Carla writes:

I came across your blog and it sounds like you might have a solution for my husband and I. We are expecting twins (boy/girl) in a couple weeks. We had originally chosen the names Paul David (Paul being my husbands middle name and his father’s name and David being my father’s name) and Caroline Louise (Caroline comes from the same origin as my name, Carla, and Louise is my mother and sister’s middle name).

My husband has expressed concern with the boy’s name we have chosen because he doesn’t want to think of his father every time he says it and his mother is already assuming that is the name. He has suggested John Philip or Samuel for a first name. Sam was my dog all while growing up so that seems a bit weird to me but I do love the name, and I like John Philip (Philip is my grandfather’s name) but having John and Caroline is a little weird as it just makes me think of the Kennedys. Is that off the wall? Would others make that connection or would that be a good alternative? There are also other reasons we like pretty much all the names we have chosen – in regards to the meaning of names, etc. and Paul David is also the name of Bono (the singer from U2) and we are huge fans so that is kind of cool too. Any suggestions or recommendations? I’d love to get your opinion!

Ah! I have some experience with this, in that one of my children has the same name as one of my parents. And what I’ve found is that I hardly ever think of it. In fact, the only time I think of it is when I’m addressing that child when that parent is in the room, and I suddenly realize that could be confusing. But since I don’t call my parents by their first names, it isn’t an issue: the name has become almost exclusively the child’s name, and I only occasionally remember it’s also my parent’s name. So if I were you, I think I’d go with Paul David.

But I do also love the name John Philip. For me, the John and Caroline thing is okay: the names John and Caroline are so established and classic, I don’t think I’d think of the Kennedys unless someone pointed it out to me.

Let’s have a poll over to the right to show what we think: Do we think they should stick with Paul and Caroline? Do we think John and Caroline has a strong Kennedy association? …Well, that’s a little complicated for the poll. How about this instead: I’ll make the poll just a list of names for Caroline’s brother, and then if you want to you can leave comments in the comment section about the Kennedys, or about your own experience with family namesakes. [Poll closed; see below.]

[Poll results (222 votes total):
Paul: 133 votes, roughly 60%
John: 52 votes, roughly 23%
Samuel: 37 votes, roughly 17%]

Josie writes:

We’re having a baby girl and we’re going to name her Samantha. Now the middle name is giving us pause. I’ve loved the name Faith, but alas it is my husband’s sister’s name, and his family is Jewish so they won’t name after living relatives. So then we moved on to a name with similar meaning — which is why I’ve loved it so — and wound up with Hope.

Perhaps you see where this is going. We forgot about Obama. I don’t think I have it in me to name my daughter after a presidential campaign, because what if Obama is a flop? What if he sucks? What if we look like cliche liberal assholes?

Is there any resource that will show similar meaning names? Because really, Samantha Hope? Oh good heavens. How do I explain that one? Oh HAI. AM LOONY DEMOCRAT WHO MIGHT AS WELL NAME HER DAUGHTER MICHELLE OBAMA.

I spent some time searching online for a similar-meaning-names resource. What I found was a lot of really unpleasant, flashing-ad-ridden baby name sites. The only grain I found in all the chaff was the name Nadia, which evidently means hope. That’s it. It’s Nadia or it’s Itxaro, apparently. And Samantha Nadia, while fine, doesn’t have the ring of Samantha Faith or Samantha Hope.

I have another suggestion, however. What about Joy? Samantha Joy. It’s beautiful, it’s meaningful, and it has the same rhythm as Samantha Faith or Samantha Hope. But is that a problem because it shares your initial?

And I have one more suggestion: use Samantha Hope. I wouldn’t have made the association myself, I think because the name Hope is so established already as a girl’s name. It isn’t as if you’re using Samantha Yeswecan or Samantha Maverick. My opinion, in fact, is that this is a non-issue: that you can freely use the middle name Hope without anyone associating it with politics.

But this is the kind of opinion that begs for a larger-sample-size survey. What do the rest of you think? If you heard of a baby girl named Samantha Hope, would you associate it with the new U.S. president? Vote in the poll to the right. [Poll closed; see below.]

[Poll results (292 votes total) for “Does the name Hope have political associations for you?”

Yes: 15 votes, roughly 5%
No: 224 votes, roughly 77%
What are you talking about?: 53 votes, roughly 18%]

Jennifer writes:

I really hope you and your readers can help me and my husband choose a name for our little girl. We have narrowed down the first name to three possibilities: Annabel, Anna, or Elizabeth. I have always liked Elizabeth, Anna is a family name on my side, and Annabel I just thought of from Anna. My husband prefers Anna and Elizabeth. He worries if Annabel sounds too Southern, old-fashioned, or Disneyish. We do live in the South though, and are pretty old-fashioned people! I am leaning toward Annabel or Elizabeth. Anna sounds a little too serious to me. If we use Anna or Annabel, we are thinking we should maybe not use Elizabeth as a middle name in case we have another girl someday, and vice versa. (This is our first child.) We also aren’t sure about middle names, but here are our ideas:

Annabel Catherine
Annabel Kathryn
Annabel Elizabeth
Annabel Hiers
Annabel Teresa

Anna Catherine
Anna Kathryn
Anna Elizabeth
Anna Teresa

Elizabeth Briggs
Elizabeth Hiers
Elizabeth Teresa

Catherine, Kathryn, and Elizabeth are all family names on my husband’s side, as is Hiers (pronounced high-ers). I also have a niece named Katherine, so that’s why we did not want to use it as a first name. Teresa is from my family, as is Briggs. We are open to other names, but feel pretty sure about the choices for first names. We like having family connections and names that flow nicely together. Some other names in our familes are Mary, Colleen, Laura, Kelly, Ellen, Lillian, Nora, Augusta, Jean, Virgina, Margaret, Pauline…

And Jennifer writes again:

We have narrowed it down (I think) since my last e-mail to Anna Kathryn, Annabel Hiers, Annabel Kathryn, and Elizabeth Briggs.

Okay, I’ll put those four finalists in a poll to the right [poll closed; see below], but everyone feel free to chime in if you prefer other combinations!

[Poll results (264 votes total):
Anna Kathryn: 62 votes, roughly 23%
Annabel Hiers: 50 votes, roughly 19%
Annabel Kathryn: 79 votes, roughly 30%
Elizabeth Briggs: 73 votes, roughly 28%]

K writes:

Here is my situation: my husband and I are expecting our first child, a baby girl, this fall and we have always wanted to name our first daughter after my deceased grandmother, whose name was Muriel. Here is my problem: our taste in names runs to the highly unusual (not in the top 1000), and while Muriel is currently unusual, it still seems very old lady-ish to me, and I’m not sure if it is ready for a revival like so many other “grandma” names seem to be these days.

So my question is, do you know of any forms/nicknames of the name Muriel that are a bit more modern while still unusual? We are not overly concerned with it matching with our last name or any particular middle, so just whatever you can think of! To give you an idea of our taste in names, our favorite girl names (for future siblings) are Verity, Romilly, Bronte, and Zellie. To clarify, we do not want to use one of these as a first name with Muriel as a middle. It is important for us to use some form of Muriel as a first name…we’re just hoping to find something that is more along the lines of the names above!

I think if I were you, I would go ahead and use Muriel as-is. Muriel, by being old-fashioned but unlike the currently-trendy old-lady names, will go along with the others without being as much of a risk for a sudden spike in popularity. It also seems to me like using your grandmother’s actual name would be pleasing, and it also gives you something to say if people react to the name with surprise (I’ve noticed the line “It was my ____’s name” quells many an unwanted opinion.)

If you wanted to modify it to a more modern sound, I’d suggest Mariel or Meriel or Miriel (I’m thinking of Mariel and Meriel with a MARE sound like Mary or Meredith, and Miriel with a MEER sound like Miriam). It’s a change of a single vowel, but it makes the name entirely more current.

Let’s put a poll over to the right with the various options. [Poll closed; see below.]

[Poll results (244 votes total):
Muriel: 116 votes, roughly 48%
Mariel: 87 votes, roughly 36%
Meriel: 8 votes, roughly 3%
Miriel: 33 votes, roughly 14%]

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wetz named their baby boy Bronx Mowgli. Discuss.

Cara writes:

Okay…after TONS and tons of floundering back and forth between {what we think are cute} names, we need some serious help! We are due to have another sweet little man very soon and we have NO clue what name to choose. Our first son is named Landon. We LOVE his name…very strong & masculine. It goes perfectly perfect with our last name, “Carroll”. With that said, we need something just as perfectly perfect for our next son. We want something that sounds good with Landon so when I’m introducing them people don’t say, “Poor second kid…he sure got the raw end of the deal on his name.” Ya know?!

We know for sure that his middle name will be Patrick…after my dad. SO, baby #2 can’t have a name that starts with a “P” {I can barely say my first kid’s name without faltering…I definitely don’t need a tongue twister with this one!!} EVERYONE seems to have an opinion about baby #2’s name. We have about 8 names picked out {and open for more suggestions} and our families aren’t really liking any of them! I know we shouldn’t worry about that…after all, it’s OUR baby… but it’s definitely making us second guess our selections!

We’d like something that sounds different than Landon, but nothing too “out there”. We’re also not too big on “traditional” names. Something fun & cute, but not girly cute. My husband is all about the athletics, so having an “athletic” name would be better than something formal. {I know, completely random and irrelevant!!!} I’m also thinking that I don’t know if I want both boys to have names that end with the “on” sound. {I know, I know…super picky!!} We’ve also randomly talked about keeping his name “Irish”. Wow…did ya get all that?!?! SO…without further ado…here are our top choices!

1. Brody—Our favorite by far. We’ve had this one picked out since before I found out I was pregnant. I love, love, LOVE this name & think it would fit so perfectly perfect with our little family! However, our families don’t think it’s as “strong” as Landon, but I love the way “Landon & Brody” sound together!!
2. Reese — My husband’s pick. Don’t get me wrong…LOVE it, but I’m afraid it’s more on the feminine side.
3. Hayden — We like this one too, but I’m hearing it a lot for girls names these days!
4. Ayden — Right…we’re not venturing too far from Hayden on this one, but we’ve always liked this name.
5. Miles —I love this name! Not my husband’s favorite, but it made the list.
6. Gage — Love this one too…definitely not the typical name, and if there’s any name our families don’t like as much as Brody, this one is it!!
7. Grayson or Hudson —I put these together because we like them a lot, but the “on” endings might be too close to the ending in Landon.

Thanks for all the help!!!

I’m leafing through my copy of The Baby Name Wizard. It suggests these brother names for Landon: Dawson, Easton, Colby, Parker, Brennan. From that list I’m going to take Dawson: Dawson Patrick Carroll, Landon and Dawson. There will be differences of opinion on this, but to my ear the “son” ending of Dawson is different enough from the “don” ending of Landon—though the “ton” of Easton isn’t.

I looked up some of the names on your list, to see if I could get more suggestions. Interestingly, the name Landon is listed under brother names for Gage. Another brother name for Gage is Grant, and I’m adding that one too: Grant Patrick Carroll, Landon and Grant.

I’ll also add Gavin, listed as a brother name for Aidan: Gavin Patrick Carroll, Landon and Gavin.

Brother names for Miles included Simon, Malcolm, and Davis, all three of which I’m adding as possibilities. Simon Patrick Carroll, Landon and Simon. Malcolm Patrick Carroll, Landon and Malcolm. David Patrick Carroll, Landon and Davis.

Okay, and let’s add one more name: Sawyer. Sawyer Patrick Carroll. Landon and Sawyer.

This gives us a mighty long list, but I think we can manage it. Let’s put a poll over to the right. [Poll closed; see below.]

[Poll results (395 votes total):
Brody: 123 votes, roughly 31%
Reese: 9 votes, roughly 2%
Hayden: 3 votes, roughly 1%
Ayden: 7 votes, roughly 2%
Miles: 37 votes, roughly 9%
Gage: 17 votes, roughly 4%
Grayson: 9 votes, roughly 2%
Hudson: 8 votes, roughly 2%
Dawson: 17 votes, roughly 4%
Grant: 69 votes, roughly 17%
Gavin: 28 votes, roughly 7%
Simon: 6 votes, roughly 2%
Malcolm: 11 votes, roughly 3%
Davis: 9 votes, roughly 2%
Sayer: 42 votes, roughly 11%]

Katie writes:

I just found a name I like. Kaler (or you could do Caler or Kalor or Calor). It is different but sounds enough like Taylor to not be totally out there. I was thinking of it as a boy name, but is it too girly? I wish I had heard this name when naming my boy!

It reminds me too of the name Kyler, a Tyler/Kyle combination. And of the name Cale.

I think Kaler is risky for boys because of being SO CLOSE to Kayla. (In fact, Kayler would be a cute Kayla variation.) The C spelling helps dull the connection, but I find I then accidentally pronounce Cal as in Calum or Calvin (so that the name rhymes with valor instead of with tailor).

Opinions? What do you think of Kaler/Caler/Kalor/Calor? Would you use it for a boy or for a girl or for either or for neither? How would you spell it? There’s a poll over to the right. [Poll closed; see below.]

[Poll results (243 votes total):
Like it! I’d use it for a boy: 17 votes, roughly 7%
Like it! I’d use it for a girl: 6 votes, roughly 2%
Like it for someone else’s baby: 19 votes, roughly 8%
Neutral / no opinion: 10 votes, roughly 4%
Mild dislike: 67 votes, roughly 28%
Strong dislike: 124 votes, roughly 51%]

Lara writes:

I LOVE the name Analeigh (soft “a” like ah-na), but I realized the other day how close it is to…anally. I am terrified that if I name my daughter Analeigh that she’ll be relentlessly teased throughout grade school and middle school. I can’t think of another way to spell it that takes out the “anal” part of it that isn’t obnoxiously adding extra letters.

Do you the the name is too close to the, ahem, naughty word? Can you think of a way around it?

 
I am afraid it was the very first thing that came to my mind when I saw the name—but then, this is an issue I’m on the lookout for.

I think adding a second N would help a little without being obnoxious, since Anna is spelled with two Ns. Annaleigh is already an improvement over Analeigh.

You could also divide it: Anna Leigh.

And I recently saw the name Andrea spelled Ondrea in order the get the preferred vowel pronunciation, so I suppose you could go with Onnaleigh although to me that kind of…ruins it.

What about this: Do you like the name Avaleigh, pronounced like your way of pronouncing Analeigh except with a V-sound instead of an N-sound? It completely removes the problem while leaving the essence of the name intact.