:o
My husband and I were tossing around names, and we threw out [name]Burl[/name] ([name]Burt[/name] and [name]Birch[/name] are family names and we were brainstorming something similar). My daughter decided that [name]Burl[/name] would be the baby’s name and she and my five year old have been calling him that for about 3 weeks. Now, it is hard to think of him as anything else. What are your first reactions to the name. Are we crazy to use it? In the girl’s minds, he is already [name]Burl[/name]. Their names are Avonelle [name]Rose[/name] and [name]Viviette[/name] [name]Eloise[/name].
We are curious what thoughts/images the name conjures up and also if anyone has any middle name ideas! Thanks so much!!
Ha ha, that is really cute! I kinda like [name]Burl[/name]. We have an elderly man at our church named [name]Beryl[/name], but pronounced like [name]Burl[/name]. I can see it working on a rough and tumble little boy. Option 2 would be using that as his middle name. Your girls can still use it as a family nn, but you can use a more normal name up front. I kinda like [name]Birch[/name] too, which they could use the nn [name]Burl[/name] for. I understand how easy it is to get attached to a name like that though. We joked with our friends about naming our son [name]Laszlo[/name], but then the name really started to grow on me. We didn’t use it, but a part of me wanted to
In all honesty I don’t really like [name]Burl[/name]. It makes me think of burly or a burl on a tree (a large deformation). It is definitely a very masculine name, which if you went with it would make a good pairing with your daughters’ very feminine names (beautiful, by the way!). I can see it as sort of a nickname for [name]Albert[/name]. Your daughters’ names are both three syllables while [name]Burl[/name] is only one, but I don’t know if this would make a difference to you.
If you’ve grown attached to it and love it, I say go for it!
I think of actor singer [name]Burl[/name] [name]Ives[/name] (full name: [name]Burl[/name] Icle [name]Ivanhoe[/name] [name]Ives[/name]) who played Big Daddy in the old film "[name]Cat[/name] on a Hot [name]Tin[/name] Roof . He’s also known for his [name]Christmas[/name] songs of “A [name]Holly[/name] Jolly [name]Christmas[/name]” and “[name]Silver[/name] and [name]Gold[/name]” and “[name]Rudolph[/name] the [name]Red[/name]-Nosed Reindeer”. This name reminds me of childhood so I like it. It’s rare yet familiar, warm, down-to-earth, friendly and woodsy kind of name.
I think if you like [name]Burl[/name], use it, but not because of how your daughters might react. I know plenty of children who call their unborn siblings by a nickname in the womb, but aren’t traumatized when they come out with a different name. My oldest called my youngest “[name]Orange[/name],” for some reason, but wasn’t fazed when that wasn’t his name after birth.
I really like the pp’s suggestion of the spelling [name]Beryl[/name]! [name]Love[/name] that, and it goes a lot better with your girls names than the spelling [name]Burl[/name], [name]IMO[/name].
