Jen writes:
Hi, I’ve been really struggling with completing our baby names.
We are having our 3rd child (gender unknown) due August 7/10.
We have 2 boys: Brennan (no middle name) and Kellan Mark.I have a very long list of maybe names and a few in the runnings but nothing is 100%.
For a boy our #1 choice is Emerson Judah BUT I’ve been hearing Emerson/Emmerson/Emersyn a lot lately and they have all been girls. Does it sound like a girly name? To me it doesn’t but I definately don’t want a girly name for a boy.
Other choices for boys are: Greyson, Paxton, Kade, Corben, Elias
For a girl our #1 name is Kalli Eden but I’m hesitant to name ‘her’ that because it is so close to Kellan. Should that be an issue?
We also love Everly for a girl but can’t find a suitable middle name for it.
Other choices for girls are: Sage, Kodi, Cairo, Sloan, BreaThanks!
In my opinion, Emerson is definitely going Girl. The nickname Emmy is what makes it irresistible, I think, and it’s currently used more often for girls than for boys (source: Social Security baby name site)—and names don’t usually come back to Boy once they’re mostly Girl (see also: Anne, Alice, Jocelyn, Evelyn, Leslie, Meredith, Ashley).
I’m having trouble choosing a favorite from your boy name list: I’m not sure if it would be better to choose a name with a similar rhythm and ending to Brennan and Kellan (Paxton, Corben, Greyson) or whether to deliberately break the pattern (Kade, Elias). I THINK I prefer the idea of breaking the pattern, especially if you think you might have more children in the future and would feel pressured to keep it up—but I’m not at all certain about it.
With your surname, my favorite is Elias. Maybe Elias Judah, or is that too bible-y? Elias Jude would tone that down. Or Elias Kade.
For a girl, I think Everly Sage would be nice, or Everly Sloan.
Kalli does seem very close to Kellan to me. I wonder if spelling it Calli would help? I was thinking maybe Calla, but that seems MORE like Kellan because of the A. Perhaps Kalliopi, with the nickname Kalli? Or Kallista?
It’s sad but true, Emerson has gone girl. And Greyson might be headed the same way, although people sometimes spell it Gracyn when it’s a girl’s name. It actually kind of drives me crazy, not unisex names per se, some of which I like, but unisex names that end in -son or -sen or start with Mc and Mac because they all mean “son of”. Anyway, you probably didn’t come here to hear me rant about this particular name issue. I like Elias from your boy list, but Paxton is nice, too.
I do think Kalli is too close to Kellan. Everly Sage is very nice. Good luck choosing.
I think I would break the pattern of names ending in -an or -on sounds for a boy. I like Elias best anyhow. Brennan, Kellan and Elias.
For a girl I really like your choice of Everly. I like it with a middle name from your list, Everly Sage being my favorite.
Good luck!
I love Emerson – it’s a great name for a little boy. We named our son Emerson, and it didn’t even occur to me at the time we chose it (4+ years ago) that it could possibly morph into a girls’ name. I don’t think that should discourage you, though. I know an equal number of boy AND girl Taylors and, though I think of Harper as a girls’ name, I’m learning of more and more boys being named Harper lately. I think there are just going to be a lot of names that end up being used for both boys and girls.
However, if you’re concerned about that, I think Elias is also fantastic for a boy, and agree with Swistle on Everly for a girl.
All of the kids named Emerson that I know are all girls. Is this name set for you as a boy’s name? If you like the name a lot, why not name your daughter that?
– Emerson Eden (nn could be Eve, given the initials, but that may be a bit out there).
– Emerson Sage
I also like Evelyn. I do think that Kalli is too close to Kellan.
Elias and Greyson are my favorites from your boy list.
Good luck!
Elias has some really masculine chops – definately not a girl’s name. Great choice! You can almost hear the muscle behind it.
On the exact opposite side of the coin, Everly is feminine and summons the idea of a warm breeze. More middle name possibilities are:
Everly June
Everly Gweneviere (a take on your first name)
Everly August (since she is due then)
Best of wishes to all of your family!
Emmett is an option for the boy’s name, although there is the Twilight connection.
I love Everly for a girl, especially with the mn Sage or Sloan. Everly August is really cute too.
Good luck!
Also liking Elias the best. Elias Kade or Elias Jude. What about Jude Elias?
Everly Sage is really really pretty.
I’m with Swistle on Kellan/Kalli. Way too close.
How would you pronounce Brea? Bree-ah or Bree?
I think Emerson would work well as a boys name with your two sons: Brennan, Kellan and Emerson sound like three boys to me.
And Emerson Judah is a very nice combo.
I dislike matchy names, so I’d prefer a different name than Kalli for a daughter. swistles suggestion of Everly Sage is beautiful.
Brea is nice, but it matches with Brennan.
I don’t want to throw a spanner in the works or insult your choices (not my intention, hope it doesn’t seem that way). But it seems to me that a lot of your names are gender neutral / could go either way. Both Brennan and Kellan I wouldn’t initially know if they were male or female (sound a lot like Brenda and Kelly).
Your boys name choices – Emerson, Greyson and Paxton could equally be given to a little girl (Emmy, Gracie and Pax). Or am I mixing it up with Payton?
Elias reminds me of the girls name Elise.
Your girl name choices – Kodi (Cody), Cairo and Sloan(e) I can equally see on a boy.
Everly reminds me of the Everly Brothers, although that doesn’t mean it’s not a girls name. How about Waverley instead?
My vote would be for Corben or Everly Sage.
cheers
I am a pattern person. I love patterns, even if they are obscure. That means that to my ears “Elias” is just a little too different from the other two boys’ names. If you don’t want to be locked into a name ending in “n”, I would suggest a different pattern. How about names that have a double consonant in the middle and end with a consonant.
Some examples: Harris, Derrick, or Garret. I really like Garret with the names Brennan and Kellan.
Garret Jude is very nice.
For a girl, Kalli is close to Kellan but I love the name and it goes well in terms of style. What about changing it a bit to Carli/Karli? I think throwing in the “r” makes it different enough from Kellan and very cute!
If you would like to stick to names from your list, I like Corben best for a boy and I would just go ahead with Calli for a girl. I am looking forward to hearing what you decide.
I like all of your boys’ names… Any decision would be a good one. For the girls, I do think Kalli and Kellan are too similar and Brea and Brennan are too similar. I like Everly Sage or Everly Sloan the best from your names.
Other girl suggestions:
Piper Sage
Layne or Lainey Sloan
Good luck!
I love the suggestion of Elias Kade – So masculine! :)
Not a fan of Emerson for a boy – Too many girls now with that name.
What about Cora for a girl? I do think Kalli is a little close to Kellan – Esp if Kellan goes by Kell for a nickname… Kal and Kel… Too close
I really like Sloan for a boy!
I named my 2nd daughter Everley jade.