Dear Swistle,
I wrote to you about a month ago in regards to this same baby – but circumstances have changed and I have a different question I was wondering if you could help me on.
Alliteration – yay or nay?
My husband and I are expecting our 4th child, and third son, in the new year (likely our last). Our older children are Beckett James, Lucia (Lucy) Kate, and Charleston (Charlie) Luke. Our last name sounds like Rah-tick-ah. If this baby had been a girl her name would have been Shiloh Annemarie.
Amazingly shortly after I wrote you earlier – when we couldn’t agree on any names at all, my husband and I came up with a short list of names we are both ok with.
The challenge – the top two names we agree on both begin with R and we just aren’t sure about the alliteration with our last name. Is it too much?
Those names are Rhys or Rhodes.
Rhys has been on our list the last 2 go-rounds, but we’ve decided against it because of the alliteration…but we just can’t seem to let it go.
The middle name would likely be Matthew in either case.
Other names on our short list:
Griffin (my personal favorite)
Jonas (my husband’s favorite)
Soren
SawyerLooking forward to your input!
Julianne and Brandon
Alliteration is striking! memorable! attention-getting! It’s one of the Statement options available in baby-naming, and it can range from Mild to Extreme depending on the particular names and the particular sounds. An example of mild would be something like Sophia Smith: the alliteration is lessened by the blend Sm- with the non-blend S-, and by the familiarity of both the first name and the surname. An example of Extreme would be something like Drusilla Dressendor: the matching Dr- blend is even more noticeable; the additional internal -s- alliteration is even more ear-catching; and both names are already uncommon enough to get some attention on their own.
To my ear, Rhodes Rahtickah and Rhys Rahtickah are somewhere in between, though nudged a bit more toward the Extreme end by the uncommonness of the names involved, especially Rhodes, which is not currently in the Top 1000 of boy names in the United States and has not been at any point since the online records start in 1900. The name Rhys entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2004 at #941, and as of 2021 was #413; that same year, the variation Reece was #579 and Reese was #701 (Reese was #147 for girls).
All I’m saying here is that it would be A Choice—but you know that, and it’s why you’re writing. My own opinion at this point is that if you both love it, and you both think the alliteration is kind of neat, then you could just do it. Paul and I had a name on our baby name list that we didn’t use for Extreme Alliteration reasons (the first name was familiar, but it had initial alliteration and STRONG-middle-consonant alliteration with the surname, and the surname is already a constant issue on its own), and looking back on it now I think it would have been perfectly fine—and possibly even perfectly splendid. It would have been A Choice! But I also kind of LIKE Choice names when I encounter them in the wild.
Not too long ago I encountered someone with one of those names like Thomas Thompson, which is another from the Statement Options category, and my reaction was positive. It’s just kind of…fun, I guess. I don’t know if it’s as fun for Thomas Thompson, who probably gets a fair amount of repetitive attention/commentary about his name, and perhaps that’s another angle to consider: ask yourselves if YOU would want this name. Would you want to be Rhodes Rahtickah or Rhys Rahtickah? How much talking about your own name do you think you’d want to do/hear?
If you feel like you’re a little on the fence (i.e., on one hand it’s kind of fun and catchy, on the other hand you find you don’t personally yearn to spend even more time discussing your name), one option is to Dial It Back (look for R- names that are less uncommon, for example, or use Rhys/Rhodes as the middle name), and another option is to Add More Options (give a middle name from your runner-up first-name options; find a nickname option that doesn’t start with R).
Or if the name brings you joy, you can just GO FOR IT. I notice your first child’s name has some pretty snappy internal alliteration with those repeating K and T sounds; and if your second child’s name is pronounced loo-CHEE-ah or loo-SEE-uh, that’s got some real bounce with the rhythm of the surname. And the name Charleston is even less common in the United States than Rhodes. In this sibling set, I think Rhys Rahtickah or Rhodes Rahtickah could be a pretty nice fit. (My own choice would be for Rhys, as the more Dialed Back option: not only is Rhys a more common name, but it avoids the strong association of the Rhodes scholarship.)
I like it! I prefer the cadence/brightness of Rhys better than Rhodes with this last name. I’m not a big fan of alliteration normally, but I like it this time. The syllable stresses are pleasant, and don’t ADD to the alliteration. Go for it!
I think either name would be perfectly fine, I don’t think it’s Too Much at all. You haven’t been able to let go of Rhys, it sounds like that’s his name. Beckett, Lucy, Charlie, and Rhys. I love it. ❤️
I vote YES and I’m not usually a fan of alliteration. My preference is for Rhys.
I’m generally a fan of alliteration, so I may not be the person to ask, but I like it with these names. I’m also a fan of using the name that tugs at you for years, so I’m going to jump on the Rhys bandwagon.
Rhodes has such strong associations with wh*te supremac*st Cecil Rhodes that I would avoid giving it to a kiddo.
I love Rhys! It’s great with your other kids’ names.
huh! it wouldn’t let me post it without the asterisks
I came here to say the same (although this comment is more than 2 weeks after the post). Anyone with familiarity with African colonialism will certainly think of Cecil Rhodes when they hear the name Rhodes. Just something to be aware of as you make your choices. Congrats and best of luck!
I love Rhodes with this set. Rhys/Reese is also great, but with a LucEE and CharlEE, a REEse feels too repetitive? But that’s a pretty silly mark against, so go with whichever you love. Alliteration is a favourite, when it works, and it sure does here!
Big alliteration fan so my answer is yay! I like both, but I think Rhys is my favorite.
I love Rhys and think it goes great with sibs too. I’m generally neutral on alliteration, but I think it works well in this case!
Good luck and congratulations!
Go for alliteration! Plus RR would be a fun monogram.
I like Rhodes. I think it’s plenty familiar as a name and the d makes it easier to say with your last name.
I have a friend named Rig. For Reginald. Rig Ri tick ah.
I like Rhys but like it spelled Reese or Reece.
Congrats on your new addition!!
I have a son with RR initials, so I think it’s wonderful. :) I like both names with the siblings, they sound great together!
I’m personally in the nay column on alliteration and my favorite option with the sibs is Griffin.
Between Rhys and Rhodes, I like Rhodes with the last name. I like the two syllables if it’s going to alliterate. I also find my focus is more on the rhODes which makes it work better if that makes sense.
Congrats; let us know what you decide!
I love it! One of my children is MM and it’s delicious to me every time I say her name (also bc she has my last name, so it’s like a hat trick of awesomeness for me). I vote Rhys, it’s a handsome name, and it’s unique but not unheard of. Though I’m split – part of me thinks you should go with a Reece/Reese spelling, just because your last name is a bit on the complex side of things, so it might be nice to have it be easy to pronounce his first name. I know a Reece and a Rhys, but the Rhys is Rhys Phillips (not actual last name) so it’s easier because of the familiarity of the last name. But if you love Rhys, go for it. I would!
I always thought Reece is the girls spelling and Rhys is boys.
Rhys is the Welsh spelling and is traditionally used for boys. (We almost used it for our son’s name.)
I know what you mean, but I for one do know a boy Reece and Swistle said that “the variation Reece was #579 and Reese was #701”, as far as boys’ names go.
Rhodes reminds me of the “Rhodes bake and serve” rolls that are advertised around holiday time. Not necessarily a bad association, but just something to consider.
I guess I would say I have a mild preference not to alliterate names, but one of my sons has the initials WW. One of my top concerns about his name during pregnancy was the alliteration, but the last name was locked in and we had meaningful reasons for going with the first name we did. He is six now and if anything the alliteration is a plus. He loves it, and aside from that, I almost never consider it. It certainly hasn’t been a negative issue at all. If you both have a name you love, don’t let alliteration stand in your way!
I vote for Rhys. : )
Alliteration? Yes!
One of my kids is an EE, and she’s a big fan.
Rhodes is my personal favorite, but Rhys is solid, too.
I knew a man once who had the same first, middle, and last name. And he shared his name with his dad and grandfather. No. Joke. Those men LOVED their name. (Think Scott Scott Scott III)
Even musician Philip Phillips lets his memorable name work for him.
The only person in son’s 9ys to comment on his alliterative name thought it was adorable.
I like Rhys better, both because of the sound and because there was this prominent British imperialist Cecil Rhodes in Africa. He wasn’t anywhere near as bad as King Leopold of Belgium, but still. On the other hand, I don’t know how many people outside of Zimbabwe and Zambia remember it
Thanks for such a great answer, Swistle – I never considered the Two Categories of alliterations, and I realize that I am Nay on Mild Alliteration (Sarah Snider) and Yah the Extreme/Strong versions! This is another vote to use Rhys!
My maiden name was an alliteration with my first name (C@rolyn C@raveli) and I mostly was dissatisfied with the recurring sounds. I had to enunciate each when introducing myself. As a child in the eighties I wanted to go by Carrie, but it sounded dreadful with my last name. I was painfully shy and I felt like it gave attention that I didn’t want. But, other people have said they really like the sound of my first and last name so there’s that I guess. It honestly could have been worse. My cousin’s wife married into our family surname and her first name is C@r@. She rocks the first and last name though!
I think Rhys sounds great with the last name – it flows very well. Rhodes seems a little heavy with it, a little harder to get from the S at the end of the first name to the R at the beginning of the surname. And I also agree that the association with Cecil Rhodes who was a white supremacist is something to avoid.
I didn’t explain that well. Both Rhys and Rhodes end with S of course, but the long O and the D of Rhodes are stressed more or more notable than the EE of Rhys, so it feels to like like you have to land on the S of Rhodes harder than the S of Rhys.
So Rhys feels to me like it flows more easily and pleasantly into the last name.
Plus, it’s the name you haven’t been able to let go of! So it’s obviously got a strong appeal to you.