I am due with a boy in about 6 weeks and we are still wrestling with what to choose for his middle name. We are blessed to have so many wonderful men in our lives that we would love to honor with our son’s middle name but unfortunately it is causing a lot of stress for us to just choose one.
I’d love to hear your opinions on our list - which is your favorite? which is your least favorite?
Our first name choice was fairly easy and we fell in love with [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] pretty quickly. We did debate between using [name_m]Greyson[/name_m] vs [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] but we are now 100% settled with [name_m]Grayson[/name_m].
[name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u]
[name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]Joseph[/name_m]
[name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_u]Francis[/name_u]
[name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m]
[name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]Hugh[/name_m]
[name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m]
[name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m]
[name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]Eli[/name_m] (this is my favorite, but the closest relative with this name was my GG-Grandfather who died well before anyone currently alive in my family was born. I think it’s a safe bet to use it without having to pick a specific person to honor but I also feel like it’s wasting an opportunity to honor at least someone.)
Our first born is named [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] if that helps in your decision at all.
This is a tough situation, especially because all the names work well with [name_m]Grayson[/name_m]. My mom insists that honor names mean more when the person is alive, so for that reason, I would eliminate [name_m]Eli[/name_m]. That still leaves you with seven choices… is there any way you can narrow it down a little more? [name_f]Do[/name_f] any of these men have any particular traits that you would like for your child to have? Are these all family members? Are other children named after them now or will they be in the future? You put [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] first, is there a reason? Sorry if this isn’t helpful, but I think they could all work. You could always ask your daughter or pick out of a hat if you’re that stressed.
Hmmm…the easiest way for me to decide is by sound. [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_u]Francis[/name_u], [name_m]Joseph[/name_m], [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m], and [name_m]David[/name_m] have similar sounds to [name_m]Grayson[/name_m], at least to my ears (whether it be an S sound or an a sound). That leaves [name_m]Hugh[/name_m], [name_m]John[/name_m], and [name_m]Eli[/name_m].
If you are wanting an honor name, I’d actually eliminate [name_m]Eli[/name_m]. It wouldn’t be honoring anyone, really, since you didn’t know him. It can be after him, or in common with him, but I wouldn’t personally consider it an honor name. (yes, I know people often choose names of ancestors and all of that, but it sounds like it is most important to you guys to name the baby after a special man in your life…which gives me the impression of someone present with you).
That leaves [name_m]Hugh[/name_m] and [name_m]John[/name_m]. Both are handsome. They are the same length and similar in style. However, I prefer the sound of [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]Hugh[/name_m]. That’s what would get my vote, anyway.
@whammy has some great ideas on how you can limit this down more. It is easy for us to pick one because we don’t know the connection. You may look at our choices and feel bummed that a certain combo didn’t show up. If that’s the case, and you get the feeling of disappointment in not using a certain one, then maybe that could be the sign of which you should choose.
Without knowing anything about who you are honoring, [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_u]Francis[/name_u], and [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]Hugh[/name_m] would be my favorites. But, as others have mentioned, you might like a name better because of the personal importance. My first son’s middle name had a lot of family history–which has actually made it a lot harder to find a middle I like for our son due in [name_f]September[/name_f]!–but means a lot to us as a middle for our first. That said, I do want to add that one of the main contenders for a middle name now is my Grandmother’s grandfather. No one alive remembers him, and I’m not even sure my Grandma ever met him, but I would consider it an honor name for her whole family line. So I think [name_m]Eli[/name_m] could work if you thought of it that way.
I think it depends on if you are planning on any more children. If yes I’d go [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]Eli[/name_m] because you like it best and you have other children to honour your other family with. If no I’d go [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] as it ticks off the most family