(Today is Tuesday; one of my kids has been in the hospital since Wednesday, and I have been here keeping him company—but without my baby name books. I am going to post some questions I’d thought I wouldn’t have useful answers for, even WITH my supplies, and see if commenters would like to take a crack at them.)
Dear Swistle,
I was so certain we were done with two kids, but after a few years we both decided we desperately wanted another and we’re now excited to be expecting a baby boy in May. Our older two children are Freya and Emrys and our shared surname is Berke (with a different spelling). Of course, with the originally unplanned third child to name, we find ourselves in that common predicament where we feel a bit painted into a corner.
When we named Freya several years ago, the name was still very uncommon here in the US. A couple of years later we felt another rare name would be a good match and chose Emrys for our son. We loved the connection to Arthurian Legend and thought it made it a nice complement to our daughter’s mythological name. Of course, Freya has since rocketed up the name charts to within the top 200 and looks poised to continue its rise. On the other hand, Emrys isn’t even in the top 1000 and doesn’t look like it will be any time soon. I see it featured on name blogs and lists here and there, but it certainly isn’t trendy in the way that Freya has become. So, I suppose that in just a few short years, these two names have become kind of an odd pair themselves which makes things more confusing as we try to select another name to join the group.
The list of names we’re considering currently consists of:
Malcolm: This name has been on our list for consideration with all of our pregnancies. We love that despite its classic feel, it’s never been popular and we love the nickname options. This name would probably be our hands-down choice, but we’re both concerned it feels a bit like the odd-man-out with our other two kids’ names.
Rhydian: Another Welsh name outside the top 1000. Despite it being extremely uncommon, I feel it has a very familiar quality about it (maybe because it rhymes with Gideon) and I think it’s easy to pronounce. My one hang up has to do with nicknames. We’ve talked about Rhys as a possible nickname for Emrys if he ever wanted to use it and I feel like Reid would be a fairly natural nickname for Rhydian (though I’m aware in both instances the pronunciation of the vowel in the given name is changed for the nickname). But Rhys and Reid are just too much for me…even Rhys and Rhydian seem too close.
Cian: This name is pronounced “Kee-an”. I like the sound, though I think I’d get frustrated with the inevitable mispronunciations based on the spelling.
Tristan: Another more common name that we’ve always had on our lists. It’s still not ridiculously popular and we like that it’s another name with a legendary connection.
My husband loves Taliesin with the nickname “Tal”. I love the nickname, but just can’t get on board with the given name.
I love August, but my husband isn’t a fan.
If the baby had been a girl we were thinking Daphne or Cordelia.
The middle name will for sure be Samuel, in memory of my sorely missed brother.
I’d love thoughts on our list, but we’re also open to suggestions! Thanks for any help you can offer!
A “Berke”
I love Tristan for this sibset! It’s ancient-but-new-again in a very similar way to the other two.
Another vote for Tristan.
Malcolm Samuel Berke feels heavy when spoken, and plods.
Tristan Samuel Berke flows.
Unsolicited, I’d also put forth Preston as a suggestion as it is an ancient name, classic yet uncommon, and sounds good as Preston Samuel Berke.
Preston Berke does flow. There’ was a Dr. Preston Burke on greys anatomy. 😊
I really like Tristan with your sibset. Is recognizable but not common. I also like Rhydian, is not common but doesn’t seem too out there, but not if you’re using Rhys as a nn for Emrys.
Tristan seems like the best match to the sibset for sure. Or more Welsh-y, Gwydion instead of Rhydion? It’s more common afaik, and it would save you the Rhys/Reid problem. Or similarly pre-modern to the sibs, Gawaine? (My English prof always pronounced it to rhyme with Gavin, which I like, but you might get a lot of g’wayne, idk).
I’m here for both Gwydion and Gawain/Gwaine (even if he ends up Gwayne). My prof always pronounced it like Gavin – meaning the emphasis is on the GA part, but the 2nd part is still a long A (the wayne part). That said, I prefer Gwydion here since it contains the coveted Y.
Tristan stands out as a great frontrunner from your list. Maybe it sounds so good because of the character in PBS Masterpiece’s All Creatures Great And Small. He’s a little brother, although a young adult little brother trying to make his much older brother proud of him! But I also like Malcolm.
I guess this is the post where we see how many crossover Swistle / Appellation Mountain followers there are ;-) https://appellationmountain.net/name-help-a-brother-for-freya-and-emrys/
I stick with my original comment – I like Kian and Tristan for you, and I think Tristan Taliesin nn Tal, would be awesome.
Omg. This feels embarrassing, for some reason I can’t put a finger on!
Tristan is my favorite, too, because of the Arthurian connection and ease of use.
If you’re going with various mythologies, would you consider Finn?
Tristan is such a good fit as a whole name, [Freya, Emrys, Tristan, swoon] but I think you have to commit to nicknames for the boys, as I think Rhys and Tris are too close to my ear.
Love Tristan for you! We also considered a lot of welsh names. My husband was vert excited about Rhodri (rod-dree), which we didn’t end up using, but does have that same familiar quality. Other welsh names that are great:
Andreas
Cedric
Cassian
Gareth
Vaughn
Idris
Wynn
Leander
Leland
Griffin
Rodric
I wonder if you like the name Zephyr?
Agreeing with Tristan as the best of current options. It definitely sounds trendier than Emrys, though, to me. By a long shot. Here are a few (unsolicited) suggestions.
Roscoe: I think it’s technically a Cornish variation of the Norse name? Repeating R sounds in all kid’s names, and the S sound in both boy names. Very hip sound (like Freya), easy to spell and pronounce, but not in the U.S. top 1000. Could go by “Ro” or “Ross.” Roscoe Samuel Berke. Freya, Emrys, and Roscoe.
Flynn: An Irish name. Repeats the Y in all kids’ names, and the F from Freya. To me, it sounds old-fashioned and fresh at the same time. Fits in beautifully with your sibling set. #659 in the U.S., so nowhere near Freya’s popularity. No obvious nicknames, but it’s so short that I doubt you’d ever use one. Flynn Samuel Berke. Freya, Emrys, and Flynn.
Thorin: Norse in origin. Repeating R sounds in all kids’ names. Very cool, if you like (or just don’t hate) the Tolkien connection, and definitely not popular. “Thor” is an awesome nickname. Thorin Samuel Berke. Freya, Emrys, and Thorin.
Edwyn: Welsh name, like Emrys. Repeats the Y in all kids’ names, and the E for both boys. Edwin (with an i) is #345 in the U.S. I don’t think Emrys and Edwyn sound too much alike, but others might? Obvious “Ed” and “Eddie” nicknames, or you could go with “Wyn”/”Wynn.” Edwyn Samuel Berke. Freya, Emrys, and Edwyn.
I would be careful with Edwin/Edwyn or anything in the Ed variety, because of Edmund Burke (the very famous historical figure, and the current conservative political society). It is a distinctive and polarizing name and would definitely be the absolutely first thing I thought with any Ed type name.
I will cast my vote for Malcolm. It’s a wonderful, solid name. I do not think differences in styles in the kids’ names is a big deal. And as you recognize, there’s already a difference between Freya and Emrys. Use the name you love the most. He will be a part of a “sib-set” but for a small fraction of his life. Good luck!
I’m also on team Tristan from the list of current options.
Also, when I read Rhydian, I immediately thought – isn’t there a fantasy series with that name? I googled it and it’s actually the Chronicles of Prydain, but Rhydian definitely brought that to mind.
Out of your list I like Tristan with the sibset.
More in line with Freya than Emrys but would you consider a Sig name? Siegfried, Sigmund, Sigurd off the top of my head.
Gives you another mythological connection, is generally familiar as a name but not very popular in the States.
Sylvan was the boy name we picked for our second (but she was a girl).
You’d get a “y” in each name.
Another voice in favor of Tristan here! It fits so well with the other siblings’ names, seems equally “legendary,” and has a nice rhythm with your last name. Not too common but also familiar to the ear.
Nickname possibilities include “Stan,” which would separate it from Rhys!
Since your husband likes Taliesin, nickname Tal and you like the nickname, what about Talmadge, nickname Tal? It’s unusual but easy to pronounce and I like the sibset!
I looked up a list of Arthurian names, and found Madoc. Maybe a way to spin Malcom into something that fits your style better?
The other names from that list that I thought you might want to consider were Cador and Owain.
Good luck! I’ve always loved the name Freya, and Emrys is a great rare find!
Madoc is also a great character in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Swiftly Tilting Planet (third book in a series starting with A Wrinkle in Time). I love this as a sibling for Freya and Emrys.
I also love Tristan the most with this subset! Malcolm is also nice. I agree with your issues with Rhydian take it out of the running. Would you consider spelling Cian as Kian instead?
To bridge the popularity gap, you might also consider mining the baby boy names in the top 400-600 realm of popularity (Rhys is right in this range, interestingly!). A few that stand out to me as a possible fit are: Raidon, Hugo, Damon, Kian, Forrest, Francis, Tatum, Dorian, Deacon, Kieran, Ryland, Quentin, Conrad, Derrick, Desmond, Landon.
Of the names you’re considering, I like Tristan the best, with the nickname Tan.
I must be sharing some brain cells with other commentors, as I came up with Griffin and Zephyr before I read through the comments. I think that’s validation that these names are serious contenders, ha! Griff or Finn would be good nicknames and Zeph works for Zephyr.
I also like Hamish (long A sound) and Alaric (ah-LAR-ick or ah-LAH-rick), although the ending sounds of Alaric and your last name might be too similar.
Merlin is an interesting possibility as well.
I love celtic names and my own list leans heavily in that direction. Of the ones you have, I would go with Tristan. I also like Taliesin (I have it on my list), but I think it’s too long to go with your other names. Some other options:
Bannon
Brecan
Carrick
Clare
Cluny
Declan
Faelan
Hamish
Merryn
Ruari
Personally, I don’t think Bannon is usable for many people in the US now. It is a nice sounding name and surname so it’s unfortunate.
Love Tristan; it’s always been rather high on my personal list. I like Ciar, too, though I prefer its diminutive Ciaran/Kieran. (My lad’s name is an anglicized version). Taliesin is a lovely name, too.
Tristan, Tristan and Isolde, a legend with Arthurian links from the start
Rhodri, not particularly legendary but a good solid Welsh name
Griffin/Griffith, another Welsh name.
Gwydion, a magician and warrior of Welsh mythology
I probably wouldn’t do Merlin, or the Welsh version Myrddin, with Emrys, since sometimes the character is called Myrddin Emrys
Tal is a stand-alone Hebrew name meaning “dew,” and Tal Samuel is lovely! Freya, Emrys & Tal gives the feeling of a thoughtful assortment of mindfully chosen names.
Arthurian: Lance, Kai
Brother to Freya : Rafe
Similar to Malcolm: Calvin, Maddox, Brendan
Brother to Emrys: Brynn
Another vote for Tristan from your list.
If you are looking for more suggestions I would put a plug in for Godfrey. Very uncommon these days but would be right at home on a white haired gentleman or a medieval Knight. Freya, Emrys and Godfrey. I like that it keeps the Ys Es and Fs but adds a G to the mix.
I also add or second Ambrose, Dorian and Edwin.
I think it’s a case of Malcolm being the least cohesive from your list only because the other names are very well matched. But I don’t think Freya, Emrys and Malcolm are mismatched. I wouldn’t notice anything odd about the set if I came across it in the wild. There is also Malcolm III, King of Scotland and the Macbeth connection so it doesn’t lack history.
It’s fun to match names in a hypothetical exercise but in reality I find it’s better to choose the name you most love or agree on. So while I agree Tristan is a fantastic fit for your set, I want to encourage you to use Malcolm because its clearly your favourite.
If you’re still interested in suggestions though the one name that came to mind was Alistair or Alasdair. There’s something special about the latter spelling in particular.
I completely agree with Kathleen. Malcolm is your favorite, it’s great in the sibling set, you should use it. It has plenty of history and sounds great with Freya and Emrys.
Tristan is nice too, and if that were your favorite I would absolutely encourage you to use it, but it sounds like you’re leaning towards Malcolm, and that’s where I would go too.
On a side note, I’m surprised Freya is ranked so high, I only know of one little Freya. I also know one Tristan and zero Emrys, and they wouldn’t seem surprising as a sib set.
May I offer up my son’s name? Fordon. Like Gordon with a F .
I thought Madoc was a great Welsh-y suggestion. Cadoc would also be good. Depends how much tolerance you have for that K-sound, I suppose. I think Malcolm works well and although I like the name Tristan, it always just feels like an expectation-laden name to me (like naming a little girl Arabella or Scarlett or anything in the sort of High Romance category).
From your list I like Malcolm or Tristan. But I do think either would be the odd man out.
I like the y theme – Dylan, Cyrus/Cyril, Skylar, Kyrie, Myles, Bryce.
Tristan was going to be my suggestion before I even read the choices!
Gareth seems familiar but nicely different.
Idris is uncommon, but I think fairly well known because of the actor. Emrys & Idris. Maybe too much for brothers?
Nickname question, because it seems likely you will use one, and this is either a pro or con but it’s the first thought I had….
Malcolm… would be Mac?
Mac Berke. Sounds like Mac Book. Even a little like Macbeth when you say it quickly- the alliteration/association is pro or con whichever way you feel, I’ve just been sitting here rolling “Mac Berke” off my tongue for a while for fun, lol.
I think Malcolm is perfect! To me it bridges the gap in familiarity between Freya and Emrys nicely and they all have a similar Northern European feel that isn’t matchy-matchy but feels cohesive to me
I favor Malcolm for you, just because you seem to love it best. It’s not a style clash, either, even if it’s somewhat less unusual than the other two. (And it’s worth saying I don’t personally know anyone named Malcolm.) Tristan would be my second choice, or maybe Cian.
I think either Tristan or Malcolm work well.
Loved the suggestion above of Madoc.
Gareth was always my favorite of Arthur’s knights – it’s a soft name that sounds well with Freya and Emrys, historical/mythical, and uncommon in the U.S.
Just popping in to say that I hope your son is healing well. Sending you and your family lots of love. Being in hospital with a kid, especially right now, must be really hard. Xoxoxo from Vancouver BC