I am expecting my first baby (a boy) this September and my husband and I are just starting to seriously come up with a list of names. This question is about repetitive sounds in first and last names.
This baby will most likely have the last name Parker, which made us initially discount any names ending in “er” or “ur.” For example, although we like the names Arthur, Walter and Asher we felt that the repeat final sounds in the first and last names was too much. Now? I’m not sure. What do you think?
Another wrinkle is this. My last name is Fox Parker (my maiden name is Fox) and we are considering using Fox Parker as a possible last name. Does that eliminate any possible issues with the repeat “er” sounds?
Thanks!
Lindsey
I think most repeated-sound issues end up being decided on a name-by-name basis. For example, Archer Parker feels awkward and sing-songy to me, and so does Walker Parker, but Christopher Parker and Walter Parker less so. Part of it has to do with how much of the ending is repeated (as in the case of WalKER ParKER), and part of it has to do with whether there is an additional repeated sound (as in the case of ARchER PARkER), and part of it has to do with a harder-to-put-a-finger-on thing involving the overall feeling/sound of the particular name and whether it feels/sounds odd or amusing or sing-songy.
And of course part of it is going to be pure personal taste: some of us like repeated sounds and some of us don’t. I’ve found it very interesting to go through my son’s yearbook or look at the credits on a movie or TV show, and see how many people have names I would have thought were off the table—things like Mason Emerson. And yet once those names are chosen, they sound fine to me.
One thing that can help considerably is having a different number of syllables in the two names, which is one reason I think Mason Emerson works. Arthur Parker sounds a little off to me, in part because the matched number of syllables draws attention to the repeating sounds. If you had a name such as Sylvester Parker, the repeated ending would be less noticeable. Unfortunately, most -er names are two syllables.
Another thing that can help is the familiarity of the first name: Christopher Parker is less noticeably repetitive not only because Christopher is three syllables instead of two, but also because Christopher is such a familiar name we don’t stop to consider it as thoroughly as we would if the name were Runner Parker.
Which brings me to the third thing that can help, which is avoiding names that are also words. Walter Parker sounds like two names; Walker Parker sounds like two nouns.
Your idea of using Fox Parker as the surname helps in one way and hurts in another. It helps because a three-syllable surname makes it easier to use a two-syllable first name. It hurts because it adds another word-name to the mix, and gives the whole name a potentially more whimsical sound.
(One option would be to use Fox as the family surname, though it is perhaps a bit late for that decision. Arthur Fox is terrific, as are Asher Fox and Walter Fox.)
In short, I don’t think you have to rule out all -er/-ur names just because the surname ends in -er. I do think -er/-ur is one of the trickier repeated end-sounds to pull off, because of the way it can make names sound like nouns, but I can see how it could work.
Another option is to use your favorite -er/-ur name as a middle name, where the repetition will be less noticeable.
Or use the -er/-ur names you like as starting points for finding other names you like. If you like Walter, perhaps you’ll like Walton, Wallace, Franklin, or Frederick. If you like Arthur, perhaps you’ll like Albert, Robert, Kenneth, Gareth, Nathaniel, Ethan, Edward, or Everett. If you like Asher, perhaps you’ll like Caleb, Zachary, Ezra, Abram, or Gideon.
Or you might find you like the repeating sound a lot more if it’s not at the END of the first name. Robert, Albert, Gilbert, Everett, Vernon, Murphy, Murray, Frederick, Roderick, Zachary, Montgomery, Richard, Edward, Anderson, Jefferson, Ernest, Jeffery, Geoffrey, Curtis, etc.
Name update!
Good grief this is embarrassing! But at least it’s happening. Better late than never, right? <cringes>
After all of your helpful advice and the suggestions of kind readers our name choice probably seems like it is out of left field. Our little boy Leo (first) Fox (middle) Parker (last) was born on August 12, 2014 weighing exactly 4lbs. That’s right, no er/ur in sight! I know, how rude.
The thing is, Leo arrived a surprising (and somewhat scary) 6 weeks early. While we waited to be induced in the hospital I turned to my husband and declared that our baby needed a name that was small and mighty, the two things we knew to be true of our son. He said, “Leo?” And that was it! Our little lion heart had a name. And to imagine we’d agonized over it for months and months.
(My husband had Leo on his list early in the process but I’d rejected it because I didn’t love any of the longer versions for what I called a nickname name. Silly me. It’s totally perfect. Ha.)
I’ve attached two photos in the hope that they make up for my gross tardiness. One from his third week of life, and one from last week. Leo’s favourite things today include: smiling at strangers, playing with laces, trying to eat blades of grass, and scrunching up paper. We think he’s super amazing.
Thanks for your patience. I hope this embarrassing update entices others to come out of the closet of Swistle shame to do the same. Guys! Just send an update. You can do it.
Belatedly,
Lindsey
Like you, I had to work with a 2 syllable name ending in “er.” For me, it eliminated all other 2 syllable “er” names. They just sounded so sing-songy to me. Another issue that I had to deal with is that my last name is a tradesman name and many names ending in “er” are tradesman names. I felt like it was just too much to use them together.
I do agree with Swistle that an “er” ending name with more than 2 syllables would work. Christopher, Sylvester, Alistair, Alexander, Oliver, Xavier.
As for your question about using Fox Parker, I’m not sure if that would help or not. I think it would depend on the specific surname used. Arthur Fox Parker sounds like it should be a law firm-Arthur, Fox and Parker. Asher Fox Parker works a little better. I think it avoids the law firm vibe because Asher isn’t really used as a surname the way Arthur or Walter sometimes are.
I totally agree with Swistle. If you avoid the noun-names, like Walker or Archer, then I don’t notice it as much.
I wonder if you would like Oliver? Oliver Parker is super cute! Our little guy is Oliver and we absolutely love the name. I think the three syllables really breaks it up.
I also think Walter, Sylvester, and Alexander would all sound just fine with your last name.
For some reason I find Arthur a bit off with the last name :(
Good luck!
Our last name is Miller and Alexander was on the short list for our son’s name. We were going to go with a middle name of John, if we’d used Alexander, so I’m drawn to breaking up the ER-ER with Fox or other one-syllable interval.
I love Fox as a first name for you! Fox Parker is edgy but great.
That’s what I thought too! I know someone that used the name Fox recently, and it is so cute, and would be even more so since it is a family name in this case.
I third this suggestion!!
My daughter’s name is Parker and my last name is very close to Hauffner. I spent a long time thinking about the repeated -er and, because of it, came very close to not using Parker even though it was my favorite name. But my kid is now 8 and it’s obviously grown on me to the point that I don’t even notice the repetition anymore, in fact I like how the names sound together. Pick your favorite name – you get used to anything!
There are so many great names that don’t present the. -er -er problem that. I would be inclined to avoid it. Artimus, Wallace, and Ashton are alternatives to Arthur, Walter, and Asher that work better with you last name.
However, if you son goes by a nickname most of the time, the double – er ending makes less of a difference. Art Parker and Ash Parker don’t work very because the nicknames seem like adjectives here but Walt Parker sounds great.
I do think the repeated -er ending is awkward with the specific names you chose, though not with longer names as Swistle and others have noted. Alexander Parker is a great name, for instance. I liked the idea of finding other names that are similar but without the -er ending: Wallace, Ashton, etc.
I think it’s a matter of personal preference as well as the individual name itself. It’s the kind of thing that people might notice, but wouldn’t necessarily be bothered by. If it bothers you enough that you start to have second thoughts about a name you would have otherwise used, I would say don’t use it. But if you personally don’t have a problem with it and you’re wondering if everyone else will think it’s weird, I’d say go for it. Some people even like names with a bit of a rhythm to them because they’re easy to remember and fun to say. It’s a relatively minor issue that probably wouldn’t come up very often anyway.
Like Swistle and some other commenters said, some names work better than others. I personally wouldn’t use Arthur Parker or Carter Parker because of the repeated number of syllables and the repeated “ar” sound. Christopher Parker, though, works just fine–it has a very subtle rhythm to it that I think sounds nice without being sing-songy.
In answering the query at hand, I agree with everything Swistle has said, yet again.
But I’m a wee bit stuck on whether Parker is indeed a noun, and if so, its definition. Please pardon the silliness of this, but all I’ve been able to come up with is someone who parks vehicles or someone who occupies park benches. I’m genuinely curious if Parker is indeed one of those occupational surnames, and if so, for what. Anybody?
(You’re lucky to have such a great surname to work with, actually–very trendy).
I’ve googled. A parker is a “park keeper.” So I guess a fox parker would be a keeper for a fox park…….
It’s more that proximity to other word-names brings out its nounish qualities. Walker Parker, for example, is suddenly someone who walks and someone who parks—even though I’d never think of that with a name combination such as Braden Parker.
My first thought was Fox Parker. I absolutely LOVE that name. Fox is actually a great first name for a boy or girl, so if you don’t want to use it for your boy, you could save it for a future (potential) girl. Now i am sitting here really jealous that i can’t use Fox as my “maiden name but now my child’s first name.” I don’t know if anyone addressed this (i Don’t think so) but I would really think hard about giving your child 2 last names. I go by my First Maiden Married name now (as do lots of women) and I even find that confuses people. I checked in at a hotel last week and they had my last name as (Maiden Married, First). They couldn’t find my reservation. I am sure that specific situation will be rare, but a variation of that issue will likely occur often with two last names. One last thought, have you considered the ending “-en” for the first name? Ex: Colin Parker I think the “-on, -in, -en” ending sounds great with Parker.
My baby is named Fox! His full name is Fox (f) Vaugh (m) Taylor (l) – Fox Vaughn Taylor. We love Fox as a first name and couldn’t imagine calling him anything else!
My middle school was Walter Parker Middle School, so that sounds natural to my ear! I do agree, though, that there are so many great names out there that don’t end in -er, I think I would focus my search there. And Fox Parker is adorable.
I will tell you: my daughter has two last names. They are each three syllables, for a total of six last name syllables. She is only one and I have already seriously considered changing it so that she has two middle names instead. It is a hassle at the doctor’s office every time! Ultimately, I am not making any decisions and will probably keep it as is. It was important to me to use it; but I underestimated what a pain it would be.
Oh, that second picture makes up for the lateness of the update. He’s adorable. And he looks so healthy and thriving.
Oh! He is so cute and I think Leo is a great choice!
Goodness he’s cute! Great name too :)
LOVE the name. Adorable.
Lovely name! Thanks so much for sending in an update! :)
Your little guy is so cute, and I love the story of how you decided on his name! Congratulations and thanks for the update!
Great update, and what a wonderful name. Congratulations on your adorable little guy!
Eeek he’s so cute! Love his name :)
LOVE the double pictures! So teeny! So adorable in both! Nice work, mama.
He is so adorable! Great name choice, what a perfect story! Thanks for the update.
My six year old daughter says “I love the first picture he’s so small and so cute!” I think Leo is perfect and he’s adorable today too! So glad you all made it through the awful scary premature baby time.
What an adorable little cub! A fantastic name.
Oh my goodness! So cute! My husband had your same objection to Leo, maybe I can swing him around an eventual number two.
Leo is a great name and your little man wears it well!
Thanks for the update and what a great name! I love naming stories like this, where a name just clicks.
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful boy, and a fittingly handsome name! Congratulations and thanks for the update!
Hello Leo Fox! I love his name!
That’s it! Leo is back on the table for potential baby #2. We have a baby cousin named Cleo (she lives in the Netherlands tho, so they say Clay-oh), so we’d taken it off the list. Your cute Leo and sweet story are inspiring me! Thanks for the update.
He is adorable and I love his name. So glad to see him as a happy, strong baby!