Hello and help please! We are expecting our third (and final) little boy and are stuck. I like names that sound traditional, but have a modern-ish twist. Husband likes names that are traditional, period. For naming our first two boys one of us picked the first name and then the other the middle name, with the blessing and input of the other spouse of course. We switched off for the second kiddo so we each have picked a first and middle name at this point. Big brothers for baby are Anderson Edward and Thomas Huntley.

All of the names we have picked so far have had at least some minor family significance. The only other family name we haven’t used yet that might be in the running for a middle name is Miller, but we typically shy away from names ending in ‘-er’ given our last name so we don’t really have the family ties angle to guide us this time. For the first kiddo, Archer was a strong contender but we decided the double –er endings were too much.

My leading names currently are Bennett and Beckett. In general I like names that have an easy shortening for a nick name. Husband prefers Bennett over Beckett but thinks both are not traditional enough and is concerned that Bennett would always be telling people how to spell his name (2 n’s, 2 t’). Of the more traditional names that we have discussed Henry, Jack, and Peter top my list, though Henry is the only true contender. We know too many Jacks and Jacksons and Peter Pricer makes me think of “Peter Piper picked a peck…”

My husband’s all time favorite name EVER is Victor. It is his grandfather’s and uncle’s name. Unfortunately, I absolutely cannot stand it for reasons I won’t go into and have used my veto power on it every time. We did make a deal that if we had a girl Victoria would be in the running, but it seems we are going to be a boys-only club. Recent names my husband has been talking about include Isaac, William, and Nathaniel. None of them really feel right to me though.

Ideally we would like the first name to start with a different letter than the other first names in our family (so no A’s, T’s, J’s, or R’s), but we are willing to forgo this requirement if necessary. Since this is the last go round, the stakes feel higher and we are having trouble compromising. Can you come to our rescue?

I think Bennett is great in this sibling group, and I suspect it would not end up being difficult to spell. Versions with one N or one T are not unheard of, but Bennett is the clear primary spelling, and “two N’s and two T’s” is a quick and simple explanation in any situation where there is doubt.

I think Henry is another great option.

My guess is that you chose Anderson and your husband chose Thomas. While your husband’s style is traditional, your style seems more like Surname Names. What I’d like to do is find some surname names that might strike your husband as traditional, and some traditional names that might strike you as a little fresher.

Aidric (repeats initial)
Calvin
Charles
Clark
Davis (repeats ending of Thomas)
Edmund
Everett
Felix
Franklin
Frederick
George
Gideon
Grady
Grant
Harris (repeats ending of Thomas)
Hayes
Ian
Leo
Lincoln
Malcolm
Miles
Nolan
Reid (repeats initial)
Simon
Truman (repeats initial)
Wesley
Wilson (repeats ending of Anderson)

Name update:

Hello,
Thank you (and all the commenters) for all the wonderful suggestions! They were very helpful and got both my husband and I to the bargaining table. Final name selection took awhile, but we welcomed Bennett Victor last week. Since it took so long for us to settle on the final selection, we referred to the baby as Jetpack durning the pregnancy ( big brothers’ pick). Right now he feels more like a Jetpack than anything, so his unofficial nickname nickname might stick!

Hey Swistle,
I am hoping that you can help my husband and I out with our naming road block. We currently have two boys aged 3 and 1 (ironically with the same birthday) named Milo and Theo (surname Benton). Milo’s sex was unknown before birth, and was named after his paternal grandfather (Myles), since both Myles and Milo have identical meaning, we thought it would be nice to give our son his own name, yet, have the meaning remain the same to avoid two Myles B’s in the family. Theo, we knew was a boy. Throughout pregnancy, his name was Archer, but he was just born a Theo- and it suits him. At first I was worried that the two long O endings were a bit much, however, given that other letters are all different, I think both names are finely suited as a sibset. Now, however, we are expecting baby #3 in mid May and are stuck. Although it is too early to find out the sex, we are not sure that we will (this is our last baby, and we like the surprise). Our dilemma lies in the name selection- do we keep the long O ending for the next or is it overkill? We both like short names, so both of us are partial to four letters, two syllables (however we are also open to suggestions). Should we stick with the long O our possibilities lie in Arlo, Otto, Hugo (boy), and Juno, Margo, Cleo (girl). We both agree and like Arlo and Juno but are unsure if it is simply because the fit our trend. If we are not sticking with the long O ending, we have tossed the idea of a long O in the name to compliment the sound (ex: Nora, Nola, Toby). We also like Finn, Jane, and Felix (doesn’t fit any scheme but it’s cute and quirky in my opinion). We are just looking for some direction as to what you suggest from an outside ear and would appreciate any help you can offer :)

I think you are in the happy situation of being able to go either way on this. Rather than deciding first whether or not to go with another -o name, I think if I were you I would try to choose favorites without taking that into account—at least early on in the process. If your top favorite name turns out to be another -o name (or if you find yourself really wanting to use another -o name), I think it’s a fun little theme; if your top favorite name is not an -o name, I think there are upsides to avoiding a theme—especially if you might have more children after this one.

I really like your idea of instead finding a name with a long-O elsewhere in the name:

Chloe
Colette
Elodie
Eloise
Fiona
Hope
Joan
Lois
Naomi
Noelle
Nola
Rosalie
Rose
Simone
Sloane
Sophia
Zola

Brody
Cole
Joel
Joseph
Noah
Owen
Roland

Of your -o options, my own personal favorite for a boy is Arlo. For a girl, I am more uncertain: my own personal favorite is Margo, but sharing first AND last sounds with a sibling’s name is something I’d want to avoid. Juno is my next favorite; I like the nicknames June and Junie.

And I think Finn, Jane, and Felix are all great with the sibling set, too! In short, I think you have a lot of terrific options.

And let’s do a quick one-day Twitter poll: https://twitter.com/Swistle/status/1057268327628840960 [poll closed; see results below:]

Name update:

Good evening,
Baby boy (brother to Milo and Theo) was born on May 27, 2019. We named him Toby Frederick Benton and his name is just perfectly suited to him.
Thanks for all of your help,
Sarah