Hope writes:

My husband and I are due with our 5th child on April 27th. Our other children are Luke Samuel (10), Anna Elizabeth (8), Elise Marie (6), and Jack Robert (4). In the past we’ve never had trouble with names, but the fact that this is another boy is making that process more difficult for us! I think I would have been a little more adventurous with a girl’s name, but my husband and I are both more comfortable with boys names that don’t seem ‘trendy’. I thought we’d look to go in a direction that wasn’t so short and snappy since we have a Luke and a Jack and my husband’s name is Sam.

So far, we like William (Will), and Andrew (Drew), I guess this takes us back to the one-syllable names, but they still seem softer to me. I have liked Ian, Reid, and Evan, my husband, not so much. I also really like Nathan, Anderson, even Harrison, but none of them sound good with our last name, Mason. We would love advice on a first name that is traditional, but current, and goes with our other kids names.

We haven’t thought much about middle names yet.. in the past we’ve tried to use family names, (Samuel, Elizabeth, Jack, and Robert), but we’re not tied to that. We’ve sort-of run out of boy family names we’d like to use, with the exception of possibly my little brother’s name which is Jay. I’d love to use that if it doesn’t seem to short for a middle name..? It sounds like an initial when it’s pronounced, but I don’t know if it flows well on paper.

I immediately think of the name Isaac. It’s definitely traditional, but it’s surprisingly current: it’s been in the Top 50 since 2001, according to the Social Security Administration. It’s great with your surname, and I love your brother’s name as a middle name: Isaac Jay Mason. Isaac does have the same hard-C ending as Jack, but the other sounds in the names are so different.

Another possibility is Nathaniel. You mentioned Nathan not being good with your surname, but Nathaniel is great: Nathaniel Mason, maybe Nathaniel Jay Mason. And if he wanted a snappy name like his dad’s and brothers’, he could go by Nate.

To modify another of your options, we can take the problematic -son sound off Harrison and make Harris. Harris Mason, maybe Harris Jay Mason.

Another possibility is Nicholas: Nicholas Mason, maybe Nicholas Jay Mason, and with the nickname Nick if he wants to be like the other guys in the family.

Noah would work well: Noah Mason, maybe Noah Jay Mason. It’s short like the other boys’ names, but it’s softer.

I like Oliver for you: Oliver Mason. Very traditional, yet currently…current. I wouldn’t use Jay with it because of the initials O.J.; maybe Henry instead? Oliver Henry Mason.

In fact, I like Henry as a first name, too: Henry Mason, maybe Henry Jay Mason. Traditional but current.

More suggestions for the Masons?

Name update 05-09-2010! Hope writes:

Thank you for your advice about our little guy’s name! William Jay Mason was born on May 1st. Having everyone’s input really helped us to make our decision. Thanks!

Katherine writes:

I never thought I’d have trouble with baby names, but we’re due with my second child on April 24 and there’s no clear front-runner yet! Our three-year-old daughter is named Gloria Charlotte. We like the slightly old-fashioned vibe of her name, and would like to use that same style with our second child. We’d like to stay away from very popular names. The last name is Carmody. (CAR-muh-dee.)

For boys, we like Theo, Harrison, Leo, William, Oliver, Owen. None of those stick out as “the one” yet, although we’ve been toying with the idea of Theo Harrison or Harrison Theo. We’re open to the idea of using Robert as a middle name to honor my father, but it’s not necessary. While I’d like our second child’s name to match Gloria’s stylistically, we don’t care for many 1930’s/40’s boys’ names, when Gloria peaked in popularity. What would you suggest to match Gloria?

For girls, we have a much longer list. We each have several favorites – it’s been difficult to whittle the list down! Margaret “Maggie”, Juliana, Madeline, Nora, Vivian, Cecilia, Georgina “Georgie”, Marilyn, and Belle have made the list. At this point, we like Juliana Belle as a combo and we’ve agreed that we’d only consider Madeline and Vivian as middle names – other than that, we’re stuck! Any suggestions or ideas?

To wrap this up, we’re looking for boy suggestions, opinions on Theo Harrison / Harrison Theo, and suggestions or combos for girls names. Let us know what you think!

I think Harrison is wonderful with Gloria. Theo too. Those are my favorite two from your list, and I like them in either order: Harrison Theo Carmody or Theo Harrison Carmody. A few more possibilities:

August (Gus)
Charles (Charlie)
Edmund
Everett
Frederick
George (Georgie, Geordie)
Harris
Simon
Truman
Wilson

You have such a great surname. I like so many names with it. I think my favorite from my list is Simon: Simon Robert Carmody, Gloria and Simon. But I’m also very drawn to Everett: Everett Harrison Carmody, Gloria and Everett. And Charlie and Georgie both have a warm energy that goes so well with Gloria: Charles Harrison Carmody, Gloria and Charlie; George Theodore Carmody, Gloria and Georgie. And Frederick is a name I wish more people would use: Frederick Robert Carmody, Gloria and Freddy.

For a girl, I love all your choices. I get a little tongue-tied with Nora—saying, for example, Gloria and Noria, or Glora and Nora, or Glora and Noria. I like Georgia and Georgiana in addition to Georgina, and in fact maybe Georgiana would be a good tie-breaker between Juliana and Georgina? I like Cecily in addition to Cecilia. For combinations, I like:

Cecilia Madeline Carmody
Cecilia Margaret Carmody
Cecilia Vivian Carmody
Cecily Margaret Carmody
Georgia Vivian Carmody
Georgiana Margaret Carmody
Georgina Cecile Carmody
Georgina Madeline Carmody
Georgina Margaret Carmody
Margaret Cecile Carmody
Margaret Cecilia Carmody
Margaret Eleanor Carmody
Margaret Georgina Carmody
Margaret Juliana Carmody
Margaret Nora Carmody
Marilyn Cecile Carmody
Marilyn Margaret Carmody
Nora Madeline Carmody
Nora Margaret Carmody
Nora Marilyn Carmody

I think Eleanor, Jean, Louise, Lucille, and Mae would be other good middle-name choices. Margaret Eleanor Carmody. Cecelia Jean Carmody. Georgina Louise Carmody. Georgina Lucille Carmody. Nora Mae Carmody.

Oh dear, there are so many good ones. I like Georgiana Margaret Carmody, Marilyn Cecile Carmody, Margaret Eleanor Carmody, Cecily Margaret Carmody, and Cecelia Jean Carmody.

[Edit: I had another idea for a sister name: Frances. I was reading to the kids, and I came upon one of the Frances books, in which Frances’s little sister’s name is Gloria.]

Help! Too many possibilities! What would you guys choose?

Name update 04-29-2010! Katherine writes:

Harrison Theo Carmody was born on April 16, 2010! Reading through the comments definitely reassured me that Harrison Theo was “the one.” If Harrison had been a girl, we would have gone with Juliana Belle. (But we loved your suggestion of Marilyn Margaret!)

Thank you so much for all your help. You are fabulous!

Meggan writes:

My husband and I are having boy naming issues. This is our first baby and we can’t think of anything we’d really like to name him.

Before we knew the sex, we came up with girl names pretty easily. (I hate to even mention them in case I jinx anything for a future baby, but here goes.) I love love LOVE the name “Thora.” It’s got a wonderful old-timey feel, it’s not popular, it has a lovely Scandinavian flavor, and we agreed on it almost instantly. We also really liked “Eleanor.”

For a boy’s name, we want the same kind of classic, old-timey, familiar-but-not-trendy feel. I want to “save” Thora, so I’m not really considering names like “Thorin” that would rule it out for future babies. Plus, I like that Thora (at least to me) doesn’t smack you in the face with HELLO I AM A NORDIC GOD NAME in the way that a baby Odin might. It doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard.

Middle name will likely be Leif, which is my husband’s middle name. This likely fulfills our vague desire for a bit of a Scandinavian vibe in the name.

Names we sort of like:
William (Can’t tell if I’m convincing myself I like this or if I actually do)
Oliver (a bit too fast-rising for me; feels “matchy” with the last name)
Wesley (so adorable but I wonder if it’s too… new-ish? Or trendy?)
Robert (it’s a family name on husband’s side and has been used a fair amount in the past, though not at all recently)
Jonathan (same caveat as William)

I also really liked “Roland,” but I kept saying it “rawl-and” instead of “row-land,” husband didn’t like it much, and I loved the nickname “Rollie” but our baby will have a (boy) cousin named Riley very close in age, and “Riley and Rollie” sounds stupid and sing-songy to me. So that’s out.

Also out:
– Names that end in a -C or -K noise (Mike), because paired with the beginning of the last name you get an unsavory 4-letter-word
– Most -ER ending names (Parker), because they sound too rhymey with the last name
– Any of the Aiden/Brayden/Caiden ilk
– Kre@tiv spellings
– I am more or less okay with popular but am not as okay with trendy, if that makes sense

We just haven’t found a name that feels like “our baby.” HELP!

I’m going to look for names that would work with a future sister named Thora or Eleanor.

A boy name I think would sound really good with Thora especially is Soren. Soren Leif Gunter. Or Torsten: Torsten Leif Gunter. Or perhaps those names are a little TOO well-matched?

If you like William and Wesley but you’re not sure about them, I suggest Wilson. Wilson Leif Gunter.

I also like Edmund: Edmund Leif Gunter.

I think Miles sounds great with your surname: Miles Leif Gunter.

Or Silas: Silas Leif Gunter.

Ooo, or Simon! Simon Leif Gunter.

More suggestions for the Gunters?

Name update 03-29-2010! Meggan writes:

Thanks so much for posting our naming dilemma! Everyone’s suggestions
helped us narrow things down and in the end we went with what felt the
best: Wesley Leif Gunter was born (early, via c-section due to
preeclampsia) March 25 and we’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on his
name. Hurray!

Andria writes:

I am expecting my third baby April 9th, and the gender is a surprise. My first two children are a girl and boy, named Ailane and Blake. So, I’m wanting to follow in the alphabetic pattern, and start this baby’s name with a C. (Don’t worry. I’m not Michelle Duggar. I don’t plan to use my vagina as a clown car and pop out an alphabet’s worth of kids.) Myself, and both kids have middle names that start with an M, so I want to follow that tradition as well. My last name is Stanley, so the initials will be CMS.

This is what I have so far:

For a girl, I like Claire, Corinne, and Charlotte. Corinne is my great-grandmother’s name, so I would like to use her name. What middle names would work well with any of those? Any other pretty C names you can think of?

When it comes to the boy, I just can’t come up with much that I like. I like Clark, Connor, Campbell, Corbin, and Calder. Any time I tell someone those names, they wrinkle their noses. Again, I am clueless when it comes to a middle name.

Connor has always been one of my top choices for a boy, but then my Uncle had to go and date a woman whose little boy is a Conner. They’ve been dating for a couple of years. I know family members get upset about you stealing their kid’s names… How about if your older Uncle is dating someone who has a kid with a name you like? Does that automatically rule the name out?

So, once again, initials are to be CMS. Anything is game. (Except names taken by other family members: Caleb, Chelsea, Caitlynn, Christopher, Matthew and Chloe.)
Thank you!

Another C girl name I really like is Celeste, but I think that’s too much S-sound with Stanley. Camille and Corinne are similar but have better sounds. I love Clara and Cora and Clarissa. Carys would be good too. But I vote for Corinne because it was your grandmother’s name and that seems perfect. Middle name possibilities:

Corinne Madigan Stanley
Corinne Magnolia Stanley
Corinne Margaret Stanley
Corinne Marianna Stanley
Corinne Marissa Stanley
Corinne Mathilda Stanley
Corinne Melina Stanley
Corinne Meredith Stanley
Corinne Michaela Stanley
Corinne Minerva Stanley
Corinne Miranda Stanley

For a boy, I think it’s fine to use Connor: an uncle’s girlfriend’s son wouldn’t rule that out for me. From your list, my favorite is Corbin—that was on my list for boys, too! Other possibilities: Callum, Calvin, Camden, Carson, Carter, and Coleman. Middle name possibilities: Marcus, Marshall, Mason, Michael, Miles, Milo.

Callum Michael Stanley
Calvin Marcus Stanley
Calvin Michael Stanley
Camden Marshall Stanley
Camden Michael Stanley
Camden Milo Stanley
Carson Michael Stanley
Carter Michael Stanley
Coleman Michael Stanley
Connor Mason Stanley
Connor Michael Stanley
Connor Miles Stanley
Corbin Marcus Stanley
Corbin Michael Stanley

As you can see, I think Michael is a pretty great middle name. We considered it for Henry’s middle name: I felt like people almost don’t even HEAR it as a first name anymore (like Jennifer, which is a fabulous name but now the ear just processes it without really hearing the fabulousness) and yet it is SUCH A GREAT NAME. The middle name slot beckons.

Name update 04-06-2010! Andria writes:

Clark Mason Stanley was born March 30th at home, at 6:31 am, after 3 hours of labor. He was 21”, and weighed 9 pounds. I was 2 weeks early, but weighing in at that whopping number, I was totally okay with delivering early!

I didn’t choose his name until several days after his birth. He was almost a Connor, but in the end, I felt that Connor was too common. (There are LOTS of Connor’s here in Austin!) I finally decided to honor my love of Gone With The Wind, and named my dark haired little boy after the dashing Clark Gable. Mason just seemed to fit him well, too.

Danielle writes:

My husband and I are expecting a baby girl in early April. We have yet to agree on anything we really like, only some names that we both think are “okay”. Our last name is Jacobson, so we’d like to stay away from names starting with “J” and have any kid of “son” sound in it, such as Mayson, which I actually really like. Her middle name will be Kyle as it is a family name, unless we find a first name we really like that does not go with it at all.

Here are some names that are on my list, that my husband could take or leave:
Aurora (call her Rory for short)
Brielle
Remi
Aubrey
Tristen
Audra
Jocelyn and Giselle, although I don’t like them with our last name.

My husband’s favorites are Ainsley and Ashlyn, which I am not a fan of. We’d really like names that are not tops in popularity, but that people could pronounce and spell somewhat easily. Any suggestions to meet in the middle?

Because the plan is to use a middle name that is primarily used for boys, I suggest making the first name unmistakeably feminine. When I see an ambiguous first name, such as Tristen or Mayson, I look to the middle name for a hint; if I saw Tristen Kyle or Mayson Kyle, I would think, “Ah ha! Boy!” This is the kind of constant mistake that can get irritating.

It’s too bad, though, because I think your style is more toward the less-frilly girl names: Rory, Remi, Aubrey, Tristen, Mayson, Ainsley. Normally I would be suggesting names like Avery and Ellery and Finley and Paisley and Harper. Would you want to consider saving the name Kyle for a future child, and using a more ambiguous first name with a feminine-hint middle name? Something like Ellery May Jacobson? Or Finley Jade Jacobson? Or Shelby Grace Jacobson? Or I really like Romy Brielle Jacobson.

I think Brinley would be a good choice. It’s feminine enough to carry Kyle as a middle name, and I think it’s good with your surname: Brinley Jacobson.

Another name that uses Rory as a nickname is Lorelei: Lorelei Jacobson.

I also like Fiona for you: Fiona Jacobson.

Averil seems to me to meet in the middle between Ainsley and Brielle: Averil Jacobson.

Oh, Elodie! Elodie Jacobson.

Name update 05-03-2010! Danielle writes:

Thank you for all of your wonderful suggestions. We ended up going with Aurora Kyle, as my husband had a change of heart for the name. She was a week late via c-section and doing great! Thanks!