I hate questions like this where I want the answer to go one way, but am afraid everyone will agree the other, haha… But here goes.
I love [name]Pax[/name]. I love [name]Wilder[/name]. The former is a family name (my father’s name) and has always and will forever be #1 on the list. [name]Just[/name] [name]Pax[/name]; never [name]Paxton[/name]. And [name]Wilder[/name] is dear to me for all the writers it’s tied to, word-name-iness, and its rough-and-tumble pioneer sound.
I don’t want to point out why they maybe shouldn’t be used for brothers in case I sway people who wouldn’t see it otherwise, haha, but I imagine most Berries will see it immediately. So… would it be ridiculous and tempting fate somehow to have a [name]Pax[/name] and a [name]Wilder[/name] in the same family?
I’m trying to think of why it’s a bad idea…the only association I can think of was that Thorton [name]Wilder[/name] mentions in one of the letters in The Selected Letters of [name]Thornton[/name] [name]Wilder[/name] that he has had a stillborn twin called [name]Pax[/name]? That seems like something not very many people would pick up on - I had to think about it a lot to even remember it, then look it up to double-check if I was even correct.
I know of no association that should keep you from using both. I am wracking my brain here. And I’m a name nerd, pretty well read. So I think you’d be safe with the general population…
[name]Both[/name] are great names, I like them, both apart and together!
Ha! Marvelous! I feel better already, haha. It’s not so much a negative association I’m afraid of. It’s just that one name explicitly means “peace” or “peacefulness” and the other would be the “wilder” one. I wasn’t sure if everyone would jump on some joke about the personalities or expectations of personalities based on their names.
[name]Wilder[/name] leaves a different impression than “wild child” for me. I think nature, rustic, woodsy. For me, it goes well with [name]Pax[/name], but I wouldn’t have made any connection if it hadn’t been mentioned.
I like them together…I don’t think people will put the peace/wild things together at all. I knew [name]Pax[/name] meant peace and I still didn’t put that together (b/c in my head [name]Wilder[/name] doesn’t stand for wild child). I think they are fabulous and I would love to have a little [name]Pax[/name] or [name]Wilder[/name] in one of my classes!
Personally, I would love to see [name]Pax[/name] and [name]Wilder[/name] as brothers. With that fiery “X”, [name]Pax[/name] doesn’t seem all peaceful, and thanks to some pretty awesome authors ([name]Laura[/name] Ingalls [name]Wilder[/name]! [name]Thornton[/name] [name]Wilder[/name]! [name]Oscar[/name] Wilde!), [name]Wilder[/name] doesn’t seem all wild-child, either. I think [name]Pax[/name] and [name]Wilder[/name] would be fab for brothers, I really love it.
I did immediately see the irony of the two names when used together. That said, I think that the image that each name projects is much different than the meanings. [name]Both[/name] names are the same style-wise and contain unusual letters (the x and w). I think they would make a fabulous sibset!
Haha, I am sure that, if I’m lucky enough to have two boys someday, I will send them out into the backyard to run each other in circles until they’re worn out, and at that point, I will think of wild packs of animals!
I’m so glad that the general consensus is positive! It’s funny how one’s taste in names can change; I’ve always loved [name]Pax[/name], but even a year ago was much more traditional ([name]Julian[/name], [name]Theodore[/name], [name]Arthur[/name], [name]Andrew[/name], [name]George[/name]) generally. I still like those, but have found that I now prefer many word names or literary last names or something (like [name]Wilder[/name], [name]Hale[/name], Morrow, etc.). I think those fit with [name]Pax[/name] a little better, too. Now if I just had some kiddies to name…
I did get the peaceful/wild connection but like others have showed, most probably won’t. [name]Pax[/name] & [name]Wilder[/name] make a great brother pair!
I LOL’d when I saw [name]Pax[/name] & [name]Wilder[/name]. If I met brothers with these names I’d assume the parents didn’t do their homework.
Because I do know the meanings, the combo doesn’t work for me. I’d pair [name]Pax[/name] with [name]Forest[/name], [name]Tate[/name], or [name]Sage[/name]. [name]Wilder[/name] would go with something like [name]Beau[/name], [name]Colt[/name], or [name]Garrett[/name]
I like [name]Pax[/name] and [name]Wilder[/name]. Yes, the meanings do clash, but I don’t think it’s ‘asking for trouble.’ Some people may not like it, but the names sound nice together and if it doesn’t bother you, then go for it!
