When we had our first child, a son, we knew he’d be [name]Jack[/name] instantly. Unfortunately we didn’t even have a backup name and now that we’re expecting our 2nd son in 10 weeks my husband and I are stumped to come up with anything! My son’s name is [name]Jack[/name] [name]Rigel[/name]. [name]Rigel[/name] is the name of the brightest star in the constellation [name]Orion[/name]- my husband is a high school Physics and Astronomy teacher We love theatre, particularly [name]Shakespeare[/name] since we met performing together in a summer [name]Shakespeare[/name] festival.
Names we have considered for both first and middle names: [name]Malcolm[/name], [name]William[/name], [name]Anthony[/name], [name]Patrick[/name], [name]Finn[/name], and [name]Alexander[/name], and Orion (to match Rigel). Any other thoughts for something with a little flair, but not super trendy? Also, since we knew that [name]Jack[/name] was [name]Jack[/name] before he was born, is there anything to the notion that sometimes you need to meet your baby and then give him a name? I’ve heard people say that’s how they had to do it, so maybe that’s how it will work the second time around for us!
The first thing that came to mind was [name]Romeo[/name]. Out of your considerations, I like [name]William[/name], [name]Patrick[/name], and [name]Finn[/name]. As a middle name I’d suggest [name]Alioth[/name], it’s the brightest star in [name]Ursa[/name] [name]Major[/name] or [name]Altair[/name], which is the 11th brightest star in the sky. Also, [name]Atlas[/name] could make a really cool choice. Some Shakespearean names that seem useable are [name]Cassio[/name], [name]Dion[/name], and [name]Balthazar[/name].
Some celestial possibilities:
[name]Phoenix[/name]- a constellation and awesome mythological creature
[name]Leo[/name]
[name]Castor[/name]
[name]Cosimo[/name]
[name]Pan[/name]
[name]Kale[/name]
[name]Stellan[/name]
Also, [name]Sagan[/name] may be an interesting middle choice if you’re a fan of [name]Carl[/name].
Literary names:
[name]Keats[/name]
[name]Auden[/name]
[name]Quill[/name] or [name]Penn[/name] (maybe a bit literal)
[name]Beckett[/name]
[name]Eliot[/name]
[name]Tennyson[/name]
Names that I think sound good with [name]Jack[/name]:
[name]Callum[/name]
[name]Archer[/name]
[name]Ray[/name]
[name]Declan[/name]
[name]Calix[/name] (science-y, when spelled Calyx)
The ones you have picked are all fine. If you are concerned about trendiness, [name]William[/name] and [name]Alexander[/name] are both going to be in the Top 20 in most states.
[name]Bertram[/name], [name]Lysander[/name], [name]Antony[/name], and [name]Oberon[/name] might be good Shakespearean names. Playwrights like [name]Marlowe[/name], [name]Sheridan[/name], or Moliere might also be good middle names. Other good theater character names are [name]Brick[/name]
There are a lot of good physicist names out there - [name]Michael[/name] Faraday, [name]Nikola[/name] Tesla, [name]Pierre[/name] Curie, [name]Niels[/name] Bohr.
[name]Jack[/name] is my favorite name so well done! [name]Malcolm[/name] is a really unexpected name form your list that I like for a Shakespearian couple like yourselves. I only regret the “bad” connotation. What about [name]Jack[/name] and:
[name]Julian[/name] or [name]Julius[/name]
[name]Adrian[/name]
[name]Charles[/name] nn [name]Charlie[/name]
[name]Milo[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]Robin[/name]
[name]Sebastian[/name]
[name]Sylvan[/name]
[name]Edmund[/name]
I don’t have any suggestions better than the ones you’ve already received, and I like all the names you’re considering for the first name. [name]William[/name] could be a nice nod to [name]Shakespeare[/name] and then you could go in a different direction for the middle name (e.g. constellation). Mercurio or [name]Mercury[/name] could be fun in the middle since it touches on both interests - it’s one of my guilty pleasure names. I like the suggestion of [name]Lysander[/name] as a middle name - different without being totally way out. I’m really glad you’re choosing names that can fit into many different contexts for the first spot - I think too often parents assume that their children will have the same interests (or geekiness!) they do, and it’s not always the case. The first thing being a parent taught me is that our children are not mere mini-versions of ourselves.
We didn’t have a name for our daughter going to the hospital, and unfortunately she didn’t look like any of the names we were considering when she popped out! In the end we just had to make a choice by weighing the pros and cons and going with our gut. It’s really ok to choose a name and let the child grow into it, but I understand how you feel - we chose my son’s name months before he was born, so I found it odd and somewhat stressful to not have the same feeling of certainty with the second. But I got over it.
Loving the suggestion of [name]Patrick[/name] [name]Altair[/name] - something less unusual for his first name (like [name]Jack[/name] - love [name]Jack[/name] [name]Rigel[/name] by the way!) and then a celestial name for the middle. [name]Patrick[/name] was on my list for a long time, and [name]Altair[/name] is a guilty pleasure - would be so happy if someone else used it! Good luck!
[name]Jack[/name] is one of the most down-to-earth, straightforward boys’ names of all time. While I don’t think that sibling names need to exactly match, it’s kind of hard for me to wrap my mind around brothers named [name]Jack[/name] and [name]Romeo[/name]. You’re sort of asking for discordance!
[name]Jack[/name] and [name]Will[/name] are certainly the perfect pair, as [name]Lori[/name] pointed out, but also a bit boring. [name]Jack[/name] and [name]Henry[/name], similarly.
I like [name]Patrick[/name] and [name]Malcolm[/name] though neither has a great short form.
[name]How[/name] about [name]Arthur[/name]/[name]Art[/name]? [name]Love[/name] [name]Jack[/name] and [name]Art[/name] together and [name]Art[/name] takes care of the artsy part of your equation. His middle name can be a lot more fanciful ala [name]Rigel[/name].
I like [name]Ray[/name]/[name]Raymond[/name] too. Or [name]Walter[/name]/[name]Walt[/name].
I absolutely love [name]Orion[/name], it’s on my short list as well.
Here are a few combos I like for you guys:
[name]Orion[/name] [name]Ryker[/name]
[name]Orion[/name] [name]Castor[/name]
[name]Finnegan[/name] ([name]Finn[/name]) [name]Atlas[/name]
[name]Finnegan[/name] [name]Penn[/name]
[name]Malcolm[/name] Mercutio (or [name]Mercury[/name]) would be darling and alliterative
[name]Malcom[/name] [name]Calix[/name]
Here are a suggestions to consider:
[name]Ace[/name]
[name]Auberon[/name]
[name]Baxter[/name]
[name]Caius[/name]
[name]Devlin[/name]
[name]Fox[/name]
[name]Hadrian[/name]
[name]Kellan[/name]
[name]Paxton[/name]
I agree with above post that [name]Jack[/name] needs a sibling with a classic/popular first name to match his own, and then a more different/meaningful middle…I like the suggestion of [name]William[/name] ([name]Wil[/name]) [name]Orion[/name] or [name]Henry[/name] ([name]Hank[/name]) [name]Orion[/name] or [name]Alexander[/name] ([name]Alex[/name] or [name]Zander[/name] as nn)[name]Orion[/name]. I think all of those sound good with [name]Jack[/name]. Good luck!!
[name]Caius[/name] is Caesars given name…and I like [name]Otis[/name], [name]Oscar[/name] and [name]Felix[/name] for the geeky flair they have. Good luck! You have lots of time!
What about [name]Ursa[/name] (as in [name]Ursa[/name] [name]Major[/name]) as a middle name? Polaris (the [name]North[/name] [name]Star[/name]) is more unusual, but in keep with your constellation theme. [name]Sirius[/name] is another one, but these days would probably be associated with the [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] character. Perhaps the name of a star in his Zodiac sign? As for the Shakespearean route, [name]Oberon[/name] immediately comes to my mind. I’m a theatre person myself and while there are tons of “normal” names in [name]Shakespeare[/name]'s work, there are just as many that I wouldn’t wish onto any child.
The names you mentioned are all very fine names. =) Although in my opinion, those make for better first name material. However, it occurs to me that if you name your second son [name]Orion[/name], that has the potential to lead to some sibling rivalry later on. “[name]How[/name] come he got the constellation while I just got a star?”
I think if you need to see your baby to be sure of a name, then that’s alright. I’ve read about many people going into the hospital with a few ideas, but then they saw their baby and came up with something completely different. Is [name]Jack[/name] old enough to give you any input on his brother’s name? Perhaps your husband could ask his students for some ideas as an extra credit? =P [name]Hope[/name] that helps you, all just my own thoughts.
We had two names going into the birth. That way, we could choose which one fit our baby but it wasn’t overwhelming. We ad a pretty good idea which we would choose by just to be sure, we waited to see her.