Please help! My husband and I are having a terrible time agreeing on a name for our first baby, a boy. We spent three long years trying to conceive, but now we are two months from the due date and cannot agree on a name. My husband is Michael John and I am Kimberly Eileen. Our last name is German and sounds like “Stall key” My husband prefers older, more traditional names such as John, Charles, James, and Theodore. He also like some military inspired names such as Sherman and Truman. John is his favorite name and my least favorite (although I would be ok with John as a middle name). Of his list, I like Charles and Theodore the best. I mostly prefer more modern names (but would rather not name our son something too popular). I have suggested Miles, Grant, Hayes, and Elijah (nickname Eli). I would also be just fine with a Michael John Jr. We hope to have another baby in the future. I adore the names Emeline or Adeline as girl names while my husband prefers Abigail. Do you have any suggestions for boy names that will blend both our naming styles? Thank you so much.
Name update!
Our precious baby boy was born June 15, 2015. While we had settled on two names (Elijah Michael and Charles Michael), we didn’t officially name our little man until about 12 hours after his birth. I had been pretty confident that we would name him Elijah, but after seeing him, there was no doubt… Charles Michael has made our lives complete. Thank you for all your help! – Kimberly and Michael
Maybe you could put aside the names that you have right now and look at the names that have been around for a long time but feel relatively new. There are several really old names that are coming back into style like Charles and Theodore- such as George, Samuel, Daniel, Zachary/ Zachariah, Emmanual, Isaiah, Ishmael, and others. You might also be able to see yourself naming a baby with an older sounding name if you had an honor commitment to it, (ie if your father was David, you might get on board with David to honor your father, and your husband might get on board if he likes the name David.) Going through your family tree might help you find some good consensus names.
You may also consider whether you could sell a relatively new sounding name (Zachariah for example) with a stodgy nickname- Zach OR whether you could buy an older sounding name- Robert for example with a new, spunky sounding nickname- like Bird or Bert.
But I will also point out that you have several clear contenders without fighting any battles- He likes Charles and Theodore and you like Charles and Theodore. These names sound consensus-y to me. You also say you would be interested in Michael John Stall-key Jr. Is he into that? If so, that could also be a fine choice.
Good Luck!
Charles and Theodore are both pretty fine names!
Your husband likes John, and you say you wouldn’t mind it in the middle name spot, so that one may be decided. Your husband’s name Michael would be nice in the middle too.
If you want to use the older names, but feel you need a more contemporary feel, what about Theo or Charlie instead of Theodore and Charles?
Theo John
Charlie John
Theo Michael
Charlie Michael
From your list I like Miles, similar vibe to James, and Grant, in line with Sherman and Truman. Miles John or Grant Michael are both strong names!
I’d also like to suggest Jacob or Caleb, both old names with cool, more modern feeling nicknames. Jake and Cal. In fact, what about Calvin, one of my all time favorites!
Calvin John
Calvin Michael
Jared, Levi, Sebastian and Nathanial would be great too!
Good luck!
I also see potential for consensus in Charles or Theodore with nicknames like Chase, Charlie, or Theo.
Or how about names that are traditional but currently popular enough to make them feel modern– Jacob, Noah, Ethan, Lucas, etc.?
Carson could also work as a nn for Charles.
What about Arthur, Abraham, Gregory, or Wesley?
Another option is to find some modern names you like and see if you can find a historical figure associated with them. For instance, if you like Carter, you could pitch is as a president name.
Grant from your list could be seen as military-inspired.
I caution you against names ending in “s” since your surname begins with “s.” Miles Stall-key begins to sound like Miles Talky, etc. I like Theodore from you list, and I like the suggestion of Caleb above. Perhaps William, Nathaniel, Nicholas, or Alexander?
My thought is Harrison. Harry was Harry Truman’s full first name, but he was named after his uncle Harrison. Harrison seems classic enough for your husband while also being modern, and similar to Hayes from your list.
It also seems like your husband should like Grant, but if he doesn’t I guess you can’t force him to.
I like Theodore John for you. You both like Theodore and I think the honor name John in the middle is perfect. There are so many nickname possibilities too- Theo, Teddy, Ted, TJ. My personal favorite is getting Bear from Teddy Bear. I adore the idea of a bear/woodsy themed nursery. Your little baby Bear… Think about it ;)
Yes! I love everything about this idea! Plus, what’s more military than Theodore Roosevelt in that iconic military uniform portrait? And Baby Bear would be the cutest!
It seems like your styles are not actually too far apart! I agree that Charles and Theodore seem like good places to start, especially since they’re both in common use currently.
Are you trying to avoid needing a nickname to make a name agreeable to both of you? With a nickname, it seems like there are lots of options –
Charles -> Charlie
Theodore -> Theo or Teddy
William -> Will or Liam
James -> Jamie (not exactly on-trend these days, but I’ve always loved it)
Would Henry or George bridge the gap?
I agree that there are quite a few modern-sounding names that you could throw out as military or presidential-inspired. Carter, Harrison, Patton, Lincoln, Wilson, Calvin, etc.
Good luck!
Well it seems like you both like the same classic/traditional style in general – it just seems like you want something a little less used/popular compared to your husband.
One thing you could consider, is showing him the name rankings on the SS website. Maybe once he sees that there are 10,588 babies with the name John in 2013 alone he’d be more willing to change it up a bit?
I’ll just throw out some random ideas? Spencer. Andrew. Calvin.
I would have also suggested Jacob & Caleb.
I think that using Theodore or Charles with one of your names for the middle would be perfect. Theodore Miles or Charles Elijah work. Or the other way around, I feel like your husband should like Grant – Grant Michael is nice and it gives him a nice little nod.
Other names you guys might like
Grant + Sherman – Graham?
Simon (I’m usually not into names that have the same first initial as the last name, but I think it works)
Isaac
William (there was a post here recently about how a woman wanted a name to go along with her son William’s which was both classic, but felt fresh)
Henry
Good luck and keep us updated!
Or Benjamin, Nathaniel, Jonathan, Gabriel from the Theodore choice…
It sounds like you like Charles and Theodore the best but don’t love them. And that he has rejected all your preferred names. I would throw out both lists and look for something that you both can love.
It sounds like your husband likes traditional, strong names. You said you like more modern names. Below are some possibilities that might bridge the two.
Ethan
Gavin
Dominic
Adam
Nolan
Xavier
Vincent
Bennett
Spencer
Donovan
I was also going to suggest Calvin and William.
Your styles may not be as different as you think they are. Grant and Hayes could both fall into the military/presidential category, while Elijah is old testament. Meanwhile Theodore is enjoying a modern comeback.
You might also like:
Jackson
Jeffrey
Douglas
Isaac
Owen
Paul
Solomon
David
Benjamin
Timothy
Joshua
Theo feels similar to the names on your list, so would Theodore nn Theo work as a compromise name? I can also see Miles working as a nn for Michael if you choose to have a jr. Now as names that blend both styles I suggest
Oliver
Malcolm
Abraham
Matthias
Everett
Lincoln
Gabriel
George
James
Levi
What about Michael John Jr with the nickname Jack (a traditional nn for John)? Jack is timeless AND modern. There would be no confusion with Dad. Plus Jack would go with just about any future naming style whether Eli, Charles, Abigail or Adeline. Jack Stallkey. Love it.
James, Miles, Hayes, Charles … I can see some overlapping features :-)
My advice would be not to compromise too much, find a new name you both like!
What would you think of…
Davis, Lewis, George, Rhys, Elias (Eli), Silas, Linus, Lawrence
Thaddeus or Oliver
Jonah, Jones, Jonas nn Jon
Good luck!
Elliott, Bennett, Grant, Andrew, Davis, William (nn Will or Liam). Mason, Henry, Harrison, Calvin, Calhoun, Porter, Parker, James. What about Charlie (as a full name or as a nickname for Charles)? Jack (as a full name or as a nickname for John)?
Both you and your husband like traditional names. The main difference in your styles is that he likes traditional names that have (mostly) always been popular-aka “common.” You like names that are more vintage revival. They were once more popular, fell out of favor and are now coming back. I’d suggest looking at your husbands names and seeing if any of them of less-common/vintage revival nicknames that appeal to you. Chuck for Charles or Theo for Theodore (perhaps even Tedddy), Jamie for James. I’ll also suggest Henry/Hank or William/Will/Liam, August/Augustus/Gus/Auggie.
Grant and Hayes seem inspired as they have military connections. Perhaps also Lee, Sheridan, Jackson or even Lincoln (not technically military but if he’s a Civil War buff it could work). Non-civil war era names that could also work include Patton, Clark & Marshall. I won’t suggest Eisenhower, but perhaps Ike? Short for Isaac perhaps.
Biblical names could also be an area where you could find agreement. Many of them are more popular right now, and you might find that they seem less “weird” to your husband because he may be more familiar with them.
Congratulations! He’s beautiful!