L. writes:
I’m expecting twin boys in 3 weeks time and we just can’t come up with a name for the 2nd baby…
My husband and I have always liked the name Zack (although not 100% whether to spell it Zac, Zack or Zach?) – full name Zachary but we will call him Zack.So we’d like another boys’ name that ‘goes with’ Zack but not too matchy or rhymey – just something a little different from the common names but not too off the wall!
Our surname is Smy so we’d love a longer first name (hence Zachary Smy) but that could possibly be shortened in the same way.
Neither of us have middle names and we are finding first names so difficult we probably won’t give them middle names, but if you had any ideas for this too, I’d love to hear them!
Many thanks!!
I started by seeing if I could guess which spelling of the nickname Zac/Zack/Zach was most common: we don’t have data on nicknames, but sometimes we can get a feel for it by looking at what people do when they give those nicknames as given names. Here’s the 2012 data from the Social Security Administration:
Zac – 73
Zach – 63
Zack – 167
But that doesn’t necessarily tell us anything at all about how people would nickname the name Zachary, because maybe people would think Zack looked more like a stand-alone name (similar to Jack) but would prefer Zach if the full name were Zachary. Well! Perhaps you could see what you prefer over time, rather than choosing in advance—but would it be helpful to have a poll to see what people in general seem to prefer?
Before leafing through any baby name books, I spent some time mulling, like this: “Zachary and ____? Zach and ___?”—to see if anything would spring to my mind. The first name that sprang was Benjamin. Benjamin Smy; Zachary and Benjamin; Zach and Ben.
Then I got Zachary and Elliot, but Elliot lacks a coordinating nickname.
Then I noticed that Zachary starts with a Z, and I DO love a little bit of twinniness to twin names, I just DO, and so what I wondered next is if we could find an A name that would work well, which is when I gave up on the mulling and took out the name books. The only A-name/nickname I really liked with Zachary/Zach was Alexander/Alex, but I like it a lot. Alexander Smy; Alexander and Zachary; Alex and Zack.
(I think Zack must be my own choice for nickname spelling: I couldn’t choose which I liked best when I was writing that section above, but I notice I keep selecting it whenever I have an option.)
Then I turned to names from the category of “longer boy names with short nicknames” (which also includes the already-discussed Alexander and Benjamin):
Christopher Smy; Zachary and Christopher; Zach and Chris
Gabriel Smy; Zachary and Gabriel; Zack and Gabe
Jonathan Smy; Zachary and Jonathan; Zack and Jon
Nathaniel Smy; Zachary and Nathaniel; Zack and Nate
Nicholas Smy; Zachary and Nicholas; Zack and Nick
Theodore Smy; Zachary and Theodore; Zack and Theo, or Zack and Ted
I love how Zach and Chris both have the -ch- at opposite ends of the nickname, but do the S-sounds of Chris Smy work okay?
My favorite is probably Nicholas and Zachary: I like how they both have snappy sounds and equal syllables, with the matching -ch- in the middle that can turn into a matching -ck for the nicknames. And yet both the beginning and ending sounds of the full names are very different, giving them the extra coordination I like for twin names without falling into the Jayden-and-Hayden category.
But if they’ll go by their nicknames almost exclusively, and if Nick and Zack are too close for your tastes, I like a lot of the other options: Zack and Theo, Zack and Nate, Zack and Gabe.
For middle names, it would be fine to skip them if they’re not fun. It helps that neither you nor your husband have them, making it seem like a family thing. On the other hand, middle names can be so fun and low-pressure after the stress of the first names, especially when you know you can always fall back on the idea of skipping them if they don’t end up being low-pressure after all.
One idea would be to give the twins the same middle name, perhaps their dad’s name or your maiden name.
Another idea would be to give each twin the name of one grandfather, so both of your dads are honored at once. Same idea would apply if each of you has one brother or one uncle to honor. It would be fun to cover both sides of the family at once.
Another idea would be to do an initials swap: if you chose Zachary and Nicholas, for example, you’d give Zachary a middle name starting with N, and Nicholas a middle name starting with Z. (I like this idea less when one initial has so few options, like Z.)
Another idea would be to give them both the same middle initial.
Or perhaps it would work for the middle names to be variations of the parents’ first names. For example, if your names were Michael and Stephanie, the middle names could be Micah and Stephen.
The middle name is also a great place for a name you liked that didn’t work as a first name. For example, you mention wanting a longer name to balance the surname, but did this mean you had to cross off some excellent one- or two-syllable first name options? Those might be fun to salvage as middle names. Or maybe you didn’t like alliteration but wouldn’t mind it in a middle name.
Or it’s a great place for a name that was a little too common for your tastes, or a little too bold.
Or it’s a great place to refer to something of importance to you: a family surname, a special town/street/place, a college or dorm, a favorite writer or painter or musician or activist or historical figure. Perhaps one or both of you would like to make reference to your family’s country of origin.
This would cost a bit in court fees and hassle, but another fun option would be to leave it for later. Maybe even let the twins help decide, when they’re older. Or make it an interesting thing to mull in the delivery room, since you’re okay with the possible “Well, nothing seems right so we’ll skip them after all” option.
I do really like Alexander (Alex) of swistle’s suggestions. The ”A” ”Z” thing is cute and subtle. Another A name I like with Zach is Adam. I think Daniel sounds good with Zach, too (obviously I like the Zach spelling the most, Zac would be my second choice).
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I like Nicholas (nn Nick) from Swistle’s suggestions. Or how about
Zachary and Joshua, Zach and Josh. (I actually had this set picked out for boy/boy twins once.)
Zachary and Maxwell, Zach and Max
I love the A and Z idea! Alexander and Zachary go so well together, but it’s not too corny I don’t think. That’s my first choice for you. My second choice is Theodore nn Theo. Love!! Also I love names too much not to do a middle name, but if it’s stressful don’t do it. I love the idea of using your dad’s names. Oh, to name twins! Just a little jealous!
Love Nathan/Nathaniel (Nate) and Alexander (Alex) from Swistle’s suggestions. I think Benjamin and Maxwell are nice options, too, but I’d prefer at least a 4-letter nickname with such a short last name.
I keep thinking of Quentin, which doesn’t offer much of a nickname. (“Q,” but that’s more of a nickname that’s said aloud, not one that’s written on school papers.) Quentin Smy. Zach and Quentin sound great together, in my opinion.
Swistle’s suggestions on middle names were excellent! I love the idea of getting to honor each grandfather. But, if you just choose something traditional that sounds nice, I’ll throw out Zachary David Smy and Quentin Edward Smy.
I love Zachary. I have a Zachary, nn Zack. I will say that most people write his name Zach and think I’m weird that it’s Zachary nn Zack vs Zachary nn Zach. Whatevs Michael is Mike not Miche… I’ve seen a thousand versions of Zack, Zach, Zak, Zac, Xaq, Zaq…there are others that are so bizarre I can’t think of. My fav is Zack obviously.
I love Benjamin with Zachary. It’s equally long, similar in style and my Zack’s middle name :)
I think I’ve become Swistle. I didn’t even read her recommendations before answering and there you have it Zachary and Benjaim, first suggestion.
Victor, nn Vic?
Do you like Andrew? Zachary and Andrew. Zach and Drew.
Please do not give a same sex twin set the same initials, but reversed. When you get to standardized testing land in high school, there is a tendency for administrators to not realize you’ve got twins if the initials are the same and they kick one twin’s results into the figurative garbage. My twin and I have totally different initials and never had a problem. Another set of twins we went to high school with who had the same first initial had problems with regularly.
I agree that its best to give them different initials. I have twin sister-in-laws who have similar initials. When they applied for the same colleges, one of their applications was thrown out when it was mistaken for a duplicate!
Maybe it’s a regional thing (I’m from the South-ish) but I’ve never met a Zachary going by any other nickname than Zach (no Zac or Zack or Zak). Zack makes me think first of “wack(y)” or “gak” (the silly putty goo), but the more I think about it (and try and associate it with Jack) it starts to sound more like a name.
I recommend Ephraim (pronounced Ef-rem). It’s my favourite boy name, and very very uncommon!
My fear with using Ephraim in this instance (a truly WONDERFUL name in its own right) is that you’d get “Zach and Ephraim” which sounds phonetically too much like the weird disney channel actor turned minor celebrity Zac Efron. I am probably nuts for even noticing this, but it’s really not a great association for me. I’d avoid it in this case. Though, Zach and ____ and a brother Ephraim later? YES. I’m really partial to Nicholas and Alexander, who could go by Alex, Xan, or Xander depending on your tastes.
Not weird! That immediately came to mind for me as well! I was already sensitive to it because of the option of Zac for Zachary. The only Zac I know is Efron, so when I read of Zac as an option I was already thinking of the singer/actor.
The only Zachary I personally know goes by Zach. It seems to be the most popular choice and the one I like best.
lol. That’s probably why the association sounded so nice, familiar to my ears. I’ve never watched High School Musical, but I have heard his name! Yeah, Ephraim may be out for this one… it’s all MINE! :)
I like either the Zac or Zach spelling. Replacing the h that already exists with a k doesn’t make any sense to me.
My favorite suggestion for a 2nd name is Joshua (nn Josh). Both Joshua and Zachary give me that all American boy image. I don’t think either name is grander or stronger than the other, they are very even. Both full names have 3 syllables that can be shortened into a 1 syllable nickname. Josh and Zach. Even though Joshua and Zachary flow well together they are not too matchy matchy.
Oooh I like Benjamin too now that people are talking about it! I like it for the exact reasons I said I like Joshua. All American boy image, 3 syllables with a 1 syllable nickname, flows well together but not matchy. If you use Benjamin with the nickname Ben then I would shorten Zachary to Zac so both nicknames are three letters. Ben and Zac.
My favorites are Nathan/Nathaniel-Zach and Nate. Or Alexander, Zach & Alex.
I also like Jeremy & Zachary, though Jeremy doesn’t have a good nickname to go with Nate.
Some other ideas:
William Zach & Will
Markus Zach & Mark
Andrew Zach & Drew
Jacob Zach & Jake
Joshua Zach & Josh
Samuel Zach & Sam
I second the Alexander suggestion. Also, I went to school with an Alexander who went by Xan (pronounced zan). Zack and Xan, which repeats the z sound at the beginning of each name. That’s probably too matchy, but I think Xan is a great nickname for Alexander.
I keep hearing “Jackie Chan” in Zach & Xan. Just putting that out there.
I think I like Zac the most. Alexander would be a good second choice. Also Matthew, Benjamin, Andrew or maybe Nathaniel. I love the idea of Zac and Drew or Zac and Nate.
I think if you choose any of Swistle’s suggestions you’ll have some well-named boys! As for middle names, I love the idea of honoring a person from each side of the babies’ family. Some friends of mine recently gave their twin boys their mothers’ maiden names as middles, and I thought it worked really well.
Other possibilities,
Abraham …Zac and Abe
Augustus .. Zac and Gus
Jonathan .. Zac and Jon
Donovan .. Zac and Don
Lorenzo. … Zach and Enzo
Maximus… Zac and Max
The very first name that came to mind was Elijah. Zac and Eli? I also like Benjamin. Some other ideas:
Frederick
Evander
Gabriel
Rafferty
Sullivan
Solomon
Harrison
I second thought Eli Smy might not work. How about Elliot nn Leo?
*on
My niece and nephew are Z@chary and Alex@ndra & go by Z@ch and Alex or sometimes Z and A. :-)
Funnily enough, Z’s middle name is N@than, so I also think those two names go well together. AND, we actually also have a Quent!n in the same generation, who goes by the spoken nickname of “Q” but who doesn’t have a “written” nickname like the other two. Since you’re set on Z@chary, this isn’t really relevant, but in case you start to question that as your first choice, Q’s brother’s name is G@briel (G@be).
I like Zach and Alex, Zach and Theo, or Zach and Ben.
What about Zachary and Timothy, Zach and Tim?
Zach and Reed also sounds good but Reed doesn’t have a longer form.
I grew up next to brothers named Zachary and Jacob. Zach and Jake always seemed to be a good match to me.
Zachary and…
– Abraham… Zac and Abe, Zach and Bram;
– Nicholas… Zack and Cole;
– Edward… Zac and Ted;
– Dominic… Zac and Nic;
I also really like Zachary and Jared, if you don’t need to have a nickname for both.
Just wanted to chime in on the Zachary nickname spellings. As a teacher in New England, I’ve seen Zac and Zach, but never Zack. Though I feel like when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, I would have ONLY thought to spell it Zack. I blame Zack Morris on SAVED BY THE BELL.
I was just going to say I’m pretty sure “Zack” Morris on Saved By the Bell was a Zachary. Also growing up a knew a slightly younger Zachary that went by Zack. I put Zack as my preferred spelling but I think any of the three work fine.
I like Sebastian. Zac and Seb.
Or Zach & Bash!
Funny that Swistle mentions Benjamin/Ben first, because I have cousins (they are brothers) that are Zachary and Benjamin/Zach and Ben that are 18 months apart. So I’d vote for that choice.
I prefer the Zach vs. Zack probably mostly because my cousin uses Zach.
First of all, my husband is a Zachary that goes by Zack. Obviously we are biased, but we both prefer this spelling. Like Swistle mentioned, Zack gives it its own name feel (like Jack) where as Zach to me, is just short for Zachary. Also, at least where we live, the majority of shortened Zachary’s are Zach’s, so it is kind of neat to be your own separate Zack without it being made up. Lastly, I think that Zack is more appealing to look at then Zach. I guess just my/our opinion. (Go with Zack!!)
My favourite combinations:
Alexander and Zachary. Zack and Alex –> My favourite I think.
Elijah and Zachary. Zack and Eli. Although, I don’t think Elijah and Zachary sound terrible together, I think the shortened names (which they will likely be called??) Zack and Eli sound fabulous together
Gabriel and Zachary. Zack and Gabe
As for middle names, so many options…. don’t give them any since neither you or your husband have, you could use them both as honour names one from each side of the family, not sure if your maiden name would work and both kiddos could have the same middle name…
Good luck!
I thought of another one I like.
Zachary and Ruben…Zac and Ben.
What about Logan? It doesn’t have a natural nickname but I think it goes great with Zach- Zachary and Logan, or Zach and Logan. I also really like Zach and Nick.
LOVE Nathaniel and suggestion of Joshua!
I like Zack better — like you’d spell Nick and not Nich.
My favourite suggestions were Theodore (Theo), Nicholas (Nick), Benjamin (Ben), and Alexander (Alex). I wouldn’t pick anything too unusual or modern.
Zachary and Jeremy (Zack & Jem)
Zachary & Matthew (Zack & Matt)
Zachary & Henry (Zack & Hank, Zack & Hal)
Zachary & Julian (Zack & Jules)
Zachary & Thomas (Zack & Tom)
Zachary & Tobias (Zack & Toby)
Zachary & Quentin (Zack & Quinn)
I think same initials are fine as lon as the names aren’t too matchy.
Zachary & Zane (Zack & Zane)
Zachary & Zebedee (Zack & Zeb)
Zachary & Zephyr (Zack & Zeph)
Rather than picking another given name for the middle, what about using your maiden name or another meaningful family surname?
Ooh I like Zachary and Tobias too!
Of all the other suggestions so far that I saw, I like Maxwell the best! Zach and Max. Similar but not the same, and both kinda quirky feeling.
I was going to suggest looking at the SSA name site for names similar in popularity to Zachary. This yields (for me) options like Sebastian, Xavier, Nathaniel, Tristan, Wyatt, Jeremiah, and Levi.
My top pick is still Maxwell. Though I also love Wyatt. Zachary any Maxwell. Zachary and Wyatt. These pairs just feel right to me.
My favorite is Nathaniel and Zachary. Nate and Zack
You could use Thomas as a shared middle name, as it means twin. A bit literal, but could be cute. Zachary Thomas Smy & Alexander Thomas Smy :)
I like that! I wish I’d thought of that!
I really like Nathan/Nathaniel, Matthew, Sebastian, and Maxwell.
I was also going to suggest Lincoln with the super cool nickname Linc!
Zach & Linc!
I’m also partial to middle names. Even if you yourself don’t have any names you love, giving a family name is very special, and you have a chance to honor 2 relatives (or special people or places) at once! I wouldn’t pass up that chance! : )
I love the idea of Zachary and Alexander, Zach and Alex. My suggestion is Zachary and Matthew, Zach and Matt. I’ve known 2 sets of brothers names Matt and Zach so that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I see Zach and_________.
My brother’s name is Zachary, but is almost always called Zach unless he is in trouble. He is 23. WHen he was younger people would sometimes spell his name Zack or Zac which never really bothered him. Anyone that knew his full name was Zachary always spelled Zach correctly. His middle name is Adam. Our younger brother is a 1 1/2 younger than him so their names are often “grouped” together. His name is Joshua, called mainly Josh. I happen to like swistle’s suggestion of an A name. I like Alexander, you would also have the nickname option of Xander which I think sounds cool with Zach. Zach and Xander.
I also like Archer for a boy but that doesn’t offer a great nickname.
Hope for an update on your boys names!
I agree with others who have said you shouldn’t pass up the chance to give them middle names! I’ve always thought finding out somebody’s middle name is a fun way to get to know them. It seems like it would be hardly stressful at all, once you have tackled choosing first names, because middle names are more inconsequential. Plus you have the chance to honor relatives or give your sons meaningful family stories with middle names. I have a friend who gave her son a sort of fun, dramatic middle name (Midnight) that she semi-jokingly says is so he can use his first/middle names instead of his first/last names if he becomes a novelist. I don’t care much either way about my own middle name because it’s sort of a “filler” middle name, but I do like having a middle initial.
Plus how will they know when they are in trouble if they don’t have middle names? This is why even my dog has a middle name…
Swooning over Nate and Zac, Drew and Zac. While Nathaniel and Andrew are wonderful, I also though of:
Zac and Dexter–Dex (my all time favorite name is Dexter, but its very hard to get others on board with it!)
Zac and James/Jameson
Zac and Wesley–Wes
Zac and Calvin–Cal
Zac and Jonah–Joe/Joey
Wow, naming boy twins is turning it a bit of a guilty pleasure, ripe with so many great names to dream of! good luck!!
I like Zachary and Christopher the most, although I think it sounds better the other way around, Christopher and Zachary.
If you’re worried about the sound of Chris running into Smy there’s always the nn Kit.
Kit and Zac. Adorable!
Christopher John and Zachary James perhaps?
My second choice would be Alexander. Zach and Alex is cute!
Good luck!
We have a Zachary nn Zach and his older brother is Nathaniel nn Nate so I obviously have a bias! I have found that a lot of people spell his nn Zack which is irritating but not a huge problem. I just get tired of correcting teachers! Something to keep in mind. We chose honor names for middles, Thomas (Nate) for my husband and Harrison for my grandfather and dad. Sorry for the highjacking of the post but I get excited when I see “our” names being used since they are very uncommon where we live! Best of luck with your naming!
I like the suggestions of Gabriel, Nathaniel, Sebastian and Maxwell.
How about Jeremiah or Josiah?
If you want to do A and Z but want something less common than Alexander, how about Atticus or Asher?
Good luck!
Zachary & Zebediah (Zac and Zeb)
I have an Alexander, and if our next baby turns out to be a boy, Zachary is high on my list of possible names. I think Alexander and Zachary pair really nicely together.
I would personally spell nn for Zachary as Zach but because you wrote it as Zack I felt that was what you seemed comfortable with so I voted for the ck ending because it seems that you might like that best.
To me Nick and Zack are a little to matchy together with their “ck” endings. I cant quite explain it but it sounds to me like a clever zippy tag line such as “grab and go” or “mix and match” or “nip and tuck”! But then that might be part of the appeal for some people. I also feel that Zach is a pretty cool spunky kind of name and Nick not so much but that is only my opinion. I feel a little the same about Ben and Chris perhaps Benji and Topher have a little more spunk?
Some suggestions
Oliver – Zach and Ollie (I love this one)
I feel the following names go really well together, it is like they have the same feel to them, the same kind of character. Perhaps it’s the Hebrew biblical feel they have that makes them work so well together
Joshua – Zach and Josh
Tobias- Zach and Toby
Noah – Zach and Noah ( sorry no long form of the name but just pairs so well )
Levi – Zach and Levi ( probably no good with last name)
The following sets of names I feel have a little bit of a hip and young feel to them
Sebastian – Zach and Seb
Finnegan – Zach and Finn
Fletcher – Zach and Fletch
Jeremy – Zach and Jem
I think my personal faves are Zach and Ollie and ,Zach and Noah
Also very partial to Zach and Jem.
But also think Zach and Josh and Zach and Toby sound like perfect pairings for brothers.
Good luck, all the best and please give them middle names so much fun and as Swistle pointed out so many meaningful possibilities. I think it’s lovely for children to have a great name story and a meaningful middle name can give them that story.
Zane;
Zachaey Ray Smy &
Zane Raymond Smy
Or
Zane Richard Smy