Author Archives: Swistle

Baby Girl Rhymes-with-Cannon, Sister to Rylan

12 Replies

Hi Swistle,

I would love to have you weigh in on our second daughter’s name. Our first daugher is Rylan, and the longer she’s around, the more I love her name. I tend to like more unique names (nothing in the top 200) and my husband seems to offer up more traditional names, although he really likes our daughter’s name.

Our last name is typically a first name, and rhymes with Cannon. Therein lies a big problem. Many of the names on my list are surnames, and I feel like we can’t use them because I worry our child will have people calling her by her last name forever.

Some names that I love and think would work, that my husband has ruled out: Elliott, Ellis, Reese, Brynn, Finley, Hollis, Lane, Margot, and Rowan.

One other point to make is that our extended family is really big on nicknames – it’s one reason we rule some names out – for instance, I liked Rowan, but I’m not a huge fan of “Ro.”

Can you and your readers help us come up with some suggestions we haven’t thought of yet?

Thanks!!!

J.

 

I do think you’re wise to take your surname into account. On the other hand, I wouldn’t suggest choosing names you like less, just to avoid the swapping: even if you choose a commonly-first-name first name, some swapping is likely to occur from time to time.

It helps that your surname was a very popular first name awhile back (Top 100 from 1968 until 1997), and has plummeted in popularity since then: #922 in 2013, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it out of the Top 1000 when the 2014 data is released any day now. It won’t be an expected name on someone her age—though unfortunately, its recent popularity is what will make it a familiar name to the people handling paperwork. But if someone does switch the first and last names in the paperwork, it seems like a fairly quick and easy fix. And most people will be introduced to your daughter in person, and/or by first name.

It would help to know some of the names your husband has suggested. If, for example, he’s suggested Margaret and Elizabeth and Katherine, that would lead me in a different direction than if he’s suggested Jessica and Ashley and Samantha.

Working with your list of rejected favorites, I see a lot of modern unisex names; those seem like a very good fit with Rylan. Yesterday’s post had a similar style, so I wonder if any of those names from the post and comments would be useful.

For more possibilities to consider, I looked in The Baby Name Wizard, especially in the Androgynous and Celtic categories. I didn’t look up each one’s ranking in the Social Security Administration, partly because of the hassle but also because even a too-popular name might lead you to a less-popular version: for example, if you notice you like Emerson but it’s too popular, it might make you feel more warmly toward Emeran or Emery. I also left in names that had nicknames: I wasn’t sure if you were avoiding nicknames, or just avoiding unliked nicknames.

Brennan (maybe too rhymey with surname)
Camden
Campbell
Casey
Darcy
Delaney
Ellery
Ellison
Emeran
Emerson
Emery
Everly
Greer
Holland
Keegan
Kellen
Kieran
Lennox
Locklyn
Logan
Madigan
Quinn
Rory
Tamsin
Teagan
Teague
Wynn

Baby Girl Gooding

18 Replies

Hi Swistle!
I have been reading your blog off and on for a while. My husband and I are expecting our first baby, a girl, at the end of June. We are having the hardest time agreeing on a name for her!! I think it’s because our naming styles are different. My name is Ashley and his name is Kent. I do not like common names, I was one of 4 Ashley’s in school. Our last name is Gooding. Here are some names we have both suggested but can’t seem to agree on:

Ellery- My top pick and favorite! I like that it’s not too common. Very cute and feminine.

Kenley- My husbands pick. He likes it because it combines both his name and mine. I don’t like it because it sounds too trendy to me. I’m also not big on combining names.

Cadence- Another name my husband suggested but I HATE it!

Sloane- I like this name but think I would prefer it as a middle name.

Obviously our styles are all over the place. These are just a few of the names that have been suggested. I can’t seem to find anything I like as much as Ellery. Do you have any suggestions on names similar to Ellery that I could possibly get my husband to agree on? Or any name suggestions at all?!?
If we were going to be having a boy, Kingston was at the top of our list. Other names that were possibilities were Sutton, Holden, and Emerson.

Any and all help appreciated! We are coming down to the wire!!

Sincerely
Ashley

 

Although you and your husband don’t agree on each other’s top favorites, your naming styles seem very compatible: both top picks (Ellery and Kenley) are modern surname names.

One suggestion I have is to change goals: instead of trying to find a name you like as much as Ellery (such a name may not exist), switch the focus to finding the name you like best of all the remaining names.

One possibility is to consider using Emerson from your boy-name list. Emerson is a unisex name currently used more often for girls in the United States; here are the 2013 numbers from the Social Security Administration (for spellings used as least 25 times that year):

Emerson: 1509 F, 973 M
Emersyn: 595 F, 16 M
Emersen: 45 F, 10 M
Emmerson: 170 F, 22 M
Emmersyn: 71 F, – M

Sutton is another that is unisex but currently used more often for girls (316 new baby girls and 183 new baby boys in 2013), so perhaps that could be considered for a girl.

Another possibility is Emery: similar in sound to Ellery, but perhaps enough different that your husband would like it.

Or Ellison, or Ellis.

Or Everly, or Waverly.

Or Brielle.

Holden makes me think of Hadley, Holland, and Hollis.

Cadence makes me think of Jade, Delaney, Braelyn, Gracen, Paisley, Campbell, and Teagan.

It sounds as if Kenley is not a likely choice for several reasons, but it interested me because we recently did another letter from parents who combined their names for the first child.

Kenley reminds me of Kinley, Kinsley, Brinley, Keelyn, Linley, Finley, Tenley, and Lennox.

Sloane reminds me of Simone, Fiona, Winslow, Quinn, Brynn, Jade, Laine, and Berkeley.

Baby Boy Stall-key

22 Replies

Please help! My husband and I are having a terrible time agreeing on a name for our first baby, a boy. We spent three long years trying to conceive, but now we are two months from the due date and cannot agree on a name. My husband is Michael John and I am Kimberly Eileen. Our last name is German and sounds like “Stall key” My husband prefers older, more traditional names such as John, Charles, James, and Theodore. He also like some military inspired names such as Sherman and Truman. John is his favorite name and my least favorite (although I would be ok with John as a middle name). Of his list, I like Charles and Theodore the best. I mostly prefer more modern names (but would rather not name our son something too popular). I have suggested Miles, Grant, Hayes, and Elijah (nickname Eli). I would also be just fine with a Michael John Jr. We hope to have another baby in the future. I adore the names Emeline or Adeline as girl names while my husband prefers Abigail. Do you have any suggestions for boy names that will blend both our naming styles? Thank you so much.

 

 

Name update!

Our precious baby boy was born June 15, 2015.  While we had settled on two names (Elijah Michael and Charles Michael), we didn’t officially name our little man until about 12 hours after his birth.  I had been pretty confident that we would name him Elijah, but after seeing him, there was no doubt…  Charles Michael has made our lives complete.  Thank you for all your help!   – Kimberly and Michael

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Baby Name to Consider: Franklin for a Girl

48 Replies

Swistle,

First, I’ve been a lover of baby names since I was a little girl (I’m 26) and your blog has helped me see that I am not alone in this hobby. I say hobby because I have no plans to have a baby in the next couple years. Although I have helped a friend or two name their babies, so it has been helpful, at least.

Anyways, I was watching Marvel’s Daredevil last night and loved that Nelson is nicknamed Foggy, by way of Franklin. And I thought how fun to name your son Franklin and then come up with Foggy. It’s weird, but I’m kind of loving it!

So, I’m writing it down on paper to see what it’d look like and all that jazz… And instead of seeing Franklin, I saw Frank-lin. And that got me thinking, is Franklin useable for a girl’s name?? And once I got thinking, I had to send an email to see what you thought?!

I realize it’s probably a strong male name for most people, maybe even myself. But I wonder… it’s got the appeal of being a surname name (which is all the rage now), girls are already named and nicknamed Frankie, and it ends in Lin/Lynn (which could give her another option if she dislikes it which she’s older).

So I know this is not your typical Q/A but I really hope you post it. I’d love to hear what you and the readers think.

Thank you,
Natasha

 

I’m split: half of me is saying, “Oh, yeah, I can see it: kind of like what happened with Lachlan/Locklyn, and the -lin ending could definitely sound more like a girl name (Madelyn, Katelyn, Carolyn, a million others), and I don’t see why not!” And the other half of me is saying, “Noooooooooooooooo!”

Let’s see what’s happening with the name’s current usage. The Social Security Administration reports that in 2013, there were 545 new baby boys named Franklin; it isn’t in the data base at all for girls. But let’s check spellings that use a Y, a common feminizing technique: in 2013, there were 20 new baby boys named Franklyn, but it still isn’t in the data base for girls. Even names such as Joshua and Robert are in the data base for SOME girls (13 and 8 respectively in 2013), so I think it is safe to say that the name Franklin is currently used nearly exclusively for boys in the United States.

I think it could be used for a girl, but that it would make a strong, strong statement, similar to naming a girl Joshua (soft sounds and an -a ending like so many girl names) or Robert (girls already named and nicknamed Bobbi and Robin). Unless the usage changed, she would spend her entire life dealing with paperwork errors and surprised/confused reactions at a much higher rate than average; not an enormous deal at all for someone who liked that, but a burden/bore for someone who didn’t (or for someone who enjoyed it the first thousand times but then wearied of it). If on the other hand, the usage DID change, and Franklin/Franklyn became a unisex name, it would be a different story and I’d have a different opinion.

For me, Franklin fails the “Would I want this name myself?” test, even though I love the name Franklin, love the nickname Frankie for Frances or Francesca, and don’t mind regularly needing to spell my name for people. Part of the appeal of boyish nicknames for feminine names, I think, is that it’s a individualizing choice: the feeling is that it’s a bit of a rebellion against a feminine name or traditional path. “My parents tried to name me something frilly and girly, but that’s not me!” Swapping that option, so that the rebellious choice is choosing a feminine, traditional nickname, feels less exciting.

It fits with a current trend for celebrity baby names: recent baby girls have been named Maxwell, Lincoln, Owen, Wyatt, and James.

I think it would make sibling names challenging. Sister names wouldn’t be too difficult (Maxwell, Lincoln, Owen, Wyatt, and James would all fit the style), but what would be a good brother name for a girl named Franklin?

I’d love to see the name Franklin get more popular for boys, and I’d also love to see Frances and Francesca get more popular for girls. So although half of me thinks Franklin for a girl is a justifiable decision, and a creative and interesting choice if shock value is one of your naming preferences (and that IS a familiar naming preference), the other half of me thinks there are other great established choices that are still pleasingly surprising without being so startling and potentially difficult. If you did use it, I would recommend spelling it Franklyn to assist the Lyn/Lynnie nickname.

Baby Naming Issue: The Pronunciation of Esme

64 Replies

Hi Swistle. I have a pronunciation question for you. Since having another girl recently, my husband and I are on the hunt for the next perfect name in case the next babe is a girl.

I love the look of Esme. And I always assumed it was pronounced Ehz-me but upon further research it looks like that is more the UK pronunciation where most in the USA go with Ehz-may. I was wondering if you and your readers have met anyone with this name and which pronunciation they went by. Also, I live in Canada… We tend to see similar trends as the USA but I find that sometimes our accents/pronunciations are slightly different so not sure if there are other fellow Canadians reading that could comment?

Thanks!

 

I have been pronouncing it EHZ-may.

The Oxford Dictionary of First Names doesn’t offer a pronunciation, but lists Esmie and Esmee as variants. Esmie looks to me like support for EHZ-mee, while Esmee could go either way: fiancé and fiancée are both pronounced with a -SAY, and Esmée is the original female version of the name; but -ee would usually be an -ie sound in the United States, almost never -ay.

The Baby Name Wizard lists the pronunciation as EHZ-may. There are some further (differing and agreeing) remarks by commenters here.

Inogolo lists the pronunciation as ehz-MAY, but notes: “In English this name is sometimes pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, and sometimes with the first syllable as -es-“—in other words, as EHZ-may or ESS-may.

Esmé Raji Codell, whose book Educating Esmé I really enjoyed (and I think that was my first encounter with the name), pronounces her name EHZ-may.

Howjsay offers three pronunciations, in this order: ess-MAY/MEE, ess-sm (what), and EHZ-may/mee. I listened to it again and again, but the way he pronounces the first one (and to a lesser extent the third one) continues to escape me: he says the vowel almost completely between long-A and long-E.

Forvo has one of each: a speaker from the United Kingdom pronounces it ESS-mee, and a speaker from Australia pronounces it EHZ-may—or really more like ehz-may, with almost equal emphasis.

 

The name is unusual in the United States (in 2013, it was given to 271 new baby girls), and of course we can’t know from the Social Security data base how parents are pronouncing it, but I wondered if alternate spellings might offer clues. There were 53 new baby girls given the spelling Esmae, which looks to me like an attempt to make the -may pronunciation clear. Another 14 were given the spelling Esmay. Another 38 new baby girls were given the spelling Esmee, which could be an attempt to emphasize a -mee pronunciation, or could be parents who know that Esmee was the original female version (at this point, and in the United States, Esme is the more common spelling, and is used almost exclusively for girls). Another 8 new baby girls were given the spelling Esmi, and another 8 were given Esmie, both of which look like the -mee pronunciation. Another 19 were Ezmae, which looks like -may; 9 were Ezme, which is unclear.

I wish the polls still worked, because I’ve noticed from past similar posts that the percentages indicated by comments are not necessarily representative of percentages indicated in the polls. But the polls DON’T work, and I haven’t yet found a new one I like, so we will just have to go by comments.

Do you know an Esme? What country is she from, and how does she pronounce her name?

Baby Girl G3dd3rt, Sister to Brier and Kinley

64 Replies

Hello!

I’m pregnant with our third (and final!) baby girl at the end of August. We have 2 girls, sister Brier Rhys, almost 4, & sister Kinley Elyse, almost 2 (and no, we didn’t mean for their middle names to rhyme!).

As you can tell we like names that are unique but not “out there”. My name is Heather & I hated growing up with a plethora of other Heather’s in the 80’s. My husband’s name is Lowell (a great unique name that we have only heard a couple of times on other people) but he didn’t really think too much about being the only Lowell, except having to constantly re-pronounce his name (“you mean Joel?”).

Brier is an old name, over 100 years, that means Heather in French & the second I heard it (in a movie surprisingly enough!) & found out it meant my name, it was perfect! Rhys has no special meaning, we just liked it & since it was a toss up at birth between Brier or Rhys we used it as a middle name.

Kinley is the name of a female rock climber & Elyse we just liked too. My husband & I love climbing & being outdoors hiking, canoeing, camping, etc so I looked for inspiration from strong outdoor females for her name & we settled on this one.

The Dilemma: I feel SO much pressure to name this girl something unique as well. Upon finding out it’s a girl, the main comment I get is “I can’t wait to hear what you name her! I love your daughters’ names! They’re so unique!”. So begins the search for something unique, but not out there…For a middle name I think it’ll be Rose or Rosanna (my grandmother’s name, she went by Rose but Rosanna’s her full name) but again, we really haven’t thought about it, I’m stressing out enough about a first name!

Here are my contenders for our little bundle in order of favorite to least (a word about my husband: he has never really offered up his opinions on names with the girls, he either just rejects a name or says he’ll consider a name on my list :p )

Thea (or Theia) – LOVE this name. Since both our girls have an “i” and “e” in their name, I’m unsure if I should continue the trend & spell it Theia instead…kind of have a thing for Greek names that are feminine sounding like Elena, Helena, Katerina, etc but i love the flow of this one best & it seems less common
Bronte (Brawn-Tay) – LOVE, LOVE this name! It appears to be a common girls name in Australia, but all the forums in North America have a greater percentage of people who dislike this name and think it’s masculine. If only I lived in Australia :)
Ellis – I love this name too! Unfortunately my daughter has a girl in her preschool class with this name so not sure how that would come across. I’ve also noticed on forums that it’s considered a male name, but since I’ve only heard it on a girl it sounds feminine & pretty to me
Jordyn – remember the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise?? That was the name of his love interest that I had chosen for a girl name since high school! Brier was supposed to be Jordyn, then Kinley was, but since we’ve started having kids it’s become so popular that I can’t bring myself to do it!

Names that haven’t really made the cut but are open for debate (hubby is indifferent and hasn’t seemed too enthused about any of these, some he hates so they’re off the list):

Bronwyn – I personally think bronte sounds more feminine than this & I like Bronte much better, but this seems to be the name people are recommending to those who are considering Bronte saying it’s more feminine, but i don’t agree
Sloane – loved it a few years ago, now not too sure, but keeping it on the list…was on the list for baby #1 & #2
Blake – like it but not sure if it’s too masculine and I don’t think it flows well with our last name
Felicity – not sure if it’s not unique enough (and feels like a mouthful when you say Brier, Kinley & Felicity together). Was on the list for baby #1 & #2
Quinn – becoming too popular
Maelle (My-Elle)
Alyx (Alex)
Haven
Darcy – husband hates it
Adrianna – prefer Adrienne but was told it sounds like a boy
Elena – husband didn’t like
Katerina – husband didn’t like
Grae (because I loved Graysen for a boy & thought for sure it was our time to use it!)

My husband offered up Vanessa with our last girl, but it’s too 80’s for me. The only Vanessa’s I know are ones I grew up with and it doesn’t flow with our girls’ names.

If this had been a boy he would have been Graysen Charles (Charles was my father & grandfather’s name), other names considered were Lincoln (nn. Linc), Dominic (nn. Dom), Hudson, Kesler, Dax, Beau.

What are your thoughts on the top 4 names (Thea – or Theia, Bronte, Ellis, Jordyn)? Or are there any names I haven’t considered? I can’t believe I’m having such a hard time this time around! Maybe because I know it’s our last! Any input is accepted openly & graciously!

Thanks in advance!

Heather

 

I can definitely see how it adds pressure to have people looking forward to finding out what wonderful name you will choose this time around. Try to dismiss that issue from your mind, as much as you’re able to. What they are really saying is that they love your naming style. So if you choose a name that is your style (which you will do automatically by choosing a name you love), then the people who love your style will be pleased with this name as well.

And this is a place too where I would apply the “What is the worst that could happen?” coping thought: if you “fail” to choose a name that makes the eager crowds as happy as they felt with the first two names, they will register that disappointment for perhaps two full seconds. Some people do get very excited to learn a baby’s name (I am in that group), but they don’t deep-down CARE very much. If you chose, say, Charlotte, even the biggest and most excited fan of your daughters’ names would think, “Huh. That’s not what I would have expected,” and that would be the end of it: no crushing disappointment, no lingering depression, no writing “WHY?? WHY??” in a diary late that night. Give your shoulders a little shimmy and let’s find a name that is Your Style.

You asked for our impressions of your top four finalists, so let’s start with those.

1. Thea/Theia. This fits your preferences very nicely: not in the Top 1000, yet definitely not too out-there; easy to spell and pronounce. I definitely wouldn’t change to the harder to pronounce/spell Theia just to get the same two vowels as in your first two daughters’ names: it’s not something that catches my attention or seems like a trend. If it HAD caught my attention, reversing the two vowels would feel like a digression from the pattern.

2. Bronte. Currently very unusual in the United States: only 5 new baby girls were given the name in 2013 (it’s not in the data base at all for boys). It doesn’t seem overly masculine to me, I think because my association with the Brontë sisters is so strong. On the other hand, it reminds me of names such as Dante and Devonte and LeBron, which are more often used for boys. Interestingly, the Oxford Dictionary of First Names mentions that the use of Bronte as a first name seems to have originated with the 1990 movie Green Card. I didn’t remember that the female lead’s name was Brontë, but I did like that movie; I wonder if that adds to my feeling that it works perfectly well for a girl. One hesitation I have about the name is that it shares a Br- with Brier.

3. Ellis. In the United States, Ellis is currently a unisex name used more often for boys: the Social Security Administration reports 225 new baby girls and 496 new baby boys given the name in 2013. For perspective, the name Brier/Briar is similarly unisex: 119 new baby girls and 182 new baby boys named Brier/Briar in 2013. (Compare to the name Blake: 535 new baby girls and 5,601 new baby boys in 2013.) If you’re friendly with the mother of the Ellis in your daughter’s class, you could ask her if she’s had any trouble with that. Or Ellison/Ellisyn is another possibility: it’s currently used more often for girls.

4. Jordyn. The name Jordan/Jordyn feels past its peak to me: the more popular spelling Jordan was in the Top 100 for girls from 1989 (the year after the movie Cocktail came out) until 2007, and since then has been dropping steadily. I think I would add it to the list of middle name possibilities.

 

I wonder if you would like the name Laken/Lakin. It’s similar in sound to Blake, but used more often for girls (163 new baby girls and 95 new baby boys in 2013). It’s very unusual (not currently in the Top 1000), but doesn’t feel too out-there. Laken G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Laken.

Or Larkin. Larkin G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Larkin.

Or Gracen, the spelling of Graysen used more often for girls. Gracen G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Gracen.

Blake, Lincoln, Dominic, and Jordyn made me wonder if you’d like the sounds of Locklyn. Locklyn G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Locklyn.

Sloane and Beau make me wonder if you’d like names with similar sounds such as Rowan, Harlowe, Marlowe, Logan, Lola.

Maybe Emery. Emery G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Emery.

Would your husband like Darby any better than Darcy? Darby G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Darby.

Or Delancey? Delancey G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Delancey.

Hollis is similar to Ellis, but closer to fully unisex (98 new baby girls and 125 new baby boys in 2013). Hollis G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Hollis.

Or I wonder if you’d like Olive? Olive G3dd3rt; Brier, Kinley, and Olive.

 

 

Name update!

Thank you so much everyone for your wonderful ideas!
Our baby girl was born 5 days overdue in a quick 3 1/2 hour labour from start to finish!

Ultimately it was between Thea (thee-a) and Sloane and while I love both, in the end we chose to call her Thea Maelle.

My oldest has been calling her “baby Thea” since I was 24 weeks pregnant when I had asked her which name she would choose for her little sister if she could, so I don’t know how she would have felt if she came to the hospital to meet a Sloane! (And hubby vetoed Rose as a middle name but we agreed on Maelle (my-elle) ;)

What solidified Thea as her name was that we thought how special it would be for her oldest sister to grow up knowing she helped pick her name! And the meaning “gift of God” is perfect since she’s our rainbow baby!

Thank you Swistle and everyone for your absolutely wonderful advice and contributions,  there were so many great names! And in the end,  Thea Maelle couldn’t be more perfect! 5 weeks later and I’m still loving the name of my little bundle!