Leaving on a....mini van?

I have a bunch of requests, thanks to my friends and readers pimping me out on messageboards. :) However, I will be out of town for about 10 days. We're going to visit family and crash with friends for a few days so it should be fun. And by fun I mean incredibley exhausting and overwhelming and I am bringing wine with me.

It's about a 10 hour drive up to Lansing and we're leaving this afternoon and hoping to make it to Indianapolis. It's going to be crappy interesting since Bennett has an ear infection and a nasty cough from the EI. He's on an antibiotic and a steroid for his cough, which is awful because he hates the medicine and we have to hold him down to get him to take it. :( So sad.

Anyway, I am still in business but since I am not taking my laptop nor my four name books I will be limited in my research. I can't post from my phone (yet!) but I'll be back soon and I'll have a plethora of wonderful unique options for your unnamed little babes.

See you next week!

A sibling for Ryker

I found your website from Baby Center and thought it might be fun to get your opinion and any other thoughts you might have! I am due on July 25th and my husband and I aren’t finding out the gender. I have a two year son named Ryker Lee.

We have a few names picked out for each gender for you to review. For a girl we like Halle , Kinley, Leyla, and Tegan. For a boy we like Braxton, Bryson, Carter, Jacek, or Maverik.

I really like the girl names and would be happy with one of those choices, but I feel we are struggling with boy names a bit more. I like the boy picks fairly well, but am not real set on any one. Also, my husband likes the girl name Callie, which I think is cute, but too close to my name, Kelli. What do you think? FYI, husband’s name is Tyrun. Last name sounds like hoo-wah. Thanks for any suggestions/opinions.


Hi Kelli,

With Ryker being such a strong and consonant heavy name, I think a name like Halle might be too soft sounding, especially with your last name. I like Kinley (Kenley?), Tegan, Leyla and then Halle. For the boy names I think Braxton sounds the best with Ryker followed by Bryson, Jacek, Maverick and Carter.

For Callie, are you open to using it as a nickname? What about using a formal name like Calla, Calliope, Calista (love this name) or Caledonia?

Keep me updated! Good luck with the last trimester. I wish you nights of uninterrupted sleep and no heartburn.

OMG I am famous! -or- Lindsay's names

Hi Baby Name Snob!
This is Lindsay, I am writing you from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and I love your blog! My husband (Gam short for Gamunu) and I are expecting our first baby this fall and need some more ideas for names. We have a few favourites but have trouble agreeing!

We like to stick to classic/retro names or new names but that aren't commonly used. Boys:Enzo, Jalen, Jaxon, Archer and Ari are some that one or both of us like. No idea on a middle name at all! Enzo is probably the leader at this time. Girls:Lucy, Georgia, Ruby, Presley and Sofia/Sophia are some that one or both of us like using Rose as a middle name for sure. Georgia and Lucy are tied in first for now. We have a very long Sri Lankan last name and our baby will be mixed race Caucasian and Sri Lankan. We would prefer a one or two syllable name, not any longer than that. I am interested to see what you might come up with! Thanks so much.

Hi Lindsay! I think you are my first Canadian request. I love Canadians! I spent every summer as a kid up on Prince Edward Island and I have family in Ontario and I think a cousin or two in Manitoba. Right on, eh? :)

OK let's get down to business. For your girl names I like them is this order: Lucy, Georgia, Sofia, Ruby, Presley. I think Lucy Rose is darling. If you care about popularity, it's quite a bit up there (135) as opposed to Presley (348). But really, it's nowhere near the top 10 and I've never met a baby Lucy. I think you're good. Other names I like with your style:

Cora
Eve
Hazel (I don't think it works with Rose though, it sounds like a country song)
Stella

Of your boy names, I like Enzo, Ari, Archer, Jaxon and Jalen. My issue with Jalen is that it's just too close to the 'aiden' names--Jayden/Jaden is all over the charts. Enzo and Ari are cool phonetic short names that will be hard to screw up. I can't really touch Ari and Enzo but I tried:

Alden
Cade
Jude
Milo

For middle names, do you have any family surnames that you can use? Or a song (Hey Jude) that means a lot to you? You can't go wrong with Ari Thomas or Enzo Daniel.

I hope I helped you decide on a name. Sometimes you just need to go in with two and then decide once you see that sweet baby face. <3 Good luck!

Katie and Brent's baby names

Hi! My husband and I are expecting our first in December. We don't know if it is a girl or a boy. We think we have three names that we love for a girl (Amelia Grace, Olivia Mae, or Annalise - no middle name yet, maybe you could help with that as well? lol). We are having trouble finding a boys name, however. We have a list, but don't know that "the one" is there. My name is Katie Grace and his is Brent Lambert.

So far, the names we DON'T agree on are: I like Levi and Alexander and he likes Charles.

The names we DO have on our list are: Shepard, Silas, Samuel, Everett, and Connor.

For a middle name we are considering Robert (after my Grandfather) or my husband's name Brent. We aren't stuck on either of these middle names either though.

Can you help us come up with some more names that we will love? Thanks

You have some great ideas. Of your girl names Annalise is by far the less common--as far as middle names go, what about something like Jane or Faith? Some other names in the same vein as Olivia, Amelia and Annalise are

Camilla
Cecily
Eleanora
Lena
Lilia

For your boy names, I think Silas Robert is a very strong name, closely followed by Samuel Brent. I love Everett but I think Robert and Brent are too 't' heavy with Everett. Other options:

Bennett
Ellis
Graham
Henry (too close to your last name?)
Vaughn

Keep me posted! I added a poll just for fun. :)

Names for Janet

Hi! I'd love for your input on what we should name our baby due in June. We don't know if the baby is a boy or a girl. We already have a daughter named Briella Eva. Our last name is LONG and ends in "er" so those types of names (ie Cooper, Hunter, Taylor, etc) are out and we also don't like super popular names.
Thanks so much for your help!
Janet and Travis

Hi Janet and Travis,

Briella is a pretty unique name, its parent name Brielle is still only in the 400s according to the SSA site. Since Brielle/Briella has French roots, I tried to find names with a similar background.

Arianna
Charlotte
Clarissa
Elaina
Emmaline
Genevieve
Josephine 'Josie'
Mercy
Rhiannon
Valentina

Of the girl names I think Emmaline would be lovely (and it's not in the top 1000) with Briella and Emmy is a cute nickname. Since you didn't list any middle names, what about Emmaline Hope or Emmaline Grey?

Boy names were a little bit more difficult but I think they always are.

Blaise
Elias
Emmett
Felix
Gage
Leo
Louis
Luka
Kieran
Vincent

Of the boy names I like Blaise the best. If you stick with the French spelling it ranks at 992 but the more phonetic Blaze is still only 876. If you were to go with an unique name like that, I'd stick with a more traditional middle name such as Michael, Thomas or William. Blaise Michael has a nice ring.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy. Please shoot me an email after you have the babe, even if you didn't use a name I suggested. Take care!

I have competition and her name is Jamie

hi baby name snob,

i too am a name nerd. i just LOVE names and coming up with the *perfect* combination! my son's name is beckett reed and we are constantly getting compliments on what a wonderful name he has. i love that it's unique without being obscure. it's a little bit of history with a little bit spunk. anyways...my husband and i are trying to come up with an equally unique and wonderful name for the next little one.

so far we have a girl name, penelope june (nickname poppy) but are having trouble with a boy's name. we've also played around with the girl name matilda rose (nn milly). i think we've tenitively settled on sutton cole or sutton rhys. we were also considering langston cole, but it seems like a mouthful. i like to use family middle names; reed is my great grandparent's surname, june is for my grandma, and cole is a variation of my maiden name. i was just wondering what you thought of our name choices, being a fellow name nerd! i would love your input or suggestions also.
sincerely, jamie

Hi Jamie!

You have wonderful name ideas. Beckett is one of my favorite names, if we didn't have a Bennett it would be on my list for my next boy. Your girl names are super cute and classic--Poppy and Milly are great nicknames for a little girl and Penelope and Matilda are excellent names for a business card.

I like Sutton, it's not in the top 1000 but it's not unheard of either. Langston is a good name, it does seem like a mouthful but it's only two syllables and Langston Hughes is one of my favorite poets so that gives it a bump. Other names that I think you would like if he ends up not looking like a Sutton or Langston are

Atticus
Deacon
Sullivan

and they all sound great with Cole. For girl names, I'll toss out a few in case you ever have twins or triplets. ;)

Gwendolyn
Lorelei
Rosalie (Rosie)

Milly, Poppy and Rosie...aww. I may have to borrow those when I finally get around to writing my great American novel.

Happy baby naming!

love, theresa moira

Third time's a charm (for Pamela)

Pamela and her husband are expecting boy number three. Her sons are named Hunter Ethan and Tanner Edward. She'd like something that is outdoorsy so it will match her sons' names as well as an E middle name. Originally she wanted a name ending in 'er' but nothing has made much of an impression-specifically no Archer, Fisher or Gunnar.

Is Forrest too obvious? That's the first thing that came to mind.

I do think I've found two perfect names: Sawyer (woodcutter) and Reed.

I made a list as well.

Cooper
Finn
Griffin
Heath
Hollis
Levi
Rafferty
Rockwell
Scout
Thatcher
Thayer

Eamon
Eli
Elias
Elliott
Emmett
Everett
Ezra.

My vote goes to either Sawyer Elliott or Reed Elias.

Any winners?

Names for Abbey

Abbey came across my site through ivillage (and I think through Camille, thanks girl!). Her requirements:

*I would like it to start with an "A" for the fact that Brandon (my husband) and Braxton (my son) are fairly close in nature.
*My husband does like "Ali" for a name, but I have it okayed by him that it could be used as a nickname.
*He also said if it comes down to it he is open to anything.
*The only name that we feel is ok with right now is "Alyse" pronounced Alease.
*The middle name will be Kay after my mom who passed away when I was in 5th grade.
*I do like names that aren't that common. I feel my son's name is different enough, but not too out there.

Braxton is in the 200s according to voyager so your names are alphabetical, with the definition and current rank behind them. I figured I'd do a little extra work since I only had to research one letter. :)

Adair (beauty) n/a
Adaline (noble) n/a
Adora (beloved) n/a
Ainsley (my own meadow) 454
Alia (ascender) (n/a but its homonym Aaliyah is 84)
Alice (truthful) 346
Alison (form of Alice) 288
Annalise (from Anna) 676
Arabel (beautiful) n/a
Ariel (lion of God) 188
Arden (valley) n/a
Aria (musical term, solo song) 566
Ashlinn (dream) n/a
Audra (noble) n/a
Avril (April) n/a

I like your name choice, Alice and Elise are two of my favorite names. Of my list, I like Ainsley Kay, Annalise Kay and Alia Kay the best. Alison is closest to Braxton in popularity and Ali works as a nickname, too. Lots to think about! Good luck naming your little girl. I am a pale shade of green with envy over here.


p.s. I love that you and your husband are each using your letter for the kids' names. I know too many people that have a husband named John Thomas and name their kids Thomas and Jonathon. Where is all the love for the mothers? Rock on, mama!

Janel's names

[Dear Snob]
My husband and I are at a dead lock. We don't know if our little one is a boy or a girl. I like Aidan, Liam, Riley or Moses for a boy. My husband likes Alexander (but I hate Alex and I know the kid will be called that by our families), he doesn't mind Riley or Moses (but he is afraid Moses is too unique but I like unique). For a girl I like Emily, Gracie, Riley, Brianna, Beverly. He likes Helen (which I hate) and he likes Gracie. For middle names I would like to use our grandparents names Beverly, Grace, Rollie, Marie, Lee or Adam.

My husband likes history names, Helen of Troy, Alexander the Great, etc.. I like kind of different but not too unique like Moses, Riley, Liam, etc.

Hi Janel!
Aidan, Liam and Riley are all top 100 names right now while Moses is hanging out at 464. It's unique but it's not unheard of. With my son James I was bound and determined to not let anyone nickname him Jim, Jimmy or Jamie and it took some work but he's just James. Alexander is tough because it is a longer name and the urge to shorten it may be too much for your family. Is Xander an option? Since your husband likes names with a historical background and you like unique names, here's a boy list.

Adams
Beckett
Carter
Charles
Clinton
Cole
Desmond
Edmund
Grant
Henry
Hudson
Jackson
Julius
Lincoln
Louis
Magnus
Malcolm
Monroe
Raleigh
Theodore
Wallace
Walker
William
Wilson
Wyatt

As far as some extra girl names suggestions, we can come up with a few newer names just by adding or removing some letters. :)
Emily---Emery, Emme
Gracie--Gracen, Graciela
Riley--Ryanne, Rilla
Brianna--Brynn, Anna, Brenna
Beverly--Everly

I really love Beverly and I think it's posed to make a come back. It's been off the charts for the last decade and it peaked in the 1930s. I do like Everly as an alternative though.

And for your husband, I made him a list of historical women, most names of queens with some biblical names and the odd explorer or activist.

Anne
Amelia
Beatrix
Charlotte
Delilah
Elizabeth
Eve
Gloria
Isabella
Jane (Lady Grey)
Juliana
Lucy
Matilda
Rosa
Sofia
Victoria

Of the names from your list, Moses Lee is my favorite. Of your girl names I like Beverly Grace, Riley Marie--and I think Rollie is a cool name, too.

Good luck naming your sweet babe! Keep me updated.
Love, the snob

Names for Alison

This is a toughie! Alison and her husband cannot agree on a name for their baby boy. She likes Theodore, Ewan, Luke and Hugh while her husband suggested Edmund, Lawrence, Lee and Keagan--and he would really prefer it to not be in the top 100. They live in the DC area but Alison is from Thailand originally and she would also like a name that Thais can easily pronounce.They have a four year old girl named Maia.

I actually have several lists! First I tried nymbler but the eclectic mix of names from Alison and her husband had nymbler spitting out gems like Clifton, Leonard and Bertram. I did like

Basil
Cole
Eli
Ellis
Leo
Lewis.

Next I did some research on Maia: the name actually stems from three different languages. In Hindi it means 'God's creative power,' in Greek it's 'mother' and in Latin it's 'great.' Of the Sanskrit names I thought Ashwin and Rohan might be good matches with Maia. Then I went on to the Greek names and came up with

Ambrose
Apollo
Damian
Dorian
Jericho
Matthias
Nicholas
Peter
Sebastian
Thad
Theo
Xander.

Of the Latin names I liked

Adrian
August
Bennett (from Benedict)
Calvin
Dante
Dominic
Julian
Levi
Marcus
Maximus (so much cooler than Maxwell)
Miles/Milo
Silas
Victor
Vincent
Xavier.

And one random Japanese name: Kaemon.

Did I help or make it worse? ;)

Kim's List

Kim from Illinois wrote in for help with her fourth child's name. She has three children Colin, Claire and Keegan. She's looking for a K or C name that is uncommon but not too out there. She and her husband like the sounds of Cal, Caleb and Carter but they wanted something with a little more kick for their baby boy. It's a good thing you said you liked Irish names because most of the names that I thought worked with your sibset are Irish. :)

The number after is the current rank on the SSA's website.

Cade 293
Calden (Cal for a nickname) n/a
Callum (ditto) n/a
Camden 219
Clinton 755
Cullen 769

Keane n/a
Keaton 357
Kellan 882
Kenley n/a
Kevin 39
Kian (rhymes with Ian) 664
Kiefer n/a
Kieran (one of my favorite names) 571
Killian 836
Kingston 355 (jumped from 942 in 2006!)
Korrigan n/a
Knox n/a
Kylan 776

John and Georgine's List

Their baby girl is coming soon! The proud parents have three kids, Marshal, Gia and Blake. They like the names Nina and Gabriella but nothing has them sold yet.

I tried to play matchmaker with Gia since Marshal and Blake work so well together.

Angelica
Angelina
Bianca
Cecilia
Claudia
Ella
Eva
Daria
Gemma
Georgia
Jana
Johannah
Lucia
Magdalena
Marina
Mira
Mirella
Nicola
Orabella
Raya
Roma
Sofia
Susanna
Violetta