Hello,
I just had my baby via emergency c-section at 26 weeks. He came out weighing 1.8 pounds, and we’re taking it day-by-day hoping that he continues to get stronger. We don’t want to leave him without a name for long, but we’re struggling to find something we feel right about. Can you help?? 🙏
1. Walsh, or potentially that hyphenated with Stakland
2. Boy
3. We live in the US
4. We are liking the name Kai or Kylo but are slightly wary of the popularity of it due to the association with the Star Wars franchise.
Please please help.
Stef
I hope you will find yourself able to take the time you need. The baby is earlier than expected; you thought you had more time to decide on a name, but suddenly he is here. It can feel like there needs to be a huge panicky rush to catch up. But everyone including the baby will understand if you need some time to adjust to this new schedule of events. I would want to bring you a copy of The Baby Name Wizard, and then have you do a little pretend play: one of you say to the other one “Oh, honey, the baby will be here in the next couple weeks; we should really buckle down and choose his name now!” Some urgency, but not RUSH. Get out a baby name book (or a baby name website) and a notepad and pen; make lists. Take some time.
I mention The Baby Name Wizard specifically, even though it’s more than a decade old now, because it sorts names into categories, and that can be very helpful for making some big narrowing-down leaps. If the two of you go through it together, you might be able to rapidly determine that you like this category and that category, but not this other category or this one either. You can look up names you already know you like, and see if you like any of the other names in those categories. Once you have some categories you like, you can go through the lists of names in those categories similarly rapidly: okay, you like this name and this name and this name, and the other parent likes this name and this name and…oh, hey, this same name you liked! Score!
The book also contains suggested brother/sister names, which are more like “If you like _____, you might also like ______” suggestions. The listing for Kylo suggests Finnick, Dash, Neo, Axel, Arrow, Knox; the listing for Kai suggests Finn, Axel, Rowan, Luca, Rune, Taj.
Kylo was ruined for me by the Star Wars character. Kai still feels available. Milo is still available; Miles is still available; Theo and Hugo and Leo and Nico, still available. Kian, Keegan, Keane, Ian, Eli, Ty, Ike, Simon, Cade.
Speed is important, so I will get this posted. Let the commenters start work on it while you get some rest, and get out the notepad tomorrow.
I really like Kai and that it means ocean. Oceans are strong and wonderful, just like your baby boy.
Love Swistle suggestion of Milo. Other names that came to mind Keani and Caleb and Gael. Sending you and your family all the love and good wishes while your baby keeps getting stronger.
.
My daughter was not early but was whisked away to NICU unexpectedly without a name. We had such a hard time deciding up until that point, but I felt a different kind of urgency to go ahead and give her her name. It was not the first choice on our list but the most meaningful, after a very strong-willed, important person in my life. Zero regrets and it suits her to a T. I can still remember that relief in my heart when I called her by her name for the first time. Sending your family love and fervent prayers.
Kylo is fully a Star Wars name for me. I suspect most people will associate it with the character. Kai, on the other hand, I wouldn’t associate with Kylo or Star Wars unless I was trying to come up with names with shared sounds, and I would get to Kyle and Kylie before I would get to Kylo.
Maybe you could find a nice O middle name to pair with Kai?
Kai Oliver Walsh-Stakland.
Kai Owan Walsh-Stakland.
Kai Oakley Walsh-Stakland
Kai Otto Walsh-Stakland
My Kai is in middle school in the PNW. In his elementary school of 435 kids, there was one other Kai. In his middle school of 700+, there’s one other. I find I still have to enunciate and correct folks who first hear “Ty” or something. (My point being that it isn’t overly popular. For his age group, way more Rowan/Liam/Aiden).
We like the internationality of the name, and that if we do have to correct folks or spell it, it is short and sweet.
Congratulations and best wishes to you!
Kai is a great name and it sounds very good with either Walsh or Walsh-Stakland, so you could be all set!
I agree with Swistle that Kylo is now completely associated only with the Star Wars character, and for me that’s no good as a baby name.
Loving her suggestions of Milo, Miles, Ike, and Simon if part of what you like it Kai and Kylo is the long I sound.
If so, there’s also:
Isaac
Elias/Eli
Tobias
Orion
Levi
Her suggestions of Theo, Leo, Nico, Milo all seem like good O ending names.
There’s also:
Enzo
Arlo
Indigo
Marco
Cosmo
Finn and Luca have a similar feel to Kai.
Other possibilities that feel like that to me (nature-y, cool, and/or less traditional in the U.S. but still familiar):
Griffin
Graham
Colin
Callum
Sebastian
Jasper
Quinn
Joss
Keir
Ronan
Rowan
Lennox
Sending all the best wishes for strength and growth to your son, and wishing you a good recovery from unexpected surgery and early birth.
If Kylo is out, how about Kyler?
I’d go with Kai over Kylo. Or Kyle maybe. I liked Swistle’s suggestion of Milo. Other possibilities with the long I sound: Elijah, Isaac, Isaiah, Micah, Miles, Silas, Simon, Tyler.
If you’re entertaining suggestions about the last name, my kids have a hyphenated last name and it’s really not as much of a pain as people think it will be. Plus those two names sound good together in either direction, but I generally think it sounds better with the longer name first.
Chiming in to echo: my kids have hyphenated last name too and no issues. First is the three-syllable name, then the two-syllable name, but we chose based on the first one ending in a vowel (kept the flow going through a long name!). We like the rhythm and other people use it easily. And our kids like their name!
Kai is lovely, both meaning and sound, and I hear few of them here (NE US) or in our travels. Go for it.
Wishing you and the babe healing and strength every day.
Kylo is very Star wars to me but still usable if the association doesn’t bother you. Kai feels very modern and handsome.
Some ideas that share similar sounds or style to either name:
Ty
Tyson
Rylan
Kyle
Kieran
Quinn
Zane
Oscar
Zev
Flynn
Milo
Arlo
Theo
Leo
Otto
Shiloh
Luca
Isaac
Miles
Simon
Eli
Silas
Wyatt. Wyatt Walsh is very cool and memorable
If you don’t want to rererence Star Wars, don’t use Kylo.
Kai is beautiful!
I like a strong consonant sound to balance the (first) last name.
So:
Conrad
Zeke
Victor
Peter
Patrick
Jasper
Tucker
Michael
Kenneth
Simon
Carter
Derek
Duncan
Magnus
Emmett
Travis
Arthur
I know a Kylan which doesn’t give Star Wars like Kylo does. I’ve also known a few Kai’s and I really quite enjoy it as a name.
Kylan makes me think of Kylian, which I would guess might be increasing in popularity due to the soccer player, but he’s also a pretty great namesake!
Kai made me think of the following:.
Keegan
Kieran (Keer-an)
Coleman
Cormac
Ronan
Finnegan
Aidan
Logan
Landon
I also think Henry would be really great with your last names. Or Asher, it means blessing! Or Nathan/Nathaniel (meaning: gift)
You can take as much time as you need! He can just be “baby boy” for awhile while you decide.
Kai’s a lovely name and makes me think of Arthurian legend more than star wars. One of the spellings of Arthur’s foster brother’s name is Cai. :) Kylo is very star wars to me, tho.
my daughter was a nicu grad and i was a preemie (I stayed at the hospital for several days, but dunno if i was in a full on nicu) Daughter was term but stopped breathing briefly. Today she’s an average 2nd grader, which is no bad thing at all!
Best wishes to you and baby. NICU is hard.
I love Kai and think it goes well with your surname. Similar names I like:
Koa (a Hawaiian tree)
Kea (a New Zealand bird)
First of all, I am so sorry that things happened so far from what you had planned. My daughter spent lots of time hospitalized as a newborn and it rips your heart out. What you are experiencing is a nightmare and I’m so so sorry about everything!! Except of course, your beautiful baby. ❤️
I agree with the Star Wars reference and think it probably rules that name out. I LOVE Kai, and other folks have come up with some really amazing alternatives, so much so that I can’t come up with anything lol!
I do have to weigh in on the hyphen – you will NEVER get over the delight in having your last name announced at the doctor’s, at school, it’s SO AWESOME!! We did it differently: my daughters have my last name and my son has my husband’s. I think you should absolutely get your last name in there. Besides, they sound great together!!
I’ll keep you in my thoughts and send out healing vibes to your new wee babe and you WILL get through this. One moment at a time.
I will be thinking of you.
My first was born 7 weeks early during my baby shower. We hadn’t discussed names seriously yet. I felt like the NICU staff put pressure on us to pick a name – ignore that! You can take some time to get it right. He will know he is loved with or without. She loves the story of how once we finally picked her first name they announced it in the NICU hallway to cheers from nurses and us letting the pedestrian be the tie breaker vote for her middle name.
I think Kai is wonderful. Just yesterday I met a man named Hezekiah who went by Kai, which is a unique way to get there.
Leo
Callium
Otis
Johan
The poster who suggested Kai with an O- middle gave me an idea.
What about Kaio / Caio? It’s literally a perfect crossover between Kai and Kylo. It doesn’t have the star wars association of Kylo and is more uncommon and unexpected than Kai. It is said to mean “rejoice” which is a beautiful positive name for your tiny fighter.
Lastly a message of hope. I have a close friend who had a 26 weeker just over a year ago. Her daughter is now a gorgeous, full of life one year old, meeting all her milestones beautifully. I wish you all the best.