We have a three year old daughter named Railey [name_f]Marie[/name_f]. Pronunciation rhymes with [name_u]Bailey[/name_u] or [name_f]Hailey[/name_f], not [name_u]Riley[/name_u]. The name is a shortened version of her name given by her Birth parents…we adopted her from the foster system about a year ago.
We have recently become aware that we may not be as infertile as we thought, lol, and we are actively TTC. Our first choice name are:
Girl: [name_f]Mary[/name_f]-[name_f]Agnes[/name_f] [name_f]Gayle[/name_f] (or maybe [name_f]Gayla[/name_f]) nn [name_f]Maggie[/name_f]. This is after DH’s mom [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] who died when he was 8, and my dad [name_m]Gaylon[/name_m] who we were both close to, who died 7 years ago.
Boy: [name_m]Asher[/name_m] [name_m]Joseph[/name_m], nn AJ. My middle name is [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] and DH’s is [name_m]Joseph[/name_m]. A little narsacistic but we like it.
My concern is if we have a girl, Railey is a very unusual name whereas [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] and even the nn [name_f]Maggie[/name_f] is very traditional. Maybe they just don’t “go”. I think if it’s a boy Railey and [name_m]Asher[/name_m] go together a little better. If it matters, we also have a foster son, and if we are able to adopt him (still unsure, it’s about 50/50 odds), his name will be either [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] [name_m]Luke[/name_m] or [name_m]Bennett[/name_m] [name_m]Luke[/name_m], nn [name_m]Ben[/name_m]. We also will adopt again, whether or not we conceive, so no telling what name that kiddo will come with, and changing it depends on age of child and how long they are with us. Are my worries unfounded?
While it’s nice to have a sibset that has names that are similar, there are plenty of people who don’t do this for a variety reasons. Certainly the reasons that you have listed, like honoring family members or the birth names of adoptive children, are great and take into account each child’s unique nature, including the way they came to your family. I’d continue to celebrate each special child you have and not worry about matching the sibset too much.
This said, [name_f]Gayle[/name_f]/[name_f]Gayla[/name_f] has some similarities with Railey so that could be the tie between the sisters even if Railey and [name_f]Mary[/name_f]-[name_f]Agnes[/name_f] aren’t too similar. You could use [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]-[name_f]Gayle[/name_f] with [name_f]Aggie[/name_f] as nn if you want something more similar and keeping the honoring intent or even [name_f]Gayla[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f] [name_f]Agnes[/name_f].
Thank you! We did consider [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] [name_f]Gayle[/name_f], but we live in an area with many [name_u]Texas[/name_u] A&M [name_f]Aggie[/name_f] fans, and we are NOT fans, lol. So the nn [name_f]Aggie[/name_f] is out. We thought with the addition of [name_f]Mary[/name_f] we could get away with [name_f]Maggie[/name_f] as a nn, which we love. I like the flow of [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] [name_f]Gayle[/name_f] better, but we couldn’t think of a good nn we liked. Not fans of Nes or [name_f]Nessie[/name_f] either.
I wouldn’t worry about siblings with different style names. While it’s nice to have names that mesh well together, it’s important to remember that these babies will grow up to be individual independent people who aren’t referred to in a set.
Personally, I like siblings to have names that are different but complementary. The names don’t have to be from the same style (some classic names mix well with mythological or Shakespearean names for example) but they shouldn’t be so different that it looks like the children were named by different families. Having said that, people’s naming styles change over the years. If a couple has children over a twenty year span or if they divorce and remarry and begin another family, the older children’s names may not “match” with the “newer” family. I try to keep an open mind and view each case on an individual basis. This is what I think about your situation.
Your family consists of foster/adopted children and each situation may or may not give you a choice in the naming process.
Yes, Railey and [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] are worlds apart but Railey and [name_f]Maggie[/name_f] are ok together. Railey and [name_m]Asher[/name_m] are fine too! [name_m]Bennett[/name_m] is a little better with Railey than [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] but again, he’ll probably end up being called [name_m]Ben[/name_m] anyway so I don’t see a problem.
You have names of family significance that mean a lot to you and your husband. Family meaning trumps “sibset name cohesion” every time. If you are blessed with a biological child, ALWAYS choose a name you both [name_f]LOVE[/name_f].
[name_m]Set[/name_m] your worries aside as to making your names fit together. Seeing as your family may grow in a variety of ways, I say just go with the names you love. I think it is wonderful you chose to honor the birth parents of your daughter.
Thanks, everyone! We’ll just go with it We found out yesterday we might be matched with a 2 year old boy for adoption, so there is another potential name to add to the lists. His given name is [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m]. We’ll see what they cal him and are thinking if we are selected for him, we may alter it slightly like we did with Railey. Maybe [name_m]Gable[/name_m]. Which could also we a shout-out for my dad [name_m]Gaylon[/name_m]. Fingers crossed they pick us!!!
We found out yesterday we might be matched with a 2 year old boy for adoption, so there is another potential name to add to the lists. His given name is [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m]. We’ll see what they cal him and are thinking if we are selected for him, we may alter it slightly like we did with Railey. Maybe [name_m]Gable[/name_m]. Which could also we a shout-out for my dad [name_m]Gaylon[/name_m]. Fingers crossed they pick us!!!