Melissa writes:<\/p>\n
I have a baby boy due in mid-July. For the entirety of my pregnancy we have referred to him as Baby 2.0.<\/p>\n
I have a three-year-old son named Cooper. What my husband and I love about Cooper’s name is that it’s (a) has a family connection, (b) is a last-name as a first-name, and (c) doesn’t have a default nickname (like Matt for Matthew or Tom for Thomas).<\/p>\n
There are many last-name as first-names that my husband and I like, such as Jackson or Benson. Our last name is Gibson, though … so most anything ending in -son sounds a bit cartoonish. We also find names ending in -on, such as Ashton, or even -n, such as Gavin, a bit harsh when combined with our last name. This obviously eliminates so many great names.<\/p>\n
We’ve researched both sides of our family for another acceptable family name and have come up with nothing. We feel Cooper’s names have pretty well covered any “family obligation,” so we don’t have to consider that in naming Baby 2.0.<\/p>\n
We’re currently considering Sawyer. It goes well with Cooper, is the last-name as a first-name, has literary connections, and shares its first letter with my mother-in-law’s name (while Cooper shares its first letter with my mother’s name). However, we just don’t seem to be feeling it.<\/p>\n
We also like Maxwell. It’s one of my husband’s best friend’s middle names. Joaquin Phoenix, one of my favorite actors, also played a character named Maxwell California (from 8 mm, a very dark film, but the character wasn’t dark). I don’t mind the default nickname, Max. My only real hesitation with Max is that Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera recently named their sons Max. And I think Max Gibson sounds a bit odd … can’t put my finger on it, though.<\/p>\n
The middle name will likely be Pate – it’s my husband’s middle name and his mother’s middle name. Again, it’s not something we have to use. Other possibilities for middle names: Benson (a friend’s last name) or Yaboa (a friend’s middle name, it’s of African decent and pronounced just as it looks YA-BO-A). The more “common” the first name, the more creative we’ll be with the middle name. California is also a contender (my husband is from SoCal), and I love the combination of Maxwell California.<\/p>\n
I’m looking for more name suggestions and perhaps some reassurance on the name Maxwell. I’m really hoping he arrives and looks “just like a _____.” But I want to be prepared if that doesn’t happen!<\/p>\n
So, there it is. I really love your opinions and the comments from your readers. As a mom with a nameless baby, reading your blog has been a wonderful, educational distraction during my pregnancy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Okay! *brisk clap* So it sounds like we want to concentrate on surname names here. I think Sawyer is a great choice: the first time I heard it on a baby, I immediately thought “OMG GREAT NAME.” It is terrible with my own surname, but it’s great with yours. (Should we use the word “great” again? GREAT!)<\/p>\n
I agree with you that there is something I can’t put a finger on about the name Max Gibson. Is it maybe just too much like Mel Gibson? It doesn’t sound the same, but it’s three letters starting with M and maybe that’s what does it. Or maybe it blends too well and turns into something like Mack Skibson. Still, it belongs in the poll.<\/p>\n