DH suggested this name last night, and I have to admit that I kind of love it! He’s re-reading an old [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] [name_u]McCarthy[/name_u] favorite (All the Pretty Horses) and [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] is a character.
I’m having trouble coming up with some middle names that seem to fit, however. Our last name starts/ends in “o” and is Italian.
Here’s the other (potential) dilemma: we really love the name [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] as well. Are [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] and [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] too theme-y? On one hand, I think they sound pretty awesome as brothers, but on the other hand, it’s a very specific literary reference (though I’m not entirely certain people would make that connection).
What are your thoughts on [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m]? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you have any suggestions for middles?
I like [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m], however, I prefer the spelling [name_m]Rollins[/name_m] better.
I also think that [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] and [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] work together just fine, and I don’t think you’ll have to worry about their associations.
While I prefer [name_m]Rollins[/name_m], in this case it would make sense to stick with [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] as it’s a literary reference and ultimately selling preferences are highly subjective.
[name_m]Cormac[/name_m] and [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] are a really nice sibset and I think the only people who might catch the theme would also be [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] [name_u]McCarthy[/name_u] fans which honestly seems highly favorable.
I like [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] - well sourced! - but wouldn’t use until I had at least one solid nn locked down (I live in nn territory). Apparently all these names are related to [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m]’s origins: [name_m]Ralph[/name_m], [name_m]Raffe[/name_m], [name_m]Wolf[/name_m].
Maybe the nn possibility could influence middle name too - eg [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] [name_m]Frederick[/name_m] might make [name_m]Raffe[/name_m] or Raffa a cool nn (if you need one, dream would be enforcing [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m]!).
I don’t really feel strongly either way regarding [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m]. However, I’ve never read All The Pretty Horses and literature often strongly influences my feelings on a name so if I read it in the future, I may start loving it.
I think it’s fine to use both [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] and [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] as only fans of [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] [name_u]McCarthy[/name_u]'s work would make the connection. And they’d probably love it. And they sound nice together.
On the other hand, I like to give my kids names that are meaningful and completely independent of each other. So if you use [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] will the fact that you’re [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] [name_u]McCarthy[/name_u] fans be your answer when he says how did you pick my name? And will it be the same answer when [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] asks? Some people might love their kids having names inspired from the same source… some people don’t put much thought into the why behind the name… And that’s great. But I’m a weirdo so it would probably bug me personally and I’d feel I need to chose my favorite between the 2 names and eliminate the other from future sibling lists.
You speak my language - I, too, live in the land of nicknames. [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] would go by [name_m]Mac[/name_m] most of the time (at least to me), but [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] is a bit more difficult. I feel like any middle I think of for [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] just makes me want to use [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] itself as a middle name. DH is very black and white though…for him it’s a specific name in a specific order he likes or nothing.
[name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] [name_u]Everett[/name_u] came to mind last night, and he could be [name_m]Rhett[/name_m] or even Rawls.
I appreciate your point about independently meaningful names! I think that’s my slight hesitance with putting both [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] and [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] on our short list for first names, even though I think they sound good together. I think I need a solid middle option for [name_m]Rawlins[/name_m] to really sell - I love it on its own but I’m a stickler for combos/flow and also sort of for nicknames.