We are trying to choose between the names Evanston and [name_u]Ellington[/name_u] for our son due in [name_u]July[/name_u]. He will be our fourth and last baby. Our other children are [name_u]Easton[/name_u]( 7 year old male), [name_m]Everley[/name_m] (5 year old girl), and Ensley (3 year old girl).
[name_u]Ellington[/name_u]-
feminine? If you read the name on a school roster would you assume girl? boy? or have no clue?
Too long? Bc there is no obvious nickname would he have to have one? What nickname is even possible? The only thing we have come up with is “Ells” like [name_m]Wells[/name_m]…
Evanston-
Is it hard to say?
Does it seem made up? It’s a city in [name_f]Wyoming[/name_f] and a suburb of Chicago.
Would he for sure be nicknames [name_u]Evan[/name_u]?
Thanks so much for your help! I am ready to pick a name and stick with it. I’ve searched for months and these are the only two “E” names I have found I like.
I prefer [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]. I would expect [name_u]Ellington[/name_u] to be a boy but I wouldn’t be shocked with to find out it was a girl. Still prefer it for a boy. Ells is a nice nickname. I don’t worry about nicknames ahead of time… Something always comes up.
Evanston is not hard to say but kind of awkward to say. It is very clealy a location name with it’s ton ending and if I met an Evanston I’d wonder if he was named after a place that the family has emotional ties to. If you do have ties to Evanston it might make it take the lead for me… But if not I’m team [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]. (Yes another location name bit with a long history of use as a surname too so seems less random.)
I really like [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]! I think it’s very striking and I would definitely expect a boy. I don’t think it’s too long to use on it’s own but Ells or [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] could work as nicknames. You could even use [name_m]Duke[/name_m] as a nickname ([name_m]Duke[/name_m] [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]).
Thank you! I appreciate it. My [name_m]SIL[/name_m] works with special needs kids at a huge church in north [name_u]Dallas[/name_u]. She said she has heard two girl [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]’s and they call them “[name_f]Ellie[/name_f]”. I would assume that it’s bc or the popular boy for girl name trend that we have going right now and the love for the nickname/name [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]…surely it won’t catch on as a popular girls name?
I like Evanston better with the rest of your kids. It sounds more modern to me. However, I worry it is too similar to [name_u]Easton[/name_u] (just remove the “v” and first “n”) and [name_m]Everley[/name_m] (both start with Ev-). I think saying it is fine and I assumed it was a surname name, so doesn’t seem made up to me. I like the nickname [name_u]Van[/name_u].
I don’t think [name_u]Ellington[/name_u] is too feminine. I see it as a unisex name. It looks long compared to the rest of your kids, but its only 3 syllables. Nickname could be [name_u]Lee[/name_u].
I prefer [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]. It’s a little more distinct from [name_u]Easton[/name_u] than Evanston and it’s a little easier to say (thought I don’t find Evanston too difficult to say.)
While I know it’s a gender neutral name I think boy initially when I here [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]. I wouldn’t be surprised meeting a girl with the name, but my first reaction leans masculine.
Another vote for [name_u]Ellington[/name_u]! I like how its sounds are distinct from the other siblings. I would not be at all inclined to assume [name_u]Ellington[/name_u] was a girl. My mind goes to [name_m]Duke[/name_m] [name_u]Ellington[/name_u], a very positive association.
[name_u]Ellington[/name_u] is really cool and fits so nicely with his older siblings! I would think “boy” if I saw the name written down but I wouldn’t be surprised either way. It works better for a boy though imo. I think [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] and Ells are good ideas for nicknames, and I think even [name_m]Eli[/name_m] may work. I don’t know if [name_u]Ellington[/name_u] will need a nickname though… I know a girl named Carrington who has never gone by a nickname.
I think they are too similar to your other children’s names, particularly [name_u]Easton[/name_u] in that they have the same ending-ton. Here are some suggestions:
Evanston and [name_u]Easton[/name_u] look almost exactly the same, and they both seem like place-names, so I’d assume the brothers were deliberately named similarly and after somewhere important to the parents. Evanston also shares a beginning with [name_m]Everley[/name_m], so [name_u]Ellington[/name_u] would have its own “identity” within the group.
I don’t think [name_u]Ellington[/name_u] is “feminine” - I think of it as a gender-neutral name that skews male. Then again, I wouldn’t expect Ensley for a girl, either, so maybe this is a regional difference (I live in the northeast)
The nicknames that seem most instinctive for [name_u]Ellington[/name_u] would be [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] and [name_m]Duke[/name_m], although I’d expect lots of people to ask if the [name_m]Duke[/name_m] [name_u]Ellington[/name_u] association was intentional.