I hadn’t really considered our last name when it came to naming our children. But now, I’m starting to wonder if our names “match” or if it even matters at all. Our last name is [name_m]Reyes[/name_m] and our top names are [name_u]Holland[/name_u], [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] & [name_f]Priya[/name_f] for girls, and [name_m]Iver[/name_m] & [name_m]Alaric[/name_m] for boys.
I don’t think our ethnic background matters so much in naming, but both my husband and I come from a VAST array of different ethnicities, all the way from Panamanian and Native American to Puerto Rican & Irish (and everything in between).
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think our names match our last name? Or if it matters? And what is your opinion on ethnic background and the children’s names?
I think all of your names work fine with [name_m]Reyes[/name_m] - I’m not really sure what you mean about “matching”? The only times I can think of where a first name might not “match” a surname is if they seem to come from completely different origins, e.g. [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] Figlieri or [name_m]Muhammad[/name_m] Birtwhistle-[name_m]Smythe[/name_m]. But even these aren’t really a problem, just noticeable.
I think with [name_m]Reyes[/name_m] you really have a blank slate. The only names I’d steer clear of are one-syllable ends-in-s names like [name_m]Lars[/name_m], [name_m]Pierce[/name_m] or [name_f]Grace[/name_f], and names with a strong “ree” or “ray” sound, like [name_f]Grace[/name_f] (again), [name_f]Iris[/name_f], [name_m]Raymond[/name_m] or [name_u]Riley[/name_u].
That’s great! Oh, and just to clarify, our name is pronounced “[name_u]Ray[/name_u]-ez”, not “rays”. I’m not sure if that makes a difference, but I sure hope not
I don’t think it matters that much. Like @katinka said, really different names may be noticeable, but it isn’t a problem. Assuming there’s just one surname, all that says (usually) is where the father’s paternal line came from and even that can be incorrect (abolition of slavery, name butchering of immigrants at [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] island, etc). Trying to pick a name that matched the surname would seriously narrow naming choices; imagine trying to figure out a first name with a common name like [name_m]Smith[/name_m] if it had to match.
I see your point about the matching names not mattering so much and I agree. I just hope the names we’ve chosen “sound good” with our last name. I’ve read many threads where they talk about how first and middle names “sounding good together” doesn’t matter as much as first and last names do (because most people don’t call you by your middle name, they tend to only know your first and last name).
