(I have a number of questions in my inbox I’m not going to get to in time, so I’ll post them for anyone who would like to work on them.)

B. writes:

We’re expecting our second little boy in January. Our last name is two syllables and starts with D and ends with a short “a” sound. Our son is Magnus Joseph. Magnus was originally kind of a joke between my husband and me but ended up becoming his name… and we love it! It’s a good strong Scandinavian boy name, and we’d like to give the second boy a strong name as well. So far we are mostly decided on Gunnar for the first name but cannot decide upon a middle name. A biblical/traditional/old fashioned middle name that sounds good with Gunnar, doesn’t leave him with weird initials (e.g. G.O.D.), and has a nice rhythm. I like Martin/Martyn and Maxwell and Alexander (though Gunnar Alexander could be a little too much “er”). I like the sound of single syllable names such as James or Jones, but I’m not sure I like either of those enough to use them. My husband is thinking about using Joseph for this baby’s middle name, but I’d like to come up with some other options to offer him. We just can’t decide on a middle name!

Any middle name suggestions?

(I have a number of questions in my inbox I’m not going to get to in time, so I’ll post them for anyone who would like to work on them.)

Corinne writes:

Help! We are expecting our second daughter in January 2010 and we have no clue what to name her!

My first daughter is Sadie Helen Seagrave and she is 3 ½ now. Helen is after my grandmother, and Sadie is from a Beatles song :o) I had Sadie’s name picked before I even got married. I was hoping for a boy so it would be easy (Charles IV with a nickname of Casey) but no luck. I definitely want it to sound good with Sadie, but not too similar (I love Sydney and Cassidy… but Sadie said “the baby needs her own name, she can’t be the same as me!”)

It would be nice to do “Jane” as the middle name (after my husband’s mother) but it’s not critical.

Some of the names I like are:

* Calleigh
* Taylor
* Cameron
* Kendra
* Hayden

These are names I like, but my husband doesn’t:

* Aubrey
* Chloe
* Delilah
* Paige
* Jocelynn

(I have a number of questions in my inbox I’m not going to get to in time, so I’ll post them for anyone who would like to work on them.)

Beth writes:

We are having our 2nd girl January 5th. With the first one, we had NO issues with name.. With this one, we can’t agree for anything! Our first child is 3 1/2 and her name is Isabella Geraldine (Geraldine after her great grandma who passed away). We call her Isabella, not fond of Bella, Izy, etc. We’re not fond of nicknames.

My favorite name is Sayde Grace followed closely by McKinley Grace. I’m partial to Grace for a middle name, so they’d both have “G” middle names. I like Sayde because my grandma was Vadie. My husband just says to name her Vadie but that would be a little too odd for me.

My husband changes weekly; Scarlett, Regan, Madeline (long I) and Claire are the latest.

The only name we both kinda like is Ava but it’s a little to short for me with Isabella and I think I’m thrown by the “A” in both like if I say “Isabella and Ava” that’s a lot of A sounds.

Our last name is Spencer.

Also on our list were:
Anna Kate
Addison
Marleigh
Gracelyn

Any thoughts or new suggestions? :-)

Britt writes:

I’m hoping you can help me. My husband and I are adopting and so are in the process of weeding through my 300 names-long list to find the perfect fit for our new little one. We seem to be doing fine with boys, but are having more trouble with girl names. We have a short list to choose from – all classic but slightly less-used names. Here’s the problem: we’re thinking ahead and trying to plan which names we would use in combination with each other for future children. Both Esme and Eliza are at the very top of our list, but we would not want to use both because they seem very “matchy”. The only factor that might help us decide which to use is the popularity of each. Right now Eliza is at #328 and Esme has not broken into the top 1000. However, I have been seeing Esme more and more and am worried that it will become the next Emma. (Not to mention the Twilight series and its impact on the name!) So, with all your experience with names (and maybe with the help of your readers) maybe you can help us figure out the future popularity of these names? We appreciate your help and love your blog!

I am pretty sure it was The Baby Name Wizard that brought to my attention the way an unusual name can FEEL more common than it is. That is, if you hear the name Maverick two times in a year it seems like it must be WILDLY POPULAR, but you can hear the name Jacob twenty times without hardly noticing. A less-common name can make more of an IMPRESSION, and so a name like Maverick, which was #511 in 2008 (source: Social Security Administration), might get tiresome on the ears sooner than the #1 most popular name in the United States, just because it is more noticeable.

(This can also work the other way, incidentally: a name can feel all boring and used up when actually no one is using it anymore and it’s less common than the “unusual” names.)

My guess—and I hesitate even to guess—is that Esme won’t get as popular as Emma, but I think there is the possibility of it being more noticeable than the more familiar Eliza (which I would have guessed was more common than it is) and therefore SEEMING more common. And there is the danger that a generation of teenagers is going to grow up and start using the names they’ve “always loved,” and that some of those names will be from the Twilight craze.

I’d choose Eliza, and it’s because Eliza seems so much more stable to me: Esme seems more likely to make a sudden startling move. I also prefer the easier spelling/pronunciation of Eliza. But my main reason for choosing it is that it would go better with other names I like, so it’s not a fair comparison.

What do the rest of you think about the futures of the names Eliza and Esme?

Rachel writes:

Hi Swistle! I was wondering if you would be kind enough to address Grandparent names on your baby name blog. My mom has just at three months to decide what she would like her first granddaughter to call her and she is having a tough time coming up with the perfect Grandmother name! She is quite picky and does not want to use any name that starts with Grand____, Nana, or Me-maw. Her first name is Robin and recently someone suggested Birdie, which is super cute, but not something my mom would use, if she doesn’t even like Grandma! A few names she has considered but has not fallen in love with are Maymay, (surprisingly) Grandmommy, and Nonna. I am wondering what your readers call their grandmothers, to give her more options to think about!

Thanks!

Oh, fun question! I called both my grandmothers “Grandma” (with surname if necessary to differentiate) but many of my friends called their grandmothers “Memere” (pronounced MEM-may).

While looking up how to spell Memere (I still don’t know where to put the accents, or how to do the one that goes from up left to down right), I found a link to The Name Nerds‘s post on this same topic.

What did all of you call your grandmothers?

Anne writes:

Help! My husband and I are expecting our first child, a baby girl, on December 23rd and she is going to be Baby Girl Alan at the rate we are going. My husband likes very traditional names (which is perfectly fine by me) but we can’t find any name that we are in love with. He thinks with the “L” sound of our surname that we shouldn’t give her a first name that also has an “L” sound in it, however we have found that a lot of first names have an “L” in it. To add to our dilemma, we would really like her middle name to be a family name, and fortunately both our grandmother’s are Blanches so that was an easy decision but it means we are kind of set on having her middle name be Blanche.

We have two names that have remained on our possible list from the beginning, but would really like some other options or suggestions. They are:
Samantha Blanche Alan
Rebecca Blanche Alan

Names I like (that he has ex-nayed): Margaret, Madeline, Caitlyn
He hasn’t provided any other suggestions besides Samantha, however he doesn’t really like the nickname of “Sam”.

Thanks for the help!

Audrey Blanche Alan
Geneva Blanche Alan
Marissa Blanche Alan
Meredith Blanche Alan
Miranda Blanche Alan
Rosemary Blanche Alan
Sabrina Blanche Alan
Veronica Blanche Alan
Victoria Blanche Alan

One of my favorites from that list is Sabrina: it’s similar to Samantha, but without the nickname.

Amanda writes:

My name is Amanda (Leigh) and me and my husband (Jacob Vawter) are expecting boy/girl twins in January. My husband is the fourth generation of male “J” first names and Vawter middle name. So, I have already agreed we would stick with that. I have also agreed to “try” to stick with a “J” girl name if we could find something we like. If not, all bets are off, but I told him we would try. The problem is, he doesn’t like ANYTHING (typical male, right?) Everything I have suggested he has turned down. He has agreed to put Josselyn and Jayden on the short list. Those are fine by me, but I am now cringing as Jayden is so popular now. We also liked Jack but for the same reason have nixed it. We are already thinking we could call him “Jay” but are looking for a more formal first name. Any other ideas???

Some boy J names:

James
Jameson
Jared
Jaron
Jasper
Jefferson
Jenkin
Jeremy
Joel
John
Jon
Jonah
Jonathan
Joseph
Joshua
Jude
Judson
Julian
Julius

Wait, wait. I sense that your eyes went skimming right past some of those names. Some of them are so familiar, they don’t even register anymore. John, for example. I’ve talked before about my love for the name John/Jon: it seems almost like a non-name (Paul once called it “generic”), and yet in actual usage it is a tremendously satisfying name that demonstrates again and again why it has been such an enduringly popular choice. And while it SEEMS like it must be one of the most common names ever, it’s significantly less common than Jacob and Jaden in the classroom, and in fact has become a surprising choice on a child. I will pause a moment to make sure you give it due consideration. John Vawter, Jon Vawter.

James is another name the eyes skate right past, but I think it’s particularly excellent here because it works as a long form for the nickname Jay. James (Jay) Vawter. Jameson works in the same way: Jameson (Jay) Vawter.

Jasper is a favorite of mine, though I understand it’s used in the Twilight series and so may be poised for a huge rush of popularity. Right now it’s way down in the 400s (source: Social Security Administration).

I think Jay works as a nickname for any name beginning with J., because the initial J. is pronounced the same way.

Some girl J names:

Jade
Jane
Jansen
Jemma
Jenna
Jennica
Jennison
Jillian
Jocasta
Jocelyn
Josephine
Joy
Julia
Julianna
Juliette
June
Juniper

Jade came to mind because you like Jayden for a boy. The name Jade has a similar sound but is much less common.

Now, for the fun of making some pairs!

James and Jocasta
James and Josephine (Jay and Jo too cute? Jay and Josie)
James and Julia
Jared and Jemma
Jared and Jenna
Jaron and Jade
Jaron and Jennica
Jasper and Jane
Jasper and Juliette
Jasper and June
Jefferson and Josephine
Jefferson and June
Jeremy and Jillian
Joel and Joy
John and Jillian
John and Jocelyn
John and Josephine
John and Joy
John and Julia
Jonathan and Jane
Jonathan and Jennica
Jonathan and Julia

Everyone else: J names, J twin pairs?

Christine writes:

I am European Caucasian (mostly Italian and Polish) and my husband is Hispanic/Spanish/French. It’s really important to me to pick a name that can be pronounced easily in both Spanish and English. Our last name is difficult enough (it’s pronounced AL-a-mee-oo). Naming our first daughter was easy- Eva (pronounced like Ava) was a name I’ve liked since before I was married, and Juliana is a family name (my husband’s uncle Julian raised him). We also decided on our second daughter’s first name before she was conceived. We decided on Paloma, and we both really really love it. The problem is her middle name. The more I think about it, the more I begin to dislike all our options. I would like to keep the middle name a family name, as that is tradition in my family, but it’s really limiting my choices. Please tell me what you think- I think some of the names are really pretty, but I’m very concerned about the name being “too much” for my side of the family. Here are my options so far:

Paloma Caroline Alamillo
Paloma Carolina Alamillo
Paloma Josephine Alamillo
(these three are among my favorites, although my husband has vetoed these)
Paloma Genevieve Alamillo
Paloma Christina Alamillo
Paloma Marie Alamillo (my middle name, my mom’s name, sounds great, but boring?)
Paloma Mariela Alamillo (version of Marie, but too much?)
Paloma Terese Alamillo
Paloma Pauline Alamillo
Paloma Elizabeth Alamillo
Paloma Sophie Alamillo
Paloma Sophia Alamillo
Paloma Helena Alamillo
Paloma Jeanne Alamillo
Paloma Meredith Alamillo
Paloma Anne Alamillo
Paloma Rose Alamillo

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

My favorites from your list are:
Paloma Christina
Paloma Marie
Paloma Mariela
Paloma Rose

Christina, Marie, and Rose would all be easier on your family, but Mariela is so beautiful. Marie was a common middle name a generation or two ago, but I get the impression it’s much less common now; Rose is more common in this generation but/and sounds wonderful with Paloma.

What does everyone else think?

Courtney writes:

Hi!! We are expecting another girl Dec. 15th… Our 4 year old daughter is Berkley Noel…
I wish I could use Noel for this one but dont want to b/c its already our daughters middle name. especially since her birthday will be close to Christmas. Its My middle name as well. OUr last name is Compton and the names on the list are: Raegan, Colbey, Justine, Quinn, Mallory, Helene, Id like to use Christine as the middle after my great, great grandmother. I’d like a nice C name, but it doesnt necessarily have to start with a C at this point!! WE are getting so close and still have no name!!!!! I guess I am trying to come up with something as unusual as our daughter Berkley, ( dont think I could pair it with something like “Allison”
HELP!!

I realize this idea may be a little silly, but since Berkley is similar to a city in California (Berkeley), I got out the atlas and looked for cities in California that start with C and would make good girl names:

Cambria (makes me think of Cambrey or Cambrie)
Ceres (the look of the word also makes me think of Carys)
Claremont (or you could spell it Clairemont)
Cordelia
Creston (it’s almost Kristen)
Cypress
/ atlas as baby name book

Some more unusual C names:
Caledonia
Calista
Calliope
Campbell
Carrington
Catalina
Clarity
Clementine
Cliona
Clover
Colette
Connolly
Cressida
Cricket

More suggestions for the Comptons—starting with C or not?

Jenelle writes:

I am due December 12th with our second child, a boy and we are having the hardest time deciding on a boys name. We have actually been trying to choose a boys name since we had our daughter 4 years ago and with only a couple weeks to go, we aren’t getting any closer to a decision.

We do know that:

– His mIddle name will be David, after my husband.

– Our last name is one syllable and also the name of a major US car manufacturer.

– Our daughters name is Chloe, which was in the 30’s the year she was born, but is now in the top 10 (where we live in Canada). Not crazy about that, but we expected it. We would like to avoid a top 20 name if possible.

– If this baby had been a girl, her name would have been Lila, Elise or Cora.

Two names we do like, but aren’t sure about:

Nolan – My husband and daughter are both in love with this name, but I don’t know. I like that it is not super popular here and that the only Nolan we know is 14, but it feels a little blah to me.

Eli – I am very drawn to this name. I don’t think DH loves it though. It wouldn’t be Elias, Elijah or Elliot though, just Eli.

Names we really liked, but have vetoed for various reasons:

Wesley – I love it, my husband hates it

Liam – Top 10 name where we live

Levi – 2 brand names?

Grayson – getting too popular, I don’t like how it is being used for girls now (Gracyn)

Owen – way too popular in our area

Evan, Tate, Lucas – Close friends children

Max, Wyatt, Caleb , Asher – just don’t seem right

James, Matthew, Joshua, Alexander, Andrew- names of our 30 year old friends and still in the top 20 here.

Names we cannot use because of our last name:

Carter

Carson

Lincoln

Chase

Parker

Harrison

Henry

I would really appreciate any help that you and your readers could provide! Thank you!

 
How about Oliver Frederick? I’m half-kidding because I just posted about it a few minutes ago, but I think Oliver David would be great. Chloe and Oliver.

The names Greyson and Nolan make me think of the name Gavin. Chloe and Gavin. Gavin David. I like it!

Or Garrett/Gerrit. (I prefer the latter spelling, but I think the former is easier.) Chloe and Garrett. Garrett David.

Liam and Nolan make me think of Simon. Chloe and Simon. Simon David. My favorite so far.

Owen and Levi and Eli and Evan make me think of Ian. Chloe and Ian. Ian David. My second favorite.

Let’s have a poll over to the right [poll closed; see results below], and more suggestions in the comments section.

Poll results (168 votes total):
Oliver: 50 votes, roughly 30%
Gavin: 37 votes, roughly 22%
Garrett: 9 votes, roughly 5%
Simon: 51 votes, roughly 30%
Ian: 21 votes, roughly 13%