Hi Swistle,
I emailed you a few days ago but re-read your advice from last time we named a baby and talked more with my husband so I’m rewriting and refining my email. I think we’re pretty set on names if our baby is a girl, but could use some help with boy names.
My husband and I are expecting our second baby, unknown sex, in July and we’d love your help with name suggestions. This is likely our last baby, but we may consider having one more. You and your readers were so helpful when we were considering name options for our son in 2022 and we’d love your help again.
Our son’s name is Ge0rge S1las Matthson-Dickson. George is my husband’s maternal grandfathers’s name. My husband and I both love the name George because it’s classic, easy to spell and pronounce, and not too popular. We also love that it honors my husband’s grandfather. We chose the middle name Silas because we like its meaning and how it sounds with George. To us, George is the perfect name and we’re struggling to come up with other names we like as much as we like George.
Our second choice for a boy name two years ago was Rowan, but we’re not sure how we feel about that name now. Last time we wrote to you, you noticed that some of the names we liked didn’t seem like they belonged in the same sibling set, and you gave George and Rowan as an example of that. I still like the name Rowan and it doesn’t feel too out of place to me as a brother for George, but I’m also not sure it feels right. I’m hoping you and your readers can help us come up with some other options to consider.
We prefer more classic names that are recognizable but not too popular. If the baby is a girl we’ll likely name her Harriet or Felicity. I’m a little hesitant with names that end in “n” because of the hyphenated last names that both end in “n”. Because George is such a common name, several other boy names don’t seem to work as sibling names because there are famous George’s with those names as last names (George Ezra, for example). We also like the name Arthur, but George and Arthur together sound too stuffy and too much like we’re trying to name our children after British kings.
If the baby is a boy, their middle name will most likely be Alexander, which is an honor name for my brother. Names we can’t use for a boy are Robert, William, and Levi.
I’d appreciate any help and suggestions you have, either on the names we’re considering or others you think we should add to our list of contenders.
Thank you,
K
You have seen me say this many times, but one of the reasons I say it so many times is that I think it is so easy to forget: I don’t think the goal can be to find a name you like as much as the name George. The name George has ceased to be a name, and is now Your Beloved Child, and no other name can come close to that. Besides, even just mathematically, if parents choose their top favorite name for their first child, all the other names are by definition less-liked. So right off the bat, we can decrease the pressure: your goal is only to find your favorite name out of the pool of non-George names. And soon whatever name you choose will ALSO cease to be a name and will ALSO be Your Beloved Child, and very likely you will wonder how you ever had any doubt that IT TOO was the best name of all names, and you will say to yourselves “Swistle said we couldn’t find a name we liked as much as the name George BUT WE DID!!”
I do think it would be just fine to use the name Rowan. If some people in the U.S. see the two names as somewhat different styles, that’s of very little importance: plenty of families use a happy assortment of names and no one says boo to a goose about it. I’ve even seen some very surprising combinations (e.g., Catherine and Mackenzie) and still no goose-booing. I agree with you about the N-endings, though: Rowan Matthson-Dickson starts to feel like a bit of a trudge.
I also agree with all your other points about the name George. Because of course immediately I want to suggest Louis or Charles or Henry or Philip—but those are too Royal Family. And then I think of Alfred, dear Alfred—but perhaps that’s too stuffy. Or Paul! Too Beatles. Elliot! But George Eliot. Well, let’s see what we can collectively come up with.
Frederick would be, I admit it, A Lot of Name. I am someone who LIKES A Lot of Name. Frederick Matthson-Dickson. George and Fred. Georgie and Freddie.
Oliver: again, several syllables. But I like the way the softer consonants work with the harder consonants of the surname: Oliver Matthson-Dickson. George and Oliver.
Theodore, another long one, but George and Theo sounds very natural to me. Is it visually cute that they’d both have an -eo-, or does that set up pressure for a future possible third name? I don’t think it would make me feel pressured.
IS Elliot ruled out by George Eliot? It isn’t as if it’s a negative association. She wrote seven books in the 1800s; is the connection still too strong, 150 years later, or would it mostly make people feel as if those two names were inexplicably good together? Elliott Matthson-Dickson. George and Elliot.
IS Henry too royal? Certainly Henry VIII has had many, many books written about him. And there’s Prince Henry, but I personally think of him exclusively as Prince Harry. George and Henry feel like such a very nice pairing. I think if it were me, I would go ahead and use them. Henry Matthson-Dickson. Henry Alexander Matthson-Dickson. That’s my top pick, though maybe not if I wanted to reserve Harriet for a girl. It’s unlikely that both (or even EITHER) Henry and Harriet would want to use the nickname Harry; my main hesitation would be about having two H names, both with internal R and long-E and short-E sounds.
IS Alfred too stuffy? Alfred Matthson-Dickson. George and Alfred. George and Fred. Georgie and Alfie. I think that might end up leaning more toward adorable than stuffy.
Perhaps something like Leo: not at all stuffy; softer sounds. Leo Matthson-Dickson. George and Leo. Another repeated -eo- situation.
Ian. It does end in -n. Ian Matthson-Dickson. George and Ian.
This is a jump, but: Felix. Felix Matthson-Dickson, with the fun repeating X sound. George and Felix. Not, though, if you want to reserve Felicity for a possible future girl.
Or Harris. Not what I would have immediately put with George, but the combination grows on me. It would rule out Harriet for a possible future girl. Harris Matthson-Dickson. George and Harris.
Or Reid. Reid Matthson-Dickson. George and Reid.
Thomas. Traditional, doesn’t for me smack of royalty. Thomas Matthson-Dickson. George and Thomas. Georgie and Tommy.
Daniel. A different type of traditional than George, but both nice ancient names. Daniel Matthson-Dickson. George and Daniel. Georgie and Danny. George and Dan.
Similarly: David. It feels like such a common name, but I can’t think of a single young David. David Matthson-Dickson. George and David.
Wesley. Wesley Matthson-Dickson. George and Wesley. Georgie and Wes.
I wonder if we’re getting about ready to bring Claude back. Claude Matthson-Dickson. George and Claude.
Oh—what about John? Overlooked for current babies, yet a long history of usage just like George. It can take a little effort to overcome the feeling of familiarity: picture a warm little baby in your arms, and then think the name John to yourself until it loses its John Doe vibe and goes back to being a real name. He’d have the nickname Jack if he wanted it, but at this point John feels fresher to me. John Matthson-Dickson. George and John. Geordie and Jack.
George and Garrett
George and Nathan
George and Simon
George and Emmett
George and Duncan
George and Conrad
George and Bennett
George and Julian
George and Magnus
George and Maxwell
George and James
George and Victor
I do agree that Rowan feels a little out of place next to George and especially next to George, Felicity and Harriet.
From Swistle’s suggestions, my favorites are Leo and Ian. Alfred or Frederick, nn Fred, immediately makes me think of Harry Potter, which could be a plus or a minus for you. And Harris makes me think of George Harrison.
I also love Iris’s suggestion of Maxwell/Max. To me, that goes very well with the last name and with sibling George.
One that came to mind for me was Francis, with possible nn Frank. Or Franklin, but then you’re back to the -n ending.
What about Miles? Isaac? Andrew?
I would assume that Rowan, next to a sibling named George, was a girl. But this may be very specific to my region.
I kind of thought that too, but was wondering why I was thinking that, because the only famous Rowan I know is Rowan Atkinson and he’s a man. Maybe I’m thinking of Rowena.
I think Henry rules out future-Harriet, and so does Harris. Felix obviously rules out future-Felicity (although I do LOVE George & Felix together). George & Fred(erick) is toooooo Harry Potter!!
I like Theo(dore) or Leo a lot, I can’t decide if the repeating eo is too much. I don’t think so? I am very into Thomas these days, so I think George & Thomas sounds great.
George & Benjamin? Ends in -n but feels less trudgy because different number of syllables and also, I think, because it’s -in instead of -on.
George & August?
George & Jasper?
George & Samuel?
I also like George & Wesley together! Although Wesley feels like a little bit of a style outlier if there’s maybe going to be a Harriet or Felicity in the future.
Andrew? Is that also too royal-family? It doesn’t hit me over the head with it quite the same way that William or Louis or Philip or Henry do – maybe because of the way the royals have distanced themselves from Andrew but there’s something else that makes it feel less-royal as well and I can’t put my finger on what it is because it SHOULD ALSO apply to William & Henry (SO MANY WILLIAMS & HENRYS IN THE WORLD!!) but still Andrew feels different. I don’t know. Anyway I like George & Andrew together! I suppose Andrew paired with Alexander will either strongly appeal or strongly not-appeal because ANDrew/AlexANDer.
I think Andrew doesn’t hit my ear as a “royal” name because it’s also super common in the U.S., whereas names like Louis and Philip haven’t been as popular here.
Right but also – WILLIAM?? Haha I almost said the same thing about Andrew as I was trying to puzzle it through, but then I stopped because ALSO WILLIAM!! Maybe there have been more Royal Williams? Maybe it’s because he’s such a high-profile Royal? I’m so confused about why this is the case lol.
That’s a very fair point! :) But then again, I (in the U.S.) don’t necessarily think of the royals when I hear the name William either. Even with a brother named George, I wouldn’t necessarily be thinking, “Oh, the parents must love the British royal family!” But I tend to not pay much attention to the royals, so presumably the association would be stronger for many others.
I’m in Canada for context; interest in/knowledge of the British royals is a little more present I guess – but you know, I’m not sure that would be my first assumption on meeting a George/William pair either. I guess maybe it’s just that if you asked me to list royal names off the top of my head, George and William would both make the top five and it would take me longer to get to Andrew?
ANYWAY I THINK GEORGE & ANDREW ARE GREAT TOGETHER hahahaha
I think we’re used to hearing William and George paired together in news about the Royal Family right now. So that pairing feels very Royal Family. Same with Louis. George and Louis are the Royal Princes right now, so we hear the names together in that context a lot. But Andrew and George aren’t listed in the press in the same way, so that feels fresher. I think for me, Henry and George were both the names of multiple kings, so that’s why that one sounds very Royal to me.
I have sons George and Louis – never ever had anyone mentioned the royals when hearing their names
I had the same HP thought about George and Fred.
Me too. Positive in terms of the characters, negative in terms of the author.
What about Philip?
If you consider Alfred, I’d through Albert out there too. Both have a ton of nicknames; Alfie, Affie, Alf, Fred, and Bertie, Bert, Albie, Al.
I second Swistle’s suggestions of David and Daniel!
Another name that feels similar to me is Howard. George and Howie.
Walter? George and Walt/Wally?
Samuel? Another Classic but not currently popular name.
Adam?
Roger? Does it share too many sounds with George?
I also like George and Alexander if you wanted to move that to the first spot.
I was going to say Roger but it’s almost like an incomplete anagram of George.
I vote for John. I love George’s single syllable with your last name. Other single syllable ideas:
James
Carl
Max
Grant
Roy
Bruce
Drew
I think maybe the too much ness of Elliot is George Elliot and Silas right? It really is a reach, though, so if you liked Elliot I wouldn’t let it be a deal breaker. I agree with Francis/Frank, George and Frank? I think that sounds really nice together and I LOVE a little boy with a name like Frank. Best of luck!
George and Fred immediately make me think of the Weasley twins and would instantly tell me both that you’re huge Harry Potter fans AND that you’re okay with the author’s inhumane views of LGBTQ people.
I agree that Frederick is a great name – just not paired with Fred.
That’s reading A LOT into someone’s choice of names. George and Fred are similarly vintage names that pair well … couldn’t they just as easily be family names or names the parents like?
I think that George and Fred are SO linked in, like, just the general cultural consciousness right now (and the author has been so publicly transphobic) that unless you have a REALLY EXCELLENT reason to use them together, you just… shouldn’t. For example, both being really meaningful honour names where the use of the names is more important to the parents than the conclusions that people WILL draw upon hearing the names. And don’t forget that it’s not just the parents who will have to answer questions about those names – a George with a brother named Fred (and vice versa) is going to have to pleasantly respond to inevitable commentary nearly every time anyone learns his brother’s name probably for his entire life. There are other name pairings like this too – where the names sound great together but still probably shouldn’t be used together unless there is a SUPER COMPELLING reason to do so (Elsa & Anna also comes immediately to mind), but Fred & George does come with a little extra helping of “shitty author.”
I suggest Nicholas. It goes well with George and is in that same well-known but not as common now spot
Arthur! Is! Perfect! <3
Agreed!
I want to preface my first comment with a statement: I read the Harry Potter books as a child, but am by no means a big fan of the franchise. I know Leith said it about Fred(erick) but I want to throw Wesley into this too. Given the characters are Fred and George Weasley. I think it leaves too much of ‘hmmm was that intentional?’ taste in my mouth.
Loads of other great options. I love Nicholas, William, Samuel as great suggestions. Christopher is my suggestion – great name with lots of nickname potential, and lacks the ‘royal’ concern.
If Elliot is too much paired with George, what about Ellis or Elias? Both classics but very under-used.
I have a George who is 13 and a Henry who is 16. So I am a fan of George & Henry. Though I will say that Henry is especially popular in our state and so I would be less keen to use it these days. I’m all for the royal / British kings vibe – but that does work for me because I grew up in the UK and live in the USA.
Our George’s middle name is Frederick. Because I preferred the name Frederick but my husband wanted George – and I had named the first two kids. So I also like George & Frederick. Though that does give you a Harry Potter Weasley twins vibe that I was not aware of 13 years ago.
I know a 5 year old Arthur and a baby Arthur. The name does work great on children and I don’t think it’s too stuffy. Same with Alfred / Alfie. George and Alfred or George & Arthur sound great to me.
Oliver was also high on my list – but that is also way more popular these days.
Simon is another one that has a slightly British vibe and so works with George.
George & Harris gives me too much George Harrison vibes. I would notice George & Elliot being an author but I also think that’s fine.
I know a family whose boys are Charles, William, and Henry – not sure which is the oldest – it does give me a British royalty vibe, but not in a bad way.
I do like George & John, but I also wonder if it’s too much “juh” sound, especially with them both being one syllable names. I know a couple of teen Johns – one is Johnathan and one goes by Johnny.
I was coming to suggest David. There is a young David in my son’s swimming class and it is so lovely. I think David has all the positives of George … familiar, easy to say/spell, not overly popular in this generation and not stuffy/old fashioned/royal sounding. George and David sound like a pair of brothers that would not sound out of place historically or in the here and now.
Julian
August
Caleb
Oscar
Vincent
Richard
I recently met brothers named George and Arthur, and I didn’t think royal family at all, I just thought OH MY GOSH ADORABLE. I also met brothers Theodore and Arthur, and I think all three of those names go together well.
I also think George and Henry is fine and not too royal, but I definitely wouldn’t do Henry and Harriet – not only because they sound similar, but they’re actually the same name. That’s not a 100% disqualification, but I personally dislike it.
I’m not sure I would notice the George Eliot connection, even as someone who reads a fair amount of Victorian literature. Elliot as a first name and George as a boy’s name makes it different enough to not jump out. Probably *someone* will notice it, but, as Swistle said, it isn’t negative.
The only issue for me with an ends-in-n first name is the syllable issue. So if the whole name is 2-2-2 that is a little ploddy but as we saw with Ian or John it’s less of an issue with 1-2-2.
Which leads me to: SEBASTIAN. Georgie and Baz, a 3-2-2 frolic. Delightful.
Sebastian was my thought too. So charming with George!
Francis – Frankie — George & Frankie
or Leo
I was thinking of Alistair as an underused classic. It would honour your brother as it’s a form of Alexander but then you’d need to choose a different middle name.
Other ideas I haven’t seen mentioned:
Adrian
Anthony
Cedric
Colin
Cyrus
Dominic
Douglas
Edmund
Edward
Everett
Hugo
Jesse
Jonah
Joseph
Luke
Linus
Noel
Otto
Patrick
Roland
Rupert
Stanley
Timothy
Tobias
Xavier
I thought about Milo, Samuel, Gabriel, and Hugh/ Hugo. I especially liked the idea of Ian, Leo, and Lucas that were suggested as well.
Good Luck!
To my ear Rowen isn’t a close style match to George, but it’s not a clash either. It’s not like George and Maverick. I think it could fit in the sibling group with a future Harriet or Felicity, but to me it sounds a little clunky with the last name because they re all two syllables and end in n. Two of those in row is nice, three is a bit much. How about these, some of which have already been suggested:
Alexander
David
Edward
Henry
Isaac
James
Jeremy
Leonard
Phillip
Thomas
Walter
George and PETER! So handsome and wildly underused. Classic but sidesteps the issue of sounding too royal or stuffy
George and Nathaniel !!!
George and Malcolm !!!
George and Lewis !!!
George and Adam !!!
George and Vincent
George and Samuel
George and Elias
George and Patrick
George and Christopher
Would you consider Alexander as a first name? Then both boys would have honor names as first names and you could use Rowan as a middle name just because you like it; similar to how you chose Silas as George’s middle name.
George Silas and Alexander Rowan
One of George Eliot’s books was Silas Marner. That’d be fine for me, since it’s one of the few books we had to read in school that I liked enough to go buy myself a copy. Elliot Alexander would give me a bit of a pause for its near alliteration, though. but I like it well enough. And anyway, it’s not likely he’d be going by his full name all that often
Alexander Rowan!
Francis!
Peter!
David!
James!
Gabriel!
Christopher!
Thomas!
Oh also what about Colin? 2 syllables and ends in -n like Rowan but feels more similar in sure to George. Or Calvin?
Calvin Alexander and George Silas
Colin Alexander and George Silas
George and Colin
George and Calvin
Everett is another one that sounds nice with George. Maybe a bit different stylistically but they both have an antique charm to them.
Everett Alexander
George and Everett.
“Rhett” as a nickname option maybe?
I know you’re hesitant to use a name ending in -n due to the last names ending in -n as well but Calvin could be Cal.
Cal Matthson-Dickson
Cal and George
trying to think of names that chime nicely w george but don’t feel royal… wilfred, maybe, rather than frederick? or rupert? oscar. graham. christopher nn kit. julian. peter.
Oscar is a great suggestion! Oscar Alexander and George Silas.
Oscar and George. Love it!
Oscar is great. Also came here to suggest Clark! One syllable like George, recognizable but not too common. George and Clark <3
I usually think Swistle is spot on but I strongly disagree with her suggestions of Oliver, Theodore, and Henry- all 3 are top 10 names whereas George is much more rare, 136 I believe. The difference in the uniqueness between them would be startling. I think Thomas is great, as well as Alfred, any other “stuffy old man” name that is actually probably poised to come back soon (CLYDE!!!) Otherwise it dilutes the cuteness/rareness of George :)
Clyde!!! The lead singer of Lawrence the Band is named Clyde and it struck me as surprisingly cool when I heard that
George and John is just as Beatles-y as George and Paul. But I love The Beatles. So I would endorse this choice.
Fredrick called Fritz – George and Fritz
Victor
Warren!!!! Warren Alexander, Warren and George
This is a stellar combo.
Warren is gold!
George and Warren sound like American brothers.
Also, the nickname of Fritz is nice. And if you ARE Harry Potter fans (’cause the books are inarguably remarkable), that gives your sons a subtle link to the series. And if you DO have a Harriet or Felicity in the future, it removes you even further from people wondering if the HP connection was intentional.
And if you had boy again on child number three, using a “British name” could easily work because Warren breaks up any of the royal feel. George, Warren, and Henry. George, Warren, and Philip. George, Warren, and William. George, Warren, and Arthur.
Congratulations and best wishes!
I had both George and Felicity on my baby name lists, so maybe you would like one of these (many many repeats of previously mentioned names): Malcolm, Hugo, Oscar. Other names that could be fun and fit the bill:
Lionel
Stanley
Wyatt
Anthony
Lawrence
Nicholas
Rhys
Vincent? Paul? Timothy? Love the suggestion of Sebastian. Peter and Walter too.
I am drawn to the warmth in your letter when discussing both Rowan and Arthur. You seem to love both, and either would be divine with George. Don’t overlook your own inclination toward them!
I don’t think many people, especially in the US, will read “royal family” into these traditional English names. Phillip, William, Andrew, Arthur, Henry, Charles – all commonly paired with Georges and similar where I live (east coast US) and nobody would bat an eye. I hope you won’t feel overly constrained by the idea of royal family names.
I also am not convinced that the Harry Potter effect is so strong that you’d need to avoid names like Frederick with George. Time generally dulls these effects considerably.
I wanted to echo Swistle’s mention of the name David. I have a toddler David and it’s just a lovely name. No other littles around us have it even though it’s obviously a common name. In all his different classes he has never had another David in there. Also, it is very similar to how I perceive George: he could be anything—a mechanic, a judge, a teacher, a scientist. Everyone can spell it. And it’s also a very sweet name like you expect him to be kind and a good friend. Names like David/George/Caleb/Calvin/Elliot/Henry/and a bunch of the ones in Swistle’s post feel that way to me.
I don’t think anyone’s mentioned Russell yet so I’ll throw that in the ring! A friend who considered Rowan for a boy also had Russell as a top option. I think the two names share a softness but Russell is perhaps more classic and has that “Oh, that’s definitely a name I’m aware of but I’ve never met anyone with it!” feeling.
I also think it fits with the style of George very well. George and Russell. Russell Alexander Matthson-Dickson.
Felix and George
Theo and George
Mark or Marcus and George
Thomas and George
Jack and George
Walter and George
James and George
Adam and George
Alec and George (if you didn’t use Alexander for the middle)
Daniel/Dan and George
Paul and George
Samuel/Sam and George
Owen Mattson-Dickson somehow feels less -n heavy than Rowan, maybe because the O in Owen makes it feel a little lighter? Owen and George.
I don’t think George and Paul is ruled out by the Beatles any more than George and John is – especially because there are only two of them. Just wouldn’t name a third child a third Beatle name in that case.
A couple more:
Eli and George
Kenneth/Ken and George