Amy writes:

We are Andy and Amy Armstrong and we are expecting twin girls on November 17th.
We have two children – my oldest from a prior marriage:
Chase Larkin 14 yr old son and together Larkin Murphy 4 yr daughter

We don’t want any name that begins with A

My great-grandfather’s name was Larkin Timothy Murphy hence the family name I used as my children have different last names which I didn’t like – so they share my family name.

My grandmother was Violet Murphy and my father in law is Dan. We have quite a list going and I am trying to narrow things down prior to birth and would like input that is positive vs the debate friends and family can start.

My mothers maiden name was McBrayer but any form of that is better for a boy than girl I think?

So the list in no particular order is:

• Violet
• Dani
• Murphy (I keep hearing this is a dog name which irritates me but I think middle name for this)
• Harper
• Carson (name we had in mind when Larkin was born but waited until we saw her to name her)
• Camryn (same as above)
• Lily
• Marley (again with the dog comments)
• Keely
• Kylie
• Zoe
• Lauren
• Rory
• Finley

The Irish theme is strong obviously but I am open to suggestions. I don’t want the girls to have sing/song names as they are individuals.

Oh fun! Okay, I’m going to start making some pairs:

Harper and Keely
Harper and Kylie
Camryn and Marley
Carsyn and Marley
Harper and Marley
Harper and Lily
Harper and Rory
Harper and Finley
Rory and Finley
Harper and Camryn
Kylie and Zoe
Keely and Zoe
Lily and Lauren
Lauren and Camryn
Keely and Marley
Zoe and Lauren
Camryn and Zoe
Rory and Zoe
Finley and Kylie

Well! That’s not very helpful, is it! No wonder you’re having trouble narrowing it down!

I changed the spelling of Carson to Carsyn to make it go with Marley, but I didn’t do much more of that in case you hate that spelling. I think otherwise Carson makes it look like boy-girl twins, or makes it appear that there is an expectation that one girl will be tomboyish and the other girly, as in twin-based sitcoms.

I think Harper goes with a LOT of the names on the list.

I wondered if Lily/Lauren and Lauren/Camryn and Keely/Marley and Finley/Kylie would be too matchy for you because of similar sounds, but put them on the list anyway because to me they’re just the right amount of matchy to please people who like twin names to coordinate, without sounding like sugar-and-spice.

I think Murphy and McBrayer would make an excellent pair of middle names. Harper Murphy and Keely McBrayer. Lily Murphy and Lauren McBrayer. Rory Murphy and Finley McBrayer. And so on.

I’m reluctant to add any MORE names to the mix, since you have so many good ones already and since with twins there is a huge increase in number of combinations for each added name. But for father-in-law namesakes, I wanted to add Dania, Daniella, and Danica. Violet and Daniella is a nice pair, and Danica goes with a lot of the names on the list: Danica and Camryn, Danica and Harper, Danica and Zoe, Danica and Marley, etc.

Everyone, please say your favorite combinations and let’s see if we can narrow it down a little. I think my favorites are Rory and Finley, Harper and Keely, and Harper and Marley—but gosh, I don’t know, every time I look at the list I change my mind.

Name update 11-18-2009!

Amy and Andy are proud to announce their two beautiful baby girls born Tuesday, November 17

Brin Murphy Armstrong
born 12:07 pm
6 pounds 12 ounces

Erin McBrayer Armstrong
born 12:08 pm
5 pounds 3 ounces

Everyone is doing great!

Sara writes:

I am due December 3rd. We have chosen not to find out the gender ahead of time. Our 2-year-old son is Jonah Daniel, a name that we quickly agreed upon and never had a list of runner-up names. Our girl name (which we still like from last time) is Nora Josephine. We just liked Nora, and Josephine was my husband’s mother’s middle name. I like the family connection there.

I worry that I may have too many ‘rules’ – even though I can’t really figure out which ones I’d give up. My sister thought it was kind of a fun ‘word puzzle’, but I think even she has tired of it. So here it goes.

1) Our last name is an actual word, close to ‘Stark’, so let’s pretend that’s it. I’m Sara and my husband is Sean, so that’s a lot of S’s already. I’m not at all interested in any other names starting with an ‘S’. Also, if it ends with an ‘s’, it runs into the last name and sounds bad. So that knocks out a ton of good names.

2) Nothing with an ‘-ar-‘ in it because it sounds weird with the last name. Also shows up in lots of names.

3) Because our last name is short and kind of abrupt, I want at least a 2-syllable first name.

4) I also prefer names that don’t have obvious, kind of automatic nicknames, so no Benjamin, Alexander, Nicholas, etc. Although I know people can get nicknames for tons of reasons, I like the name to just be the name.

5) Not another J name.

6) I want a boy name that does not appear to be getting taken over by girls.

7) Not a name that is also an actual word. Since our last name is a word, that would be odd.

8) No ‘–son’ names.

9) Nothing totally unfamiliar or spelled ‘creatively’.

10) We’re not religious, and when Jonah is paired with some more biblically-associated names, it makes it seem like we are. Those types of names tend to be more the style I like, but it seems uncomfortable like we’re trying to pass ourselves off as something we’re not.

11) My husband and I have both been teachers for a combined 15 years or so, so a lot of names get vetoed just because of the strong associations. I can never have a Tyler, Dylan, Brandon, Levi, Dustin, Ben, Evan……..

I’ve looked at so many names and lists and haven’t had anything that jumps out at me. It makes me a little sad to think that I’ve probably already seen the name we’ll end up choosing and that we were just like “Eh… that’s ok… I guess.”

So… help??

We are totally open to new suggestions! Names that we maybe kind of like include:

Aaron -probably our top option right now, but I wonder if people’s pronunciations will bother me, saying it more (to my ears) like Erin, a girl name

Adrian – another name I think I like better on paper than when I say it out loud

Julian – even though it’s a J

Isaac

I’ve thought maybe Leo, Milo, Nolan, Ezra, but Sean doesn’t really like them. He likes Owen, but me, not so much. He’s also said he likes names that sound ‘smart’, for what that’s worth. Neither of us are into the ‘tough’ sounding boy names.

And then (as if this hasn’t been long enough – feel free to disregard if it has), I really like the idea of middle names as a family name spot, and my dad comes to mind as one to name after. His first name is also my brother’s name, so I kind of feel like that’s ‘his’ to use in the future if he wants. But my dad’s (and his dad’s) middle name is Orville. Yikes. I go back and forth thinking “My dad’s a good guy, and lots of people have crazy middle names.” and “How can I slap an Orville on a baby?” Thoughts on that from you or your readers?

Thank you so much for ANY help, guidance, and suggestions!!

Let’s start with the Orville question, because that has grabbed my imagination. Have you already talked to your brother about the first name that belongs to him and to your dad? He might not care one whit if you use it as a middle name, even if he has the full intention of using it for a future child himself, and maybe he will even be flattered that you want to use it, especially if you spin it to include him in the namesakeness. That would solve the Orville issue in one swoop, and that would be nice because otherwise I am conflicted. I agree with you exactly: on one hand, lots of people have unusual middle names; on the other hand, Orville.

The very first name that occurs to me for the first-name slot is out: Simon. It sounds smart to me, and I like it with both Jonah and a potential future Nora. You were very clear on NO S NAMES so I shouldn’t even be mentioning it—but here I am, mentioning it anyway. Cheeky!

The second name that occurs to me is ALSO out: Karl. It has the “ar” sound but otherwise would qualify, and I think the repeating “ar” is good here. I would like to take a moment to highlight the name Karl, in fact, because it is SO UNDERUSED. I was out and about and heard a mother talking to her adorable, pumpkin-sweater-wearing, rosy-cheeks-having, 1-year-old boy and calling him Karl, and I thought “!!!” It’s great. Timeless! Smart! Girls are not stealing it! ALMOST NO ONE IS USING IT. It’s one of the few names I thought of where I didn’t think, “Oh, but they’ve probably had a bunch of students with that name already. Karl! Consider Karl!

Some QUALIFYING possibilities:

Caleb Stark; Jonah and Caleb
Elliot Stark; Jonah and Elliot
Emmett Stark; Jonah and Emmett
Ethan Stark; Jonah and Ethan
Henry Stark; Jonah and Henry
Ian Stark; Jonah and Ian
Malcolm Stark; Jonah and Malcolm

I also had Everett and Oliver in the list originally, but are those too much like an “ar” sound? Anyway, I like them both: Everett Stark, Oliver Stark.

Name update 12-07-2009! Sara writes:

I just wanted to let you know that we had a baby girl, Nora Josephine, on December 3 (her due date, no less!) so all my worrying about boy names and rules ended up just being for fun, I guess. :) I really appreciated all the feedback and suggestions from your readers, and we went into the birth thinking that we’d probably go with Aaron or Simon (gasp – breaking my #1 rule). We realized that if I set aside my ‘no more S names,’ that really was the name we liked best. And I also talked with my brother about his name, and he was totally fine with us using it if we wanted, so we had our two options for middle names there, too. But in the end, little Nora made the decision easy for us. Thanks so much!! :)

Rachel writes:

I love your baby name blog and can’t wait to write you for myself someday, but for now I’m writing for my sister (with her blessing). She and her husband are expecting their third baby (gender unknown) at the beginning of December–the 4th to be specific.

They’ve got a son, William Charles (age 3.5 years), who is named after two family members, and a daughter, Clara Grace (not quite 2), whose first name is a family name and whose middle name was chosen for the religious significance.

If I get another niece, my sister wants to name her Anna (which is a family name) and my BIL wants to name her Hannah. Both of them love their own choice and strongly dislike the other’s choice, which makes everyone want to pull their hair out since the names are SO similar. Any third suggestion to pull them away from the Anna/Hannah debate? My suggestions of Ava, Lydia, and Lila were rejected. They like Elizabeth and Eleanor for a middle name, but my sister doesn’t think Eleanor goes well with Anna or Hannah. (And they don’t want to move either of those family names to the first name slot.)

If I get another nephew, they both like Elijah for the Biblical character, but my sister doesn’t think it goes with the sibset. They’re thinking of Patrick for a middle name, which my sister doesn’t like well enough for a first name but wants to use in the middle name slot to honor a family member.

Their last name, which my sister does not want included in the post, is four syllables with the emphasis on the second syllable.

Thanks, Swistle!

I love the Anna/Hannah debate! Let’s see if we can find some other possibilities to consider:

Eliza
Ella
Emma
Lucy
Helen
Minna
Molly
Nora
Rose
Ruth

My favorites are:
Eliza Eleanor (William, Clara, and Eliza)
Lucy Eleanor (William, Clara, and Lucy)
Molly Elizabeth (William, Clara, and Molly)
Rose Elizabeth (William, Clara, and Rose)

I think Elijah is coming mainstream enough to go with William and Clara, especially if he goes by Eli. It’s not quite the same style, but it’s not a jarring clash. If they continue to be unsure of it, perhaps they could use it in the middle name slot. Some other first-name possibilities to consider:

Daniel
Elias
Elliot
Emmett
Everett
Isaac
Jonathan
Josiah
Nathaniel
Owen
Samuel
Silas
Simon
Saul

My favorites are:
Daniel Patrick (William, Clara, and Daniel)
Nathaniel Patrick (William, Clara, and Nathaniel)
Samuel Patrick (William, Clara, and Samuel)

Name update 12-17-2009! Rachel writes:

Thanks so much for your help with a name for my sister’s new baby. We loved reading your suggestions and the comments. In the end, the Anna/Hannah debate was moot, because I have a new nephew! My sister and I both *loved* your suggestion of Nathaniel, but my BIL had a bad association with the name. Elijah Patrick was born December 1st, weighing in at 8 lbs 2 ozs and measuring 21 inches. Thank you again for your help!

Gabi writes:

We are expecting baby #1 in a couple of weeks (actual due date is November 19th) and I would love some feedback on the names that have made our “short lists”. Sex of the baby is unknown. Although we’ve all been referring to the kid in-utero as Baby Edge, our last name is actually Edgerton. The middle names have been set from the beginning: if boy, the middle name has to be Dow (a family name); if girl the middle name will be Cynthia. Other than that there are no restrictions on the names although I would prefer not to name the kid something that is too associated with Catholicism or some other religion that we are not. I am of Eastern European Jewish heritage and my husband’s family has been in the States since colonial times, from the British Isles before that. We have narrowed our lists to 6-7 for each, I can’t see any pattern in the names we like, though I would be interested in any you can decipher. I am open to suggestions of pretty variations on any of these as well as completely new suggestions that we may not have thought of. Here are the lists (in no particular order):

Girl: Mikayla (would call her Ayla for short); Eliza; Anika; Madelyn; Lyla; Anya; Samantha (would call her Sam for short)

Boy: Henry; Andrew; Asa; Ryan; Owen; Jonah

Thanks!!

I love Eliza Edgerton so much, I am having trouble drumming up motivation to look further. Well, although I also like the initials you get from Anika or Anya: ACE seems like a fun nickname she could access in her high school years if she wanted to.

For a boy, my favorite is Henry Dow Edgerton. I also wonder if you’d like Isaac Edgerton.

What does everyone else think? Favorites? Additional suggestions?

Name update! Gabi writes:

Your blog helped us name our first daughter, Eliza Cynthia, now 3, and we have been extremely happy. It was a hands down favorite of yours and your commenters, and that was all the encouragement we needed to pull the trigger. We get compliments on her name all the time.

K. writes:

Hello. My name starts with a K and so does my husbands, our last name is Ogawa. Our baby girl is due on November 1st.
We are having one heck of a time picking a name. Obviously we have settled on the most popular names ever (isn’t that how it always works). My favorite is Emma; His is Isabelle; We have Olivia and Lilian on the list as well. Middle names aren’t as much of a disaster we have a couple that go with each first name.
The difficulty factors in here….I am American/Irish (100%), My husband is half Japanese (hence the last name) and half Spanish. So we wanted a first name that both families will be able to pronounce.
We have pretty much settled on the above 4 and need help choosing, but if you have another suggestion I am all ears.

Thank you so much for your help

I like Emily even better than Emma: I think Emily Ogawa has a nice sound and rhythm. I like all four of your choices; my favorite on its own is Olivia, and my favorite with your surname is Lilian.

Let’s have a poll over to the right [poll closed; see results below] with your four choices plus my choice of Emily, and people can leave more suggestions in the comment section.

Poll results (195 votes total):
Emma: 22 votes, roughly 11%
Isabelle: 17 votes, roughly 9%
Olivia: 22 votes, roughly 11%
Lilian/Lillian: 65 votes, roughly 33%
Emily: 69 votes, roughly 35%

Name update 11-08-2009! K. writes:

Olivia Emerson Ogawa was born on Nov 4. Thank you so much for all comments and suggestions on the names!

I think this is our very first repeat customer!

Britta writes:

So, I want to name my baby girl (sister to Alexandra and Luke) to be a name that can be shortened to “Lina.” I love Carolina, but I am loathe to subject her to a lifetime of having to correct people’s mispronunciation of her name. I don’t want to tell you how I’d pronounce it, but would rather know how most people would pronounce it. And, if they think it would be a big deal if it were pronounced differently than it might first appear.

I’m also very open to other names that can be shortened to a Lina nickname. I’ve tried to think of some and have done some searching, but there’s not a lot out there. My great grandmother’s name was Axelina (no!) and called Lina and Lina has a nice Swedish ring to it–homage to my heritage.

My husband is opposed to Carolina, so I need some ammunition! Help.

By the way, if this little one turns out to be a boy, I think the contenders are Eric and John. (You my remember my husband was gunning for John when I was pregnant with Luke. 9/7/08 post.) I love Peter, but apparently most men can’t stomach Peter as a baby name. I also love Beau, but I don’t think I want Beau and Luke to be my two boys! A little too Dukes of Hazard for me.

First, pronunciation. If I saw “Lina,” I would pronounce it LEE-nah. But if I saw that the full name was “Carolina,” I would instead pronounce it LIE-nah. I’d be interested to know what everyone else thinks on this.

I am going to assume since you mentioned pronunciation issues with Carolina that what you’re looking for is LEE-nah. In that case, the name I think is best is Angelina. I have two associations with the name, both positive: the actress Angelina Jolie, who is becoming known more for her good works and humanitarian efforts and adoptions than for the old blood-in-a-necklace stuff; and Angelina Ballerina, the nice little storybook mouse. I like how it goes with Alexandra: both are long ultra-feminine names with lots of nickname potential.

There’s also Catalina.

Here is an unusual choice: Abilene. This has a couple of different pronunciations, but the English one is AB-ah-leen. Like Abigail, but with a LEEN on the end. Downside: it’s not spelled right to get the Lina nickname, and spelling it Abiline makes it look like it rhymes with Adeline.

Hey, this is odd: if I add an A to Adeline and make it Adelina, that looks like add-ah-LEE-na to me—or at least, it looks like it could go either way. So let’s add Adelina to the list.

There’s Amalina and Annalina and Avelina, which I just made up from Amalia and Angelina and Avalyn, and which look to me like am-ah-lee-nah and ann-ah-lee-nah and av-ah-lee-nah. (Let’s remember not to try Annalina without the double N, lest we create a first-four-letters problem.)

Some names that end with “-ley” can be changed to “-lina.” Ashley becomes Ashlina, Emily becomes Emilina. Because the names are familiar already with a LEE sound, the LEE-nah comes more naturally. The occasional correction will still need to be made—but then, that happens with almost every name. I regularly have to tell people that “Kristen” is not pronounced with a long E sound (like Kristine).

There’s also Alina and Elina. And whew, I am still on A and have spent a long time in the index of the baby name book, so I will leave it at that and open it up for more suggestions. Names that give the nickname Lina? And perhaps we can also say if we prefer the name Eric or the name John (I love both). And the question from earlier, too, about how we’d pronounce the name Lina if we saw it.

Name update! Britta writes:

We had a little boy on March 8, 2010 and named him Eric James. I appreciated the feedback on the Eric v. John decision. His nickname is E. Sometimes EJ.

Stephanie writes:

We’re expecting our second child in December. Our last name is two syllables and starts with M. Our son is Thomas Murray. We both loved Thomas and Murray is a family name. A girl’s name is turning out to be very hard for us. We definitely both gravitate towards traditional, solid, and ‘old’ names with a history, with no desire to create a ‘new’ and unique name while avoiding known trendy names. I love Emily, but husband strongly dislikes. He likes Maria, Marie, Mary, or Margaret. I vehemently object due to the last name (M). Our currently list includes Anne, Anna, Audrey, Claire, and Katherine. I can’t help but feel that we’re choosing from a list that we’re both ok with, but not ones that either of us love. Likely middle names are Marie (I’ll let it in as a middle), Kathryn/Katherine, and Anne.

So, any ideas we’re obviously missing?

Well, so Emily is out, and so are names starting with M. Amelia comes to mind because it’s similar to Emily but maybe different enough that he’ll like it, and it’s traditional/solid/old. Or might you like Emeline? It starts out similar to Emily but has a completely different sound.

Oh! Oh oh oh! How about Ruth? At the pool this summer there was a toddler named Ruth, and I could NOT BELIEVE how cute that name was on a wee girl. Her mom also sometimes called her Ruthie. How about Ruth Katherine M.?

You’ve got Claire on your list, which makes me think of Clara. Clara Marie M.

For old and traditional with history, it would be hard to beat the name Eve. Eve Katherine M.

More possibilities:

Alice
Helen
Jane
Josephine
Rose
Sara(h)

Name update 12-02-2009! Stephanie writes:

I loved reading your suggestions and those of the commenters. Ultimately, we stuck with our list and Audrey Kathryn was born in the wee hours of Friday morning, Nov 27. We decided you were all right and that speculating on the popularity of a name we liked was silly :) Kathryn is my middle name, so our son has his Dad’s middle name and our daughter has mine. Incidentally, she just missed sharing a birthday with me as well, by 3 hours.