Sibsets I came up with

Baby Name Games
1

Since I’m the one who suggested the idea for the name games board, I’ll start the first game on here. This is a game that I came up with a couple of years or so ago that I’ve shared with some others before. Below are some sibsets that I came up with (they’re not real as far as I know) in which the names among the siblings might seem to clash to some. Which of these sibsets are most/least clashy to you? [name]Feel[/name] free to comment on them if you like. Genders are indicated in cases where it’s not obvious by the name.

Sibset 1: [name]Ingrid[/name], [name]Seamus[/name], and [name]Emilio[/name]
Sibset 2: [name]Mackenzie[/name] (girl) and [name]Catherine[/name]
Sibset 3: [name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]Lysander[/name]
Sibset 4: [name]Mabel[/name], [name]Nancy[/name], and [name]Jaden[/name] (boy)
Sibset 5: [name]Kelly[/name] (boy) and [name]Ryan[/name] (girl)

2

[name]Mackenzie[/name] and [name]Catherine[/name] are the most clashy to me. I like [name]Catherine[/name]. I’d pair her with another royal name like [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Eleanor[/name] or [name]Margaret[/name]. I’m not really a fan of [name]Mackenzie[/name].

Least clashy to my ears: [name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]Lysander[/name]. Almost sounds like a pair of Shakespearean lovers. I know sisters named [name]Stephanie[/name] and [name]Elizabeth[/name] and that always seemed a bit clashy to me.

3

Fun game! I’d say that #1 ([name]Ingrid[/name], [name]Seamus[/name], [name]Emilio[/name]) is the most interesting - sure, they’re all from different origins, but they all have a sort of underused, but not unfamiliar vibe. I can see #3 working, too - [name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]Lysander[/name] - though it’s usually more like, say, [name]James[/name] and [name]Ianthe[/name] - classic choice for the boy, rarity for the girl.

#2 sounds like Dad named one and Mom named the other daughter, or maybe they decided to honor a beloved [name]Catherine[/name] even though it’s not really their style.

#4 is pretty bizarre - [name]Mabel[/name], [name]Nancy[/name] and [name]Jaden[/name]? I can’t imagine it. Ditto [name]Kelly[/name]/[name]Ryan[/name] in #5, though I suppose I have heard of [name]Avery[/name] and [name]Peyton[/name] (sister and brother) and similar “Which one is the girl?” pairings.

4

Sibset 1- [name]Love[/name] it. Exotic (in a familiar way) and they’re not going to know any other kid with their name in the U.S. I’d recommend familiar middle names.
Sibset 2- Yuck. [name]Lucky[/name] [name]Catherine[/name] (such a pretty name), unlucky [name]Mackenzie[/name]. The old and new, the old (and rediscovered), the young (and needs-to-be-retired).
Sibset 3- [name]Love[/name] it all the way. The only thing: [name]Lizzie[/name] and… [name]Lyssie[/name]? [name]Lysander[/name] doesn’t have much of a nickname.
Sibset 4- Grandma, Grandma, and grandson. [name]Nancy[/name] rocks, [name]Mabel[/name] not so much. And [name]Jaden[/name] I don’t like anyway.
Sibset 5- [name]Kelly[/name]'s going to have some gender confusion with the little [name]Barbie[/name] doll. And all those Ryans are going to be boys and little girl [name]Ryan[/name] might want to be [name]Ry[/name]-[name]Ry[/name] or [name]Annie[/name].

Sibset 3 is the best, 5 & 2 the worst. Creative combos!

5

To me, the set that clashes the most is #3, [name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]Lysander[/name]. A classic, well-known and beloved name paired with an equally classic, but not-so-well-known and probably-not-too-beloved name. [name]Lysander[/name] makes me think of a male ballet dancer, after the obvious reminder of “A Midsummer [name]Night[/name]'s [name]Dream[/name]”.

I actually think set #5, [name]Kelly[/name] and [name]Ryan[/name], clashes the least, but I’d name the girl [name]Kelly[/name] and the boy [name]Ryan[/name]. I don’t like boys’ names on girls, and [name]Kelly[/name] is almost exclusively a girls’ name these days. There would be terrible confusion about who’s the boy and who’s the girl.

[name]Set[/name] #1, [name]Ingrid[/name], [name]Seamus[/name] and [name]Emilio[/name], is a really interesting combo. I think it could work for a family with multiple ancestry, who want to honor each different nationality. So of course, clearly this family is Scandinavian, Irish and Spanish in origin. A great way to commemorate one’s ancestors.

[name]Set[/name] #4, [name]Mabel[/name], [name]Nancy[/name] and [name]Jaden[/name]…sounds like Grandma, Mom and son. I know a [name]Nancy[/name] and she is a really cool lady, though admittedly her name isn’t exactly one of my favorites. [name]Mabel[/name] is unquestionably a senior citizen, no matter what they said on “Mad About You”. [name]Jaden[/name] is too trendy and probably overused anyway.

[name]Set[/name] #2, [name]Mackenzie[/name] and [name]Catherine[/name], appeals to me the least. I prefer the latter name spelled with a K (to me, most hard-C girls’ names look better with a K instead). I like [name]Mackenzie[/name] okay, but it’s a surname. My dad grew up with a guy named [name]MacKenzie[/name] (surname) and we’ve been friends through two generations, and that’s what comes to my mind every time I see the name, no matter how it’s spelled. (Their younger daughter named her little girl [name]Mackenzie[/name], or some spelling variant, I’m not sure which one; but she was honoring her maiden name, not really conforming to the trend.) As another poster said, trendy/popular vs. classic/less popular just doesn’t fly.

[name]Just[/name] my thoughts… :slight_smile:

6

[name_u]Kelly[/name_u] and [name_u]Ryan[/name_u] just clash so much as they seem the wrong way round.