Reader Michelle clearly has some wonderful baby name taste—I really adore the names she picked for her first two kids. But she hasn’t fallen in love with a name for her third child (they’re planning to be surprised as to whether it’s a boy or girl). Let’s help her out! Here’s her dilemma:
We are having a gender surprise sibling for Olivia (4) and Roman (2) early next year. We have read 900 baby name books and I think just the crazy lists numb our brains because there’s nothing we love.
-We don’t want a really common or traditional American name (although Olivia is very common, but I’ve loved it since before it was high on the list so we went with it anyway) like John or Jennifer. However, we do like older American names pre-1940′s era.
-We also like a lot of Irish and Scottish names, and also some of the cool European regal sounding names.
-We don’t want something that can’t be easily spelled or pronounced (i.e. the problem with “Isla” below).
-We like cool nicknames, too. Olivia actually nicknamed herself “Oli” pronounced like “Oh-lee”, and we call Roman “Ro.”
We LIKE but don’t know if we love the following, but any other ideas/opinions?
Girls
Isla (I’m being told the general public will never pronounce or spell this correctly, but it’s our favorite), Harper (dang it Beckham family!), Lucia (Loo-see-uh, aka Lucy)
Boys
Wyatt (sort of), Finn… uhh we’re really bad with narrowing down boy names…
I love all of your baby name picks! I think Isla is becoming more well known here in the U.S., with actress Isla Fisher and with it becoming so popular in the U.S., so your concerns about spelling and pronunciation issues may be a moot point. (Of course, you could always move to the U.K., where it’s so red hot that your Isla will likely not be the only one in her class.) Personally, I love Isla and Finn best out of your picks, but any of those names would be sweet and go well with your other kids’ names. If you’re still looking for suggestions that suit your baby name taste, here are my thoughts:
GIRLS’ NAMES
It’s so hard to narrow it down! I love Clara, Violet, Lillian (which comes with the cool and in vogue nickname Lily), Adeline (which would be my third daughter’s name, if there was a third daughter to name!), Eleanor, Rosalind, Clementine, Fiona, Alice, Harriet, and Louisa. Just to name a few!
BOYS’ NAMES
Boys’ names always seem to be a bit trickier for parents. Here are a few I think would work beautifully with the sibset, and have some flair and personality: Arthur, Alistair, Edwin (nicknamed Win!), Killian, Flynn (like Finn, but with a little more flair—think swashbuckling early silver screen star Errol Flynn), Ewan, Evander, Lachlan and Duncan.
Okay readers: What’s your favorite? And what other suggestions do you have for Michelle? (I know there are plenty of other favorites out there to recommend!)
If you’re still looking for the perfect baby name, you’ve come to the right place. Our Baby Name Finder can help you hunt, or send your dilemma to me at lamilbrand@gmail.com to get some personalized suggestions. And don’t forget to like In Name Only on Facebook to keep up with the very latest in baby names.
