hello friends, old and new! 
could this have been a quick poll? possibly… but where’s the fun in that?
i have a new crush, and that’s herschel willard. while i’ve adored herschel for some time, willard is a new love. it’s an ode to the area my partner and i grew up in, a family name, and it pays tribute to our angel baby, willa, as well.
along with all of these lovely things, herschel willard is just adorable (in my opinion). it’s driveway hockey games and pancakes with huckleberry jam and the coziest wool sweaters.
now for my question- what are your thoughts on herschel willard? do you think it fits well with our other tip-top choices for a boy- george victor, thatcher dean, and silas robert? and as a bonus question, if you had to name your son herschel, what would his middle name be? 
thank you, in advance, friends! 
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I think it’s its own name but it fits well.
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I love it, [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] is one of my favorite underrated names and it goes great with [name_m]Willard[/name_m]. I also think it fits well with your other boys, although it is definitely unique in that, in my mind, [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] is distinctly Yiddish while the others are more [name_f]English[/name_f] in origin.
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[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Willard[/name_m] is charming - sophisticated but fun too and it feels very you. Meaningful and well matched with your sort of stylish-but-clunky-classic style. It does have a cosy vibe, and it’s giving oversized sweaters, candy apples and clunky hardback books full of facts.
If I was to name a [name_m]Herschel[/name_m], I’d consider the middles:
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Cormac[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Evander[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Rudy[/name_m]
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herschel cormac is super cool! as is herschel rudy- we’ve considered rudy herschel 
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herschel is so underrated, it’s cool to see him here!! i also think willard is quite cute, i like his old mannish vintage charm.
but as a combo, i think it’s a lot more out there compared to your other choices? herschel is already very unexpected and brave, and willard is not a name you typically hear. whereas with your other combos, both the first and middle are quite familiar! it’s obviously fine if you only have one son, but i’d be very surprised to meet a george, silas and herschel, and having a “safer” middle could help make it work a bit better! like, silas willard and herschel robert would be the more obvious choice for me!
i also understand that this is something very sensitive and personal to each individual, and i hope i’m not overstepping, but i’ll just say that for me, personally, it’d feel uncomfortable being named in connection to a sibling who sadly isn’t with us. but someone else may feel completely differently! i just figured that i’d put the thought out there
but even with these things said, i totally get the cute, cozy vibe you’re going for with herschel willard, and it definitely 100% works nicely as a combo!
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i appreciate your honesty and the time you took to write this- all the things you’ve said are very good to keep in mind.
i actually adore silas willard, and herschel robert was our first option, when our silas combination was silas franklin! we also are considering jasper willard, which may be a bit more on point with our other favorites- you’ve given me much to consider here!
thank you, regardless, for your help! 
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I have never really considered [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] before, but I like it.
[name_m]George[/name_m], [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m], [name_m]Silas[/name_m] and [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] would be a sibset that would make me smile. Yes, the names don’t all fit the same style, but I would assume the parents’ style evolved over the years and perhaps they became a bit more adventurous with naming by the time #4 came along.
It did strike me that you can spell [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] by using letters from [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m] and [name_m]Silas[/name_m] (and that [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] starts the same way that [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m] ends). It’s certainly not a deal-breaker, just something interesting I noticed that could tie the brothers together.
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I love it! [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] is one of my favorite names, and [name_m]Willard[/name_m] goes well with it.
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Hm, I do think both names are sweet but for me the combo sounds super clunky, unfortunately. I think with all of the other combos there’s one name that’s a bit more classic/current/trendy, but this one makes me think of a 70 year old grumpy, but sweet, grandpa.
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Heya [name_f]Hannah[/name_f]
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] your well 
So [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] is a clunky cool choice. He’s rare and feels gentlemanly fitting in with your vintage style. [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] does feel slightly different from the likes of [name_m]Fielding[/name_m], [name_m]Warren[/name_m] + [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m]. [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] feels distinctly Jewish (Yiddish to narrow it down further) however I feel that [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] would work with [name_m]Noam[/name_m] + [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m].
Regarding [name_m]Willard[/name_m] even though again [name_m]Willard[/name_m] is a clunky cool choice I feel it’s a little too clunky paired with [name_m]Herschel[/name_m]. I think [name_m]William[/name_m] would sound better a little less heavy paired with [name_m]Herschel[/name_m]. [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]William[/name_m] would also sound lovely and honours [name_f]Willa[/name_f].
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps
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aww, i love this, and reading the names together just makes my heart flutter
i love that you noticed herschel, silas, and thatcher have some similar letters. i adore those sounds, and they give a bit better example of my style than george (george is of importance as a family name)! 
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thank you for your insight! i could definitely see this with silas and thatcher, which is funny, because i’ve known old men with these names!
thank you for sharing your thoughts, tori! i wondered about both names being a bit too clunky, and i love your suggestion of herschel william. it gives me a more southern, gentlemanly vibe and we definitely are considering it
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When I saw this combo in the title I thought it was so sweet and perfect for you - it reminds me of an old timey cabin, drinking hot chocolate in front of the fireplace, hand knit wools, and walking through the first dusting of snow. I could see it as “Appalachian mountains” or “Jewish grandpa” (of which I love both) 
[name_f]My[/name_f] only issue is that Herschel’s hypothetical brothers are not really Appalachian mountains/Jewish grandpa. [name_m]George[/name_m] [name_m]Victor[/name_m] is very regal to me, I could definitely see it as a grandpa name but [name_m]George[/name_m] alone seems more classic. [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m] [name_m]Dean[/name_m], I could see [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m] + [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] as woodsy brothers. [name_m]Silas[/name_m] [name_m]Robert[/name_m] feels much more current - I would mentally pair [name_m]Silas[/name_m] with Levi/Jude (modern Christian). Something like [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m] [name_m]Robert[/name_m] or [name_m]Vernon[/name_m] [name_m]George[/name_m] seem more akin to [name_m]Herschel[/name_m].
I don’t think [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Willard[/name_m] couldn’t be their brother, but if cohesion is important to you then it might be something to think about?
Some [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] combos and sibsets that I would use or consider:
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Abram[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Clyde[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Ezra[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Felix[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Graham[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Guthrie[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Kit[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]River[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Robin[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Zane[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_f]Albertine[/name_f]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m], [name_m]Eugene[/name_m] + [name_m]Lawrence[/name_m] (Harry, [name_m]Gene[/name_m] + Lawrie)
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_m]Fielding[/name_m] (Herschel [name_m]Willard[/name_m] + [name_m]Fielding[/name_m] Mordecai)
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_m]Grover[/name_m] (used to have these two on my list as brothers 
)
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_f]Imogene[/name_f] (your [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]Willard[/name_m] + [name_f]Imogene[/name_f] [name_f]Greta[/name_f] would be sooooo sweet. I don’t think I’ve had a chance to tell you how much I love [name_f]Imogene[/name_f] [name_f]Greta[/name_f] as a combo)
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_m]Irving[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_m]Isidore[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_f]Loretta[/name_f]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_m]Oswald[/name_m] (Harry/Hal/Hersch + Ozzy)
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_f]Roberta[/name_f]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_f]Virginia[/name_f]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_m]Wallace[/name_m]
[name_m]Herschel[/name_m] + [name_m]Wilfred[/name_m] (Hal + Wilkie)
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Yay glad you like [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] [name_m]William[/name_m]!
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herschel willard is very nice! if i had to name my son herschel, middle name would be:
herschel boaz
herschel irving
herschel isidore
hershel lazarus
herschel phineas
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first of all, thank you for responding, madison! i thoroughly enjoyed reading this
definitely. i actually adore cyrus and vernon, but when you start naming with another person, things get tricky 
my partner is much more fond of names like rowan, huxley, bridger, etc. (with a couple outliers being john, william, and raymond), so silas and thatcher are sort of a middle ground for us. it took me a long time to get him to appreciate herschel! you have got me thinking about another favorite of mine, floyd. that might fit that appalachian vibe a bit better!
thank you for the kind words on imogene greta. it does have a sparkle to it, and i love how you’ve paired it with herschel! i also love your ideas of ambrose, fielding, irving, loretta, thaddeus, and wallace! you have such a cozy style 
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aaahhhh I totally get that about compromising! I still would really love to see you two with a [name_m]Herschel[/name_m] – an [name_m]Floyd[/name_m]! Such a lovely name. [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m], [name_m]Herschel[/name_m], and [name_m]Floyd[/name_m] would definitely play street hockey in your driveway;)
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I really like willard, especially as a middle name.
As for herschel, I am personally not sold on it. It sounds harsh to me, and the spelling is a little complicated. There are much worse names on nameberry for sure, but this is one I still don’t like. I love thatcher dean though. And I think silas willard has great potential too.
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