Baby Boy Molina Maplepines

26 Replies

Hello Swistle!

I am sure you hear this all the time, but as someone obsessed with names for years I never thought I would be in the position of not being able to figure out a name! But here we, most very definitely, are.

My husband and I are expecting our first baby, a boy, in early April. Getting pregnant was difficult, and we hope to have another baby or two but definitely no guarantee. We are a bilingual Spanish/English family, and baby will have two last names. Both last names start with M, and sound something like Molina Maplepines (except the second last name is actually Portuguese and looks more like a name like Guimaraes, but Maplepines has the same sound and flow). I know you normally don’t weigh in on non-English names, but we live in the Midwest US and baby will spend so much of his time in an English environment that that is my greatest concern. Plus all the names we are considering are familiar to exclusive English-speakers.

If the baby had been a girl we only had Alma and Liana on our list, two favorites of mine that my husband seemed to be okay with as well.

Our preferences: my husband prefers biblical, old fashioned Spanish names. I like somewhat more international, more timely (or trendy), short names (given the really long last names). I would also prefer to avoid M names, alliteration is cute, but alliteration x3 is a lot (I think? Or no?).

My husband’s list (short version, also suggested names like Roberto and Ezequiel):
Mateo
Abram
Tomas
Diego

My list:
Felix
Gael
Tiago

Possible compromise names:
Emilio
Elias

Essentially neither of us seems willing to go with the other’s names. I find Abram and Tomas too old fashioned, Mateo too popular plus the M issue (and a newborn cousin named Matias), Diego is okay. My husband doesn’t like Felix because of Felix the Cat, Tiago because it sounds like “te hago” in Spanish, and Gael he just doesn’t love (and does make the fair point that it has some of the greatest potential to be mispronounced).

Emilio feels long to me, and we actually both probably like Emiliano more, but 5 syllables is just so much (the last names are each 3 syllables). We also have Amelias on both sides of our family, and I worry that Emilio is too close. We could possibly call him Milo or Lio if it ends up being confusing, but we both prefer names without nicknames.

As for Elias my husband strongly prefers the Spanish pronunciation (eh-LEE-as vs ee-LIE-as), I am okay with either/both. Elias was the name of my husband’s grandfather, which in some ways is sweet (my husband was close to him before he passed away unfortunately very young) but also we are not considering ANY family names otherwise for any other boy in the future or a girl. I don’t love using one family name from my husband’s side and never using another family name, but there are none I want to use either.

Help! Please! Either with opinions on the name options we have, or other suggestions, or sage wisdom on choosing a name in general. My mother-in-law, who generally is a sweet and helpful person, constantly asks if we have chosen a name and the pressure is rising (just today she said we “need” to have picked a name by our baby shower, to which I said I made no promises!)

Thank you!!

 

For STARTERS, we (and by “we” I mean “your husband”) are going to lovingly inform your sweet and helpful mother-in-law that the name will not be chosen in time for the baby shower. Maybe it WILL be chosen by then! But let’s all assume it won’t be, and/or that you would prefer to time the baby-name announcement differently. Maybe you were not even planning to share the name until after the baby was born, which would be a pretty normal plan! Maybe you don’t feel like locking down the name for SURE-sure until it is time to fill out the birth certificate, which is ALSO a pretty normal plan!

No doubt she is thinking of people who want to personalize gifts with the baby’s name, and that is delightful, but those people will need to make other plans, as they would need to do for MANY baby showers at which the name has not yet been chosen/announced and/or the sex of the baby is not known/announced. They can give you a wrapped letter at the shower, telling you what they will be giving you after the baby is born/named; they can give you an unpersonalized version of something and add the personalization later; they can give you something different at the shower and give you the personalized item as a baby gift after the baby is born; they can scrap their entire plan for a personalized gift and do something else; etc. They have options that do not involve you rushing to commit to a name before you need to / are ready to.

Now that we have made ourselves a little breathing room, let’s look at the options. I was about to stand here and tell you that the name Mateo wasn’t particularly popular, and then I checked the Social Security Administration and I see it was #11 in 2022. I did the same thing awhile back with the name Luna: “What? It’s not THAT popular. …Oh.” This is why it is a good idea to use a good shake of salt when hearing baby-name opinions from grandparents-to-be: they tend to be OUT OF THE LOOP, baby-name-wise.

Because you’d like to have more children, I’ll mention my usual caution about making sure the name you choose this time doesn’t rule out other names on your list. Would Abram or Emilio rule out Alma for you? Would Elias rule out Liana for you? That sort of thing.

I was all set to champion Elias until I saw that your husband wants to pronounce it eh-LEE-as. This feels like an endless uphill struggle. The mispronunciations may be relentless. I am imagining if I wanted Robert’s name pronounced ro-BEAR, or Henry’s name pronounced on-REE, and immediately I feel exhausted. Plus, I agree with your reasoning about family names, particularly about family-name inequality.

I do think your husband should try to get over Felix the cat. That’s a reference that’s barely relevant to my generation (I’m vaguely culturally aware of the cartoon from 60-100 years ago depending on incarnation, but I’ve never seen it), let alone to current parents and children. And the name Felix is increasingly in use, which will increasingly dilute the association. Old people may remark on it, the way they will remark on any name they haven’t yet realized is current (“Mateo? Now THAT’S an unusual name!”), and they can be ignored until they’ve had a chance to adjust.

Though here I am one paragraph later, uncertain about Diego because of the TV shows Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go. To be fair, those shows were recent enough to have been watched at the time of broadcast by children who are still children today, and the DVDs are still regularly checked out at the library where I work.

I would encourage you to toss out “length” as a preference, if possible. One of my children has a name that is so long it gave me serious doubt (twelve syllables), and it is absolutely a non-issue. No one even says neutral things such as “Wow, that’s a lot of name!” Nothing. Not a peep. No one cares. And even if they HAD said “Wow, that’s a lot of name!,” it would have been the smallest of small deals. “Yes,” I would have said, smiling, and likely the conversation would have ended right there. The other person would not have gone home to their family that night saying “Let me tell you about the LONG NAME I encountered today!” (And if they had–because I actually DO report interesting name encounters to my family–THAT TOO would be the smallest of small deals.) Choose the name you love and REJOICE in its glorious longness! …Though if you prefer to avoid nicknames, that does seem like a reason to avoid a five-syllable name.

I have two names from the lists I’d like to champion:

  1. Felix. Shortish, and easy to spell and pronounce. Felix Molina Maplepines. Felix and Liana; Felix and Alma.

  2. Tomas. I think that you would get the occasional person trying to pronounce it like Thomas, but that it would be more typical for people to get it right: the spelling is a huge clue/reminder. There is a Stefan in my children’s school, and people might try STEFF-fun and stef-FAHN, but they don’t generally try STEVE-ven. Tomas Molina Maplepines. Tomas and Liana; Tomas and Alma.

 

 

 

Name update:

Thank you, all, for all your contributions and suggestions! I read your response, Swistle, and every comment many times. So many great suggestions, many of which would have been contenders if they weren’t taken by close family or friends (Luca! Andres! Rafael! Oscar!).

In the end Eli@s Abr@m joined us on April 8th, although technically he wasn’t named until the next day. The turning point with the name Eli@s was my husband realizing that while he was more familiar with the Spanish pronunciation he didn’t actually mind the English pronunciation, and was fine with using either. We also discussed how his own name is pronounced differently in English and Spanish, and how he has always used the standard pronunciation in each language and never minded. Diego and Emilio/Emiliano did remain options until the last minute, and while I do think Eli@s could have been an Emilio I am content with our choice. So far we normally use the Spanish pronunciation even when we are speaking English at home, but out and about (at the doctor’s office and places like that) we use the English pronunciation. We will see how things develop, but I am sure they will work out.

Thank you all so much!

26 thoughts on “Baby Boy Molina Maplepines”

    1. The Mrs.

      Here to suggest Javier.
      I know it’s three syllables, but he’s handsome!

      Also something to consider: often teens WANT a nickname that their friends can use. If you give him the name Marcus, his buddies could call him “3M” or “M Cubed”. If you name him Teo, his friends might call him “Mr. T”. Like, nicknames are basically inevitable. Just think about it.

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  2. Yoli

    Finding names that work in both languages could be a challenge, since they might have different pronunciations. Your list have a couple that works like Felix, Diego, Tiago and Gael. Diego is pretty popular in some Spanish speaking places. From your list my favorite is Gael. Other suggestions:
    Adan
    Carlo
    Hugo
    Ismael
    Marco
    Milo
    Santiago with Tiago as a nickname

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  3. Lilly

    I have a Felix, who is 6, and I think the Felix the Cat association has only been mentioned once or twice. And not even negatively! It’s not reasonable to have to name a child a name that has never been used anywhere else, ever. Just chiming in to say I don’t think that will be an issue!

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  4. ReeRee

    I am in the Midwest and know two little Nicos, in both cases one parent is not American. To me, Diego is in the “rare but familiar name” category; I didn’t make the Dora connection. I also love Oscar, and it should work great in Spanish and English.

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  5. Emily Lytle

    Hello! Your list is very lovely, I know you will find something great.
    Notes:
    I know a young Felix and it is so charming in person.
    There is a Gael in my child’s kinder class and it is constantly being pronounced Gail.
    Wildcard: I have a Hugo and the reactions to it have been unequivocal surprised delight. It doesn’t have natural nicknames (although Hug-a-boo pops out occasionally) and it works really well in Spanish and English.

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  7. Iris

    Sebastian! It’s long but only the ending is really different on both languages
    Elias would be a great middle name, if you want one
    Some ideas:
    Lucas
    Daniel
    Rafael
    Oscar
    Gabriel
    Samuel
    Victor

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  8. Genevieve

    How about Teo instead of Mateo? Much less popular, and gives you a new initial. I knew a little Teo (now just starting college) and thought it was a great name.

    Do the popular actors Pedro Pascal and Diego Luna (in Star Wars prequel show Andor, among other things) make the names Pedro and Diego feel more current to you?
    My son had a good friend named Diego.

    Other boys’ names I remember from my son’s bilingual elementary school in the mid2000s: Marco, Sergio, Tomas, Santiago.

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  9. Maria

    I’ve known a couple kids named Elias said “e LEE as” and I don’t think they had terrible issues with people forgetting how to say their name. As for Felix the cat, I had a prof in 2010 whose first name is Felix and he made a joke about Felix the cat and we were all pretty much unaware of what he was referencing. I remember looking it up after class. I now have a son with Felix as his middle name (not named after my prof lol) and I’ve never heard anyone say anything about Felix the cat. In fact the only things people have said about his first or middle names have been pleased expressions of what a great names he has (N1ch0las Fel1x)

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      1. Carolyn

        I’ve only ever heard Elias as eh-LEE-as so I was surprised that so many people thought the default pronunciation would be something different!

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  10. Caz (Carolyn Beaumont)

    I love Tiago and would push for it. Boys don’t usually get as unusual but pronounceable as girls do.

    I have 2 friend with a baby Felix and I love the name. No Felix the cat associations, except when someone else brings it up I can place it within pop culture.

    A friend has a kiddo Toma (that’s how it’s pronounced, no idea if it’s spelled Tomas but I doubt it) and that also feels fresh and fun, but pronounceable from written.

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  11. Maree

    Any change you would lean into MMM with Martin? It’s such a classic name and one where I prefer the Spanish version to the English. Martin is not biblical but he is a well venerated Saint.

    Do you mind if the name has more than one pronunciation? My name and my daughter’s name both do and neither of us are bothered, we just let people use what they use. I think I find it charming.

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  12. StephLove

    Since it’s on your overlap list, I stopped to consider Elias and I wonder if the two pronunciations could be a plus. The English-speaking relatives could use one and the Spanish-speaking ones the other. If he mainly used the English one (at school, etc) the Spanish one could feel like a special nickname for family. Or he could choose to use it as a teen/adult. It would give him a choice. Same goes for Daniel, David, Gabriel, Samuel, and other names that have the same spelling in both languages.

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    1. Kerri

      StephLove, that was my exact thought as well. I don’t think there’s an issue with the 2 different pronunciations. Spanish speaking family and friends can pronounce it one way, English speaking the other way, and he can decide which pronunciation he likes best for which situation. I think you’d need to discuss this beforehand and make sure you’re on the same page, but I think you could make it work.

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  13. A

    I wonder if you both would like Xavier? It’s traditional like the names your husband likes but still feels fresh and modern like you prefer. It’s a good middle ground between Ezequiel on his list and Felix on your list.
    Xavier Molinas Maplepines.
    Xavier Elias Molinas Maplepines 😍

    I absolutely love Emilio and Emiliano on your list. I like that is carries the M sounds throughout the last names without being too alliterative. It is on the longer side but that seems like a non issue in my opinion. If anything it makes the name more memorable.

    I live in the Midwest and work in pediatrics in a city with a large Hispanic population. Here are some lovely names used by my Spanish speaking families just to give you some ideas:
    Diego, Damian, Rafael, Alessandro, Enzo, Ezra, Adrian, Julian, Isaac, Ezequiel, Santiago, Marco, Roman, Cruz, Ivan, Moises, Noel, Andres, Benicio, Carlo, Leonardo, Elian, Yisrael, Elijah, Hugo, Martin, Alan.

    Luca, Leo, Sebastian, Mateo, and Thiago are quite popular but I think Gael might be the one I come across the most (probably because it’s such a handsome name!)

    Good luck and please update us!

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    2. Annie

      With a Spanish heritage/language connection, they could also use Javier- same name as Xavier but it gets rid of the (to me) mildly annoying pronunciation issue (Zavier vs egg-Zavier)!

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  14. Alice

    Another mom to a Felix here! He’s 5, and so far 0 Felix the cat references (or if they’ve occurred, they’ve been so benign I literally don’t remember them). Instead we get a delighted/surprised I LOVE THAT NAME!! all the time :)

    (we wanted our kids names to work in French, as well as be relatively pronounceable for a multitude of international family members, so I personally do like that Felix can be pronounced “feh-LEEX” when we’re w/the French crew, “FEH-lix” in Spanish, etc!)

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  15. Elle

    I think you have a great short list with names from both lists that work together. I love the name Alma for a future daughter (of yours or mine ; ). There’s a beautifully illustrated picture book called Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal.

    I think Tomas, Mateo, and Felix are great brother names and also all work with Alma. I like another commenter’s suggestion of Emil. It’s recognizable and easily pronounced in both languages and cute as heck on a little boy, but is also fit for a grown man (Emil and the Detectives is one of my kids’ fave books and old movies… So very charming! Astrid Lindgren also writes an adorable series of kids’ chapter books about a boy named Emil).

    May I also suggest Abel (though, depending on how you feel about siblings sharing a first initial and sharing sounds, it might prevent you from using Alma, should you have a girl in the future)? It’s my son’s name and was very favorably received by all age-groups. It’s short and sweet. We call him Abe, sometimes. He was called “Abe-y Baby” when he was wee. It’s recognizable and easy to pronounce in both English and Spanish.

    Also, I agree with Swistle wholeheartedly about letting your sweet MIL know in no uncertain terms that she is not authorized to give you a deadline for naming your baby (ridiculous!). Your husband should take on this task; he can tell her that you’re discussing names but won’t decide until you see the baby (whether or not that’s your plan). In my experience, even the sweetest of MILs can morph into overbearing know-it-alls when a grandchild appears, especially when it’s the parents’ first baby. It’s like they want to relive their baby-bearing days and so want things to be to their taste, in the same way they’d do it and done in their timeline. I love my in-laws dearly, but they gave unsolicited advice on everything from our child’s name, to his foreskin, to how baby should sleep, to when to ntroduce solids, to how to deal with teething (according to my MIL, sleep should happen on baby’s tummy, he should be given rice cereal in a bottle at 2 months, and I should rub rum on his gums… Obviously we ignored all this advice!). It’s a good idea to get used to kindly setting boundaries now. We allowed all this familial pressure to decrease our joy during the pregnancy and postpartum. So please! Try to ignore any feedback like this. Steel yourself against it now. Naming your child can be joyful, but also can be fraught with stress, especially when you feel outside pressure or hear insensitive comments about your baby’s name. I suggest you wait until after baby is born to announce his name. No one else’s opinion matters but yours and your husband’s. *

    Congrats! You’ll choose the perfect name for your little one

    *Sorry about getting a little verbose. I still have a bee in my bonnet about my in-laws’ meddling, even years later.😂

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  17. Elisabeth

    I wouldn’t worry about Felix the Cat; I vaguely know it as a reference, but it rarely comes to mind. Certainly my thoughts would be 1st, “That’s a bit unusual. Cool!” and 2nd “My mom had an Uncle Felix.” I do make the Diego-Dora the explorer connection, but it’s positive and the show does make Diego a very familiar name to English speakers (in the US, anyway.) Luis would be for Millennials & late Xers, too, thanks to Sesame Street.

    Diego
    Felix
    Emiliano (Why not? My full name is quite long and the most annoying part is other people telling me it’s too long, can we call you Liz instead?)
    Tomas
    Luis
    Elias, or maybe use it for a middle name?

    Bless your MIL, she needs to mind her own business. My cousins didn’t announce the names until their babies were born. DH & I had picked out baby names long before the baby shower, but the only personalized items my kids have ever received are their school backpacks. (A particularly sturdy brand. My college backpack from the same company is still going strong, mostly carrying groceries these days)

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