Hello Swistle!
Almost two years ago you and your readers offered some excellent advice to help me and my husband through our divergent taste issue and came up with a few excellent suggestions: https://www.swistle.com/babynames/2013/02/10/baby-boy-or-girl-arnold/. It turns out it was all very interesting and insightful but somewhat in vain as we had a boy and named him the previously agreed upon Xavier. Well we are back expecting again and I learned a lot from my experience naming my son: when it comes to naming babies you have to make only yourselves happy and it is good to be sure in your footing since people can be somewhat astonishing in their rude opinions. We liked the name Xavier for several years and I am very happy I knew I picked it based on a genuine fondness for the name and not a temporary flush. With that in mind I’m trying to pin down some names early so we can hopefully blissfully overcome our taste incompatibility months in advance and feel like we didn’t pick something in a last minute rush. I like your idea of picking from each others lists so I’d like to give some of these a few months to stick.
We won’t know baby #2’s sex in advance. For girls I’m still liking Lennox a lot (even more so after a near stealing of it by a very close friend a month ago, yes people do that!). I think my husband has warmed a little after the attempted theft as well, making me think it’s a good choice if we like still it after three years and we can face the haters of which there are sure to be many. In case a daughter herself would hate it, I’m trying to come up with middle names where she could go by Leila or something of the like, any ideas? I would like a feminine middle name to go with it. ( FYI we had a ton of suggestions for Aurora for my post on baby #1, but I work for a company by that name so it is out but quite an interesting coincidence). Cole stays on the favored girl list as well. Any other simple, unusual gender neutral names?
For boys I like:
Archer (any insight on if this is truly a trendy one we might regret? I arrived at it as an alternative to hunter but see it is climbing the charts fast).
Emil (namesake of a dear friend who passed, but worried about people struggling to pronounce. Also any girl names that are similar and Eastern European in origin?) General thoughts on this?
Issac (with Xavier I’m concerned we are sounding ultra biblical)
Sinjin (I love this name and it is somewhat familiar to me from the volleyball player, the singer and the character on mad men, but I have never heard of it for any “real life” person ever ). There is a huge black hole of information and opinions on Sinjin unlike any other name I have ever seen, which I find very strange as it is not totally unheard of. Is it a a diamond in the rough or is it just terrible? I would love to hear from you and your readers. If 50% of people hate it I’m not really worried but if it’s more like 80% I get that I might want to move on.Any thoughts on that crop of names for boys, any possible derivations for girls or alternates would be truly appreciated, your site is a fantastic resource and I’m so happy to see you are going strong!
Tysen Gannon
The children have the day off from school today for a Teacher Workshop Day, and I have a lot of trouble writing when they’re home, so I won’t try to be thorough. However, I did want to quickly address a few of the questions; then I’ll post the whole thing for others to work on.
If you would like to give a daughter a feminine middle name that gives her the option to go by Leila, my favorite way to do that would be to go straight to using Leila as her middle name. If you’d prefer a name that lets you combine Lennox and the middle name to make Leila, it depends on whether you’re pronouncing Leila as LAY-la or as LEE-la or as LYE-la. If it sounds like Layla, my first choice would be Ayla: “L. Ayla” = Leila. If Lyla, my first choice would be Isla: “L. Isla” = Lyla. If Leela, I’m not sure.
The name Archer appeared in the Top 1000 for the first time in 2009, and has risen since then:
(screen shot from SSA.gov)
It’s hard to predict what it will do from here. The rise is fairly rapid, but it’s hard to know how far it will go. It could go one more leap and then stay put in the 200s, or it could continue to leap until it’s in the Top 20. I wouldn’t have thought the name Hunter would go as high as it did (#36 in 2013), and the name Archer has less controversial imagery. And it follows the styles for surname names, and for occupational names, as well as tying in to the Hunger-Games-inspired archery fad. Plus, it has the cute nickname Archie. I’d expect it to become fairly popular—but again, it’s impossible to predict if “fairly popular” will be Top 100 or Top 10.
We’ve addressed the name Emil in another post, so I’ll link to that here: https://www.swistle.com/babynames/2013/08/28/baby-naming-issue-emil/ It doesn’t exactly answer the question you’re asking, but the letter-writer mentions that a majority of their acquaintances pronounced it correctly, which seems like a good sign.
For Eastern European girl names similar to Emil, I’d check the Baby Name Wizard’s site: International Name Lists. Searching “Eastern European names” online brought up many other lists as well. I would think something like Emilia would be a nice honor name for an Emil.
The name Isaac does not sound too biblical to me with Xavier; Xavier is not a name from the Bible. I searched “Xavier Bible” to double-check (I’ve been surprised before by biblical characters I’ve forgotten), and got matches for Francis Xavier; I’m familiar with him, but I think of him only as Francis Xavier: the name Xavier doesn’t bring him to my mind.
The name Sinjin is a respelling of the name St. John, which is pronounced something like “Sinjin.” Searching for information on the name St. John may unearth better information. It’s a very unusual name in the United States; in the Social Security data base for 2013, I find 8 new baby boys named Sinjin, but none named St. John. If Xavier has a St. Francis Xavier association for you, St. John or Sinjin may be too much saint for one sibling group.
Name update!
Archer Sinjin was born in October rendering pointless hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hours of debate on baby girl names. Thanks to swistle and you readers for all the feedback, I’ll be keeping liadan in my back pocket for the future. We have been answering lots of “what the heck kind of name is Sinjin” as expected, but that is a time honored naming tradition for mom and to a lesser extent dad and we are very happy with our choices.
Thanks!
Tysen
Hi! I reread your earlier letter too, and so your thoughts that time around are on my mind as well– not sure how much of your desires/thoughts still stand from that time so forgive me if I mention things you’ve moved on from.
First thought: Liadan.
It’s Irish Gaelic and the name of several different famous women in Irish myth and culture. It’s pronounced LEE-dan or sometimes LEE-a-dan. I met a girl recently with the first pronounciation and was totally charmed. It’s also super easy to spell for something Irish, and sounds great with Arnold! I can pretty much guarantee you she’d be the only one in her class and people would be uncertain of her gender before meeting her. Plus, you can use the nickname Leila.
Since you have a super unusual name (for a woman), and like it, I do think it would be a neat tradition to pass on a unisex or ambiguous gender name if this baby is a girl. I like Lennox but it is a little much paired with Tyson/Tysen; one quick Google of the two together and it’s boxing all the way down. That would put me off it.
Recently I came across Bennett as a female name. It was actually used quite regularly as a unisex name in the Middle Ages in England, derived from Benedict/Benedicta. I REALLY like Bennett (or Bennet) with your surname. It sounds stylish and familiar while also being quite unusual, and it doesn’t feel trendy at all.
Lennox on the other hand does feel trendy– maybe it’s the “x” in the name, which is very 2010s? (Jaxon, Knox, Maddox, Braxton, Axel). Xavier escapes the datedness of having an X because it is also a very established name with many decades/centuries of use. Lennox doesn’t have that, and combined with the “x” it just seems a bit dateable.
As far as getting the nickname Leila out of a rarer first name– it’s going to be a stretch/exercise to get it to stick because in America, Leila is not a traditional nickname for anything. BUT I think you can do it if you really try! Liadan seems like an easy one, but if you don’t like that, maybe a unisex/boy name with a strong “Lee” sound in it– which Lennox doesn’t have.
The first name I thought of with that criteria was Leland. I really like it as a name, though I’m not sure how well it flows with Arnold.
Not unisex, but Lenore/Lenora also came to mind. It is very uncommon right now.
I’m trying to gently dissuade you from Lennox only because I think the combination of very trendy + boxing is a bit too much. But if you really love it, then go with your heart!
So to round it up, alternates to Lennox:
Liadan
Leland
Bennett
Lenore/Lenora
I will try to come back and think about boy names for you too!
I really like both Liaden and Leland as suggestions.
Bennett Arnold may sound “familiar” due to the similarity to Benedict Arnold.
Hey, Swistle, how about a poll for Sinjin, since she wanted to get a sense of the percentages?
Meanwhile, I think Lennox is a good match for Xavier, similar level of quirkiness and an x but with a different sound and not in the same part of the name so it’s not overwhelming. Emilia is also nice with Xavier and probably the most straightforward female honor name for Emil.
For the boys, i like Archer, Isaac, and Emil. I’m iffy on Sinjin.
I’m with you on Sinjin– I don’t like it at all. I think it’s the “sin” part combined with “jin”, which I associated with Djinn (evil spirits) and also gin, the drink. It seems like the name of a villainous character.
I’d recommend spelling it St. John or not using it at all.
Polls aren’t working, or I would. Still trying to get that fixed.
I do like Lennox for a girl and think it works well with older brother, Xavier. Swistle’s suggestion of Lennox Isla is lovely.
I do not care for the sound of Archer Arnold or Archie Arnold as he may be called. I also think it will become increasingly popular. Emil Arnold is a bit choppy for me. I do love Issac with your last name and with Xavier. Sinjin looks and sound like a made up version of St. John. If you want to call a child Sinjin, I would use St. John.
Have you considered:
Ezekial
Malachi
Duncan
Jasper
Emmett
Lazurus
Female names:
I think Emil could work well for a female without modification.
If your husband still likes Nicola, but you don’t, what about Tesla?
If you want to use Lennox and she doesn’t like it, she could use Lynn as a feminine nickname, without needing to go by her middle name. There is a great tradition of nicknames that don’t match the spelling of the name (e.g. Michael/Mike, Catherine/Kate).
Male names:
I think Sinjin is a fine name, but I’m a name enthusiast and know its origin. I second the poll, though name enthusiasts make a biased sample.
You like names that have the “z” sound (Xavier and Isaac). Perhaps you’d like Zenith. Zenith and Xavier.
How about Sigmund? It sounds exotic yet familiar, like Xavier. Sigmund and Xavier.
Polls are currently not working.
I think Mila or Milya would be a good feminization of Emil that sounds distinctly Eastern European. It seems like most Eastern European languages are pretty committed to the convention of feminine names ending in -a though, which might not appeal to your taste for more unisex options. (There is Ira though, which is a variant of Irene, and a lot of Russian nicknames are unisex, like Sasha and Misha, which might appeal to you). I’d be interested in knowing which part of Eastern Europe your friend was from, however. Hungarian, for example, seems to have more names that would appeal to your taste than Polish or Czech.
Also, there’s Miles as an almost-anagram of Emil, which shouldn’t have any pronunciation problems. (I think people should be able to pronounce Emil too, but I took 5 years of French so I might not be unbiased).
Ahh, St John! I remember first encountering that name in Jane Eyre in 11th grade. The whole class called him “Saint John” (i.e., pronouncing the saint part) until the teacher informed us it was pronounced “sinjin”. I think it’s interesting, but I also think a bearer would have to be prepared for a lifetime of “no, not Saint John…” – at least in the US. Perhaps it’s more familiar in the UK (but then again, I’m basing this on the setting of Jane Eyre, not actual knowledge).
Another thought: if you like Sinjin but worry about that spelling/St John having to correct his name all the time, what about Sinclair? I know it has a “clair” in it, which is a “girls name” but I like it for a boy.
Xavier and Sinclair
Sinclair Arnold
Sinclair is a lovely option for a girl too! I think it work equally well for boy or girl
I live in the U.S. and my parents are both european immigrants and my name is Emilie which is the French spelling for Emily. In school and in a professional environment, I have been frequently (but not commonly) called Emil and confused for a male. Not bothersome to me at all. Not sure if the same confusion would apply to an Emil but I wanted to share my experience.
For a middle name with Lennox, what about Mary? Mary Lennox is the main character in A Secret Garden.
Lennox Mary Arnold.
I like St. John better than Sinjin as a spelling, but ditto the suggestion of Sinclair. I also like Zachary with Xavier, same starting sound, but different initials.
I like Lennox Emilia for a girl. Both you and your husband like it. Emilia is a lovely honor name, and it gets you your feminine middle name. OH also, you get the initials LEA (assuming there isn’t a hyphenated name or second middle name thing) and you can nickname her “Leah” or even “Leia” (long a sound then short a sound) from there.
For a boy, I like Archer and I think it goes well with Xavier. I also love the name Isaac and it wouldn’t sound too Saint-y for me.
ETA – I think Isaac is my first choice for you, but I liked Emil too. I wouldn’t do Sinjin, unless actually naming him Saint John – but that seems like more trouble than it’s worth (to me, anyway).
I love the suggestion of Lennox Emilia for a girl! It sounds great with big brother Xavier.
I was about to recommend the same! Lennox Emilia is such a perfect name for a daughter for you. I don’t love Leila as a nickname, but there are so many other great options – Lenni, Lena, Knox, Mila, Emmy, Lia/Lea.
Alternatively, you could use Lennox Nicola. I don’t like Cole as a girl’s given name because it is so popular for boys (it’s like naming a girl Wyatt). But it could be a cute nn for Lennox Nicola and also honor family.
Boy names it seems are more difficult for you. I like Emil best of your options. I wouldn’t do St. John unless you are a huge Jane Eyre fan, and even then I don’t think I would name my child after him. Archer I like with Xavier, but not with your last name. Hunter I like better, but not as much as some other options below. Isaac is fine, but probably more popular than you would like. Not overly biblical to me because of popularity.
Miles is also a great suggestion – familiar enough for your husband but uncommon enough for you. Sounds great with Xavier and your last name.
You had liked Rory, Lane, Emery and Cole for a girl, what about for a boy? Aside from Cole which is slightly less popular than Xavier, they are all pretty uncommon names but also recognizable and masculine. You might also like the lesser used Amory or Amos.
A few more I think you might like: Dexter, Ryder, Sawyer, Dax, Maddox, Paxton, Felix, Duncan, Duke, Nikko, Vance, Lennon, Doyle, Kellen, Donovan, Clive, Cruz
Would you consider Lennox for a boy? It is currently ranking as a boy’s name but not a girl’s. Lennox Emil or Lennox Cole are both great options. Compromising on a single name for either girl or boy might easier for you and your husband than compromising on two names, and then you can emphasize gender with the middle.
I have come across two St Johns. One was an adult on the phone who had to spell his name out to me. The second was a lovely wee boy, and I recognized the name immediately from my previous experience. I guess I would say it will definitely puzzle/intrigue the first time someone comes across it, but once you have heard it it, you won’t forget it.
My two cents: I would pronounce Emil “EM-ill.” I have never seen the name, so I’d be guessing, but if you were to tell me it’s em-EEL, I would get it.
I would also be shocked seeing Sinjin. I have never heard it, and if we were to have a poll I would vote no thanks.
I was thinking Lennox Nora – nn. Lenora? Or did you want ONLY ways to make Leila? If you’re saying it like LEE-LA – Lennox Laur(en)(a)?
As Emilie said – her name is a feminine form of Emil. I think Emilija is a Lithuanian name that’s similar to Emil.
If it helps – I would never think biblical with a first child Xavier. Hope that helps!
I love the suggestions for pairing Lennox for a girl with a feminine middle name. I’m surprised to see it hasn’t been mentioned but you could even do Lennox Emily. Emilie or Emilia are also lovely if you want the European connection. I think this is my favourite option for a girls name for you. I also really like the suggestion of Lennox Isla to get Lyla as a possible nickname or Lennox Nora to get Lenora. Another pretty one might be Lennox Aurora. Aurora as a middle name lessens the workplace connection for me considerably and would also lead to a possible nickname of Laura/Laurie/Lauren/Lorelei. If you really don’t want the workplace connection at all, another pretty one is Aurelia. Lennox Aurelia to give you Laurel.
Not a fan of Sinjin at all. I have never heard of it before and I find it a shocking choice. It also LOOKS made up, even though it isn’t.
I’m not a fan of Sinjin, either. At all. I had to look up the pronunciation and discovered it sounds like it looks, but I was hoping it was pronounced differently. I’m a bit confused by the St John references, but probably just have to look into it more.
Emil and Archer are both great! Or Arthur. Or Earnest. Or Emre. Or Emmett. Or Axel, Ansel, Osmund, Iago, Ira, Elian, or Otto.
For girls, if you like the male Sinjin, how about the female name Signe? Similar sounds somewhat tomboy-ish, and a cool meaning.
Also, I had the same idea as a previous commenter: Lennox Emilia. The -lia can easily become Leila. Boyish first, traditional and feminine middle, and honors your friend. And continues the “x” tradition. Another nn could be Lexi. And, as Swistle pointed out recently, “boy” nicknames are in for girls (Frankie, Bennie, etc.) so you could go straight to Lennie.
Or Emery. Or Emile. Camille. Mielle.
I love Lennox with Xavier! Emily or Emilia would be a good way to use a feminine version of Emil. Also, if she wanted a more feminine name to go by, she could always use the nickname “Lex” or Lexi.
I had never heard of Sinjin before and my gut reaction was a negative one. I looked it up on Google and now understand its origins and spelling, but I would recommend finding a different name that meets your criteria.
I love the previous recommendations of Lennox Emilia and Lennox Nora, and the nickname “Lexi”. Lennox Emilia seems especially appropriate (and lovely!). So does Lennox Aurelia.
I love Emil, and think that Xavier and Emil would make a great sib set!
I hear LEE-la in my head when I see Leila, so my first thought was something like Lennox Lucia (loo-SEE-ah) — all the L’s coupled with the long-e sound in Lucia makes Leila seem very natural as a nn for the full name. I really love the suggestion of Lennox Emilia, beautiful!
For K.D. above — the name “St. John” can be/is usually (?) (or only in England?) pronounced SIN-jin. There’s a funny scene in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral when Rowan Atkinson as the minister is prompting the groom to repeat after him, and he says “St. John” (like, saint john) for one of the groom’s middle names I believe, and the groom corrects him saying, “SIN-jin” … I think I have the details right — it’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie! But that was my first introduction to St. John/SIN-jin.
I like Archer a lot as a brother to Xavier, and Isaac (prefer this spelling) as well. How are you saying Xavier? It certainly doesn’t translate as biblical, since as Swistle pointed out Xavier is not a biblical name, but I could see it coming across as religious, specifically Catholic. (Isaac Jogues is a notable saint, with a bit more notoriety in the last couple years because of the canonization of Native American Kateri Tekakwitha — St. Isaac Jogues is connected to her story).
Since you asked I would vote NOPE on Sinjin / st. John
Would you actually spell it “Sinjin”, or would you spell it “Saint John”? I see that in fact even the Mad Men character did not spell it “Sinjin”. (I’m sorry, I’m so hung up on this! Is Sinjin a name people actually use, as spelled? I think it looks unattractive, frankly.)
I also wanted to suggest Cosmo. Two different Eastern European acquaintances of mine chose this for their sons. It has the “z” sound and it sounds exotic yet familiar.
I think Lennox for a girl is a great idea. It brings to mind the (unrelated) Greek name Eleni which is fairly rare, but is wonderful and could serve a feminine nick name. Nel/Nell could also be an alternative.
Also, I don’t speak French at all, but know how to say Emil if that counts for something. Emil Hirsch is a pretty popular actor in the U.S. which helps.
I had never encountered the name St. John/Sinjin before reading this (a little embarrassing as I love volleyball) and would be reluctant to use it. The sound isn’t pleasing to me and I think it sticks with the religious combo you’re trying to avoid.
St. John is a name that has mystified and delighted me since I watched Jane Eyre with Timothy Dalton! I think it’s context dependent: if you live in UK, Australia, maybe even Canada, go for it! If US, it would be difficult to get folks to say and spell it correctly. BUT it is a really cool traditional name that sounds quirky and new in the States, which is the vibe you are going for, I think.
Ever consider Leila itself? I think it’s less time-stamped to 2010-2015 than “names ending in -X.” Also think it harmonizes beautifully with Xavier. Best of luck!
OK, now to completely contradict myself, a few names ending in -X or -Z that I find interesting:
-Lex Arnold, Xavier and Lex
-Margeaux Arnold, Xavier and Margeaux
-Beatrix/Beatriz Arnold, Xavier and Beatrix/Beatriz
-Inez Arnold, Xavier and Inez
St. John pronounced Sinjin is super confusing. The Sinjin spelling makes pronunciation simple, but I still think it would be a difficult name practically.
I LOVE Lennox Emilia for you.
Another name for a girl you might like: Laife (pronounced like Leif)
I like Emil for a boy. I don’t think Isaac sounds Biblical at all with Xavier.
What about Axel for a boy?
I’m going to be really, bluntly honest, because you asked for opinions on the name — I really, strongly dislike the name Sinjin. Like, a lot. I’m in the US, I’ve never read Jane Eyre, I don’t follow pro volleyball, and I’ve seen every episode of Mad Men, but I didn’t notice or remember that character’s name (even thought I recognized Charles Shaughnessy from his roles on Days of Our Lives and The Nanny). Without those cultural associations to connect the name to, my mind went two places: the combination of “sin” and “djinn” mentioned by another poster, and an “s” tacked on the front of the term “injun” (a racial slur for Native Americans). Neither of those associations were at all pleasant. If you’re in the US, I’m guessing my (lack of) familiarity with the name won’t be uncommon among those around you.
very much agree with your “injun” association! i thought the same exact thing, but couldn’t quite put it into words.
Love the suggestion of Miles for a boy and it sounds so great with Xavier. Isaac is great too and I didn’t associate the two names as being too biblical together at all! If you love it, go for it! Liking those ‘Z’ sounds!
Lennox Emilia is just perfect IMO! Love Lexie for a nickname, Lily could also be an option. Lennox Isla with the nickname Lila is gorgeous too! Lovely options!
As for Emil, I honestly think that most people know that it is pronounced Em-eel and, if not, one easy correction is all it will take. Archer is nice but, as it’s not so great with your last name, the middle name spot would be better. Emil Archer for example.
Have you thought of Emmeline nn Emmy for a girl as an honor name for Emil? Emmeline Lennox? Lennox Elena nn Laney is cute too. Collins Emilia nn Cole?
As far as Sinjin/St. John goes, although sounding pretty cool, will just be super, super confusing.
Lennox Emilia and Isaac Emil are my picks!
Good luck!
Strongly dislike sinjin! I’ve never heard of it before and find the different spellings and pronunciation totally bizarre!
When I first came across St. John (“Sin Jin”) many years ago as a given name in some British film, I thought it rather cool and so English. And it may be cool in the UK, although I’m guessing it may be rather dated. But I don’t think it works at all in the USA.
I looked on britishbabynames.com to see what mention of St. John might be there and came across this:
“It seems that the strange pronunciations of certain names among the upper-crust was a mystery to the Victorians as well — or perhaps this was an attempt to “educate” the rural bumpkins.”
“PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES
A London correspondent says: – Everybody knows that Cholmondeley is pronounced Chumley, St John Singin…
Berrow’s Worcester Journal, (Worcester, England), Saturday, June 13, 1885”
And among the present day comments:
>>’Singin’ for St John is misleading – it’s ‘Sinjun’.
And from Wikipedia: “St John or St. John is a given name and surname. St John can be pronounced /ˈsɪndʒɨn/ or /ˈsɪnÊ’É™n/, as if written Sinjin or Sinjun, particularly if it is the first part of a hyphenated family name or a given name in the United Kingdom. Use of the full stop separator is uncommon in some countries, especially those that use Commonwealth English.”
I agree with the suggestion of Sinclair instead.
Just a quick comment here – do you like the name Hunter? We know a family with a daughter by that name, and it fits her personality beautifully! I also think Mila, Emilia, Amelie are good female honor-name counterparts. Good luck!
I have a positive volleyball association for Sinjin, so I am a little disappointed by the general distaste for it in the comment. Karch, which has some of the sounds of Archer, might go over better.
I haven’t read through all the comments but here’s my thoughts:
Girls:
I love Lennox. Especially with Xavier. Love love love the ability to use the shortened names Lennie or Nox.
Another girl name similar that I thought of was Lux or Luxe.
I think for middle names, you honestly could go with anything that you like! I like Leila (I prefer the Lennox Lay-la pronunciation. It breaks up “e” sound of Lennox and I actually like the double L alliteration.) I also like Emilia… sort of a nod to Emil and is a very feminine name. Plus, if for whatever reason she doesn’t like Lennox, Emilia offers a lot of possible nn as well… Emmie, Em, Mia, etc.
BOYS
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Emil. Seriously love this name. I would stop here.
As for Archer, I’m not sure how to comment. As I think it is definitely trendy right now, but I don’t think it’s hit that high level of trendiness like others (Hayden, Jayden, Aiden, etc). which I prefer. I also like using Arch or Archie as nn, which to me makes it stand-up a little bit more to the trendiness of the name and pulls it back down to more a traditional name that has been freshened up (does that make sense???)
Other names that may be in your naming style:
Arlo. LOVE THIS NAME. Kind of a mix between Emil and Archer.
Tobias
Louis (pronounced Louie)
Fitzpatrick. Um… Fitz as a nn. So amazing!!
As for Sinjin, I am neutral to it. I don’t have a positive OR a negative feel towards it. I’ve definitely never heard it before.
I think Isaac flows well with Xavier.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Fitz reminds me of Frederick/Friedrich, nickname Fritz. I love that!
My son has a classmate named Sinjin. I had never heard that name before & had to look up the origin. It’s one of those names that I like, but probably wouldn’t have used myself. I’m surprised at what strong feelings it’s stirring up here in the comments. It’s definitely unique, but doesn’t feel made up to me.
I like the name Archer, but not with your last name. Would you consider Orion? Orion Arnold. Xavier & Orion. I like it.
I know 2 boys named xavier their sisters are named (respectively) Zara and Sarah!
If you are avoiding looking religious ( xavier isn’t ‘biblical’) then St John in any form isn’t really the way to go. If you are ok with the connection then go ahead.
Since you asked I think St John is quirky and interesting and worthwhile if used for family or faith reasons but Sinjin appear along the same lines as linkin or Chelsee, as though you heard the name but didn’t know how to spell it so went the phonetic route… This however is a style some people really like and perhaps suits you.
This query really challenged so many of my naming preferences…….
Starting with Tysen, and the hunt for a similarly unusual, gender-neutral name for a daughter. I named my own daughter Bryn in 1979, before it even registered on the social security name rankings. I really liked that it was unusual, simple/complex, and, to an American ear, gender neutral. And it’s been really tough for me to witness its (d)evolution into Brinley/Brynlee, etc., but that’s how it goes.
I like Lennox a lot. If you both like that name, maybe you’re home free. Lennox Emilia, just as so many others have said. But I think you’ll find Lennox way more popular, even for girls, than your own name. Maybe that’s OK, you have to have made peace with that using Xavier. If you’re still seeking a less-used alternative, I’d suggest looking to male names not currently being used on boys very much. Merle, from the post of a few days back, is a perfect example of what I’m suggesting. So—I’d ponder Casper, Randall, Russell, Vern, Laurence, Leif, Leighton, Warren, even Hannes or Nils—I’m just scratching the surface, and I don’t know how your own parents “found” your name and loved it enough to bestow it, but you’ve most likely asked.
Of the boy’s names you’ve listed, my favorite is Isaac, but not sure how much I like it with Zavier because they somehow seem so similar in vibe. So for me, it’s not biblical similarity, it’s something about the 2-syllable, “strong” tone of Zavier and Isaac. So next, I’d go to Emil, which would be a much more unexpected combo with Zavier. If it were a closed list, I’d choose Emil.
And Sinjin. I think I get your fascination, because I’ve likewise been fascinated with it since reading this post. Being only an average Austen reader, it was the first I’d heard the name. My closest association with it is Sindri, the son of the Icelandic artist/musician Bjork. I thought Sinjin could make a great name for a manga character, or an instructor of some kind of “lost” martial art. The sound Sinjin simply bursts my name associations to shreds. Not sure if this is a good thing, though. And I somehow have NO patience for the St. John English dialect/pronunciation custom thing. None. I myself could simply never go through the explanation hoops for this one. So, here I find myself, probably more open than average to the sound and looks of Sinjin, yet feeling more than a little intolerant of its derivation, or maybe intolerant of the idea of having to explain the name to even one other person. (For what it’s worth here, I like both the name Saint and the name John.) So I don’t know what to advise. My first thought was to recommend the Swedish name Sixten, instead. Still some explanations required, but maybe easier ones, ones you could even make up?
Good luck on your name quest, please let us know!
Thanks for your comments Gail. I just had to comment on your daughter’s name Bryn. A classmate of mine had a younger sister named Bryn and I always loved that name as a cool and unexpected but beautiful name. Most of my classmates were Irish and the name seemed to both fit in and not seem odd while being totally unique, basically the same kind of thing I am trying to recapture except it is getting much harder these days. The beauty of Bryn is in its brevity and sound, I would not associate it in the lease with Brynlee, just like I don’t think my name has much in common with Taylor, etc. Bryn is a great name that has cool, sharp and confident girl written all over it in my opinion, I might need to put that on the list!
I like your idea of Nils, that is a good one also.
Just reading this tonight, (nov 3) after all these months!
I’ve never heard of Sinjin or St John as a name before, and I don’t find the pronunciation natural, although I do pronounce “St” as “sint” or “sin” as opposed to “Saint” which I pronounce “saint”.
For example I would say St John as “sint jonn”, St Claire as “sinclair” and St Louis as “sint louie”
Personally I don’t find Sinjin a pleasant sound at all, with the words “sin” “injin” and “sin-bin” all jumping out at me.
Would you like the name Jensen instead? Jens for short if you were looking for a European name?
As others have said, the name Archer Arnold doesn’t really work for me. I like Emil (and know how to pronounce it), and Isaac. With Isaac, do you realise you’d potentially have “Xave and Zac”? Too similar maybe?
I like Lennox and think if you’ve liked it for so long then that’s the name for you. Love the suggestion of Lennox Emilia, LEA.
Was also going to suggest Miles as an anagram of Emil.
Don’t know why, maybe because of Lennox, but the names Louie, Lewis and Lucas keep coming to me as names you might like as well.
Good luck, and let us know what you choose.
I’m struggling with Lennox, with the exception of Lennox Emilia, which I think is exquisite and rich with meaning. I’d be tempted to call her by both as a double name.
I love Lennox with Xavier. I think Lennox with an e middle named could create the initials LEA which could be a cool/cute nickname for Lennox.
I love Isaac with Xavier and I also think Cole could be a great name for a boy too. I like Isaiah also with Xavier.
Well, I’m an outlier. I have known a St. John, called Sinjin, and I actually like it quite a bit. There is a Catherine Coulter romance series with a female Sinjun, and I’m good with that spelling, too. Either seem more intuitive than spelling it out. I could easily see it, boy or girl. It’s different, sure, but it has a tradition behind it, and its a good match for Xavier.
Lennox, otoh, eh, not so much. Love the Liadan suggestion, or even Linden. Really, really love Mila over Emilie/a. Both seem very close to the ubiquitous Emily/Amelias out there. Mila feels more European and fresh to me.
Emil for the boy, though, perfect.
Thank you so much for all the feedback, I really appreciate the comments. Well it looks like it is almost unanimous on Sinjin being really terrible sounding to most people. I still might think about it for a middle name., I love names that are obvious in pronunciation but very unique. I would like to avoid having to explain a name virtually every time it is said, but that is something both I and my husband deal with already in our own names so it is not totally foreign. This bothers me very little but it does bother him and is maybe one of the reasons I am more inclined to pick very unusual or gender swapping names for girls but don’t have the same feeling for boys’ names.
I am quite surprised to see how many people like Lennox and I love Lennox Emilia or Lennox Luisa as I was feeling it was a bit out there in terms of a girls name. There are many other suggestions that I have put into our list. It will be a long time before the decision is made but will hopefully have an update in September …I’m going with the opposite strategy of working through this very early as opposed to arguing up until the very end! Thanks so much everyone.