Oh this is a tough one ! I love [name_f]Jocelyn[/name_f] . The only ones I can think of are :
[name_u]Ali[/name_u]
[name_m]Rob[/name_m]
[name_m]Lyndon[/name_m]
[name_u]Jory[/name_u] …maybe a stretch for [name_u]Joyce[/name_u] and [name_f]Debbie[/name_f]
A tough challenge! I like the above suggestion of [name_u]Joss[/name_u]. Some of these have added and/or subtracted sounds and may not be straightforward.
Another strategy is to find names with similar meanings/inspired by the honor names. Nameberry is such a good resource for this!
Ex. [name_f]Deborah[/name_f] means “bee.” [name_m]Beaman[/name_m], [name_m]Beckett[/name_m] (meaning “bee hive, little brook, or bee cottage” which if you ask me is kind of adorable)
[name_u]Allison[/name_u] means “noble.” Similar sounds: [name_u]Ellis[/name_u], [name_u]Alexi[/name_u], [name_u]Ellison[/name_u]. [name_m]Ellsworth[/name_m] (“nobleman’s estate”), [name_m]Elden[/name_m] (“noble friend”), [name_u]Grady[/name_u] (“noble, illustrious”).
[name_u]Love[/name_u] the suggestions of [name_m]Allen[/name_m] and [name_u]Linden[/name_u]! Not sure about [name_f]Jocelyn[/name_f] for a boy… It leans pretty feminine, I think – [name_m]Josiah[/name_m] is a good replacement suggestion. [name_u]Sonny[/name_u] is a really cute suggestion to honor [name_u]Allison[/name_u], and I love the idea of [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] there, too. [name_f]Deborah[/name_f] brings [name_u]Devon[/name_u] to mind because I believe the original Hebrew pronunciation uses a ‘v’ instead of a ‘b’ sound…but it may be a little too close to Everly. [name_m]Beckett[/name_m] is another great suggestion.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] throwing this out there: what about using the beginning of a name in the first name and the ending in the middle? For example, [name_m]Devo[/name_m]n [name_f]Josi[/name_f]ah or Allen Carson – even backwards could work like [name_m]Son[/name_m]ny [name_m]Al[/name_m]exander. That would give you a lot of flexibility as far as finding a name you love with similar sounds, if that makes sense. I don’t know. [name_m]Just[/name_m] another option, I suppose.
I am really liking taking the sounds of [name_f]Lynne[/name_f] (+ a little [name_f]Deborah[/name_f]) to get [name_u]Linden[/name_u]. That just has such a nice sound to it, and I think [name_u]Linden[/name_u] complements [name_u]Everly[/name_u] quite nicely. [name_u]Linden[/name_u] [name_m]Josiah[/name_m], maybe?
Personally I think [name_f]Jocelyn[/name_f] is too feminine and wouldn’t work for a boy.
Here’s some ideas — some of them share the same or a similar meaning to the original name, which I think is always a good route to take with honour names. Apologies for any repeats!
Thank you for all the suggestions! I am definitely asking a lot haha. I am going to take a good look at all your suggestions to see if we can make something work.