Ashton writes:
We are expecting our second child, and we seem to be having so much trouble with boy names! Our daughter’s name is Nora Kate (both family names) and we call her both names most of the time.
My grandfather and my husband’s grandfather are both named James, and there are several relatives who have used James as a middle name or unused first name. The children who have James as a first name are referred to by their middle names. McClain is a family surname as well. We love the sound of James McClain, but I have a hard time adding another James to the mix when there are already 4 in my family and 3 in my husband’s family. I love the classic sound of James, but when I say it and try to picture a child with the name, I can’t. I also dislike the associated nicknames, such as Jamie, Jim, or Jimmy.
I have been entertaining the thought of naming him James McClain and calling him Jack (a combination of the names), but I worry that the correlation is vague. I also know that Jack is traditionally a nickname for John, which might make it look like I assigned an “incorrect” nickname. For some reason, when I picture this sweet addition to the family, I picture “Nora and Jack”, although my husband isn’t keen on using Jack as a stand-alone first name.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I suggest the nickname Mac instead, from McClain. It feels fresher to me than Jack, and takes away the feeling that maybe there was a mistake.
On the other hand, if you’re having a hard time imagining adding another James to the family, and you can’t picture calling a child James, and you dislike all the nicknames for James, it may be that the name James is not the right name for your son.
If I met a kid who was introduced as “Jack McClain” my brain would assume that his legal name was John, and then I would think of John McClane from the Die Hard movies, and the connection would be cemented.
Yes. Me too!
If you picture ‘Jack’ as your baby, then why not just name your baby Jack? :) As a given name it was #46 in 2012 so you are in good company– his name wouldn’t have to be John in order to ‘go by’ Jack. And if you are looking for more ‘freshness’, well you could add a fun, modern middle name.
Also, kids/peers his age are going to be very unlikely to associate ‘Jack McClaine’ with DieHard, in my opinion.
The letter-writer mentions the option of naming the baby Jack, but says her husband isn’t keen on the idea.
I love James McClain, and I like the idea of the nickname Mac. We thought about using James for our son and calling him Jay. I love Jack too, and dont mind it as a nn for you but I can see where you are hestitant.
I’ll probably be in the minority, but I think Jack from James McClain is perfectly workable. Our daughter has a much-used family first name that I couldn’t imagine NOT using, and at the same time, it seemed like it was already owned by so many others – and might possibly be used for a few more girls, too, since I’m the oldest of four siblings and the oldest cousin in our generation.
What I’ve learned is this: people generally call your kid whatever you want your kid to be called. (Actually, people generally forget and politely ask about “the kids” instead.) So if you introduce your son as Jack, he’ll be Jack.
My 5 year old understands that she has two names – a full name and a nickname – and in the few cases it could be a question (doctor’s office, airport) I usually remind her that they’ll call her Claire Caroline instead of Clio. She gets it.
As for school records and such, it usually isn’t a big deal. I guess it helps that our kids go to a relatively small school. There was some confusion at the BIG ice rink where she takes skating lessons.
If anyone asks, explaining that it is a family name usually satisfies curiosity.
I have a friend my age named Jacques, whose first-born son is named James. I think when you look at the French Jacques, it’s very easy to get to Jack from there, totally acceptable.
It’s true that many boys being called Jack have the proper name John, and many being called Jack are simply Jack. But I see no reason why we should thereby make any kind of assumption, or rule, and also see no reason why Jack couldn’t also be used for James.
On the other hand, Jack is quite popular, Mac less so. Also, it might be an easier leap from McClain to Mac. But I want to add here that whenever “similar” names to the one I prefer are suggested to me, they usually feel like poor substitutes. I’d almost prefer something entirely different to something “similar.”
While reading your letter, I immediately though of Mac as a nickname as Swistle suggested.
I love the name James and it is on our short list. It’s a great option if he wants to be James in school or as he grows up, but Mac is such a great family nickname.
If you are planing to exclusively use Jack as his go-to name (in school, at the doctor, when you meet a stranger) and not just as a family nickname to distinguish him from the other people named James in your family, I would just name him Jack. I get that you want to honor a relative by using the name James, but it just seems like too much of a nickname stretch if you are never going to use it.
I just need to tell you that my brother’s name is…James McClain.
Oh and my grandfather (Duncan McClain ) goes exclusively by Mac. HIS dad was also Duncan, so that’s how they differentiated. My dad’s middle name is also McClain, and he goes by his first.
(I feel like I’m reading a post from someone in my family…)
I was just reading an article online about the origins of the phrase “screw the pooch,” and the person credited with it was a Joseph nicknamed Jack. I think Abby is right that people go along with what you wish your kids to be called, and I think that formal name-nickname “rules” are by their nature bendable. As a fourth generation Kathryn, I totally understand your desire to honor family traditions while making a spot for your son so he doesn’t feel lost among all the other Jameses.
As for the Die Hard thing, 1) kids his age are unlikely to get the reference, and 2) McClain would be his middle name, right? I hardly ever introduce my son by his first and middle names. It’s either just his first name or his first and last together. So I doubt it will ever come up, past some comments right after his birth.
I think that James McClain could be Jack or Mac easily. Jack isn’t the intuitive nick name from James but somehow, it makes sense with the middle name McClain (i.e. J from James + Mac from McClain= Jack). It sounds like something that could arise organically from calling a child by their first and middle names.
If you like James McClain I would go for it. You could try and call him by both middle names and see what sticks. Another nick name could be Jay.
I love the suggestion of calling him Mac! You could then give him any first name you like (not James or Jack) since it won’t be his call name anyway. You could also go with something like Zachary/Zachariah McLain called Zach.
I also think you should scrap James and use a name you actually like, because you don’t seem to like much about James other than the way it sounds with McLain. Jack seems very off as a nickname to me & the only one I can think of that you didn’t already mention is Jay.
John McCain could get you to Jack, but it does very strongly bring John McCain to mind. Jackson could work, though it doesn’t feel like it’s quite your style.
You say you are reluctant to add another James to your family. Have you considered Jameson (nicknamed Jay) to distinguish him from other James in the family?
If you like Jack, but your husband isn’t keen on it being a first name, maybe you should consider Jackson (nicknamed Jack).
Both Jameson McClain and Jackson McClain sound really nice. :)
Jack from James McClain is a stretch but not a huge one. Jackson’s another option if your husband doesn’t care for Jack as a stand alone name. And if you like the Mac idea you could also name him McClain James and get the honor name in there but more tucked away.
I like the Jack for a nickname.
May I suggest Henry McClain with the nickname Hank? Henry has the classic charm of James, and Hank has some of Jack’s spunk, while being a traditional nickname for Henry. Nora Kate & Hank is too cute, in my opinion!
I think Swistle’s final point sums it up. Plus, he may chose to go by James or Jim etc in a few years.
Jack is a great name. But it is traditionally a nickname for another name (John) and the name you want to use (James) has many traditional nicknames. So I think you are setting yourself and son up for a lot of confusion.
Is there a John you can honor to get to Jack? Or another family name? Good luck!
Many people go by a nickname that isn’t even remotely similar, or even considered the usual nickname for their first name, so I don’t think there is a problem with calling your son Jack when his name is James.
You said that you have many family members, on both sides, that have the name James. Jack is just another name, fortunately one that you really love, that will differentiate your son from the others. Just go for it!
Jack, Mac and Jay are all great nicknames for James McClain by the way. Especially love Jay!
What about the name Jacoby (Jah-coe-bee)? Jacoby James or James Jacoby nn Jay, Jack, Coby or Jay-Jay perhaps?
All the best!
I also second the, I love getting Jack from James McClain. Why not? It’s super cute and I don’t think it is too far of a stretch. I never even understood why James are normally called Jim… that’s weird to me. Or that Polly is a nn to Mary?? So if you want your James to be Jack, go for it! I love the family ties in the name but that you are also giving him his own name at the same time.
Plus, Nora and Jack. SO SWEET. Love it. I would go for it!
Another nickname for James is ‘Jims’. In the Anne of Green Gables series, Anne has a son named James that goes by Jem… which can be a little 1980s with Jem and the Holograms cartoon.
Those options aside, do you like the name Nigel James? Nora and Nigel are pretty priceless together.
Or how about Alfred James? Nora and Alfie?
There’s Arthur James. Nora and Art.
Other classic ideas include:
Martin James
Ralph James
Gordon James
Frederick James
Basil James (Nora and Baz)
Oscar James
Robert James (Nora and Hob)
Whatever you pick will be just right for your son. Best wishes to you and your family as you welcome the little guy!
Honestly, I have a hard time getting Jack from James McClain… I agree as others have said that I would call your child whatever you told me to, but privately I would think it made no sense.
In your post you reference twice that you love the sound (‘We love the sound of James McClain…..I love the classic sound of James”) but you can’t picture it on a child & dislike the associated nicknames.
I wonder if you like “the sound” so much due to the repeating long a?
Suggestions that may work if that’s the case:
Gabe, Gray, Hank, Hayes, Shane
I also like the idea of flipping it to McClain James and calling him McClain/McClain James/Mac…
It would help to know other family names you would consider using, or maybe what the baby will be if s/he’s a girl to give more suggestions.
I think using Jack as a nickname for James is OK although I wouldn’t do it myself. Mac is also a good idea.
Origin of certain nicknames (some of which don’t seem to make sense) is interesting and dates back to the Middle Ages.
– limited supply of given names led to the use of many diminutives to distinguish between people with the same name. -kin was used as a diminutive. John became Jenkin and Jankin, which led to Jackin – and Jack.
– Norman invasion of 1066 introduced unfamiliar sounds (and new names) into the the language. People had trouble with the “r” sound. So Mary could become Molly, Sarah to Sally, Harold to Hal, Fanny from Frances.
– some names were pronounced differently back then. Richard was pronounced as “Rickard.”
–
Love this nickname history!
I have an acquaintance that named her some McClain, and I instantly loved it. I like another poster’s suggestion of switching it to McClain James nickname Mac. Love it.
My first thought was that James is actually a variation on Jacob—they’re derived from the same name. So I could see Jake as a quirky linguistics-nerd nickname for James, but Jack still struck me as a bit off.
I’ve seen stranger things, and I’d probably do what Swistle says to do in the next post (Hugo/Huck) and rather than justifying it, just call him what you want and don’t apologize. Or say “Oh it’s a family nickname for him.”
My son is named Gunnar and we call him Jack–so I say do whatever you want! We plan on having him go by his given name at school when he starts–that’s what my in laws did with my husband “Skip” and it never caused him any problems. Nowadays only his parents, brother, and aunts and uncles call him Skip.
I’m also considering James for my next baby (After my grandfather) if it is a boy, but have the same family problem–he’d he the first of possibly FOUR potential James’ in my family of his generation. So on the one hand mine would be the first, but on the other hand that’s a lot of James’!
I’ve never commented before (I’ve read this for years!) but I wanted to confirm the James and Jacob derivation/connection. I also wanted to add that my grandfather was James and nicknamed Jake. I believe this was not uncommon for that time (20s – 30s). Both of his parents were from Ireland, but I’m unsure if this could be an Irish type of tradition. Either way, I think Jake is the sweetest nickname for James, and somehow fits better than Jack, possibly because of the “Jay” beginning sound of both Jake and James. Best of luck!
I grew up in a small town, and one of the families we knew had two boys. One is named Joseph Tyler (goes by Tyler), and the other is named John McLain (goes by McLain). I never made any association with the Die Hard movies, nor have I heard anyone else do so.
Maybe you could name your boy John and call him Jack? I also think Jack could easily be rendered from James McClain. James Mac = Jack.
I am expecting my first child in May and James is actually on my mind a lot lately if the baby is a boy. (Despite it being my brother, uncle, and cousin’s name!)
I’m glad someone already suggested Jameson. What about Jamison also? Pronounced with 3 syllables. My friend just named her son this.
But really, I’m just partial to Jack. Nora and Jack! I hope your husband comes round! : )
If not, I don’t love James nn Jack, but do like John nn Jack. Or Jonathan?