Corinne writes:

Hello! I need some help with naming my first born. Our last name is Smith (so boring!) and my due date is June 15th. We are waiting to know the gender until birth, and have decided on Lila Grace for a girl. If it’s a boy, I fell in love with Jackson Noah (Noah is my husband’s name so we’re set on that as a middle name). However, my mother says she will be very upset if I name her grandson Jackson, because the nickname Jack was her father’s nickname and there is bad blood between him and the rest of the family. I never planned on using Jack as a nickname for Jackson, but to avoid upsetting family members I’m trying to come up with something I love just as much! Grayson was actually my first choice, but for some reason I’m not as enthused with it anymore :( I like names that end in -son, but I also considered Oliver, Owen and Weston before deciding on Jackson. I’ve studied many lists of names…ones that I love that are off limits because of friends or family members children are Mason, Carter, and Jamison. If you think there’s something I’ve overlooked that sounds like a perfect choice, please help!!

What an unpleasant situation for you to be in. I feel a little mad at your mom for bringing this up. On one hand I see why it bothers her and I guess it’s good for her to say something in case you were between names and didn’t really care which one, but on the other hand this could also be seen as a way of erasing the unpleasant connection between the guiltless NAME and the bad blood. It would be one thing if you were naming the baby after your grandpa, or if the full version of the name were the same as his—but for a POTENTIAL nickname to be the same as HIS nickname, and for THAT to be the Big Upsetting Issue?

Well. Enough of my crabbiness, we must work with what we have. We DON’T want to upset family members, it’s true. I’d say there are two possible choices here:

1. You go with the name you love, and you make a big deal about how OF COURSE it has NOTHING to do with your grandfather’s name! Heavens, it never even crossed your mind! It’s a completely different name! Dear, dear, no! Goodness! And you tell your mom frankly that the name has no connection for you to her father, and that it’s the name you love best and you’re going to use it, and that you dearly hope that with time the connection to her beloved grandson JACKSON-NOT-JACK will overwrite the connection she might feel to her father’s nickname.

2. You find a different name, in order to keep the peace. And because of my earlier and extensive crabbiness it will seem as if I support the other option and not this one, and yet I myself would almost certainly go with this option. Sigh. I don’t like to rock the boat, and I can’t pull off the “Oh dear me NO!” thing.

So with the understanding that you might end up going with option #1, let’s see if we can find you some names that make option #2 more appealing.

I do very much like the name Greyson, especially with your surname. Greyson Smith, so distinguished! And yet not so distinguished that it wouldn’t also be adorable on a little boy. And I love the nickname Grey. And it’s great with Lila, if you later have a daughter.

Or, would it soothe your mother at all if you named your son Jaxon? The more likely nickname then, if he had a nickname at all, would be Jax, not Jack. Do you know, that might actually fix it. Jaxon Noah Smith, nickname Jax.

If not, then maybe Jasper? Jasper Noah Smith is wonderful.

Or Judson: similar to Jackson, but no Jack! Judson Noah Smith.

Perhaps this is getting too far afield, but I do love the name Lincoln and it works so well with your surname. Lincoln Noah Smith. I really like that.

Keegan, maybe. Very nice with Lila. Keegan Noah Smith.

Griffin is another one I especially like with Lila. Griffin Noah Smith.

And maybe after all this the baby will be a girl!

Brea writes:

My husband and I recently found out that we’re having a little boy, due June 1. He’s our first. We had convinced ourselves that we were having a girl, and had all but decided on Harper Clair or Aubrey Clair (Clair is a family name).

We’re forming a list, but we (or maybe I) can’t help but think that we’re missing “the” name. It’s quickly becoming a mild obsession. Our last name sounds like Glenn, so this seems to rule out a number of names ending with an “n”. Finn Glenn, for example. For the middle name, we’d like Christian or Philip, both family names (unless we decide on Christian as a first name).

I grew up with an uncommon name (Brea) and I loved never knowing another. I similarly like my uncommon brothers’ names – Dane and Cale. I’d like to stick with a relatively uncommon name for the little guy, but nothing too out there. My husband (Jay) does not exactly share my need for a unique name.

Names that we’re currently considering include: Beckett, Carter, Samuel, Liam, Christian, and Henry (I fear that the last 4 are too common). I really like Cade, Raleigh, Shepherd, Ryder, and Theo, though my husband doesn’t agree. Thoughts on our current options or any new ones (please!) would be greatly appreciated.

Your parents did a very good job with names: they managed to choose highly unusual names that didn’t then spring into popularity—and yet the names aren’t at all “out there,” and are easy to spell and pronounce. I am on the teetering edge of suggesting you ask your parents for advice for this baby’s name—but that almost never goes well, so I will back away from the precipice.

First I looked into copying your parents’ boy-naming style: I looked for four-letter one-syllable names that seemed to hit that same magical bullseye. I considered Hart, Cole, Dean, Gage, Gray, Joss, Jude, etc.—but with the surname, it’s so abrupt. Hart Glenn. Gray Glenn. Too choppy.

Next I looked into names that were short/unusual and had more than one syllable. NOW we’re talking:

Abel
Aidric
Arlo
Arno
Boaz
Cohen
Corin
Davis
Eamon
Enzo
Ewan
Felix
Hugo
Kian
Levi
Linus
Lyle
Milo
Nico
Noam
Otto
Philo
Ronan
Ruben
Soren

But, I suspect most of these are too unusual for your husband. And with possible future sister Harper or Aubrey, probably Philo and Enzo are reaching too far out. Milo, perhaps, or Nico? Corin, Davis, Eamon, Ewan, Ruben? Those all seem more usable, without getting too common. I will try not to push Arlo on you, even though I love it and wish more people would use it. Could I push Ruben a little? I think it is one of the best names for boys, but my surname is awful with it. It has a teensy rhyme with your surname, but nothing I would avoid—I even think it has a nice “tying in” sound. I like Ruben Philip Glenn. Ooo, or Milo Christian Glenn.

But! I love your whole list of candidates, so my list-making is mostly for fun. Since this is your first baby, I think it might be helpful to consider names you might want to use for future children (such as Harper and Aubrey) and see which names from your list you like best with those. Or perhaps have your husband make a list on his own, and then see if there are any on his list you like as is or can modify into a slightly more unusual version.

Lisa writes:

We are due with our third May 30th 2010. We have always struggled with boy names and up until now we we were lucky to have girls. Now we are having a boy and difficulty coming up with a name both of us really like.

Our daughters names are Mallory and Mykaela (pronouced like michaela)

We don’t need to stick with an M to start the name but it would be nice. The middle name will be David and our last name is Thorsen. We can’t do Matthew, Michael or Mark because we have so many of them in the family currently. Our two top names are Marshall and Mitchell, I am ok with them but they are not jumping out at me like the girls names did. We like names that are fairly uncommon but not unusual.

I think my favorite M boy name is Malcolm. I love that name. I’m not sure it’s smooth with Thorsen, though: Malcolm Thorsen, hm. A little hard to say, for me.

Oh, wait, no: my favorite M boy name is Milo. Our Henry’s runner-up name was Milo. And it’s GREAT in your family: Milo Thorsen, Milo David Thorsen; Mallory, Mykaela, and Milo. That’s my top pick. Miles would be good, too.

I’ve been drawn to the name Miller ever since I first heard it (when Stella McCartney named her son). It’s unusual, yet not a bit hard to spell or say, and it goes with all the other trades names (Hunter, Carter, Cooper, Parker, Tanner, Sawyer, Tyler). Miller Thorsen is really good. Mallory, Mykaela, and Miller. That’s my second pick.

Another favorite is Malachi: Malachi Thorsen, Malachi David Thorsen. Mallory, Mykaela, and Malachi. But I think maybe it shares too many sounds with the girls’ names. It’s almost a rearrangement of the sounds in Mykaela.

I like Maclean, too. The main trouble is that it can be said mac-CLEEN or mac-LANE, and I greatly prefer mac-LANE—and that’s harder to get people to say. Spelling it Maclane would help considerably.

It’s too bad Mason rhymes with your surname. Micah and Marcus are both good, but perhaps too close to Michael and Mark.

So, my top two picks are Milo and Miller.

Michelle writes:

Our due date is May 30, 2010. We have two other kids with Celtic/English first names and our last name is McCartney. It’s not too important that our son be named a Celtic/english name, but to have a name that doesn’t clash too much would be good. I do however LOVE British sounding names that aren’t too popular)
The list/questions we have:
1. Atticus ( I know, it’s totally not Celtic so it’s a hesitation for me and I don’t care for nn ati an also, does it sound like we are trying too hard?)
2. Lucan (it’s ancient,although it sounds made up)
3. Miles (nn Milo)
4. Alastair (but despise the nn al and ali, and Alic is boring) also with this name I would live to insist he just be called his full name, but I’m doubtful that can be adhered to in such a nickname loving society as a whole **sidenote: what do you think about my thought on full names with this in mind** also, some people see this a “whimpy sounding name”
5. Duncan (btw with Duncan, Milo, Lucan they gravitate to me because they sound warm yet strong AND they are not too popular which is attractive)

****These last two are more popular, but they are classic and English enough that I would consider them I think****
6. Oliver
7. Henry (my current infatuation and the one I think I’d like the most input about please) I wonder if it’s too popular that it will sound humdrum. To me it sounds strong, rustic, yet classy and even though popular, it doesn’t seem like it would turn out to be a bore of a name. Like a beautiful classic style leather arm chair you know?
I would sooooo appreciate your thoughts as I’m coming down to the wire now with our impeding birth!!!
Thank you for taking the time to help me!

The 2009 baby name data is up!!! Obviously this is a very exciting day for all of us.

Noah is in the top 10! So is Jayden! So is Chloe! So is Mia!

Isabella is #1, kicking Emily to #6 and Emma to #2! And I know an 8-year-old Isabella whose parents named her that to be “unique,” because they’d never heard the name on anyone before! That is FAST TRAVELING, my friend!

There’s a new changes in popularity chart! Cullen, Emmett, Jasper, Zayden, Braylen, Kason: UP! Maliyah, Aliyah, Aaliyah, Ayla, Aniyah, Mya, Maya, Malia, Amiyah, Jaliyah, Mila, Isla, Lyla, Lilah, Lila, Laila, Nyla: UP! Adelyn and Adalyn: UP! Mis Alternate spellings such as Isiah and Issac: DOWN! Celebrity names Kimora and Miley and Danica: DOWN! Mikayla and Makenzie and Mckenna: DOWN! Caiden and Aidan and Hayden and Braden: DOWN!

Megan writes:

I came across your site while researching baby names and thought I’d reach out for help. Our second daughter is due on May 14 and we still can’t decide on a name. We have a lot of names that we like, but none that we love or totally agree on, and we’re running out of time! Our daughter’s name is Alexandra Kathleen. We call her Alex (and sometimes Allie). We want something that sounds nice/flows with Alex, although it doesn’t have to be too similar. Our last name sounds like Florio. Our finalists are:

1. Catherine Elizabeth (Cate) (I like the way this sounds with Alex, but not sure if Catherine is too close to Alex’s middle name)

2. Grace Elizabeth (Gracie) (We both like this name a lot, but is the style too different from Alex?)

3. Ella Margaret (I love this but my husband isn’t wild about it and I’m worried about popularity)

4. Emilia Margaret (Emmie) (I love this but my husband is not sold)

5. Lindsay Margaret (my husband loves this but I’m not sold)

6. Margaret Grace (Molly or Maggie) (Margaret is a family name. My husband loves it. I don’t love it on its own but like the nicknames. We’ve also considered doing Molly on its own.)

My husband is very picky. He doesn’t like anything that sounds too trendy or too old fashioned. (Very frustrating!) Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

I think that of your finalists, Cate, Molly, and Maggie are best with Alex.

Some more possibilities from the space between “too trendy” and “too old-fashioned”:

Bethany
Bridget
Cassidy
Clarissa
Claudia
Elise
Gabrielle
Genevieve
Jessamine
Jillian
Jocelyn
Julianna
Liana
Marissa
Sabrina
Samantha
Tessa
Veronica
Victoria
Zoe

Because long feminine Alexandra is so different from short boyish Alex, and because it would be nice if a sister name would fit with both, I’m most drawn to the names on my list that have short nicknames, either boyish or sassy: Cassidy (Cass), Gabrielle (Gabby, Bree), Genevieve (Evie), Jessamine (Jess), Jocelyn (Joss), Sabrina (Bree), Samantha (Sam), Veronica (Nic), Victoria (Tori).

I’m also inclined toward Zoe. Zoe is a name that to me is both feminine and boyish, and although it doesn’t seem as if a three-letter name would need a nickname, it’s still two syllables and the nickname Zo adds even more sass. I like the way there’s a Z sound in both Alexandra and Zoe. Plus, I admit I like the A-to-Z thing.

From my list, I think the best fit is Samantha. Alexandra and Samantha, Alex and Sam—it’s just about the best sister set ever. Both are long feminine names with short boyish nicknames, and I love Samantha with your surname. I think I would do Samantha Margaret: Alexandra Kathleen and Samantha Margaret.

I also like Veronica with the nickname Nic or Nicki: Alexandra and Samantha, Alex and Nic.

And it’s hard to beat Genevieve for beauty and sass: Alexandra and Genevieve, Alex and Evie.

[I am so far behind I will never catch up, and now I’m far enough behind that babies are being born before I get to the questions. But I hate to just DELETE questions, so I’m posting some of them here for us to work on together, and by “us” I mean “just you,” and by “together” I mean that I will write this little intro and hit publish.]

Jen writes:

We need help! Baby boy due May 15. Our last name starts with “F”, so no “F” first names. This is our 3rd baby – daughters are
Emmersen Kate (Emmy)
Adilyn Grace (Addy)

Dad likes traditional – Daniel is his favorite. Mom likes more unique, with mainstream nick names. Mom’s loves Kelden James – dad won’t budge!

Help!!!!!! We are due May 15.

[I am so far behind I will never catch up, and now I’m far enough behind that babies are being born before I get to the questions. But I hate to just DELETE questions, so I’m posting some of them here for us to work on together, and by “us” I mean “just you,” and by “together” I mean that I will write this little intro and hit publish.]

Ingrid writes:

Hello!

I am expecting my baby girl on May 10. I am Swedish, and my husband is English – so we’d like to honour my Scandinavian roots with some Swedish names. This is our first baby, so we’re struggling with names… We also like names that are a bit old-fashioned, though nothing too crazy or with funny spelling.

For example, our short list includes;

Evelyn
Elisabeth
Mathilde
Clementine
Helene
Rose
Liv
Louisa

Our last name is Gunnarson, which we feel is a bit of a mouthful.

However, it is tradition in my husbands family to have three middle names. I am struggling a bit with this concept!

I was just wondering if you feel the name Liv Helene Mathilde Anne Gunnarson is FAR too long. I like the sound of it all together, and adore the name Liv.

So far, our front runners for baby Gunnarson are Liv and Evelyn, which we both adore.

Ideas?