my husband is named michael. he was one of twenty in his kindergarten class, and one of more than 50 in his large graduating class. my name–tracy–was about 10 years out of style when my parents gave it to me in 1980, but i was the only tracy i knew growing up in my very small town. we both have very differing opinions on baby names, his being that a name should be familiar, easy to spell (the original spelling, please), and generally not… weird.
i don’t disagree with those points, but i have more criteria to fulfill than just naming our baby girl isabella because everyone will be comfortable with it.
after much deliberation, we have come to a mutual agreement on the name breslin. it’s uncommon, but phonetic; pretty, but won’t give you a toothache. it also has meaning to us… the husband and i met at michigan state university, which is also where we were married, and breslin is the name of one of the athletic centers on campus. we figured that since sports and the university brought us together, the name actually fits our requirements well.
we are aware that not everyone out there will like it, but we do. our main issue is the middle name situation… it needs to be more than one syllable, as our last name is a single syllable and i’m a little neurotic about a name that doesn’t have an awkward transitional sound, lol.
should we go with something equally as meaningful and a little offbeat, such as my husband’s middle (and mother-in-law’s maiden) name, barret? or should we go with something much more feminine to balance out the slight masculinity of the last-name-first situation that breslin puts us in? some family names we have tossed around are:
elizabeth
anneliese
charlotte
noelle
caroline
as you can see, our options are few so far… i feel like we’ve hit a wall. do we have any winners? do you have suggestions? help!
Breslin is cute. I dont think it is strange or overly unique. I would stick with a more femine middle name to balance out Breslin. Breslin [name]Barret[/name] could be mistaken for a boy. Breslin [name]Charlotte[/name] or Breslin [name]Noelle[/name] would be lovely.
another good point, actually–the cute factor–which is my only worry for actually using the name.
while i like breslin for a little girl’s name, do you think it will carry over well into adulthood? is it too cutesy or trendy with the very popular “-en” sound on the end? would YOU vote for a president breslin, or trust your health to a dr. breslin?
I like it and I love that it has meaning for you! However, I think of [name]Abigail[/name] Breslin (from [name]Little[/name] Miss [name]Sunshine[/name]). I doubt very much that you considered this when you thought of the name and I doubt this will be a problem for you, but some might make the connection. If you love the name, go for it! I love Breslin [name]Noelle[/name], and I would definitely reccomend a feminine middle name.
I really love that Breslin has so much meaning for you. But, I have to say if I were you I would definitely put it in the middle. I’m not saying this just because Breslin isn’t my style; it’s also that it doesn’t quite sound like its yours. You want something familliar and easy to spell, but Breslin is not quite even a real name. Sure, if you see it written down, you know how to pronounce it, but if you hear it, would you be sure how to spell it? I understand you don’t want frilly, but you seem to want something feminine and Breslin actually sounds like a boy’s name. Finally, your list of middle names suggests that you tent toward more classic, traditional names- Breslin is anything but. [name]How[/name] would you ever name a sister for her? I’m sorry, but I don’t think Breslin will age well, I don’t see any reall nickname options to make this name more liveable (lin? very dated), and I just don’t think this name will serve you (or your daughter) well. I hope I’m not coming across as harsh; it’s just that you seem to be uncertain about this and I want to be honest in a hopefully constructive way that might better inform your decision.
If you do choose to put Breslin in the middle, I think it’s awesome that it sort of sounds like it’s a family name, and then it has this cool story behind it. I also think that as a 2 syllable name, it would offer a great link between a first name you love (possibly a 3-syllable name?) and your one syllable last name.
Breslin does seem to have a lot of meaning for you, and if you love it, that’s great, you should use it. But to my ear it doesn’t sound particularly unique or feminine. She will be one of many girls with surnames (amongst Paytons, Addisons and Reagans) or made up sounding names ([name]Kaylin[/name], Baylin, [name]Jaylin[/name], [name]Brooklyn[/name], etc). It does also remind me of [name]Abigail[/name] Breslin (the actress), but that’s not a huge deal. If you love Breslin though, then I’d definitely pair it with a feminine middle. Breslin [name]Barret[/name] sounds very masculine to me. Some combos:
Breslin is ADORABLE!!! Before i finished reading your post i immediately thought of the Breslin Center even before you mentioned it. I am the BIGGEST Michigan State fan (mostly women’s basketball tho) you will meet. Use Breslin please!!!
I automatically thought of [name]Abigail[/name] Breslin,But I think after you talked about it for a while,I started to Really,Really like it!
Breslin would be really cute on a little girl,Really cool on a teen and really creative and grown-up on a woman.
I also thought of this girl I know named [name]Bronte[/name],I always thought that was so cool & creative!
I would with a fem. middle name,
