Hi Swistle,
My name is Kathryn Noblitt (“knob”- litt) and I have been reading your blog for a while. My husband is William and we have two kids, a boy, Miller who is 3.5 and a girl, Reese who is almost 1. I am currently 23 weeks pregnant surprise baby number three, and we aren’t finding out the sex.
We are pretty set on using a family name — both Miller and Reese are family names. If it’s a girl it will most likely be Ellis (Clare or Marie as middle name). If it’s a boy we are having some trouble….our top name for a while has been Sullivan (occasional nn Sully, middle name Patrick) but lately my husband has mentioned wanting to use his middle name, also a family surname, which is Covington. I have always loved the name Covington, and I think it would be a great middle name if we were using a more traditional first name (obviously doesn’t go with Sullivan) but I just struggle to picture it as a first name, especially with its lack of nickname options. I wanted to get your opinion and/or perhaps a poll from your readers on Covington as a first name. Sometimes I can see it and sometimes I cant!
We like surname names and unisex names and, like I said, are pretty set on using a family name which all of the above are.
Thank you for any help you can offer us!!
Kathryn
I share your feeling: I love the sound of it, but it’s a struggle to make it seem like a first name. Many surnames have transferred to first name use, but many others have not. Miller transfers well, Wilson transfers well, Delaney and Avery and Sawyer transfer well; but Covington feels to me more like Lancaster or Clements or Hathaway: there’s no particular reason it shouldn’t work as well as other surnames, but for some reason it isn’t being used as a first name in the United States right now.
To me it sounds like a place: perhaps a castle, or an estate. I can picture saying, “Jeeves, pack my things: we set off for Covington this afternoon.” There is something about the name that brings castles/estates/butlers to mind; it reminds me of the sound of Buckingham and Kensington. (Buckingham is not used as a first name in the U.S., but Kensington was used for 223 new baby girls and 11 baby boys in 2013.)
One exercise that may be helpful is to try the name on your first son, as if it were a sweater you could test on him to see if it would fit his brother. Look at him and think “Covington.” Or look at men and boys of various ages when you’re out in public: try the name on each one of them. Imagine one of them introduces himself to you as Covington. Try calling it out loud when no one’s around: “Covington, come to dinner!” “Covington, have you done your homework?” Pretend to introduce him to someone: “This is my son, Covington Noblitt.” Imagine arriving for his appointments: “Hello! This is Covington Noblitt. We have a ten o’clock appointment.”
As a middle name, I think it’s spectacular: cool, distinguished, and I love preserving family surnames.
As a first name I’m less certain, especially with your surname. Covington Noblitt.
Are you planning to have more children after this one? Sullivan seems like such a hit, it’s hard to imagine ditching it in order to make a middle name work.
Covington works well as a middle name if you have a girl: I think Ellis Covington sounds nice. My only hesitation is that with unisex first names I generally prefer to use “hint” middle names (i.e., names that are used exclusively for boys/girls, to give options and reduce paperwork errors)—but that may not be your own preference, in which case it isn’t an issue and I’d make that the deal: if you have a girl, you’ll use Ellis Covington; if a boy, Sullivan Patrick, and maybe Covington as a middle name for the next child.
Let’s have a poll to see what everyone else things of the first-name-ishness of Covington:
Name update!
Hi Swistle,
I want to thank you and your readers so much for the help with our naming dilemma. Your comments helped us decide that, as much as we love the name Covington, it was not suitable for a first name. We had decided on Sullivan Patrick for a boy…but we ended up welcoming a new baby girl on January 24th! We named her Ellis Clare…I liked the suggestions of Covington as a middle name for Ellis, but we really wanted something clearly feminine and also a saint/biblical name since we are Catholic. Also I thought it was funny one reader suggested Wilson for a boy…that’s our dog’s name!! Ellis is doing great and her big brother and sister love her! Miller and Reese are in the picture holding her. Thanks again!!
Kathryn
I voted “maybe, leaning no.” If there was a good nickname, I think it would work for sure. I know a Corcoran – I think the nickname of “Corc” makes it work. I can’t seem to come up with something for Covington. Love it as a middle name, though!
i am leaning Yes, because the nickname “Covi” is too cute!
I voted “maybe, leaning no”
I love the IDEA of it.. but it just doesn’t flow in real life imo.
Covington.. nn. Cove? Covi.. is cute for a little boy. But then he’s a 6 ft tall 200 lb man being called Covi.. and things like that are UGHH to me.
and I also love Sullivan Patrick.. so that is also why I’m “maybe, leaning no”.. because you already have another great/better choice!
That being said, Ellis has been on our girl list forever. So I love that! Would Ellis Covington be a compromise?
I voted maybe, leaning yes because where I’m from it isn’t incredibly uncommon to run into unusual surnames that you wouldn’t normally imagine as firsts. At the moment I can think of a McCafferty (girl), a Moody (boy), and a Tyner (girl) and before knowing them I wouldn’t have thought any of those surnames would have worked, but they actually do.
I would use Covington for a girl in an instant, but maybe that’s because our top girl name would have been Carrington if not for the obvious nickname. I would only use it for a boy in the middle spot.
I think it works for somebody’s kid…but maybe not the same person who names their kids Miller & Reese.
My theory is that surname names fall into two categories. They can either have a slightly Southern vibe, or they sound very British/former British colonies. (Obviously, I will need to add categories when people start naming their kids Dukakis). Covington is very strongly in the second…it goes past being the name of the butler on a BBC show to being the name of the guy calling the butler, and I think it might be a hard sell in the United States. And then you’ve got Miller and Reese, who could totally hang out with Harper Lee, and so overall, I think it works much better as a middle in your family. Could Patrick be a first name?
Covington is the name of the town in Northern Kentucky directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. If you gave your child this name, I’d prepare him to have the same conversation throughout his life any time he meets someone from the Greater Cincinnati area. Covington is an area with some struggles and doesn’t bring to mind “cute baby” to me. Then again, people name their kids Brooklyn and Jersey and Montana and those aren’t perfect places either.
Excuse me but actually Montana IS a perfect place! I mean, I wouldn’t name my kid Montana but it is a perfect place.
And yes I am from Montana … why do you ask?
I vote yes. I like Covington Noblitt, think Covington Patrick sounds great and really like the possible nicknames Cove and Vin.
I also think reversing Dads name would be great. Covington William could also be called CW.
Regardless of middle names, I vastly prefer Miller, Reese and Cove to Miller, Reese, and Sully.
yes to this whole comment!
I think Sullivan Patrick fits in very well with your family. But Patrick Covington could work, too.
The speed with which the word “covet” springs to my mind is worrisome with Covington. If it’s pronounced with a long O, then the word “cove” comes to mind instead and it could work. Cove could be a nickname. Cov as a nickname reminds me of Dove, which skews more feminine. But I’ll add that a continuum of names that make me uncomfortable, Covington barely registers. I don’t love it or hate it.
I really want to love Covington for you because of the family connection and I think it could work, but I couldn’t vote complete Yes because it seems a bit formal when compared to Miller and Reese – while those names sound like first names, Covington leans more toward the names of a law firm with your last name? Covington, Noblitt and _____, Attorneys at Law.
The nickname Covi is pretty cute for a little guy, though…
I know you associate Ellis as a girl’s name and with all the Elles around, I can see why. It could be a boy’s name, though… It’s that unisex in my mind. So, you could use Ellis Covington for a boy or a girl, if you wanted to.
My husband and I always wanted our first child to be called Afton and would’ve used it for a boy or girl, though it’s traditionally a girl’s name in the history books. We got a daughter and named her Afton Rhys (the more traditionally male spelling, but we liked it better. If we’d had a son it would’ve been Afton Stirling (a family name, male ancestor).
Sullivan Patrick is really darn cute, though. I’m no help!
Good luck to you! Can’t wait to find ou twhat you choose =)
Totally agree – I like Ellis Covington for a boy OR girl.
Totally agree re law firm. Hard no as first name. Yes as middle.
I enjoy the idea of Covington and like the sound, but I don’t think it works as first name.
I love Sullivan Patrick. It seems to mix perfectly with your other kids’ names. Miller, Reese and Sullivan. Miller, Reese and Sully.
I don’t think Covington has the same level of flow. I would lean towards using it as a middle name. It does remind me of the name, Ellington, which I do love, but they still do feel different enough.
Another “test” my husband and I do is the Christmas/holiday card test. We say aloud “Merry Christmas with love from (insert family first names)”. Saying it aloud always helps us to hear and visualize if a name would flow and work.
I voted no. I think Covington is one of those surnames that just don’t work as a first name. The only nickname option I can come up with is Covi. Which sounds like covey, a flock of birds. That then leads me to things such as duck hunting. I just don’t think it’ll work nearly as well as Miller, Reese, Sullivan or Ellis.
I think it would be great! My son has a very formal “last name” first name that we usually shorten, but I like him having the option for either the informal or formal version. My initial thought for a nickname for Covington would be Covey (pron. “CUH-vee”), the spelling “Covi” seems girly to me. I like Covington, and the family connection makes it even better!
One of my friends use this name for her baby boy. They call him Cubby and it’s pretty cute
Hooray! I love you Kath and I am for Sullivan ride-or-die!!! #TeamSully
I echo what a previous posted said, I think Covington DOES work as a first name, I’m just not sure it works with Miller and Reese. Not that your children’s names need to be matchy, or even the exact same style, Covington just seems quite formal when compared to Miller and Reese.
Are there any family “J” names? CJ is pretty cute nickname for a little boy if you’re into initial names. For what it’s worth, I also think Covey makes an excellent nickname for Covington, if you decide to go that route.
Good luck!
Hmmm I want to say no but I wouldn’t think you were crazy if you went with Covington. I think it might be more apt to work if your sibset included other place sounding surnames and you had a less unsusual surname yourself. I think it would be great as a middle name fore a child that did not have a unisex first name. Sullivan is ok I do not like the name Sully. I actually like Ellis for a boy or girl so either Ellis Claire or Ellis Patrick. I would like to throw out there another name that came to mind: Willoughby. Even though not a family name it can allude to your husbands name and Willow would be a great nn for a girl and Will for a boy. Congrats and good luck!
Oh and Fitzwilliam for a boy
I quite like Covington as a first name (for either gender, but especially a boy), and I think it’s nearly perfect as a middle name here. (“Nearly” perfect instead of actually perfect because I have a personal preference against using names that run together, e.g., CovingtoNoblitt. But I know not everyone shares that preference.)
Here’s why I can’t get fully behind this name: Because I can’t think of a single man I know who would regularly introduce himself as “Covington.” Not a single one. This is one gender generalization that has tracked with my personal experience. Every guy I know tends toward simplifying his name, and I definitely don’t know any who embrace having names that are elaborate or otherwise different. And in my book, a lovely name like Covington (or Daniel, or Anthony, etc.) is tragically wasted if the wearer is going to make a lifelong statement that he’d rather be named something else less lovely, like Dan or Ant (or Covi).
I have the same issue with Covi itself–it’s clearly a suitable nickname for Covington, but again I can’t imagine a single adult male I know introducing himself by that name (or writing it out that way, ending with an ‘i’). And I’m not seeing any other obvious nickname possibilities here (other than Cov or Cubby, both of which introduce the same problem). So though I don’t have a crystal ball, I’d be willing to bet quite a bit of money that a boy named Covington would wind up going with some completely unrelated name for daily use (his initials, or Nobbs, or something he’s been christened by his peers in middle school that we can’t predict now). I’d hate to name my son Covington and have him request to be called Jack from the moment he could talk! That said, I’m one of those people who generally prefers the sound of a full name to a choppy nickname.
In other words: Stick it in the middle, and it stays intact; put it in front, and I think it could effectively be like not using it at all. But ___ Covington Noblitt is absolutely beautiful.
For a girl, on the other hand, I think that while it’s slightly more stark and unfamiliar, it’s far more likely to be used as-is. I could get behind that!
I voted no. It’s much too close to word “coveting”, which is not positive. To me it aost has oddly sexual overtones– I wouldn’t suggest it for a girl either. And on a boy, it’s a bit dandyish and difficult. I don’t think most boys/men would appreciate having to bear it through life. Alas!
Typo: “aost” should read as “almost”
I know a girl named Covington; she goes by Covie. Very cool, I think!
I think a good nickname would be Cove. Just a thought.
Another vote for Ellis Covington for a boy.
And I think I am the first to say: Sullivan Covington absolutely does work. Yes, it’s a mouthful, but it’s quite melodic and rhymical, and I see no reason at all not to use it. In fact I think it is perfect.
As for nicknames for Covington:
Cove, Cov, Covi
Vin, Vince, Vinny
Good luck!
I love it! However, influencing my opinion is (1) I’m from the south, where family names are common (2) both of my boys go by family names which were surnames. While their names aren’t traditional first names, I just love them and have gotten lots of positive feedback.
I think it could work with the nickname Cove.
Covington is a line of men’s and women’s casualwear from Sears, and that’s all I can think about when I see the name. Covington Noblitt as a full name sounds almost cartoonishly preppy to me. I think you should go with one of your other excellent first name options and consider Covington for the middle name spot where a somewhat unusual name with a neat family connection can be more fully appreciated.
To me, Covington Noblitt sounds like a character in a P. G. Wodehouse story. I do think Cove or Covi are cute nicknames, but the full name is really a mouthful, and it’s not a name I would want for myself.
I voted “yes” but because I know a girl from my childhood named Covington. I never questioned it. She also went by Covy full time, though. I don’t think it sounds like a boy name, but I’m probably biased having known it only as a girl name.
I totally agree with Swistle. Ellis Covington and Sullivan Patrick would both sound great. Either one would perfectly complement your sibset. To me, Van sounds like a cooler nn for Sullivan than Sully. Best of luck!
I voted the firm “no” option in this poll. I agree with Swistle wholeheartedly; I love the sound of Covington, but I can’t see it as a first name. The lack of nickname is frustrating (I’m not a fan of Covi/Covey/Cove) and it doesn’t seem to pair well with your children’s names (which I love). I used the whole “Would I want to have this name?” test and found that I strongly would not want Covington as my own first name. Then I saw that you have Sullivan Patrick on your list and I was like, “DONE!” Sullivan is SUCH a pleasant name, I’m a big fan. I do agree with one previous poster that you can totally do Sullivan Covington. Yes, it’s a mouthful, but it flows well and you rarely bust out the full name except at birth and when the kid is in trouble.
Random: is there any reason your husband is now pushing for his middle name to be used? Did you use more family names from his side vs. your side for the kids? Or is this just an idea that randomly occurred to him? Figuring out why he is suggesting it now might help.
Sigh. I really want to love this name. The first time I read it I immediately thought wow, this name sounds like a great castle or estate in Scotland. So when I saw swistle wrote that I was happy to see I wasn’t the only one!
I think Sullivan Patrick is perfect. You could use Sully or Van as shortened names. I don’t think you could go wrong with Sullivan. I also agree that Covington sounds fabulous as a middle name for either girl or boy. :) Patrick is also sweet as a first name.
Covington nn Tony?
I agree it’s hard to see it in a family with Miller because Miller is a worker name and Covington is a gentry name (landowner).
Covington is a great name but, like a few other commenters, I can’t really see it as a first name. Covington Noblett sounds like a character from a Dickens novel to me. If you really like it though, what about the nickname Ving?
Have you thought of using the name Wilson after your husband? Wilson Covington. Miller, Reese and Wilson nn Wils?
Sullivan Patrick nn Sully is great by the way! Love Ellis Covington for a girl too!
All the best!
I know of someone with Covington as a last name, so that was my first association – “I’ve heard it as a last name.”
It also made me think of the little girl I once met named Kenzie. Except it turned out that her full name was Kensington. It did seem like a bit of a mouthful on a little girl. Though the nickname worked well, as I just assumed that she was McKenzie.
Covington does sound pretty “preppy” and “posh” as a first name, to my ears. It did make me laugh when Swistle used the butler example. So I voted “No” on the poll. Much better as a middle name, in my opinion.
I like Vinnie or Vince as a nickname for Covington
I voted “Maybe, leaning no.” However, after reviewing reader comments and considering the nn Cove, I like it!
Covington and Sullivan are both major global law firms. I associate them with billable hours.
I agree with the person who can’t picture a grown man introducing himself as Covington, but it’s fine as a middle name.