My husband and I are TTC and I am (of course) already thinking baby names. I seem to be drawn to more solid, classic names. The only problem? Our last name - [name]Smith[/name]. I’m concerned that my name choices will come off as lack of creativeness.
Names I love…
Boys:
[name]Theodore[/name] “[name]Theo[/name]”
[name]Henry[/name] - husband doesn’t love this
[name]Benjamin[/name] “[name]Ben[/name]”
[name]Julian[/name]
Middle name for a boy will most likely be [name]Daniel[/name]
Girls:
[name]Sophia[/name] “[name]Sophie[/name]” - our favorite
[name]Clara[/name] - another fave
[name]Julia[/name] - taken by a family member
[name]Charlotte[/name]
[name]Kate[/name] - don’t really like [name]Catherine[/name], love [name]Kate[/name]
[name]Emma[/name]
[name]Elisabeth[/name] - most likely would use this for a middle, but not totally sold.
Any thoughts? Any suggestions? We would love feedback!
You can’t choose your surname, so use the names you love and forget about what other people think.
[name]Theodore[/name] “[name]Theo[/name]” - I like this, it’s a handsome classic with cute nickname potential. [name]Theodore[/name] [name]Smith[/name] sounds very distinguished.
[name]Henry[/name] - Nice but I find it very formal, and [name]Harry[/name] or [name]Hank[/name] don’t come as natural as [name]Theo[/name] does to [name]Theodore[/name], or [name]Ben[/name] to [name]Benjamin[/name].
[name]Benjamin[/name] “[name]Ben[/name]” - I really like this too.
[name]Julian[/name] - A nice name, but I’m concerned bout the back to back ‘an’ in [name]Julian[/name] [name]Daniel[/name], it doesn’t flow as great as some of your other names.
[name]Sophia[/name] “[name]Sophie[/name]” - If you’re going to call her [name]Sophie[/name], use [name]Sophie[/name], it doesn’t need [name]Sophia[/name] and I think the flow of [name]Sophie[/name] [name]Smith[/name] is better than that of [name]Sophia[/name] [name]Smith[/name] anyway.
[name]Clara[/name] - [name]Do[/name] you say this Clah-ruh or [name]Claire[/name]-uh? I like the former but not the latter, I find it very nasally.
[name]Julia[/name] - If it’s taken, maybe use it as a middle? Or how about [name]Juliet[/name]? I personally find it quite a dated name still.
[name]Charlotte[/name] - I like this, a gorgeous classic.
[name]Kate[/name] - I like [name]Kate[/name] too, but [name]Kate[/name] [name]Smith[/name] sounds a little choppy to me.
[name]Emma[/name] - Nice enough but I find this a tad dated now too.
[name]Elisabeth[/name] - I think [name]Elisabeth[/name] would work fine as a middle to any of these names.
I have a friend whose surname is [name]Smith[/name] and their son has a classic first and middle. You know what the attending nurse in the hospital said when she heard it? “Oh, how nice! You don’t hear names like that anymore!” So yes, I so go ahead and give your kids solid, classic names. They’re becoming a rarity in today’s world of “creative” names.
Classic names can’t be beat. All of your choices are great. I especially like [name]Clara[/name] [name]Elisabeth[/name] and for a boy suggest [name]Bennett[/name] [name]Daniel[/name].
I think classic names work really well with common surnames. If it was me I would avoid using names that are in the top 20 names though. My maiden name is a very common surname and in high school 2 girls in my class had the same surname as me. They also happened to have the exact same first name, which is something I would want to try and avoid.
From your list I like [name]Theodore[/name], [name]Julian[/name] [name]Clara[/name] and [name]Emma[/name] best with the surname [name]Smith[/name].
Thank you guys for all of the wonderful feedback and suggestions!
@wintersage, I really like [name]Josephine[/name]! Could have potential for a middle spot…? Plus, [name]Joseph[/name] is a family name. Could work really well, thanks!
@jazz, good advice not to use anything within the top 20!
@mgb, love the suggestion on [name]Bennett[/name], it’s going on the list!
I think it works. I have neighbors who are Smiths and their son has a very common first name, but his middle is a very unique, but not out-there occupation name that ties to his father’s family business. I think it’s a nice touch and the -er ending pairs well with [name]Smith[/name]. For privacy purposes think-
[name]Benjamin[/name] [name]Fisher[/name] [name]Smith[/name]
I think the middle name could be extra daring in a combo like this!
