GIRL: JoLynn/Jolynn (nickname [name_u]Jo[/name_u], or simply stick with Jolynn)
We are having an even harder time with this one. We have considered simply sticking with [name_u]Jo[/name_u] as the first name and [name_u]Lynn[/name_u] as the second name, or combining them as a first name, with a separate middle name. Here are some of the contenders:
I like [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] [name_u]Jay[/name_u] from your boys list.
For the girls, I think Jolynn is the best option. [name_u]Jo[/name_u] is very outdated and not very sweet imo, but Jolynn is fresh and has [name_u]Jo[/name_u] (or [name_u]Lynn[/name_u]) as a nickname. Maybe spell it Joelyn though so not to get ‘Jolling’ being said. I think Joelyn [name_u]Rae[/name_u], Joelyn [name_u]Stacey[/name_u], Joelyn [name_u]Madison[/name_u] are nice choices.
I really like [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] [name_u]Dean[/name_u] from your list - they complement each other well and sound great together. There’s not really a bad choice on the list, but this one feels best to me.
The girl name list feels tougher, I guess because you’re not settled on it. Personally (and feel free to ignore this if you’re so inclined), I find Jolynn / [name_u]Jo[/name_u] [name_u]Lynn[/name_u] kind of awkward to say - it doesn’t roll off my tongue easily and I can’t decide which syllable I think is stressed. It also feels really far from [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] stylistically - [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] is a distinguished classic, while Jolynn feels made-up. I like [name_u]Jo[/name_u] really well as a nickname - it feels spunky and reminds me of [name_u]Jo[/name_u] from “[name_m]Little[/name_m] Women”. Would you consider a longer [name_u]Jo[/name_u] name with [name_u]Lynn[/name_u] as the middle name or kind of a double first name? [name_u]Josie[/name_u] [name_u]Lynn[/name_u], for example, is much more straightforward to say, and I think it works better with [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m]. Or there’s [name_f]Jocelyn[/name_f], or [name_f]Jolene[/name_f].
[name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] [name_m]Cole[/name_m] and [name_f]Jolie[/name_f] [name_f]Allegra[/name_f] ([name_f]Jolie[/name_f] is [name_m]French[/name_m] for ‘pretty’ and [name_f]Allegra[/name_f] means joyous or lively).