Here we go again! [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] (2 1/2) and [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] (1) are getting a sibling in [name_u]June[/name_u]. We don’t know the gender, but we have a girl’s name pretty well settled, so I’m having fun with our boy list.
My favorites at the moment are [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] and [name_u]Rory[/name_u]. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband definitely preferred [name_m]Zebediah[/name_m] to [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] when we started talking, but he’s coming around to [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m]. I don’t dislike [name_m]Zebediah[/name_m], it just feels a wee tiny bit too much to me and will plant us pretty firmly in the obscure-Biblical theme (though neither [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] nor [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] are actually in the Bible as names, they might as well be.) Technically [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] will, too, but it feels lighter and more fun to me. [name_m]Zedekiah[/name_m] and [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m] I don’t think we’ll use, but we had [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m] on our lists before, and my husband especially still likes it and favors this style. [name_u]Rory[/name_u] I love. [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] and [name_m]Malachy[/name_m] are on the list because my husband suggested looking for Irish names besides [name_u]Rory[/name_u] (we do have a bit of Irish heritage on both sides.) [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] deserves more consideration, but [name_m]Malachy[/name_m], on second and third thoughts, makes me think too much of malarkey and malady. I got a bit excited about [name_u]Jude[/name_u] when the name generator suggested it. I’ve had it on long lists. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband is mulling it over; he thinks it might be too simple next to the other boys, and I think it might be too popular. I don’t personally know any Judes, but it’s used more than [name_m]Judah[/name_m] and I know a few families who’ve used [name_m]Judah[/name_m] recently as either a first or middle.
Middle name will probably be [name_m]John[/name_m], or possibly [name_m]Travis[/name_m], after an uncle. Preference goes to [name_m]John[/name_m] since it was his middle name and we’ve used family middles for the other boys (plus it’s so versatile.) But if we pick [name_u]Jude[/name_u], middle will be [name_m]Travis[/name_m].
Which one(s) do you like best for our set, and why? What great names are we missing? We kinda have two styles going here, the obscure-Biblical and the more carefree Irish-y. Any suggestions for either style or for meeting in the middle are welcome. Our surname rhymes with pagan, so most 2-syllable names ending in N sound less than ideal with it.
Gosh, they are all great choices.
I like [name_m]Malachy[/name_m] best, but any of them (except [name_u]Jude[/name_u] for me) are great choices. I like [name_m]Malachy[/name_m]’s breezy Irishness yet deep roots.
I like [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] and [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] best with [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] and [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] (which are a great set, by the way!) [name_u]Jude[/name_u] and [name_u]Rory[/name_u] seem very light and short compared to your other boys’ names, which isn’t necessarily a problem, but may be worth considering. [name_m]Jebediah[/name_m] and [name_m]Zebediah[/name_m]/Zedekiah On the other hand seem longer and more cumbersome. [name_m]Malachy[/name_m] would also be nice, but it seems like you don’t like it as much. So [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] and [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] have my vote.
Zebedee/Zebediah/Zedekiah-Honestly, [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] is not my favorite. It’s just a little too goofy sounding for me. However, I think that you could call a [name_m]Zebediah[/name_m] [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] for a fun nn. And also [name_m]Zeb[/name_m] is very cool & great w/Ransom & [name_m]Tobias[/name_m].
Jedidiah-It doesn’t seem like you like this one that much, & it’s not as cool as [name_m]Zebediah[/name_m] in my opinion. It must be the ‘Z’.
Rory-It’s cute, but I don’t know. It’s a little hard to say.
Seamus-I love this name. I have a nephew called this. He goes by [name_u]Shay[/name_u] a lot. It’s just handsome & lovable & kind of sporty. Well known but fairly unique.
Jude-I don’t think that it’s getting too popular, but maybe…I’d say it’s about as popular as [name_u]Rory[/name_u]. [name_u]Jude[/name_u] is gorgeous though. And I love it w/your boys’ names.
Malachy-This is another nepehew’s name! [name_m]Seamus[/name_m]’ little brother. Other brothers are [name_u]Li[/name_u]@m, Cilli@an & E@amon, by the way. I think it’s darling. It’s spunky & lovable. Maybe I’m biased, though.
Thanks! You did well with our style(s), since I’ve had quite a few of these, including [name_m]Crispin[/name_m], [name_m]Eamon[/name_m], [name_m]Phineas[/name_m], [name_u]Basil[/name_u], and [name_u]Thaddeus[/name_u], on my lists. I love, love [name_m]Crispin[/name_m], but my husband says it’s “too lettuce-y” and I must concede it would probably get some “crispy” comments. [name_m]Finnian[/name_m], [name_m]Eamon[/name_m], [name_m]Finnegan[/name_m] are lovely but do not play nicely with our surname.
[name_m]Nehemiah[/name_m] is going on the list! That caught my husband’s eye as we read, and he does like many of the -iah names.
[name_u]Thaddeus[/name_u]–we really like it. Missed it by a hair last time, as we decided we’d rather use [name_m]Tobias[/name_m]. Wouldn’t [name_m]Ransom[/name_m]/Tobias/Thaddeus really leave [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] the odd man out? Maybe we can keep it in our back pocket for a later brother, if that happens.
And I love your handsome Irish nephew set. [name_f]Do[/name_f] they have sisters?
I am very partial to [name_m]Malachy[/name_m], I think it’s so handsome, rugged and fun. A perfect unexpected yet equally fun brother to R and T.
I also love [name_m]Seamus[/name_m], for many of the same reasons. It feels warm and cosy but also rugged and strong.
And [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] is fabulous! Definitely a brave choice, but as a brother to [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] especially it fits right in! [name_u]Love[/name_u] [name_m]Zeb[/name_m] or [name_f]Zee[/name_f] for short
Rafferty sprang to mind for me too, with that jaunty Irish rhythm and the “[name_m]Raff[/name_m]” syllable reminding me of the Biblical [name_m]Raphael[/name_m].
Maybe also…
Cormac
[name_m]Naphtali[/name_m]
[name_m]Ozias[/name_m]
[name_m]Zephaniah[/name_m]
[name_m]Barnaby[/name_m]
[name_m]Solomon[/name_m]
[name_m]Dalziel[/name_m]
[name_m]Dougray[/name_m]
Finvarra (might be a bit brave, but I love this one!)
Love [name_m]Malachy[/name_m] its on my list but partner not keen. I like [name_m]Conroy[/name_m] /Conway and [name_m]Oisin[/name_m] too with your siblings
Thank you! Thinking about adding [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] and [name_m]Naphtali[/name_m] for consideration–and I have Finvarra on a long list. So cool. [name_m]Finbar[/name_m] might be more realistic for us.
Loving the idea of [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m]. [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] or [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] would be fabulous with [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] and [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] as well.
I love [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] and [name_m]Tobias[/name_m]! Such great names. [name_f]Do[/name_f] either of them ever go by a nickname?
Here are my thoughts:
[name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] is one of my favorites for you. It reminds me of zippity, as in doo-dah. In a fun, happy way, that is! I also like [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] with your sibset, probably because it’s also a happy name.
I think all the -iah names seem a bit heavy. But your Irish names seem a little light? To me, you’re looking for something substantial but offbeat, not full-on weird, but a bit unexpected. As far as biblical names go, I’d suggest [name_m]Hosea[/name_m], [name_m]Simeon[/name_m], and [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m], and I also support [name_m]Malachi[/name_m]
I love the name [name_u]Rory[/name_u], but it doesn’t seem quite right to me. If you’re up for a nickname, what do you think about [name_m]Gregory[/name_m], which is very handsome with [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] and [name_m]Tobias[/name_m], and nickname him [name_u]Rory[/name_u]?
Jude is very handsome.
As previously noted, I like [name_m]Malachi[/name_m]. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you like [name_m]Malcolm[/name_m]? It would be a nice fit with his brothers.
And I also have a two-syllable surname ending in the “en” sound- so many nice boy names don’t work with it. I sympathize with you!
@bjoy thank you! [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] doesn’t have a nn (other than [name_m]Ransom[/name_m]-man, etc), but the aunts and uncles often call [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] [name_u]Toby[/name_u], which is cute.
Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions. I like [name_m]Gideon[/name_m], [name_m]Simeon[/name_m], [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m], [name_m]Malachi[/name_m], though probably not enough to use; we also have friends with a [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] and a [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] and know of a couple little Ezekiels (all different families; wouldn’t be a dealbreaker if one was The Name, but…)
I’ve considered [name_m]Hosea[/name_m], though not very seriously. I’ve thought minor prophet names could be cool for twins: [name_m]Hosea[/name_m] and [name_m]Joel[/name_m]
[name_m]Gregory[/name_m] nn [name_u]Rory[/name_u] is a great idea, especially since I like [name_m]Gregory[/name_m] but not [name_m]Greg[/name_m]. We’ll think on it a bit more. I agree [name_u]Rory[/name_u] alone does seem a bit lightweight next to the brothers; my husband is concerned that it’s similar to my name.
[name_m]Malcolm[/name_m] is one of those names that it seems I should like, but I’m not a big fan. Both [name_m]Malcolm[/name_m] and [name_m]Gregory[/name_m] do sound good in the set.
Currently, [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] and [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] are our frontrunners. I think [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] has an edge because of the [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m]/Zebediah thing. [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] has a bit more weight than [name_u]Rory[/name_u], I think, and it shares sounds with the brothers while being a different style.
Jude, Rory, and Nehemiah are still on the table. A friend suggested Xavier as an unexpected good fit-- thinking that over, too.
Ransom, [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] ([name_u]Toby[/name_u]) and [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m] ([name_m]Zeb[/name_m]) seem a fitting threesome to me!
It’s interesting I find [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m] to be more “out there” then [name_m]Zebediah[/name_m]… maybe because it kind of fall in line with the [name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m], [name_m]Zephaniah[/name_m], [name_m]Zachariah[/name_m], [name_m]Nehemiah[/name_m]’s.
I actually see [name_u]Jude[/name_u] fitting right in with [name_m]Ransom[/name_m] and [name_m]Tobias[/name_m]. And actually I could also see it as a middle. ([name_u]Rory[/name_u] [name_u]Jude[/name_u], [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] [name_u]Jude[/name_u])
Boaz, [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m], [name_m]Titus[/name_m] would be my suggestions.
It’s not really that I see [name_m]Zebediah[/name_m] as more out-there than [name_m]Zebedee[/name_m], more that I find it heavier and more clunky. The B and D seem to make [name_m]Zebediah[/name_m] more cumbersome than [name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m] or [name_m]Nehemiah[/name_m], with their softer consonant sounds.
Oo, [name_m]Boaz[/name_m] is good. I’m thinking of adding [name_m]Lazarus[/name_m] to the list-- what would everyone think? I’ll probably make a separate thread to ask about [name_m]Lazarus[/name_m].
Those five are the only five in that family.
I always did say I could name a bunch of boys more easily than girls.