[name]Hi[/name] everyone,
We are expecting our first baby this summer and recently found out that it’s a boy! It’s a tradition on my husband’s side of the family to name the first boy “[name]James[/name] [middle name]” and then call him by his middle name or some variation of it (although for some reason my husband’s parents reversed the order and named him “[name]Daniel[/name] [name]James[/name],” and he goes by [name]Daniel[/name]). My husband and I both love the name [name]Sam[/name], and feel it complements our rather confusing 4-syllable last name better than any of our other favorite names, so right now our front-runner name is “[name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name]” and we plan to call him [name]Sam[/name]. But I’m wondering whether it would make more sense and serve him better to name him “[name]Samuel[/name] [name]James[/name]” instead? I keep going back and forth because even though I feel like “[name]Samuel[/name] [name]James[/name]” flows better, there’s something about “[name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name]” that I like, too.
And just to complicate things further, we’re also considering naming him “[name]James[/name] [name]Silas[/name]” and calling him “[name]Silas[/name]”…what do you think? [name]Do[/name] you like [name]Sam[/name] or [name]Silas[/name] better?
Any opinions and/or advice is much appreciated!
If the tradition of using [name]James[/name] as a first name is something you feel is important then I think [name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name] is very nice, [name]James[/name] is distinguished and classic, as is [name]Samuel[/name]/[name]Sam[/name], and I know a number of men who go by their middle names. If it’s not all that important then for the sake of ease, [name]Samuel[/name] [name]James[/name] makes more sense, and flows nicely. I guess you have to weigh which is most important.
That being said, I prefer [name]Silas[/name] to [name]Samuel[/name] because it’s less popular and is a fantastic, underused name. [name]James[/name] [name]Silas[/name] works very nicely. [name]Hope[/name] that helps!
[name]Samuel[/name] and [name]James[/name] are terrific, and [name]Samuel[/name] is especially high on my list of favorites. I like both [name]Samuel[/name] [name]James[/name] and [name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name]. They flow differently, but are equally nice, imo. However, when I imagine a four-syllable last name with them, I prefer [name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name].
If your surname is a complicated 4-syllable name, I would go with [name]Samuel[/name] instead of [name]Silas[/name]. On the other hand, if your last name were something like [name]Johnson[/name], [name]Smith[/name], or [name]Jones[/name], I would recommend [name]Silas[/name].
So, I vote for [name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name], but the reverse is also nice.
Thanks to you both for such thoughtful responses! This is so helpful.
[name]Silas[/name] [name]James[/name] would be on my own list if dh liked it…i prefer silas to samuel, however sam is also a great name…you can’t go wrong with any of your combinations, so it just depends on which one is your favorite
[name]Samuel[/name] [name]James[/name] for sure. I love [name]James[/name], but not as a first name. And I love the nn [name]Sam[/name] or [name]Sammy[/name].
Okay so here is what I think:
[name]James[/name] and [name]Samuel[/name] are great names!
[name]Samuel[/name] [name]James[/name] has a great flow to it and you can’t go wrong with it.
[name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name] is more unexpected and I love it!
You can definitely use [name]Sam[/name] as the name even if [name]Samuel[/name] is his middle name. I think it is easier for a boy to get away with than a girl honestly.
[name]James[/name] [name]Silas[/name] is nice but I prefer [name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name] myself.
BTW [name]Daniel[/name] [name]James[/name] is a great name!
I’m not a fan of [name]Silas[/name] but I love [name]Samuel[/name]. It has a timeless feel to it. I think I prefer [name]Samuel[/name] [name]James[/name], only because the S’s run together in [name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name] and I have a thing about that for some reason…Again [name]James[/name] is one of my favourite boys names, because like [name]Samuel[/name], I think it’s simple and timeless.
With those two names I don’t think you can go wrong, whichever way around you choose!
I think that you have some great options here! I prefer [name]Samuel[/name] [name]James[/name] and agree that the reverse run into each other. However, I think that if the naming tradition is important to you, you should go for [name]James[/name] [name]Samuel[/name]! I find [name]Sammy[/name] so charming! Good luck!