Hello!
I read your blog post about numbered family name traditions and wanted to write in. Our current finalist name is George Taylor, which is also the name of my husband’s grandfather and great-grandfather. In our case, we would be restarting the tradition vs. naming directly for the father/grandfather of the baby. George is also a family name on my side, and I like the rhyme of Taylor in the middle. However, now that we’re in the third trimester (baby is due in a little over a month!), we’re waffling about this choice and really not completely certain that it’s the right direction for us.
Our girl name for this baby was going to be Audrey Joyce. Audrey because we like the sound of it and the meaning of “noble strength”, and Joyce for my godmother. We had a couple other contenders: Florence or Flora, Diana, Aurelia; but once we put Audrey Joyce together it simply felt “Just Right” in the same way that Mae Beatrix felt right for our first child. (Mae is my mother’s middle name and my husband’s grandmother’s name; Beatrix we like the sound and meaning, although we definitely waffled over Beatrix/Beatrice and only decided as we were filling in the paperwork).
The other boy’s name that is currently a top contender: Oscar Reid. Oscar we just like, Reid honours a paternal relative. I also love Samuel, Lawrence, or Paul, and my husband likes Hawk, Peter or Wyatt. When we go through lists of names, it feels like we both have strong feelings in opposite directions and can’t easily find a middle ground.
I worry that I’m getting sucked into George Taylor Fulford (the fifth, because there is also a great uncle and a distant cousin sharing the name!) because I’m tired of trying to find a name that we both like, that also works in French (we are currently living in a majority French-speaking area, and I don’t want to complicate things for our little boy), that also suits our tastes. Clearly this name works, it’s worked four times before.
Is that reason enough to pick a name? I’m a little sad it doesn’t feel as ~magical~ as our girl name picks, are we just defaulting to what is easiest?
Thank you!
You’ve read the other post, so we don’t need to start with WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THIS, WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO DO THIS, WHY IS THIS A THING THAT KEEPS HAPPENING. We can skip ahead.
Here is what I suggest: name him George, because it is a family name on both sides, and because it works in your area, and because it’s great with Mae and with a possible future sister Audrey, and because it is on Swistle’s own list of boy names that got away. But give him a different middle name and don’t make him a V.
See if you can find a middle name that gives you that click you got with Mae Beatrix and Audrey Joyce. George Reid Fulford? George Oscar Fulford? I’d prefer a middle name from your side of the family, though, or from your own favorites list, since the child will already have a surname from his father’s side, as well as a first name in heavy use on his father’s side. George Samuel Fulford, George Lawrence Fulford, George family-name-from-your-side Fulford, George your-family-surname Fulford.
I also think Oscar Reid is a great choice—though, again, I’d prefer the balance of including a name from your side of the family, rather than two from the father’s side and none from yours.
A middle name starting with V could also be fun if there’s one on your list. A little nod to George the fifth (George V) without the burden. George Victor or George Vincent would both be great in French.
I vote for George Samuel Fulford. George is a good name, and it seems like you like it, but making him a V is maybe more of a choice than you want to just stumble into.
(On the other hand, if you really do love Taylor…I’ll remind you that no one is going to force you to add or use the V. Technically only living relatives count, and even more technically there are no actual rules you have to follow here.)
I agree with Swistle — go with George for the first name and select a middle name that draws from your family or has significance for you.
Mae and George are great sibling names — classic, not dated or fusty.
I have a Mae. Her middle is my maiden name so I didn’t worry about flow much. But can I just say that I thought finding a middle name that flows well with Mae is difficult and Mae Beatrix is just amazing!
I like the idea of using George Taylor if you like it and skipping the V. I think that removes pressure from any further generations. But I think I prefer George with a different middle. I like George Lawrence myself. I like the symmetry of a family first and a middle you just like.
I like George [Middle Name from your side of the family] Fulford.
I’d advocate for Oscar just because I really like that name!
That being said, George Taylor is perfectly nice. I was going to suggest the same as someone above and say just skip the V altogether. I don’t particularly see the point in using it.
Congrats! Let us know what you decide.
I have a George. My only naming regret is not giving him a more adventurous middle name.
George Hawk
George Valentine
George Joyce
George yourmaidenname
George Aubrey
If you stick with Taylor, don’t make him a V. Just use the name.
I get a kick out of numerals, and V is a doozy of one to get to use. No pressure, definitely play up the George on your side if you use it, but if it tickles you, go for it. George Taylor Fulford V is a great name.
Also: Mae is superb. Mae and George together feel like a classic children’s book. Mae and Oscar run a titch funkier, lightly hipster-y. Of the other names, Paul feels like Mae to me, in that it’s a very under-used classic that brings me warm feelings. (I have one. 10/10 would use the name again.)
I have been puzzling over whether Joyce could be gender-neutral again. It’s related to Joss.
I vote for George Joyce. I like the alliterative sound with the different letter. Joyce is a surname, which can be gender neutral. I like it!
Or, if Joyce does not feel gender-neutral to you, George Joyner (similar rhythm and sound to Taylor)?
What about Taylor George? Or Taylor [something else]?
(Taylor is a family name I wanted to use for my kids forever, boy or girl. My husband decided “it’s a girls’ name” so of course we had three boys. I hoped with each one he’d change his mind but never did. The third one has Taylor as a middle name. The real kicker is that all three of their first names are skewing female and I will likely die mad about this. :| JUSTICE FOR MALE TAYLORS!!)
I’m not a big fan of repeating a whole name, though it is better when it’s not people in the same household.
I want to work some of your favorites/family names into combos, either with husband favorites/family names or without since presumably you’re using his surname:
George Lawrence
Lawrence George
Lawrence Peter
Lawrence Reid
Oscar Lawrence
Oscar Samuel
Paul Lawrence
Paul Samuel
Samuel Paul
Samuel Wyatt
I vote George without the Taylor or V. If you’re partly using the name because it’s a family name on your side, you’ll lose that if you name him entirely after his dad’s side.
For example, if my daughter told me she was having a baby Jenny… but the baby’s full name was going to be Jenny Macaroni Cheese the Fifth, after 4 other people named Jenny Macaroni Cheese I-IV on the dad’s side… I would not feel honored. It would feel like a coincidence that my name happened to be part of a name in the dad’s family.
I was thinking the same thing. George is not an honor for moms family with the V.
Plus if you really want to be a stickler the V is only appropriate if it’s five generations of father/sons. Uncles don’t count.
Why not name him Audrey? To me Audrey works as a name for either gender. I would even do Audrey Joyce, but you could do another middle name. Audrey George perhaps? Speaking as a parent who named their daughter Emmet, a name that used to be female but switched to male, misgendering isn’t really an issue and well worth it to use a name I loved as due to infertility we know she was likely to be an only child (which was what came to pass). Do you plan to have any more children? Would you regret not using Audrey if you don’t get to use it?