Hello, friends! 
I’ve recently become more interested in the idea of creating one solid combination (perhaps one single middle and one double middle) for each name rather than having many combos I just like and cycle between. With that being said, I’ve been having a ridiculously difficult time with this task, especially considering the fact that I’m really trying to work that muscle of using some of my more grand, international, and dramatic names, so I decided to post this thread!
I’ve noticed when I make combos with double middles I really enjoy using a one-syllable name for the second middle, and within sibsets, I like to connect those second middles (IE word names, nature names, five letters, etc). I also lean towards 3-2-1 syllable patterns (or 2-3-1 occasionally).
I figured this might mean some of you all might have a methodology for creating combinations, so I’d really love to hear it! Perhaps sharing knowledge and “hacks” might make it a bit easier? 
What does the usual combo making process look like for you? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you throw combos together and just see what sticks or do you go into it intentionally looking at meanings and origins? Is there a specific thing you look for in matching names up?
I’d love to hear what your “methodology” is for creating combos, whether it’s largely intentional or not!
I hope you are all having a great day, and if not, this can perhaps take your mind off of it for a little bit! 
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I just know what I like (no repetitive endings ie [name_f]Maria[/name_f] [name_f]Eliza[/name_f], no alliteration, prefer out of top 500/1000 but still usable, etc) and then meaning is huge too.
So I guess it’s just intuitive for me (also my husband vetoes like 80% of my names sooo)…
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The biggest part of making combos for me is good flow. I try not to repeat sounds in my combos. Occasionally I will use two names ending in a, like Selah Araminta, but most of the time I try to use different endings. My top two favorite girl combos, Magdalena Zoë Heather and Cordelia Gwyneth Joy, have special meaning for me, so that’s also something that I take into account. Mostly I just pair names I like. Most of the girl names on my lists are outside of the top 1000 or barely in. I struggle with boy names more so I don’t mind if the ones I like are more popular. I also like using names in my combos that are from my background, like Margaux being French (I have some French history).
If I ever have children someday, personal meaning and flow will be the biggest factors in my combos.
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Firstly, my type of names largely falls within the category of Celtic, Germanic, classical, and Biblical. I’ll occasionally step outside that if I create a combo that has something else going for it that I like (such as one of my favorites, [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] 
). Consciously, I often try for a Biblical forename and a Celtic/German middle name, or both a Biblical forename and middle name, with the middle name almost always being much wilder than the forename (ehem, [name_f]Jerusha[/name_f] [name_f]Bethlehem[/name_f] and [name_m]Zadkiel[/name_m] Jerusalem). Unconsciously, I just smash together two names (often in the order of short to long) that just sound nice, which has resulted in the past names like [name_f]Edith[/name_f] [name_f]Temperance[/name_f], [name_f]Judith[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f], and [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] [name_f]Catherine[/name_f]. I’ve also a thing for virtue names, with [name_f]Constance[/name_f] (“Connie”) by in large being my favorite. I always consider the meaning/origin of a name as well, as I want it to be something I’ll always be able to personally relate to or approve of. I also tend to prefer less popular/rarer names in general, but I’ll also consider breaking the guideline if I create a pairing I like too much. Although I love [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], it’s way too popular at the moment for me to use in good conscience (combined with the middle name [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f], however, it’s a different story…). Overall, I just go with the flow when it comes to name methodology, with there being certain predetermined rules I’ve given myself that I’ll break only under special conditions.
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I make combos based on flow, but sometimes I will scrap that because of personal favorites. I also do combos based on meaning a lot. for example, I love the combo [name_f]Constance[/name_f] [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] because it means “steadfast joy”. Another combo I like is [name_f]Maya[/name_f] [name_f]Saffron[/name_f], but since I would love [name_f]Saffron[/name_f] in the first spot, I would possibly compromise the flow of [name_f]Maya[/name_f] [name_f]Saffron[/name_f] to [name_f]Saffron[/name_f] [name_f]Maya[/name_f] just because I love [name_f]Saffron[/name_f] in the first spot.
my guidelines
- No names with the same ending ex. [name_f]Ava[/name_f] [name_f]Maria[/name_f], but rule can be bent with double middles, ex. [name_f]Aria[/name_f] [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] [name_f]Belle[/name_f]
- No same sounds. Gywneira [name_f]Aurelie[/name_f] has too many same sounds. I usually say it out loud a few times to see if I tounge-twist it.
- The first name doesn’t end with the first letter of the middle ex. [name_f]Eva[/name_f] [name_f]Annalise[/name_f]
that’s about it! hope this helps!
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Sometimes I try to put names together that would have a great meaning when combined. That helps me get ideas. I also have the kind of synesthesia where names have colors, so my best combos also have colors that look good together.
But I don’t have any specific way I always do it. One of my favorites, [name_f]Paloma[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] [name_f]Irene[/name_f], just randomly came to me one day.
Things I avoid:
Names that run into each other - like [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] [name_f]Avalon[/name_f] or [name_m]Jonas[/name_m] [name_m]Samuel[/name_m], those are kind of hard to say even though I like all the names in them.
A combo where more than one of the names is an [name_f]English[/name_f] word, like [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] or [name_m]Legend[/name_m] [name_m]Brave[/name_m] (unless they are separated by a non-word name, like my [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] Hope)
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Ooh this is an interesting question!
I wish I could say I had some careful methodology, but I tend to gather a lot of names that I know I like, then try them out together, to see what sticks - sometimes I am looking for a particular feel (ie. [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] - even if I’m not quite set on it, I know I want that gold/red/sharp vibe it gives me), but it is mostly trial and error for me.
That said, I do like some balance in a name, in terms of sharp vs gentle sounds and also in having a more ‘familiar’ name with some of my more obscure ones
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Fascinating question! I love creating combos with some contrast and tension. Ornate and austere, rare and common, feminine and unisex, trendy and dated—aesthetics that contrast but still somehow fit together. It’s the same as interior design for me—I love mixing antiques with new, modern pieces to make the whole effect more interesting and fresh. That feels the most stylish and satisfying to me.
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Ooh fun question! I mostly do my combos pretty intuitively based on flow and 
vibes but looking in my UC I realise a lot of them have a pretty clear pattern: classic first (Clara, [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_m]James[/name_m], William), ornate fancy middle (Magdalene, Coppélia, [name_m]Valentine[/name_m], Theodore) & one second middle that I like but wouldn’t use in the top spot (May, [name_f]Fleur[/name_f], [name_m]Grey[/name_m], Jude). Don’t know where that came from but it seems to have stuck!
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I always knew I’d want to use family or other honour names as middle names (since most people in my family have that) and kept a running list of family names that could work with the first names I liked.
I’d never thought about using two middle names until I met my husband, who has two middles (as per his family tradition: one middle for each side of the family). I LOVE that idea, and that’s what we did for our kids.
[name_f]My[/name_f] most important criteria were no obvious rhymes or really awkward flows, that it worked relatively well with the last name, and didn’t create any unfortunate initials.
When I was younger, I used to have super strict rules about no matching endings, no doubling up on letters etc, but I am a lot more relaxed now. One of my kids’ first middle names ends with the same letter as her first name - and, in fact, now that I think about it, her two middle names actually share a lot of letters with her first name! I never realised that before. 
But using the honour names is more important to me than any of that.
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