Update (and photo) on (yesterday’s!) Baby Girl or Boy Kershmen, Sibling to Brady, Walker, and Davis
Name Update
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Monthly Archives: December 2022
Baby Girl or Boy Kershmen, Sibling to Brady, Walker, and Davis
Swistle –
We are expecting our fourth and *probably* final baby (I have to stop at some point š). We have three boys: Brady Mills, Walker Lee and Davis Blake. Last name sounds like Kershmen. Middle names of all the boys are family names (my maiden, my middle, husbandās middle).
We have a girl name picked out, but are kind of stuck on a boy name, and letās be honest: after three boys we are fully expecting one more! We both really like Rex but are worried itās tooā¦ something. Maybe too dog-name? Too country? Too ānot a nameā? Too T-Rex? I like that it has the āMaxā sound but is not as popular, but Iām wondering if our name vision is clouded and it actually is a ridiculous name. Middle name would probably be Ellis (itās a distant family name but weāve run out of closer family names that we like). So top contenders as of now:
Rex Ellis (initials would be REK and I like that it kind of sounds like the name)
Reid Ellis
Jenkins Drew (Drew is both of our brothersā names, and we like the nn Jenks but Iām worried about the āJaynkinsā pronunciation)
Cal (not sure on a middle, and it would just be cal – Iām not a fan of any of the longer versions)Other names we like:
Jett
Mack
Rowan (Row)We donāt want to repeat initials with any of our other boys. What do you think of Rex, and do you have any other suggestions that go with our naming style??
Thank you!!
P.s. your readers helped us with Bradyās name and I wrote in for help with a girl name on our 3rd baby, who obviously turned out to be a boy!
I don’t think Rex is a ridiculous option (I think of Rex Harrison, though I see in that case it was a nickname for Reginald), but I find that when I say “Brady, Walker, Davis, and Rex,” something about it hits an odd note. Whereas when I say “Brady, Walker, Davis, and Reid,” everything feels like it clicks together. I wonder if you could name him Reid Ellis and then get Rex/Reks as an nickname from the initials. (This is less of an issue, but also I find “Rex Ellis” a little uncomfortable to say.)
I get a similar odd note if I try the group with Jett and Mack, so I wonder if it’s that those names don’t seem like the same style as the other boys’ names—especially coming so close after the somewhat formal-sounding Davis. That is, Brady and Mack seems like an okay combination to me, but Davis and Mack hits the odd note. I should say, though, that after three or so kids, I definitely stopped worrying so much about the names Going Together, even though it continued to be one of my highest preferences: it just gets harder and harder to DO, and also the parents’ naming style may subtly shift over the sheer amount of TIME it takes to have a bunch of kids.
Similar to Reid: Rhys. Rhys Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Rhys. I am slightly disinclined to do an -s ending right after another sibling with an -s ending, but on the other hand in my own situation it turned out that those kinds of considerations faded significantly after I was out of the naming process. Still, in this case I prefer Reid.
Wait–what about Rhett? It’s interesting how close in sound it is to Rex, while being entirely different in style. Brady, Walker, Davis, and Rhett.
Or Redford, nicknamed Red.
I find the name Jenkins very appealing. I don’t have any experience with the name in real life, so I don’t know if the Jaynkins pronunciation would be an issue or not, and am hoping others can weigh in.
I wonder if you’d want to consider Jennings? Jennings Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Jennings.
I think Rowan works very well in this group: Brady, Walker, Davis, and Rowan. I like the way everyone gets their own initial and their own ending, and it’s a nice assortment of sounds.
I’m VERY KEEN on the idea of using the name Drew for the middle if at all possible, since it’s such a fun coincidence that it would be after TWO of his uncles! To me that is NEARLY as much of a treat as when one parent’s surname is used for the children, but the OTHER parent’s surname is a usable baby name.
Let’s look for some more first names to consider.
Aidric; Aidric Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Aidric
Cormac; Cormac Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Cormac
Crosby; Crosby Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Crosby
Everett; Everett Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Everett
Felix; Felix Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Felix
Fletcher; Fletcher Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Fletcher
Flynn; Flynn Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Flynn
Franklin; Franklin Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Franklin
Frederick; Frederick Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Frederick
Gage; Gage Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Gage
Holland; Holland Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Holland
Isaac; Isaac Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Isaac
Keaton; Keaton Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Keaton
Lennox; Lennox Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Lennox
Merritt; Merritt Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Merritt
Milo; Milo Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Milo
Mitchell; Mitchell Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Mitchell
Russell; Russell Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Russell
Sawyer; Sawyer Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Sawyer
Sullivan; Sullivan Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Sullivan
Thatcher; Thatcher Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Thatcher
Vance; Vance Kershmen; Brady, Walker, Davis, and Vance
I put Isaac in there because it has some snap, and I feel like you may be looking for some snap—but I am not sure about it style-wise. I went to take it out and found myself reluctant, so I will leave it in.
Name update:
Dear Swistle-
Bub came a few weeks early, so sadly the timing of our letter to you did not work out! However – Iām happy to see that some of your readers like the name we picked.
We went to the hospital with the names narrowed down to Rex and Jenkins. We liked Reid through the whole pregnancy but it just started to not feel right. Rhett would have been top of our list but we have good friends with a son named Rhett so we never considered it – so when my husband brought up Rex, I thought it was a fun twist on Rhett mixed with Max and I liked that! Simple yet a little spunky.
When he was born, we put his Rex hat on him and started calling him Rex, and it worked! His brothers love his name and have fully embraced the T-Rex association, giving him dinosaur stuffed animals and drawing dinosaurs on every card they write him. Itās very cute and we feel that he is definitely a Rex!
We went with Ellis as a middle name as I just couldnāt make Rex Drew sound right in my head (although it looks fine written out like that). So here he is, Rex Ellis! Thanks for your feedback – I will refer to it when weāre on our 5th boy (ha!).
Baby Boy Daniels, Brother to Henry and Avery
Hi! I am having my third boy in March. My other 2 are named Henry Morris and Avery Bernard. Our last name is daniels so it obviously canāt be jack or Charlie. My husbands name is Zachary. We like the name Brody the best but we also like max and Alexander. I think I want all my kids to end in y or ie.
Thank you!
Arielle
I really like Brody in this sibling set, and with the surname. If I were you I think I’d be brushing my hands together briskly and moving on to choosing the middle name. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to think about other options!
I think the first two names could be seen as the start of a Happy Assortment, or they could be seen as Vintage Revivals, depending on how you go with the third name. Henry is of course an old and enduring traditional classic, but it is also currently enjoying one of its recurring times in the sun, which for some people gives it the feeling of being an on-trend choice. And Avery could feel like a contemporary unisex surname name, except for those of us who remember it as Fern’s brother in the 1952 book Charlotte’s Web, which for some people gives it more the feeling of a vintage revival. Both names feel to me like they fall into the category of gentle boy names, and Avery is currently used more often for girls in the U.S.; so I’d be looking for a name that fit with that and didn’t spin Avery as more likely to be a sister name.
If you are planning to have more children, I might recommend loosening or breaking the -ie/-y preference at this point. To me it seems like having two kids ending in that sound is pretty easy to change for the third without causing a stir—but once you have three, you might find yourself feeling like you’re painted into a corner. And especially with boy names: there are a million girl names ending in -ie/-y, and there are quite a few boy names too but it’s a much smaller category—especially if you’d like one from the subset that feel like full given names (like Henry and Avery) rather than nicknames (Frankie, Marty, Tommy, etc.). This could be the moment to go with Max or Alexander or anything else that keeps you from accidentally locking yourselves in.
Some names that I think fit well but DON’T end in -ie/-y:
Asher
Benjamin
Bennett
Caleb
Clark
Corbin
Eli
Elliot
Ellis
Emmett
Ezra
Felix
Finn
Gage
Gus
Ian
Isaac
Jasper
Julian
Kellan
Leo
Liam
Louis
Merritt
Micah
Milo
Noah
Nolan
Owen
Warren
Wilson
Winslow
Names that DO end in -ie/-y:
Archie
Casey
Colby
Finley
Percy
Terry
Wesley
From the non -ie/-y list, my favorites are Elliot, Emmett, Ezra, Gus, Leo, Milo. From the -ie/-y list, my favorites are Percy and Wesley from my list plus Brody from yours.
Baby Girl Sweeney, Sister to Alexandra/Alex
Hi! I’m having our last child, a baby girl in February, and we don’t know what to name her!! Our only other child is 3 year old Alexandra but is always called Alex. The girls’ surname is Sweeney and both of their middle names are my surname (a 2-syllable American last name that starts with a D). My name is Amanda and my husband is Kyle. We prefer “A” names and names that can be shortened–especially names that are gender neutral or can be shortened to a gender neutral nickname (e.g., Alex). We also like names that are somewhat regal or grown up (again, e.g., Alexandra)–names suiting a high powered attorney or politician. I know this is a lot of criteria.
Names we don’t hate: Kennedy, Abigail, Anderson
Obviously, Kennedy doesn’t start with an A but can be shortened to Ken for gender neutrality, is regal, and shares a K with my husband, although I’d prefer she have an A like me and Alex. Abigail isn’t gender neutral. Anderson can be shortened to Andy but an issue with using surname names is that this child already has a surname as her middle name, so does she really need to have 3 names that are surnames?
I have no idea what I would name a boy–probably Alexander. š Alex is the most perfect name IMO!
Please help me find a gender neutral, nickname available, starting with “A,” regal name for my daughter!! I promise to write back and tell you which name we choose! Thank you!!!!!!
Amanda and Kyle
I do think you will have a much easier time if you can eliminate some of these requirements. I suggest writing each preference on an index card, and then playing with them a little: which ones are MOST important / which ones CANNOT be eliminated / which ones are strongly preferred but can go if necessary.
For example, I would definitely eliminate the preference for a gender-neutral long form, now that you’ve gone with the exclusively-used-for-girls name Alexandra for your first child. I wouldn’t pair an Alexandra with an Anderson unless Anderson were a boy.
I suggest Anastasia. Regal and high-powered, starts with A, and shortens to Stacy or Tacy or Sasha or Asia or even Andy (though not if you want to keep Anderson for a remote-possibility future son). It’s also one of the names from my own Sad I Can’t Use list, so I’d love to see it used on someone else’s dear little baby.
If you don’t mind a big difference in popularity: Acadia. It’s fairly uncommon (according to the Social Security Administration, it was used for only 40 new baby girls in 2021; compare that to 1,715 new baby girls named Alexandra), and it may cause those of us who grew up with ’90s music to find we have Sarah McLachlan’s song Adia going through our heads for some reason; but the nickname Cade is great with Alex, and she can go by Cate/Katie if she turns out not to be a short-boyish-nickname type of person.
Adelaide: regal! distinguished! starts with A! For the nickname, I suggest Del. I went to school with a boy Del, and Elizabeth is friends with a girl Del (short for Delaney). Along similar lines: Adeline/Del.
Adrienne, nickname Ren.
Augusta, nickname Gus.
I want to suggest Annabel (another from my Sad I Can’t Use It list), but I don’t have the right kind of nickname for it; I’m hoping someone else will think of something. Can we stretch to Abe or Abel, do you think?
Amaryllis. I dare you, I DARE you to use this wonderful underused name—though I can see it isn’t ideal with the surname. Nicknames, hm. Les? Again, I hope others will be better at this than I am.
Amethyst. I like this even more than Amaryllis. It’s perhaps an odd combination with Alexandra, and a little bumpy with the surname, but when there are a lot of preferences to accommodate, something’s got to give. Once again, I must beg for help with nicknames.
Andromeda. I realize this, like Amaryllis and Amethyst, is a long shot, but you’ve got me in the long-A-names section and I am bringing out all the contenders. And this one has the easy nickname Andy! (Unless you want to save Anderson for a future boy.) I think you could also do Matt/Mattie.
Artemisia, nickname Art or Tom or Timmy. Okay, I will stop with the more out-there ones.
Angelica. Nicknames…could we do Nick? Eli? I know I’m reaching.
Annika!! THAT gives us Nick without a reach! Oh, I feel excited about this one. Alexandra and Annika; Alex and Nick.
Annaliese, nickname Lee. I would rather avoid -s/S- with the surname, but I don’t think it has to be a dealbreaker.
Antonia, nickname Tony.
Arabella/Arabelle, nickname Rob/Robbie.
Aubrey, need help with a nickname.
Aurora, nickname Rory.
Baby Girl Melly-chair-eck, Sister to Iris and Cleo
Well. I put this in a new-post window to work on, and then got caught up in unusually spinny Christmas preparations and never actually answered it. We may be much too late, as the due date is tomorrow, but let’s do our festive best:
Much to my surprise, daughter number three is due 12/18 and Iād love to have input from you and your readers. Our daughters are named Iris R@mona and Cleo Ros@lind. Our top two names for this baby are Sybil and Esme (ehz-may pronunciation). I like that Sybil is also of Greek origin because Iām half Greek. I like Esme because it has four letters and I like how it sounds with Iris and Cleo. Friends and family that Iāve asked mostly prefer Esme, but itās a bit more frilly and less historical than Iād prefer. Also, Iām sure there will be pronunciation issues with Esme. We are struggling with middle names too. Iām not sure if I can use Sybil Esme or Esme Sybil because of the flow even if they are the top two names. Some other names we are considering in the middle spot are Josephine and Annora. What do you think?
Thank you!
Ashley
Baby Girl Tedwards, Sister to Luke and Noah
Hi!
My husband and I are expecting our third (and likely last) baby, a girl due this April. We have two boys, Luke and Noah, and our last name rhymes with Tedwards.
I love that my boysā names are short, sweet, and traditional but not too formal. Our girlās name does not need to follow the four-letter trend, but I do want a short-ish name that does not have a clearly associated nickname.
Our little girlās middle name will almost certainly be Jane, a family name, although Iāve also considered Jane (Janie) as a first name. I prefer a first name with two or more syllables to go with a one syllable nickname.
Some names I really like, but are already in use in our (large and very close) family: Lily, Addy, Anna, Lucy, Maggie, Ava, Mia/Mya, Amy.
I love Nora, but itās too similar to Noah. Same goes for Louisa, with Luke.
We have a few names we like, but no clear front runners:
Emma (we like the name, but also know so many Emmas)
Fiona
Celia
JuliaIt appears Iām drawn to girl names that end in āaā but thatās certainly not a requirement.
A few that fit what weāre looking for, but Iām just not crazy about: Mary, Isla, Cora, Alice.
Would love your thoughts and suggestions!
Name update:
Hi!
Just wanted to share that we welcomed our little girl, Eliza Jane, last week. While we considered using Jane as a first name, it ultimately felt better as a middle name. Eliza will almost certainly be my parents’ last grandchild, and now their first grandchild (my niece) and their last share my mom’s first name as their middle name. My mom is so happy about her “bookend” grandchildren. In a fun twist, we had already decided on the name Eliza, and then had a (wonderful!) L&D nurse named Eliza take care of me during delivery! It felt meant to be. Luke and Noah are absolutely in love with their baby sister. Thanks to all of the commenters for the wonderful suggestions, they were so helpful as we narrowed down our list!
