I just wanted to do a fun poll. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think name length is important when choosing a sibling name?
For example, is [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_u]Wren[/name_u] too short of a name to be the sibling of a [name_f]Florence[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]?
Does it matter when the siblings are different genders? e.g. Can a [name_u]Noah[/name_u] [name_u]Jay[/name_u] be a brother to an [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] [name_f]Catherine[/name_f]?
If you think length is important, does that apply to both first and middle names? For example, would a [name_m]Carl[/name_m] [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] feel that his name is shorter than his brother’s, [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] [name_u]Lane[/name_u], even though they both have the same number of letters in total?
Would [name_f]Isadora[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] feel slighted if her sister was [name_f]Bridget[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] or not since [name_f]Isadora[/name_f] and [name_f]Bridget[/name_f] at least have the same number of letters?
Does length matter if the names have nickname options? For example, two brothers named [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] can both have nicknames if they like-[name_m]Jimmy[/name_m] and [name_u]Alex[/name_u]-despite the difference in length.
I think style is more important than length. [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] fit well together, they both seem like to-the-point names regardless of the different amount of letters. [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] and [name_f]Florence[/name_f] also match well.
With [name_u]Noah[/name_u] and [name_f]Arabella[/name_f], the length difference seems more obvious, as they seem quite different in style, however, as they’re different genders, it doesn’t strike me as too important.
[name_f]Eve[/name_f] and [name_f]Alexandria[/name_f] or [name_m]Joe[/name_m] and Phinneaus would be sets in which the length difference is more obvious.
I think ideally, it’s great for siblings to have names that are similar in length, but I don’t really think it’s that important for sibling names to sound perfect together. I guess the perfect situation for sibling names would have them all with a similar length and style, but not repeating sounds (Girl’s Gone Child blogger [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] [name_m]Woolf[/name_m]'s twins [name_f]Boheme[/name_f] and [name_f]Reverie[/name_f] are a super great fit together, in my opinion) but in the real world I don’t think it matters all that much.
I think one child could feel left out if they get a super short name and their sibling(s) get a super long one or vice versa. There’s definitely something odd about [name_f]Gabriella[/name_f], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], and Madi, for example, but I think the most important thing is for parents to choose a name they love.
I think overall I prefer names in sibling sets to have similar lengths and amount of syllables, across genders too.
I think it does apply to both first and middle names. [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] and [name_f]Florence[/name_f] are fine together but I’d use middle names that balance them out. Like [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] and [name_f]Florence[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f].
When it comes to just first names, I probably wouldn’t have an [name_m]Augustus[/name_m] and [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. However, if I were to do that, I’d at least hope that neither child felt slighted (like in the [name_f]Isadora[/name_f] and [name_f]Bridget[/name_f] case)!
It bothers me a little that two of my favorites, [name_f]Winifred[/name_f] and [name_m]Harry[/name_m], have different lengths, amount of syllables, and vibes. But [name_f]Winnie[/name_f] and [name_m]Harry[/name_m] work together! Also [name_f]Winifred[/name_f] [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] and [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] seem to match as a set.
Personally I like similar length sibling names, and a while ago I got set on having sibsets with the same number of letters. I think it’s a lot to do with the fact my favourite girls’ name and boys favourites happen to be the exact same length, so I thought I’d balance it by doing the same with my girls, then it stuck. Big mistake. Sure, it helps narrow down possibilities sometimes, but it also gives more reasons to feel unsure about using names. It’s a pain really, because in terms of letter length, I doubt many people (or even I) would care if it differed from their siblings’, but if the sibset isn’t balanced, or in particular if one has a different length to the others, that bugs me. It usually only concerns me with firsts, and although I have felt it grate when combos are different lengths, I refuse to make that an issue. Working with two middles would be impossible if all the names had to be the same length haha.
I really don’t think it should matter; it’s pretty silly. When I look at other sibsets, if I love all the names individually, I like them as a whole anyway, so I don’t know why my own bother me more. It’s an added bonus if they’re the same length, but not a necessity. It’s rare that the names would be written out, in full next to each other, and at this point I think I’ve just had and will have, way too much time to overthink things and see possible sibling names typed out next to each other again and again. I’m really trying to cut myself out of it at the moment :p. Visual aesthetics aren’t as important as sound, in terms of sibsets, but it’s so nice when everything’s perfect.
I honestly don’t think about it too much. Our top girl name is [name_f]Ada[/name_f]…so pretty much everything is longer than that. I used to worry it would look funny to have an [name_f]Ada[/name_f] and a Serphina, but it just doesn’t bother me anymore.