So, I hit the 6th month mark a week ago, and the fact that we haven’t narrowed down a middle name is driving me nuts! I realize the first name is half the battle, but it turns out I’m a procrastinator with everything else in my life EXCEPT planning for baby. We found out a few weeks ago that we are expecting a boy (wasn’t my top pick, but I find myself super excited - yay!). If you’ve seen any of my posts, you know that we settled on the first name [name_m]Stetson[/name_m]. That was a simple stroke of luck and genius - the fact that we [name_m]BOTH[/name_m] happened to really like it, that is, AND the fact that it actually holds meaning for us. Everything else has been a struggle.
Some names he’s thrown out there:
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So, clearly, I have no idea what his style is. It ranges from classic to ridiculous to unusual. I’ve also suggested [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_u]Noah[/name_u], which he liked, however, he isn’t really keen on the intense biblical reference. And [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_m]Remington[/name_m] which he also liked, however, while I like the names individually, I don’t think they flow well. I LOVED [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_m]Wesley[/name_m], but he vetoed it because of [name_f]Star[/name_f] Trek Next Generation (still not happy about that). I also really liked [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m], but he wasn’t a fan. Aside from our first name choice, I’m partial to ivy league names for boys that are familiar but aren’t exceedingly popular. For example, [name_u]Logan[/name_u] was our top pick for awhile (though I’m realizing that name is actually getting crazy popular), and I love names like [name_m]Declan[/name_m], [name_m]Liam[/name_m], and [name_m]Preston[/name_m]. I even considered [name_m]Prescott[/name_m], but [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_m]Prescott[/name_m] just doesn’t work. Names ending in -er don’t quite work because his hyphenated last name starts with [name_u]Parker[/name_u], and I’m not sure about repeating names ending in -n for the middle. My problem is flow…we need help…so so much help…
I think [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] is by far your best choice. With an offbeat name like [name_m]Stetson[/name_m], the classic [name_u]James[/name_u] really balances it out.
I honestly almost acquiesced on [name_u]James[/name_u], but I can’t rule out the possibility that he may grow up and dislike [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] for one reason or another, and choose to go by his middle name. If he chose to go by [name_u]James[/name_u], I wouldn’t be all that happy. I’m trying to find something I could live with if he wanted to “reinvent himself,” as kids sometimes do. I could see why that’d be your pick, though…
What about [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_m]Gabe[/name_m]? It seems to flow better than [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m], and doesn’t have as much biblical reference.
I also like [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u], but I understand your concern. Personally, I really like [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_u]Oak[/name_u], but I’m a fan of nature names.
I like [name_m]Wyatt[/name_m]. Maybe there’s an alternative to [name_u]James[/name_u] I haven’t considered? I thought about [name_u]Jameson[/name_u], but I’m not sure of the repeating -son. I do happen to like combos with assonance. My DF’s name is [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and I love the repeating -a sound.
Here’s the latest…I should absolutely have mentioned the fact that [name_u]James[/name_u] is a family name, and not just DF’s cousin, but his grandfather. This is probably why I’ve been struggling back and forth with it, trying to get to love it. I started looking around today at alternatives to other family member’s names and stumbled upon the fact that my mother is ALSO named after a [name_u]James[/name_u]. [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Richmond[/name_m] Barthé (one of two of her middle names being Barthé) who was a famous sculptor during the [name_u]Harlem[/name_u] Renaissance. Well that just gave [name_u]James[/name_u] another leg up, because using it would honor both sides of our family.
I’d never been one to consider family names, because I always felt re-purposing names was stealing away a kids chance at their own personal identity within the family tree, but I really can’t seem to find a good alternative for [name_u]James[/name_u] that flows better with [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] than, well, [name_u]James[/name_u]. So, I started thinking…I might be OK with [name_u]James[/name_u] (which I really have to admit is more interesting after discovering the tie to both families), IF there was a second middle name that catered a bit more to my tastes. This means, of course, our child will have FIVE names (thanks to a hyphenated ln). I wanted to avoid this. Five seems like a paragraph as far as names are concerned, but I think this is the only compromise I could get to that may please us both. My last remaining grandparent, my grandfather on my dad’s side, died in 2011. I thought maybe honoring him could work, however, I am not a huge fan of his name, [name_u]Danny[/name_u]. Here are some alternative ways to honor him I thought might work:
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What are your opinions of these names? Is there a name I haven’t yet discovered that could fit with this new direction?
Oh my gosh I love [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Everest[/name_u] and [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Sutton[/name_m]!
[name_m]Stetson[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Hammond[/name_m] is my favorite. It’s distinguished and meaningful. I’m not a big fan of [name_u]Everest[/name_u] or [name_m]Sutton[/name_m]; regardless, I wouldn’t use [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] and [name_m]Sutton[/name_m] in the same name. They look too similar.
I considered [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] for my son w the middle name maxwell. I do love [name_m]Stetson[/name_m] james together. All my kids have 2 middle named and a hyphenated last name and its really not that big I a deal.
southern.maple - that is honestly my only concern with [name_m]Sutton[/name_m] - that’s a lot of T’s and S’s, though I suppose the [name_u]James[/name_u] serves as kind of a neutralizer…However, [name_u]James[/name_u] ending in -s and [name_m]Sutton[/name_m] starting with -s…I’ve read it’s a no-no. Hmm…
rkrd - I considered [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], but I think I’m not big on classics. Plus, I have a friend named [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] and I think that might be too weird for me. Any other ideas?
merylp - Thanks for the reassurance! I’m sure, if anything, that will be one of the main critiques of his name, “It’s so long!” I’ve decided I don’t care, haha.