Our big family is running out of ideas

Name Advice
1

Hello, my name is [name_f]Leah[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] & I’m married to [name_m]Nathan[/name_m] [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m].
together we have 14 wonderful children, all with names we just love:

  • [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] (16) ([name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] after his dad)
  • [name_f]Jemima[/name_f] [name_f]Salome[/name_f] (14)
  • [name_m]Jason[/name_m] [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] (13) ([name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] after his father)
  • [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m] (13) (both [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] and [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m] mean 'God/Yahweh has given, [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m] was the middle name of one of my brothers)
  • [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] [name_m]Jacob[/name_m] (12) ([name_m]Matthew[/name_m] means Gift of Yahweh, [name_m]Jacob[/name_m] after his grandfather)
  • [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] (10) ([name_f]Naomi[/name_f] was the middle name of one of my husbands sisters, [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is my mothers first name and my middle name and also the middle name of one of my husbands sisters)
  • [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] Jedidah (9)
  • [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] [name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] (8)
  • [name_m]Ethan[/name_m] [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] (8) ([name_m]Joseph[/name_m] was my youngest brothers middle name and the middle name of one of my husbands brothers)
  • [name_m]Tobiah[/name_m] [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] (6) ([name_m]Zachary[/name_m] was my older brothers name)
  • [name_f]Eleora[/name_f] [name_u]Damaris[/name_u] (5)
  • [name_m]Isaiah[/name_m] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] (3) ([name_m]Andrew[/name_m] after another one of my brothers)
  • [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] (2)
  • [name_m]Caleb[/name_m] Ronen (almost 1)

We recently learned we are expecting another set of twins (not planned, bit of a shock) and I find it hard to pick names for them.
We did set some rules:
1.) It have to be Biblical (or Hebrew) names since we all have Biblical names
2.) Silbings with the same sex can’t share the same first initial (this is for mail and identification, makes it a lot easier especially with a large family, we had family members using the same first initial for all their children, and it could get confusing sometimes)

For a girl we looked at the names the names:

  • [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] ([name_f]Susanna[/name_f] after my birth mother, who passed away after I was born)
    and for the second twin (if they are both girls)
  • [name_f]Michaela[/name_f]/[name_f]Mikayla[/name_f] (would be named after one of my husbands brothers)
  • [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] (not my favorite, husband does like it)
  • [name_f]Shifra[/name_f] (means beautiful, not sure about this name)
    with the middle name being either [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f] (‘Pure’) or Yakira (‘precious’)

For a boy we looked at a few names:

  • [name_m]Samuel[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Simon[/name_m]
  • [name_u]Seth[/name_u]
  • [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] (after my youngest brother)
  • [name_m]Levi[/name_m] (pronounced [name_m]LAY[/name_m]-vee, not like the jeans)
  • [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] (great meaning and sound, but would have the same initial as twin sister if we have B/G twins, something I don’t really like)
  • [name_m]Reuben[/name_m]/[name_m]Ruben[/name_m] (great name, but we have friends with a son named [name_m]Ruben[/name_m], and one of their daughters has the same name as one of our daughters, so we would both have two kids with the same name)
  • [name_m]Asher[/name_m] (love the meaning, would probably use it as a middle name for ‘Twin B’ if we are blessed with two boys)

for the middle name we chose [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m].

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this all makes sense. I’m a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

2

What about [name_m]Seraphim[/name_m] for a boy or Magdelena for a girl? There are so many amazing biblical names that are a little outside the box.

3

[name_f]Magdalena[/name_f] is a big no here (we have a niece with this name and we don’t want to name our daughter after her)
[name_m]Seraphim[/name_m] is quite nice but a little but too far out of the box for us.

We decided not to use the name [name_f]Chloe[/name_f], since [name_f]Jemima[/name_f] reminded us [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] looks an awful lot like [name_f]Cleo[/name_f] (one of our cats)

So far we have been thinking of:

Boy/Girl
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_m]Simon[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_u]Seth[/name_u] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]

Girl/Girl
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_f]Mikayla[/name_f] [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_f]Shifra[/name_f] [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f]

Boy/Boy our biggest list since we like several names and combinations of the names
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Asher[/name_m]
[name_m]Simon[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]
[name_m]Simon[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]
[name_m]Simon[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Asher[/name_m]
[name_u]Seth[/name_u] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_u]Seth[/name_u] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] & [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_u]Seth[/name_u] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Asher[/name_m]
[name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]
[name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Asher[/name_m]
[name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]
[name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] & [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]
[name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]

4

[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] is lovely. I don’t personally like [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] - would you consider [name_f]Esther[/name_f] or [name_f]Eve[/name_f]? I wonder if they’re more timeless.
[name_f]Esther[/name_f] [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f] or [name_f]Eve[/name_f] [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f]

For the boys I like:

[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_m]Simon[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_u]Seth[/name_u] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] ([name_u]Seth[/name_u] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] doesn’t flow well)
[name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]

Favourites are:

[name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] and [name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]

5

I love [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] and [name_f]Chloe[/name_f]- too bad that is out of the running.
[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Mary[/name_f]? [name_f]Marie[/name_f]? [name_f]Magdalena[/name_f] is a nice suggestion too, from a previous berrie!

[name_m]Asher[/name_m] is my favorite boys’ name lately. I also really like [name_m]Simon[/name_m]. I like [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] very much as a mn, but i agree that [name_u]Seth[/name_u] doesnt flow well with it.

Good luck with 16 children!

6

I’ll throw in some of my favorite Biblical/Hebrew names:

[name_f]Dalia[/name_f]
Meira
[name_u]Mica[/name_u]
[name_f]Rayna[/name_f]
[name_f]Shayna[/name_f]
[name_f]Shoshana[/name_f]
[name_f]Talia[/name_f]

[name_m]Amos[/name_m]
[name_m]Asher[/name_m]
[name_m]Levi[/name_m]
[name_u]Noah[/name_u]
[name_m]Solomon[/name_m]

Good luck with the twins! :slight_smile:

7

[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Rebekah[/name_f]? Or [name_f]Esther[/name_f]? Two of my favourite women from the Bible :slight_smile:
For boys I love [name_m]Hezekiah[/name_m] and [name_u]Elisha[/name_u] :slight_smile:

8

[name_m]Hi[/name_m]!

Here’s what leapt to my mind, just in case it strikes your fancy:

For girls
[name_f]Zillah[/name_f]
[name_f]Junia[/name_f]
[name_f]Esther[/name_f]
[name_f]Aviva[/name_f] or [name_f]Eve[/name_f]

For boys
[name_m]Zebulon[/name_m]
[name_m]Gabriel[/name_m]
[name_m]Timothy[/name_m]

Personally, I love [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]! I’d say go with it, especially if you have two boys. I think the girls’ names are harder, since there is such an abundance of male biblical names. I love [name_f]Zillah[/name_f], though - [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] and [name_f]Zillah[/name_f]?

9

Also [name_u]Azariah[/name_u] for a girl!

10

14 children and twins on the way! You should have your own TV show.

11

[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_f]Marie[/name_f], [name_f]Magdalena[/name_f], [name_f]Eve[/name_f], [name_f]Rachel[/name_f], [name_f]Esther[/name_f], [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] are all names of relatives we don’t want to name our children after

[name_m]Gideon[/name_m] informed us that even though we want to pronounce [name_m]Levi[/name_m] as [name_m]LAY[/name_m]-vee, most people would pronounce it like the jeans, [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] has a friend at basketball with the same problem, I do like the name but I’m not in the mood to correct people all the time.
And the more I look at [name_u]Seth[/name_u] the more I dislike it (must be hormones since I always was quite fond of this name, but since I have several other nice boy names on the list I’m letting it go)
Another name that has been voted of the list is [name_m]Simon[/name_m].
The older kids said the name is great, but unfortunately it was also the name of a cousin who bullied them a few years ago.

[name_f]My[/name_f] husband really likes how [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] & [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] sound together. I agree it really flows. But I’m not sure I want our twins to have the same first initial, we have two older sets of twins and there names don’t start with the same first initial ([name_m]Jason[/name_m] & [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] & [name_m]Ethan[/name_m])

We are friends with a family with a son named [name_m]Ruben[/name_m], who also have a daughter named [name_f]Hannah[/name_f], even with different ages it can get confusing, another family we are friends with have a teenage daughter named [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] and a toddler named [name_m]Ethan[/name_m], way different ages than our own [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] & [name_m]Ethan[/name_m], but still confusing when your calling out for your kids.
We are thinking [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] would be too confusing, so [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] is also of the list.

[name_m]Aaron[/name_m] on the other hand is a different story. I would love to name a boy after my own younger brother. But we also have a close friend named [name_m]Aaron[/name_m], we see him and his family quite often since we go to the same church and their daughter and [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] are the same age and love playing together ([name_u]Abby[/name_u] is one month older than [name_f]Lily[/name_f])
He’s a great guy and almost family.
But still, I’m not sure. For now [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] stays on our list, just let us know what you think.

for 2 girls we are quite set on
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_f]Michaela[/name_f]/[name_f]Mikayla[/name_f] (nn [name_u]Micah[/name_u]/[name_f]Myka[/name_f]) [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f]
We aren’t sure about the spelling for [name_f]Michaela[/name_f]/[name_f]Mikayla[/name_f] yet, we lean mostly to [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] (we are sure it’s not going to be [name_f]McKayla[/name_f], the little bit of Scottish in me really hates Mc-‘Girl-names’)

[name_u]Michael[/name_u] was a younger brother of my husband, sweet man. Died in a shooting accident a few years ago ([name_u]Michael[/name_u] was working on the barn, some guys were shooting at empty cans and a stray bullet hit [name_u]Michael[/name_u] in the back, he died instantly)
We don’t want to use it as a boys name since we know quite a few men and boys named [name_u]Michael[/name_u] (few in church, colleagues of my husband, friends of the kids, kids in the same baseball/basketball/soccer team, father of friend etc.)

Boy/Girl
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]

Boy/Boy
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] & [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]

I think we are getting closer on a final selection :slight_smile:

12

Like the Duggars? No thank you, we like our life just as it is.
Large families aren’t so rare as some people think, there are quite a lot out there. But most of the large families don’t want all that media attention and like a quiet life.

13

What about Tzipporah or any of its variants? Or perhaps [name_f]Sephora[/name_f] if you’re looking to make it a bit accessible? Or even [name_f]Tzippa[/name_f] as a shorter version? I really love this name in all its forms lol. But if honoring your husband’s brother is very important to you, I’d go with [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] as it’s both more classic and closer to the masculine spelling.

Also, if you’ve vetoed [name_m]Simon[/name_m], how about [name_m]Simeon[/name_m]? I personally find it more interesting than its counterpart.

Good luck with 16 kids! You have my respect for that lol.

~[name_u]Sky[/name_u]

14

[name_f]My[/name_f] vote for boy/girl twins would be [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]. I think that double Ph/Ph names are a little much and I generally prefer the name [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] to [name_m]Aaron[/name_m]. For boy/boy twins my vote would be [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] (I think the repeated L sounds in [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] doesn’t flow as well as [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]) and [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] (I think the repeated N sounds in [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] doesn’t flow as well as [name_m]Asher[/name_m], although only by a hair).

15

I like both of these a lot!
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]

I’m not super fond of [name_f]Michaela[/name_f], especially with all your other names, but I prefer it to [name_f]Shifra[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f]

[name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] - this is definitely my favorite
[name_u]Seth[/name_u] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] - these 2 are nice as well
[name_m]Levi[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] & [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]

what about?
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_f]Bethany[/name_f] [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_f]Rhoda[/name_f] [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] & [name_f]Talitha[/name_f] [name_f]Zakiah[/name_f]

16

14 kids? Wow, that sounds… almost too good to be true. And it’s your first post, too!

Please don’t spell it [name_f]Mikayla[/name_f], all your other kids have properly spelt names. It would stick out like a sore thumb. Have you considered [name_m]Micaiah[/name_m]?
I like [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] & [name_m]Philemon[/name_m] but I fear the latter would be too unusual next to the other kids names (plus the issue of already having twins who don’t share initials) — what about [name_m]Philip[/name_m], [name_m]Phineas[/name_m]? You could always spell it Filemon.
[name_f]My[/name_f] vote goes to [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] & [name_f]Michaela[/name_f], [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] & [name_m]Samuel[/name_m], and [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] & [name_m]Asher[/name_m].

suggestions (letters you haven’t used)
[name_m]Felix[/name_m]
[name_m]Abel[/name_m]
[name_f]Candace[/name_f]
[name_f]Keturah[/name_f]
[name_f]Keziah[/name_f]
[name_m]Luke[/name_m]
[name_f]Lydia[/name_f]
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]
[name_f]Mehitabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Miriam[/name_f]
[name_u]Michal[/name_u]
[name_m]Peter[/name_m]
[name_f]Selah[/name_f]
[name_m]Raphael[/name_m] / Raphaella
[name_m]Zebedee[/name_m]
[name_f]Lucia[/name_f] or [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] (feminine of [name_m]Lucius[/name_m], a biblical name; also means “light”)
[name_m]Alexander[/name_m]
[name_f]Claudia[/name_f] or [name_u]Claude[/name_u]
[name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] or [name_f]Benjamina[/name_f]

17

I’ve sent you a PM leahcraftymum.

18

Really love the names [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] and [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]. [name_m]Just[/name_m] wondered if you had considered [name_f]Philomena[/name_f] for a girls middle if it’s gg. I know it’s not a biblical name but the sound is so similar to [name_m]Philemon[/name_m]. [name_f]Eve[/name_f] [name_f]Philomena[/name_f]?

Personally I’m not keen on any version of [name_f]Micheala[/name_f] especially with the sibling names listed what about [name_f]Miriam[/name_f] instead, how about Obidiah for a boy?
What about [name_f]Bethany[/name_f]?

19

14 with two more on the way? Yep…sounds legit, I guess, comparing to the Duggars and their social circle.

Anyways, for girls, I like [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] and [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] Zakira. [name_f]My[/name_f] sister is [name_f]Mikayla[/name_f], so I’m a bit biased.

For Boy/Girl twins, [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] and [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m].

For boys, I like [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] and [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Lucas[/name_m]/[name_m]Luke[/name_m].

20

I love [name_f]Michaela[/name_f]!
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] and [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] are so cute together! I hope you have g/g twins!
[name_f]Mikayla[/name_f]’s ok, but I love the look of the ea in [name_f]Michaela[/name_f], plus it honors [name_u]Michael[/name_u] a little better.
B/G: I like [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] and [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]. I’m not a fan of [name_m]Philomon[/name_m], too close to [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] for my taste. [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] is ok.
B/B: I like [name_m]Asher[/name_m] a lot more than [name_m]Aaron[/name_m]. I like [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] and [name_m]Asher[/name_m] Philomen. Not sure why, but I feel like it’s more balanced than [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] Philomen and [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m].