Looking for some opinions on some of my ideas for Elijah’s brother. The surname is Ferber (in Australia so usually pronounced like Ferba). At the moment we call him [name_u]Elijah[/name_u] or [name_f]Lija[/name_f], not [name_u]Eli[/name_u]. [name_u]William[/name_u] was a family middle.
I’m unsure if my two favourite names complement [name_u]Elijah[/name_u]. It doesn’t have to be a perfect match (Gabriel was already vetoed by my partner) but I want the names to make sense as brothers.
[name_u]Ari[/name_u] - I would use [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] on the birth certificate and just call him [name_u]Ari[/name_u] but worried about teasing from the [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid.
[name_u]Shea[/name_u] (pronounced Shay) - love the uniqueness of this (My name is Irish-lite so that’s a nice link too) but worried it’s going to the girls and is it too short next to [name_u]Elijah[/name_u]?
Other names on my list:
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] (this was on shortlist for [name_u]Elijah[/name_u] so keeping it on there, also an option for a middle)
[name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] (too samey with the j sound next to Elijah??
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] (love this in full but [name_u]Sam[/name_u] seems a bit plain next to Elijah?)
Family middle ideas:
[name_m]Matthew[/name_m]
[name_u]Francis[/name_u]
[name_u]Kingston[/name_u]
[name_m]Eugene[/name_m]
[name_u]Henry[/name_u]
[name_u]Robin[/name_u]
[name_u]Benjamin[/name_u]
I think both Shea and Ariel work with Elijah! Shea and Elijah both have a cool, modern sound, and I don’t think Shea sounds too feminine - it’s perfectly unisex to me. Ariel might get a few “haha, little mermamid” comments, but I really don’t think that’s the end of the world, and nickname Ari is so lovely!
I am curious though - since it’s Ari that you love, and the full name Ariel is what gives you some concerns, have you considered any other names with the nickname Ari? Archer, Arthur, Ambrose, Amory, Alaric, Aaron, Harris, Arlo, Arden, Adrian and Alistair come to mind.
From your list, I think my favourite is Samuel. Elijah is really popular, especially in Australia, so although Samuel has been popular for a much longer time, I don’t think it feels too plain next to your son’s name! My other favourite is Ariel, but honestly you can’t go wrong with any of the names on your list.
Is there any particular reason you don’t want to use [name_u]Ari[/name_u] on its own? It’s a stand alone name in its own right and has several meanings. Scandinavian heritage of [name_u]Ari[/name_u] translates its meaning to [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]. Hebrew interprets it as “Lion” and I believe other cultures consider it to mean sun like.
I love the sound of [name_u]Ari[/name_u] with [name_u]Elijah[/name_u]
[name_u]Ari[/name_u] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] or [name_u]Ari[/name_u] [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] sounds amazing with [name_u]Elijah[/name_u] [name_u]William[/name_u].
Thanks Greyblue! I’m glad to hear you like it, I personally love the sound of [name_u]Shea[/name_u], it sounds warm to me. I like both of those combos.
Thanks marysia - I like those combos. You don’t hear [name_u]Robin[/name_u] much these days, reminds of [name_u]Robin[/name_u] Hood which is a positive association
Thanks emmievis - glad to hear you think the mermaid isn’t too much of an issue. I like both [name_u]Ari[/name_u] and [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] and I hate that [name_f]Disney[/name_f] could be a factor in my decision making ugh!
I am up for the option of other ways to get to [name_u]Ari[/name_u] but my partner is very against names where the nickname isn’t obvious/standard, he would say there is no i in [name_u]Archer[/name_u] for example, very annoying
I love [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] in full but they will be called [name_u]Sam[/name_u] in Australia for sure!
Honestly I think Shea works for either sex and I know two Shea’s one is my sister’s ex boyfriend and the other is my brother’s friend but she is Shea-Rose so for me I think this name feels very gender neutral. I love the link to your Irish heritage, how outdoorsy and free spirited the name is and I think teamed with Elijah makes such a handsome pairing. I can image Elijah & Shea going on long hikes together, chasing their dogs and going on treasure hunts. I love Elijah & Shea!
From the middle names I like Benjamin the most. I just think Shea Benjamin has a great flow and feels strong. Also stylistically Benjamin matches William nicely.
I do like Ari but just Ari rather than Ariel. I think Ari is fabulous especially with the meaning lion of G-d a really gorgeous option. I would like Ari Benjamin as well. But I’m not overly keen on Ariel.
Here are my thoughts on your short list for a little brother:
Ari(el)-I love love love [name_u]Ari[/name_u]. It’s my kitty’s name! I don’t love [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] for a boy, even though I know that it’s actually a boy name. I prefer just [name_u]Ari[/name_u], but maybe [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] or [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] as a full name. I think that either of those go well with [name_u]Elijah[/name_u], even though [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] is kind of a girl name too. Anyway, if you love [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] I think it’s fine. I like [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] best as a combo.
Shea-I love this one too. There’s something mystical about it, but it feels kind and down to earth as well. I don’t think that it’s too feminine. No more than [name_u]Ari[/name_u], which is used for boys and girls but traditionally male. [name_f]My[/name_f] eleven year old nephew is [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] and he goes by [name_u]Shay[/name_u] maybe 70% of the time. It works nicely. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you like [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] as a full name? [name_m]Just[/name_m] an idea. I think that just [name_u]Shea[/name_u] is lovely too and goes perfectly nicely with [name_u]Elijah[/name_u] even if they are slightly different styles. I like [name_u]Shea[/name_u] [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] & [name_u]Shea[/name_u] [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] best.
Theodore-I like it. It’s really charming and has a lot of fun nns. It’s super popular, but maybe that doesn’t bother you. It doesn’t sparkle as much as [name_u]Ari[/name_u] or [name_u]Shea[/name_u] does for me.
Benjamin-Nah, I think it’s perfect with [name_u]Elijah[/name_u]. They don’t sound too much alike, but they vibe really well for brothers. Again, [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] is very common, but a beautiful classic name.
Samuel-I love [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] and it’s perfect with [name_u]Elijah[/name_u]. It’s manly but sweet. I prefer just [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] anyway. You don’t have to do [name_u]Sam[/name_u] as a nn, but if you did it’s totally fine next to [name_u]Elijah[/name_u].
I also think [name_u]Ari[/name_u] is substantial enough to stand alone AND looks good next to [name_u]Elijah[/name_u], but I’m wondering if you’ve considered [name_m]Adriel[/name_m] as an alternative to [name_u]Ariel[/name_u]?
love:
shea theodore
shea benjamin
shea francis
shea robin
ariel francis
ariel robin
ariel theodore
they both go amazing with elijah! specially ari
i don’t think the little mermaid would be too much of an issue - specially if he goes by ari most of the time. i know an ariel (20 yo) and he also goes by ari almost exclusively and he was never teased, as far as i know
I love [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] nn [name_u]Ari[/name_u] for a boy!!! [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] & [name_u]Elijah[/name_u] is one of my favorite sets for boy twins. I think [name_u]Eli[/name_u] and [name_u]Ari[/name_u] sound so cute together. As to [name_f]Disney[/name_f], I don’t think the movie is so relevant that it needs to influence your name choice. Once people start to get to know your son, they will associate it with him and not the movie. Best of luck!
I love [name_u]Shea[/name_u]! I actually quite like Schaefer nn [name_u]Shea[/name_u] for a boy. It has a [name_u]Christian[/name_u] tie as well if that’s important to you (Francis Schaefer was a prominent [name_u]Christian[/name_u] theologian).
Thanks tori101 - I just loved your imagery of [name_u]Elijah[/name_u] and [name_u]Shea[/name_u]
Agree [name_u]Shea[/name_u] [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] is lovely combo!
