Hello
I am so excited to be able to email you a baby naming question! I have been reading your blog for years. After being together for 12 years, and talking about baby names almost that whole time, my partner and I are expecting our first baby in early October.
I am Emily and my partner is Scott. Baby will have last name W00d. We are not finding out the sex until birth.
We’ve found the surname can be tricky to match names with and we’re definitely after a minimum 2 syllable name to go with it. We’ve got a few names for each sex on the shortlist but we’re not entirely sold and would like some more top contenders for firsts and middles to choose from after giving birth. We have been poring over lists and have not come across a new name to add since before I was pregnant.
Our style seems to be Grandpa/Grandma names with our girl names leaning more eclectic.
Our current short list for girls is:
– Norah
– Veda (Vay-DUH). I know this spelling will likely be mispronounced but it’s just how I have always seen it in my head. I am worried that if we were lucky enough to have a second baby that our other girl names would clash with this.
– Violet, we have loved this forever but it now feels a bit overused, and not so fresh to us any more. Could be a middle name.Middle name contenders:
– June, My late Nan’s name.
– Primrose, my partner absolutely adores this as a first name. It’s a bit too out there for me and I don’t like to be nickname Rose/Rosie nor the combination with the surname.Names we have like the sound of but not quite enough to use are Luna, Lola and Delilah. Partner loves Layla and Summer but I’m not keen on them.
We are steering away from any names starting with an El/Ella sound due to a niece’s name. Otherwise I would have had Eleanor and Luella on the list too.
Our current short list for boys is:
– Calvin
– Walter. Love the WW sound but worried about the nickname Wally- Wally W00d?!
– Marshall, this may also be a middle name contender.The only other middle name in contention at the moment is Scott for my partner. He also has his Dad’s first name as his middle name.
Names that I love that my partner has vetoed:
– Otis
– Casper
– Felix
– Arthur
– Theodore ( as well as any name that leads to nickname Ted)
– AngusI’d so appreciate if you’re able to answer my question. Thank you :)
Emily
For girls, I think pronouncing Veda vay-DUH would be an ongoing permanent hassle (I am not even sure I quite know how to pronounce it that way—it’s like trying to pronounce Norah nor-RAH) [edit for clarification: it’s the emphasis on the second syllable that’s the issue here, not the vay- or the -duh], and it sounds like you are a little tired of Violet and also Violet W00d is fairly noun-y, so it seems like Norah is the winner from that list. Then it’s a matter of choosing the middle name, which is a delightful task because everything sounds good. Norah Violet! Norah June! Norah Primrose!
If I were you, I might want to save June for a possible future first name (I know you are looking for more syllables, but I think June W00d works very nicely, and Norah and June is a lovely sister pairing), and so I would choose between Violet and Primrose. Except, hm, I am very keen on using honor names, and so if you KNOW you won’t use June as a future first name, then I would use Norah June now. Particularly if the child’s surname is your partner’s family’s name, it’s nice to get in a name from your family as well. Another option is to use as a middle name whichever parent’s family surname is not being used as the baby’s surname.
For boys, we have a similar situation: Walter feels like it’s out (Wally W00d immediately snaps into place as A Name I Would Not Want for Myself), and it feels like you’re less enthusiastic about Marshall, so it seems like Calvin is the winner from that list. Then it’s the fun of choosing a middle name. I am disinclined toward using your partner’s first name as the middle name if you’re already using your partner’s family name as the surname. I like Calvin Walter as a way to get the name Walter without the Wally W00d issue. I like Calvin Marshall, too. And just as we considered your partner’s adored Primrose as a middle name candidate, the names on his veto list are good contenders as middle names for Calvin. Calvin Casper! Calvin Felix! Calvin Theodore! Etc.
I’d also suggest looking for middle names from your side of the family, again to balance the use of your partner’s surname. (If I am mis-guessing that you’re using his surname for the baby, and I might very well be since you’re looking for multi-syllable names even though your partner’s first name is one syllable, let me know and I will re-write the post to adjust for that.)
One more thing. You mention you’re finding the surname W00d difficult to work with. I want to make sure you have considered the possibility of using the other parent’s surname for the baby. It seems like such an obvious thing to consider, but many parents never really think of it as an option, even when the chosen surname is ruling out many of their favorite first names.
I’m not sure why but Florence sprang to mind when I read this. Florence Wood. Very grandma. Very cute. Goes well with the last name.
I love Norah for you, as well as Veda, but I suggest spelling it Vada to avoid pronunication difficulties. I think Delilah is also nice, as are Luna and Lola. If you like those but not quite enough, I suggest Ivy, Alice and maybe you would prefer Lilah/Lila/Lily instead of Delilah. I also like Aurora and Flora for you. For boys, I think Calvin sounds perfect!
I agree with Swistle’s winnowing process. Norah June for girl unless you want to save June for a future child, in which case Norah Primrose. Calvin for a boy with pretty much any of the other candidates (included vetoed ones) as a middle. The only combination I’d avoid would be Walter Scott. Unless you’re a big fan of Walter Scott. If any of the vetoed names get un-vetoed (happens all the time), I’d vote for Felix or Arthur but I had to think about it a while because it’s a great list.
I don’t know if you want more candidates but my grandparents had some pretty good vintage names: Lois Adele, Lyle Jesse, Talmadge (no middle), and Virginia Dell.
For what it’s worth, “vay- duh” is exactly how I would pronounce “Veda” if I read the name. I quickly checked what google had to say and it gave samples of “vay-duh” as well. I even saw a little snippet of an article highlighting the ease of pronouncing Veda. Perhaps this is dependent upon where you live but I don’t actually see much of a concern. Sure she may have to correct people occasionally, but that happens with all names!
No no, that’s right: Vay-duh IS the way it’s pronounced. The issue is that she has the emphasis on the second syllable: vay-DUH.
I don’t see the pronunciation issues with Veda as I’ve seen the name spelled this way before. It might require correcting the pronunciation one time but most people will get it after that. Veda would lend you the cute nickname Vadie, which is a family name on my husband’s side. Instead of Walter, have you considered Warren?
I like Norah Violet and Calvin Walter best, I think.
An Eleanor could easily be nicknamed Norah, too. Eleanor “Nora” Violet. That way, you won’t be *too* close to cousin Ellie.
Personally, I’d avoid Veda because I strongly associate it with the Hindu religious texts,The Vedas, and we are definitely not Hindu.
Did you mean to put emphasis on the DUH part of vay-duh? Maybe we are just looking at a misinterpretation of the emphasis.
I agree! I think this is a non-issue and Veda can be in the running.
If Veda is like in My Girl, it’s easy to pronounce and a great name!
Other names you might like:
Miriam (Mimi)
Vivian (Vivi)
Camilla (Mills or Millie)
Genevieve (Vivi)
Julian (Jules)
Sidney (Sid)
Wesley (Wes)
Jonah
Jasper
Warner
Winston
Wilson
Atlas
I agree that Veda pronounced the expected way, VAY-duh, would work, but vay-DUH seems like a no-go.
I assume you’ve thought of it, but what about Vera? (Too close to designer Vera Wang?) Ava? Oh, or Ada! Ada Wood, I love that.
I am not sure that Walter would automatically, or even generally, be shortened to Wally these days. I would not drop Walter from considerations for concern about Wally.
Just as a data point, I know a Veda (teenage) spelled that way and I don’t think pronunciation has ever been an issue for her. Her brother’s name is V!ncent, in case that appeals!
How about Juniper or Juno as a first name to get a nickname or June? How about Lainey? Briar, Althea, Cecilia/Celia and Vienna also popped into my head!
I don’t think I would use Walter wood, reminds me too much of Walter white (breaking bad). I think Warren is a great suggestion. Otherwise I’ve always liked Calvin, such a warm and friendly name! How about Simon or Tobias/Toby?
Along the Veda lines, how about Vera? Vera Violet Wood?
I like Jasper, goes great with the surname.
I agree that Veda with an emphasis on the second syllable is quite difficult to say. But I can’t really think of any spelling that would make that pronunciation feel natural. Have you considered Viola? Similar to Violet obviously but feels much more fresh. Other girls names I like for you: Edith, Thea, or Vivian.
For boys, I know one toddler named Walter and he never uses a nickname. If I were to shorten Walter I’d be more like to choose Walt than Wally. Though you can’t be sure what the child himself will like. More boy ideas: Alfred, August, Leo.
The girl’s name that immediately popped into my mind is Evelyn. Evelyn W00d, with potential nickname Evie — I love it! (Although it would give her the initials EW, but that may or may not be an issue.) In fact, I really like the rhythm of a 3-syllable first name with the emphasis on the first syllable. Miriam W00d. Josephine W00d. Harriet W00d. Millicent W00d (Millie!).
Also, since you’d consider using Scott as a middle if the baby is a boy, what about using Emily as a middle if the baby is a girl? Norah Emily W00d sounds great to me!
I don’t seem to have as many feelings about boys’ names, but I do like both Calvin and Marshall with W00d. I also thought of Oliver and really liked the sound of it — until I remembered he’s the keeper for Gryffindor! :)
Walter/Wally W00d is a no for me.
I like Calvin Marshall W00d the best from your boys list.
Veda pronounced VAY-duh makes sense to me; vah-DUH does not. VAY-duh June W00d is a good option.
Also here for the possibility of using your last name.
Another vote for Vera! Or Verity if you want something more uncommon.
I rather like Walter W00d and think Wally W00d is cute. But in general I’m not a fan of Wally on its own and agree with other commenter that Walt would probably be the go-to nickname. Kids are also less likely to go by nicknames these days.
With Veda and Violet not quite right, I wonder what you think of Verity?
Also, while I’m thinking of V names, Vincent seems a similar style to some of your boys options.
Verity Wood
and
Vincent Wood
Both sound good to me.