boy names that we are considering or have considered in the past (already have a son, Harvey, and daughter, Edith “Edie”) — some mentioned by Swistle and others already, some not:
Theodore
Thaddeus
Stanley or Stanton
Benedict
Otto
Henry (nickname Huck)
And a couple that I would probably only use for middle names: Edmund or Rocco. I also enjoy a saintly connection, and they are both patron saints of pandemics/contagious disease, which I thought could be quite distinctive for a baby born during these times!
Matilda (Mattie), Genevieve (Evie) and…
Bennett (Ben)
Harrow (Harry)
Jemison (Jem, Jamie after Mae Jemison)
Truman (True)
Callahan (Cal)
I really like the Lawrence idea (Law, Ren, Lance etc.)
Obadiah (Obie)
Jeremiah (Jem)
Gerard (Jerry)
Theodore (Teddy)
Roderick
I know one Samuelson!
Quentin
Elias (Eli)
Jonah (Jon, Jonny)
Julian (Jude)
Morrison
I love feminine middle names for boys! My first choice is Maria, but it is not for everyone. Marian and Marion are unisex, however. I consider all nature names essentially unisex. What about a flower middle for a boy? Rose, Roses, Bluebell (Bell is feminine but unisex), Sunny, Luna (part of my list!)…
Law for Lawrence is inspired!
I like Hayes!
I immediately thought of Beauregard, would get you the nickname beau! I also like Jethro, could have cool nicknames if Jet or Jeb or JJ if you go with James as a middle name. I also quite like Jay as a middle name, more unisex and fun! Sebastian with a nickname of Bash would also be great!
I like Hayes, but not with your surname- it’s maybe too close to ‘haywire’ same goes for Copper, he’d be ‘copper wire’. One of my first thoughts was Sebastian like many of the comments before- Seb & Bash are both so cute. Dashiell nn Dash sounds kind of western too. And if you did Dashiell James you get good nn initials of DJ. Beckett would good too, although maybe not with a J middle name.
The suggestion of Nicholas nn Cole or Nico made me think of Alexander, nn Xander, Christopher, nn Topher, or William nn Liam– traditional boy names with more contemporary nicknames. And then I thought about Samuel seeming too plain and wondered if Samson/Sampson would suit. I do think Sam is cute with Mattie & Evie.
I like James as a middle for any of these, if you decide to keep it for a boy. I also like the idea of honor names that cross from women to boys if you have any good ones in your family, since it’s so common to do it the other way around. My name Stephanie is for my father Steven and my son’s middle Louis is for his great grandmother Lois.
I vote for the popular but perfect HENRY! So good long form; has the heft to stand up to your daughters’ regal names. But the nicknames can be allll Texas cowboy fun: Hank, Hal, Hen or whatever smoosh you can do with a middle name.
Beckett nn Beau (there is a St. Thomas Becket)
Samson nn Sam (alternative to long-time favorite Samuel)
Cooper (there is a St. John Cupertino)
Nathan or Nathaniel nn Nate
Jonathan nn Jack
For the middle:
Hayes
Ellis
Rae
Jo
Kay
Karol (birth name of John Paul II)
Maybe Rockwell? Nicknames could be Rocky, Rocco, Wells, or (if you went with a J middle name) RJ.
Here to enthusiastically support the suggestions of :
Calvin or Callahan nn Cal
Jeremiah nn Jer, Jim, Jem
Theodore nn Theo, Teddy
Gabriel nn Gabe
Louis nn Lou
Adding (unless I missed any of these above):
Andrew nn Drew, Andy
Isaiah nn Ike
Elias nn Eli
Malcolm nn Mac
Roderick nn Rory
Tyler (city in Texas) nn Ty
Hunter (Hunter Peak in western Texas), nn Hunt
Frederick nn Fritz was our runner-up for our August nn Gus. I still love it so, and I think it’s great with the last name and the sisters’.
In my family, Fritz was actually a nn for Frank. Frank, Franklin, Francis might all work as well.
FRITZ! Come on! It’s so zippy! :)
Beaumont is a city in Texas and you could use Beau as his nickname.
I love this suggestion for them!
Abner nn Abby
Ignatious nn Iggy
Bartholomew nn Bart (a bit of a cowboy vibe)
Cassian nn Cass
Ferdinand nn Nandi
Roderic nn Rod
Rupert nn Rupe
Tobias nn Toby
Nicodemus nn Nico
Barnaby nn Barns
What about Joseph or Phillip? They are male forms from the girls list.
I really like Shepherd and Frederick
Since you like James, what about Jameson? (nn James, Jamie, Jay)
How about JERICHO? Kind of splits the difference between Biblical, cowboy, and hipster. (nn Jer, Jet)
An alternative to Samuel could be Lemuel. Very uncommon, can’t decide if I could picture it on an actual person or not… nn Lem, Lemmy?
Maybe Cassius (nn Cass, Cash).
Hayes is such a great name, but I can’t un-hear “haywire.” It could make a good middle though. Jericho Hayes, Jameson Hayes, Frederick Hayes, Shepard Hayes, Sebastian Hayes.
I’d stay away from names ending in -er with your surname. Especially “copper wire”!
I liked these suggestions:
Samson (Sam)
Tobias (Toby)
Dashiell (Dash)
Adrian
Julian (Jules)
Laurence/Lawrence
Silas (Sy)
Simon (Sy)
Jacoby (Jay, Coby)
Roswell (Roz, Wells, Rory)
Sebastian (Seb, Bastian)
Maybe Hadrian, nn Hayes??
Oh- I also really like Nathaniel Hayes (nn Nat).
A couple of my family names might work well: Bryant and Cyrus. I could easily see them on a cowboy or a lawyer. (Ours were/are farmers, mechanics, carpenters, and a cop) Mom’s generation Bryant was nn Butch, though I’m not sure of the others. Bry works too of course, and initials are very Texas to my mind. Cyrus could easily be Cy or Russ.
I *much* prefer the spelling Shepherd. Shepard looks like a misspelling to me. I have a friend with a Shepherd/Shep and think it totally has cowboy/Texan vibes. I love it!
Wesley!!!! WES WEIR! or Harrison nn Harris, Nicholas nn Nick, Thomas nn Tommy