[I’m out of town for a few days but don’t want to fall EVEN FARTHER behind, so I’m leaving some name questions on auto-post!]

Emily writes:

We are expecting our third baby, a boy, on June16th. We named our first two kids very quickly because my husband and I each had family members that we wanted to honor. We have Kathryn Faith, who we call “Katy”, 4, and David Richard, 2. We don’t necessarily want to stick to family names this time around, so we have a clean slate. However, I’m struggling to come up with a boy name that I LOVE. And I want to LOVE it. I also wonder if I should stick to traditional names since my first two are traditional? I have a list of names that we like, but nothing sticks out as The One. And for some reason I find myself having a problem with every name on the list, like, “I have a cousin with that name,” or “I knew a kid with that name who was really mean.”

I also like Biblical names, but it doesn’t have to be. And I like names that everyone has heard before, but there aren’t too crazy many being born right now.

Our “traditional” list: (for all of these I like the full version, like “Joshua” instead of “Josh.”)

Joshua
Adam
Timothy
Thomas
Luke (really like, but is it too common lately?)
Benjamin (ditto?)
Joel
Andrew
Jesse
Micah
James
Isaiah

Others that I like but I’m not sure how well they flow:
Theodore (Theo? Ted?)
Owen
Nolan
Toby
Jared

I’m kinda hoping that you’ll have a new suggestion for me that I haven’t thought of, but will be: YES, that’s IT!

For a middle name I’m also open. My husband’s name is Brian Keith, and he wouldn’t mind using part of his name for a middle name. But that’s just one idea.

Our surname sounds like “Mallory.”

Name update 07-08-2010! Emily writes:

Luke Brian Mallory was born on June 23rd, weighing 9 lbs, 11 oz. Thanks so much to your readers for the comments – we had Phillip and Timothy on the short list due to their suggestions, but ultimately decided that Luke was the name we loved, and the post helped me to realize that it wasn’t “too common.” I really appreciated your perspective on the Top 10/100 not being the Kiss of Death. Thanks!

Kaci writes:

Hello. My name is Kaci Guthrie and my husband’s name is Dustin. We are due in June with our first child, a boy. We already know that his first name will be Emile. We are struggling and can’t come an agreement on the middle name. If we ever have a girl, her name will be Mae Adele (Adele is my middle name). If we have another boy, his name will be Ira Keller (Keller is my mom’s maiden name). Why we can’t decide on Emile’s middle name is beyond me! Here are some thing ideas we have been rolling around but are not set on:

Emile Allen (Dustin’s dad’s middle name)
Emile Holden (from Catcher in the Rye)
Emile Sinclair (b/c they are both French names)

Do you or your readers have any suggestions? Thanks so much for your help!

I agree, Emile seems to be a particularly difficult name to find a middle name for. Maybe Emile Dustin?

Because of the popularity of girl name Emily, and because the kre8tive spelling trend, I’m inclined to go extra-masculine for the middle name. Allen, Holden, and Dustin all seem good; Sinclair is a boy name but actually now that I think of it would be a very pretty girl name. I think the “clair” part gives it a feminine sound I’d avoid with Emile, even though I think you’re right that the rhythm is very good. Another one I like is Emile Jean-Luc, but again I wonder if Jean is too girlish-looking. Maybe Emile Lucas?

Some more French possibilities:

Emile Jerome
Emile Phillipe
Emile Sebastien

I think my favorites from my list are Emile Lucas and Emile Sebastien, and my favorite from your list is Emile Holden.

Name update! Kaci writes:

We ended up naming him Emile Tobin Guthrie. The original question was about what middle name to select, but then the discussion turned to whether Emile sounded like Emily. I had some really encouraging words from someone who left a comment about how her husband’s name was Emile and she loved it. I think maybe it didn’t have an e at the end. Also, I am a teacher and I have a student who is a girl, her name is Dylan. I talked to her about it. She said that usually on the first day of school, her teachers think she is a boy. They realize that she is a girl and they move on with life. They know she is a girl from that day forward. I think that is how it will be with Emile too. Hopefully he will be a confident enough person to handle the inevitable teasing about being called a girl. Thanks all!

Melissa writes:

We are having our fourth child and third daughter May 22nd. Our oldest is Gracie. Her full name Grace Elizabeth Meyer. Her middle name is my husband’s maternal grandmother’s 1st name. Our son Tommy’s name is Lane Thomas Meyer (Lane – which is my husband’s first name and Thomas which is my father’s first name). Our second daughter Ellie is Eliana Marie Meyer. Her middle name is my mother’s first name and my middle name.

As you can tell all of our kids have a more formal name and then a nick name that we call them. For our fourth we want a more formal name and then a nickname but the nickname does not need to end in “ie” like the older three. If it does it is ok but it does not have to. There just needs to be nickname.

We would like to use a family name for the middle name since all of the children have some family name in them. That leaves us with my husband’s mother’s name. Her first name is Carmel which seems to be hard as a middle name. Her middle name is Keith so there is no way I will use that for a girl’s name. So we are really trying to use it. We would like the first name to have some meaning but it does not have to be too deep. She is such a gift and I want her name to reflect that to some extent if possible.

Some ideas we have tossed around

1) Charlotte –and call her Charlie (seems to be getting more popular/we know someone who is having a baby in March and naming their daughter Charlotte)

2) Caroline/Carolyn – and call her Carly (seems like too much with Carmel)

3) Natalie – don’t have a formal name for it and it means born on Christmas day. That does not sit right with me.

4) Amanda – call her Molly – my husband does not like that because he does not see how Molly can be a nickname for Amanda. I just don’t like Mandy as a nickname.

5) Sophia – Sophie – like this one but have a friend whose daughter is Sophia

6) Teana – Tea

My sister has three children (Aidan, Alina, and Ariel) we need to make sure whatever name we choose is not to close to those since we live close and do a lot together. My sister-in-laws kids names are Jessica and Kyle.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I agree, Carmel is tough to work with. Are there any other female names to use? Husband’s paternal grandmother? Your grandmothers? Any sisters or aunts? Your maiden name? Your mother-in-law’s maiden name?

Two notes on the list of candidates:

1. Do Teana and Eliana rhyme? If so, I think they’re too close for sibling names.

2. I agree with your husband that Molly doesn’t make sense as a nickname for Amanda. It’s not that you couldn’t use it (some of the traditional nicknames for other names don’t make much sense either, and in fact Molly is the traditional nickname for MARY of all things), but it would be puzzling. And she herself might decide to use the nickname Mandy, and then you’d be stuck.

Grace, Lane, Eliana, and ____. Gracie, Tommy, Ellie, and _____.

I like the name Felicity here. It’s fine with Carmel, and it means luck and happiness. Possible nicknames: Fliss, Lissie. I’d probably use Lissie since it goes so well with the other girls’ nicknames.

I also like Mirabel: it means miraculous, beautiful one, but without hitting anyone over the head with it. Nicknames: Mira, Miri, Bella. It’s not good with Carmel, though.

Oh, how about BEATRIX? “Blessed,” and “she who brings happiness.” What a great meaning, and I love that name anyway! Nicknames: Bea, Bee (pronounced the same as Bea but I think it’s 100 times cuter), Trixie. AND it works with Carmel! I think Beatrix Carmel Meyer is the best possi—….oh, SHOOT. That gives her the initials B.M., and that would be a dealbreaker for me. Oh, DARN IT! Oh, I’m so disappointed! I’m hoping you’ll tell me you wouldn’t have used it anyway, that it was the name of your husband’s ex or of a mean old aunt or something.

I feel almost too discouraged to go on, don’t you? I hate when a perfect name crashes and burns.

Name update 05-22-2010! Melissa writes: “We decided to name her Sarah Carmel with the nickname Sadie for Sarah.”

Nicole writes:

My husband and I are expecting our third child on May 10th. We have two boys, Jonah Andrew and Henry Thomas, and our last name sounds like Overby (Over-bee).

This baby is supposed to be a girl, and we’re having a more difficult time this time around, for some reason! Our just-in-case boy name is Charles Philip.

The finalist names are: Charlotte, Natalie and Maren (pronounced Maw-ren), and her middle name will be Mabel (in honor of the great-grandmas Monica, Avis, Bernice and Eunice). Kind of cheesy, but I like it anyway!

Reasons for not choosing each name:
Charlotte (dh’s favorite) is rapidly rising in popularity, and it was just named the #1 Elite Baby Name (whatever that really means). It’s also kind of a long name.

Natalie is already extremely popular, and we know a few girls with that name already. It seems a bit common (i.e. bland) compared to the other two.

Maren (my favorite) will be mispronounced and misspelled A LOT. Plus, dh thinks it’s too close to the word ‘marlin.’

So, what do you think? And if you have any other suggestions, please share. I’m a Nicole, and while it’s a fine name, I was always ‘Nicole P.’ in school because there were so many of us. I’m sure you hear that all the time!

Oh, and we call her Una in utero, but we would never actually name her that – too bizarre and too many vowel sounds with our last name!

Anyway, thanks for the input!

A name I like that’s similar to Maren is Mirren. Perhaps that doesn’t reduce the spelling/pronunciation issues, though (I’m pronouncing it MEER-rin.)

I love the name Rose with your surname. Rose is common as a middle name but I never hear it as a first name. Rose Overby; Jonah, Henry, and Rose.

I like Eliza, too: Eliza Overby; Jonah, Henry, and Eliza.

Ooo, or Ruth! Ruth Overby; Jonah, Henry, and Ruth! Ruthie is such a cute nickname.

You mentioned you call her Una; I wonder if you’d like the name Junia? (I think it’s pronounced to rhyme with petunia.) Junia Overby; Jonah, Henry, and Junia. Oh, I guess it’s too close to Jonah. Shoot. Oh! Juniper! Juniper Overby! Jonah, Henry, and Juniper! Juniper Mabel! Cute!

I love Beatrix too: Beatrix Overby; Jonah, Henry, and Beatrix. Oh—but probably we want to avoid the initials B.O.

That makes me think of Josephine: her initials would be J.O., same as her nickname. Cuteness! Well, although then we run into the similarity of Jonah again.

Annika? Annika Overby; Jonah, Henry, and Annika.

Celeste? Celeste Overby; Jonah, Henry, and Celeste.

Claire! Claire Overby; Jonah, Henry, and Claire.

Name update 05-14-2010! Nicole writes:

Our baby girl came three weeks early on April 20, and was 6 lbs., 6 ozs. My hubby (with my approval) chose Charlotte Mabel, which is perfect for her.

Marne writes:

Help we can not come up with a name for our fifth child. Our due date is May 7th. We are having a baby girl. Our kids names are: Luciano Vincent, Marin McCabe, Evelyn (Evie) Jean, and Charlotte (Charleigh) Maureen. Marin’s name is the combination of my name, Marne and my husband’s name, Aaron, Evie and Charleigh we fell in love with, and Luciano’s name came from out of the blue.

My husband likes names that are classic and at least two syllables. I was a school teacher so popular names or names of any of my students are out. I don’t like thinking of anyone else when I say the name at least before we name the baby that is. Our last name is Pechota so as you can guess, Dakota is out or anything ending with a!!

Our middle names have always took on a greater meaning for us. Vincent is my Grandfathers middle name, McCabe is my mother n laws maiden name, Jean is my Grandmothers first name and my mothers middle name, and Maureen is my sisters name. We are running out of names but some could be Angela, Marie, Kathleen, Ann, Marian, Patricia (Patti), and Kay are a few suggestions.

The only name that the two of us like is Juliet but I don’t love it.

My husband likes..

Isabella (too popular and our dog’s name is Bella)

Gabriella (I dislike the nickname Gabby)

My husband likes Italian names, classic names, and elegant names.

Names I like…

Theodora (my uncle, who is mentally retarded, name is Theodore we call him Teddy) I like the nickname Teddy for her

Tess ( my husband doesn’t like this as a full name but I can’t come up with a longer version of this except for Contessa which my husband doesn’t like)

I love Irish names, unusual names, and also classic with a twist names

Please give us some good suggestions we need it.

Please help!!!

If you like Gabriella except for the nickname Gabby, you could use Bree or Ellie. I also really like Raffaella: so pretty and underused.

My favorite baby name book mentions that Tess is a nickname for Teresa or Therese.

I wonder if you’d like the name Tamsin? I think it goes so well with your other children’s names, and with your surname.

Or Carys. That has the added benefit of giving you an end-sound you haven’t used yet—though it repeats a first initial, if you’re trying to avoid that. Karis, maybe.

Gwyneth and Gwendolyn both have a sound your husband might like, while being Celtic and unusual for your tastes.

Isla, too, seems to me like it might work for both of you. (I’m trying to avoid names that end in A, but so many do!)

Or Josephine: elegant, classic, cute nickname, new end sound, new first initial.

Or Laurel—so pretty, and I think of it as “classic with a twist” because of how close it is to the name Laura and yet not quite. Lorelei would work too, and you could use the nickname Rory as they did in The Gilmore Girls.

Name update 05-05-2010! Marne writes:

Thank you for your post. We ended up delivering our little bundle of joy on April 30th. She came a week early with such great joy on mommy side. We ended up going in a whole different direction with the name, then when I first posted a long time ago. Her name is Keaton Marie. We gave her the middle name Marie for Aaron’s sisters middle name. We deicded on Keaton because we loved the name, it was original, it had a short story –we both grew up loving the tv show Family Ties, and we thought it sounded well together. Thank you for all of your suggestions and the suggestions of your readers!!

Jennifer writes:

We are due on May 6th and are totally stumped thus far!!! Our daughter is named Adelie, and we call her Addie. We love the fact that it is classic and sophisticated, but with a manageable nickname. Our last name is quite cumbersome (three syllables) so the shorter name option is essential. It is important to us to avoid common names, but we still wanted a classic feel and Adelie fit the bill perfectly. Our leading choice for the new baby girl is Wyndan Rose. We would call her Winnie as a baby/little girl and she could switch to Wynne or Wyndan if/when she wants something more sophisticated. I think Wyndan sounds very elegant and graceful, but fear there is too much of a masculine association. I think it is officially a boy’s name, yes? I love the flow of Wyndan Rose, but am not crazy about the fact that Rose is such a common middle name. Our second choice (also a boy’s name?) is Quinlan (Quinn). We really don’t want to saddle our little girl with a name that is too masculine, however, and we are open to totally new suggestions that fit our criteria. Please help!!

I’m having trouble getting a handle on your criteria. To me, Adelie is a modern invented name and not classic at all. Wyndan is, as far as I know, not an established name (are you thinking of the boy name Wyndham?), so you’d be free to make it a girl name if you wanted to.

I say YES, Wyndan is a very good sibling name for Adelie. They’re both invented names; the nicknames Addie and Wynnie are great together; and I don’t think Wyndan is too masculine.

I think it’s nice to balance an uncommon first name with a more-common middle name, and I agree with you that Wyndan Rose has a nice flow. But I also know what you mean about Rose getting a little tired as a middle name these days, so perhaps we can find some other options. Jane is used pretty often but still sounds good to me. Joy, too: not uncommon as a middle name, but not overused either. Noelle. Kate. Eve. Joan. Ruth. Fay. Jo. I’d avoid any names that emphasize the “Wind in/and” sound of Wyndan, such as May, Skye, Rain, June. I think my favorites are your original Wyndan Rose, and also Wyndan Joy.

Name update! Jennifer writes:

We ultimately chose the name Piper as a sibling name over Wyndan thanks in part to the feedback we got from your awesome site.

Anne writes:

Hi Swistle! I’m due on 5/6 with a girl but have been having crazy pre-term contractions scares so am thinking it’s going to be any day now…we thought we were settled on a name but I’m having last minute doubts and am hoping your readers can help!

Our first daughter is Cora Elizabeth, chosen because we just loved the first name and the middle name is a family one on my side passed down for many, many generations. That part was easy. And of course the “problem” is I love her name so much, I’m having a hard time finding another one I’m equally as in love with this time around.

Our last name is a very Irish, 2-syllable McG____ name. It’s pretty easy to work with, I’ve found, but I don’t want anything that sounds like a pub name or a heroine in a song you’d sing at such a pub when you’ve had one too many pints. Hence Molly McG____ is out, even thought I love the name Molly.

Our #1 contender right now is Greta. I adore it and feel like it fits well with Cora, and I’m half German so that part feels nice to honor.

Other options:
Ellen (always liked)
Mary (another family name)
Quinn (new contender I really like – hubby is lukewarm on it at best)
Margaret – but call her Greta. This is my husband’s first choice but I have issues with naming her something just to know we’re going to use a nickname. Plus it feels REALLY long compared to the rest of our 4-letter names!

In general, I don’t like names that have easy nicknames.

Middle name is TBD, but likely using my husband’s name (Ryan) since I’m pretty certain I’m not doing this pregnancy thing again and thus a boy is out of the question for us down the line. Our other option was Ramsey, to honor a family friend who passed away years ago.

Would love to know people’s opinions on using Greta versus any of our other options, or even throwing new ones in the mix!!

Thanks!!!

I’m the same as you about nicknames: Paul and I both really like the name Charlie but not Charles, and we didn’t want to name the child a nickname OR name him a name we didn’t like, so we were stuck and we crossed it off our list. For some reason, though, I feel differently about names that have classically been nicknamed, such as Elizabeth and Margaret. Although it’s possible to name a girl Margaret and call her Margaret (and I love that option too), I feel just as happy if it’s “Margaret, and we’ll be calling her Maggie.” Inconsistent? Well, there it is!

But! Margaret McG___ is hard for me to say with all those repeating sounds. I think Greta is better (though I wish the Gr sound didn’t repeat). It doesn’t give me the “Charlie” feeling—I think of it as a stand-alone name as well as a nickname.

And I also really like the sound of Mary Ryan McG___. Sassy and Irishy without being over-the-top. And Molly is a nickname for Mary, in case you want that option without putting it on the birth certificate.

A name I heard recently on a little girl and FLIPPED for is Elsa Jane. Elsa is similar to Ellen, it’s German like Greta, and I think it’s great with your surname and with the name Cora. My eyes had never lingered on the name Elsa as I went through my baby name books, but as soon as I heard it with Jane and on a real little girl, it became a favorite. Elsa Jane! Adorable.

Update 05-20-2010! Anne writes:

What fun to read everyone’s suggestions! I spent most of my time in labor staring at a whiteboard in the delivery room with “Margaret Mary” and “Greta Ryan” both written on it, and in the end she came out and we instantly said “that’s a Greta!” So Greta Ryan is here, born May 4th.

Ashley writes:

Why are middle names so hard?

I’m due on April 26th with my second child, a boy! We’re very excited as he will be joining his older sister Claire Elyse (2 1/2). One of each:)
That being said, my husband (his name is Kristopher) and I are having difficulties deciding on a name. Right now its between Lucas and Grant. The problem being that we can’t come up with a middle name for Grant. (I like Lucas James, but would be open to an alternative). So I guess my question is….what would you pair up with Grant? Our last name is Comon which makes it kind of difficult.

I’m open also for any other suggestions besides Lucas or Grant. We’re more traditional in names and don’t want something too trendy. We tossed about Miles, Caleb, Finn, or I like Harper for a boy but my husband didn’t.

Oh, I do like Claire and Grant together! Let’s see if we can find some middle name possibilities.

Middle name flow is a matter of personal preference, and there are two rhythms I particularly like with the name Grant Comon: (1) a 2-syllable middle name with the emphasis on the first syllable; (2) a 3- or 4-syllable name with the emphasis on a middle syllable. I tried to avoid middle names that were inclined to blend with the strong T sound at the end of Grant (Grant William, Grant Adrian, Grant Owen), and also names that created a double -en sound with the surname (Grant Hayden Common, Grant Owen Comon)—though as you’ll see, I wasn’t completely consistent: sometimes a name seemed good to me despite having the same issue that had eliminated another name.

Two-syllable with first-syllable emphasis:

Grant Davis Comon
Grant Henry Comon
Grant Isaac Comon
Grant Jacob Comon
Grant Lucas Comon
Grant Michael Comon
Grant Samuel Comon
Grant Silas Comon
Grant Wyatt Comon

Multi-syllable with middle-syllable emphasis:

Grant Augusten Comon
Grant Ezekiel Comon
Grant Isaiah Comon
Grant Nathaniel Comon
Grant Sebastian Comon
Grant Zachariah Comon

And one that didn’t fit in either category:

Grant Theodore Comon

To me a stand-out is Grant Nathaniel Comon. I hadn’t even planned a list of multi-syllable options until I came to that one, and then I thought “YES!!” and started looking for similar names. But I also like the way Grant Lucas Comon would allow you to use both of your first choice picks.

Name update 04-27-2010! Ashley writes:

Thank you Swistle!

You did an amazing job with suggestions. A few of those we actually had in the running as well:) And I greatly appreciate all the comments from your viewers. What an fabulous network you have!

Well, my son decided to come a week early and was born on 4/17. After much discussion in the recovery room (and many votes from the nurses), we decided he looked more like a Lucas than a Grant.

We ended up naming him Lucas Ryan Comon and so far it seems to fit him.

Thanks again!

Rosemary writes:

We are expecting our first baby at the start of May 2010 and don’t plan to find out the gender in advance. We’ve sorted out a boy’s name, and thought we had worked out a girl’s name – Annalie Hazel Rouse. However we are now having second thoughts due to the issues raised here! Swistle Baby Names: Analeigh

“Emily” would be a good alternative, but that’s my new sister-in-law’s name and we also have a niece named Amelia. Sadly that rules out “Amelie” as well.

Another option might be Freya, but Freya Rouse seems like more of a mouthful than Annalie (could be I’m just not as used to it).

Olivia would be nice but as it is extremely popular here it is not an option – we do not want there to be another girl in her class with the same name.

We quite like “Ebony”.

Thanks for your help!

 
Addalie is very similar to Annalie but avoids the, um, issue. Natalie is another such choice.

Emmeline is similar to Emily but less common, and I think it’s particularly wonderful with your surname.

Ivory is similar to Ebony in that it reveals my ’80s-music childhood.

Abilene is a name I just saw in a book and thought “Hey!” Same rhythm as Annalie, and nice and unusual.

Here’s a name I’d never heard until I saw it in The Baby Name Wizard: Bellamy. So pretty, very similar to Emily, and with the nicknames Belle and Bella.

Some more possibilities:

Adelyn
Annika
Bethany
Briarley
Cecily
Ellery
Elodie
Everly
Harmony
Imogen
Lorelei
Meredith
Nadia
Philippa
Verity

Name update! Rosemary writes:

Just to let you know that Philip Tristan was born on 16 May, and that had he been a girl we would have chosen the name Leonie Hazel!

Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions! :)

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!