Twins! Boy/girl to match older brother Theo and sis Adele

Name Advice
1

I’ve been spinning my wheels on this one, so I’d love your thoughts.

We have two children:

[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] (surname Wordelman), nn [name_u]Theo[/name_u], with mn [name_u]James[/name_u] as a tribute to his dad
[name_f]Adele[/name_f] [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] (Wordelman), nn [name_f]Della[/name_f] or [name_f]Della[/name_f] [name_u]Jo[/name_u], with mn [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] as a tribute to dad’s great-grandma

Sounds like it’s my turn for a tribute, huh? :slight_smile:

For the little girl, I’m torn between…

[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_f]Emma[/name_f], nn [name_u]Romy[/name_u]. [name_u]Romy[/name_u] is traditionally a [name_m]German[/name_m] nickname for [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f], but my [name_f]MIL[/name_f] hates [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]. I adore [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], and I think [name_u]Romy[/name_u] still works given the mn here. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is my great-grandmother, so I’d love to have that symmetry with her big sis.

  • and-

[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] [name_f]May[/name_f] or [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] - just love this name, love the poem, and the nn possibilities are endless. My name is [name_f]Angela[/name_f]/[name_u]Angie[/name_u], so it’s kind of a way of passing that on too. But the mn here is not too special, and I’m worried that it’s too much of a mouthful with our surname. I’d probably call her [name_f]Evie[/name_f], maybe [name_f]Evie[/name_f] + middle name.

~

For the wee boy, I’m just stuck. I’d like to use the middle name [name_m]Eric[/name_m], not because I particularly like the name (I don’t, not for its own sake), but because we’ve known several really important, special people named [name_m]Eric[/name_m]. I love that we could honor them all at once with this mn.

You’ve probably guessed by now that I really like old fashioned names with sweet, short nicknames. But I do want them to stand out a little. We’ve considered:

[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m]
[name_m]Brendan[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m]
[name_m]Liam[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m]

and discarded them all, more or less because they are too popular, though I like the sounds and the simplicity. I also really like the boy name [name_m]Jack[/name_m], but it doesn’t seem to fit here.

Becoming more desperate, I ventured:

[name_m]Lucien[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m] (nn [name_m]Luke[/name_m]) – people say this strikes them as a bit evil-sounding, though.
[name_m]Bastian[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m] – from Sebasatian, which I don’t like, but I do like [name_m]Bastian[/name_m]. Problem is that it sounds kind of too much like Bastard for me.
[name_u]Malin[/name_u] [name_m]Eric[/name_m], nn [name_u]Mal[/name_u] – too unusual, I’m afraid…

Then I thought about [name_m]Bram[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m], or [name_m]Bramwell[/name_m]… but I started worrying it was too strange. I have nothing against unusual names at all, but my preference is to stay more or less within the established-name territory for our kidlets.

And finally, I like [name_u]Remy[/name_u] [name_m]Eric[/name_m], but obviously we can’t do that if we choose [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]/[name_u]Romy[/name_u] for the sister. I’m also unsure about how it’d feel to people (too girly? too odd?).

What is your favorite of these choices? What pair would you choose? Any new suggestions?

Our family background is mostly Dutch and [name_m]German[/name_m], with some Scottish thrown in as well. I also really love [name_m]French[/name_m] names, though. I also like subtle nature-inspired names, as I’m a closet hippie.

Thanks so much for your help!!

2

You have beautifully named children!

For you new girl, if you like [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] the best, then you should use it. [name_u]Romy[/name_u] definitely works as a nickname. I also like the idea of having [name_f]Emma[/name_f] as a middle to honor great-grandmother and have a connection to her sister. You could consider [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] as a combination, so you get a little bit of your name in her name. All you girl choices are wonderful.

I like that you want to honor people named [name_m]Eric[/name_m] with the boy’s middle name. Of your boy choices, I like [name_m]Lucien[/name_m] the best. I agree with your opinions on the other two. There are other names that can give you the nickname [name_m]Luke[/name_m] that may sound less evil; although, I don’t think it sounds that bad. Also, [name_m]Lucien[/name_m] is [name_m]French[/name_m] from Latin, so you have [name_m]French[/name_m] like [name_f]Adele[/name_f], and you get a Latin name ([name_m]Lucien[/name_m]) with a Greek name ([name_m]Theodore[/name_m]). I like little connections like that.

Because [name_m]Lucien[/name_m] has those connections with the other siblings’ names, it leaves [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] out a bit. [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] has a [name_m]French[/name_m] sound even though it is Greek. After all that, my favorites are [name_m]Lucien[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m] and [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] [name_f]May[/name_f]/[name_f]Grace[/name_f]/[name_f]Emma[/name_f]/[name_u]Rowan[/name_u].

Congratulations and good luck with naming!

3

I love your naming style!

[name_u]Romy[/name_u] definitely works for a nn for [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]! I like [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_f]Emma[/name_f] best:)

Out of the boys names you have listed, I like [name_m]Lucien[/name_m] best, but I think you could use the Finnish version of [name_m]Eric[/name_m]; [name_m]Eero[/name_m] = [name_m]Lucian[/name_m] [name_m]Eero[/name_m]. Maybe even “Emerick”? Similar to [name_f]Emma[/name_f], and is [name_m]German[/name_m] too.

Other ideas that may fit in with your style:

[name_m]Taggart[/name_m] [name_m]Eero[/name_m] (Tag)

[name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_m]Eero[/name_m] ([name_m]Hal[/name_m])

[name_u]August[/name_u] [name_m]Eero[/name_m] ([name_m]Augie[/name_m] or [name_u]Gus[/name_u])

[name_m]Edmund[/name_m] [name_m]Eero[/name_m] ([name_m]Ned[/name_m])

[name_m]Roderick[/name_m] [name_m]Eero[/name_m] ([name_m]Hodge[/name_m])

[name_m]Oswald[/name_m] [name_m]Eero[/name_m] ([name_m]Ozzie[/name_m] or [name_u]Wally[/name_u])

4

Thanks so much! eechick, I really appreciate little connections as well. Usually I think more about the semantic or aesthetic connections, though. I’ve never put as much thought into the culture of origin, and that provided a really fruitful line of thought for me! Also, funnily enough, I never considered [name_f]Adele[/name_f] to be a [name_m]French[/name_m] name. For us it’s a [name_m]German[/name_m] family name, even though it’s pretty much identical in [name_m]French[/name_m]. Kind of a fun chameleon that way.

Also, after reading your reply, I realized that I really really do love [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_f]Emma[/name_f]… the name itself, plus the symmetry with her big sis! Also, I’m afraid [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] is challenging because E.W. doesn’t work so well as an initial set. :confused: E.E.W. is even worse.

Therefore [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_f]Emma[/name_f] it is, and that helps me with the boy name. No [name_u]Remy[/name_u], no R’s. Now we just have to find something that pairs well and makes such an English-y sounding name a bit less lonely.

withinreason, [name_m]Lucien[/name_m] Emerick is beautiful! I really do love it, but after reflection and discussion with my husband, I think our style for boys probably tends towards the simpler side. Simple, handsome, but not super popular… quite the challenge. :slight_smile: All the names you listed are good examples ([name_m]Henry[/name_m] is especially nice). None of them feel quite right though…

I started thinking about [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] again, which is such a lovely strong name, and had almost settled on it- but I realized it doesn’t sound great with our last name (the repetition of the -el sound, I think). [name_u]Sam[/name_u] sounds good with the surname, but not with the mn. Argh!

I looked at lots of others today, and finally I started thinking about [name_m]Silas[/name_m]. In the past I always dismissed it as an old man-y name, associating it with the book [name_m]Silas[/name_m] Marner… but hey, [name_m]Silas[/name_m] turns out to be a wonderful man in the end. And I love the meaning, which I found through [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m]/[name_m]Silvan[/name_m]/[name_m]Silvanus[/name_m]: man of the forest. We live in the forest, and my maiden name meant “round grove.”

Like [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], it’s been popular in [name_f]England[/name_f]. The meaning also works with [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] in a beautiful, subtle way. But it’s also a Greek-ish name, just like his older brother [name_m]Theodore[/name_m].

Finally, a baby [name_m]Silas[/name_m] could use the nickname [name_u]Si[/name_u]… and we literally live in the shadow of a beautiful mountain called Mount [name_u]Si[/name_u].

So what do you think, guys? [name_m]Silas[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m] W? [name_m]Silas[/name_m] and [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]? Or, as they’d be yelled for at dinnertime: [name_u]Theo[/name_u], [name_f]Della[/name_f], [name_u]Romy[/name_u] and [name_u]Si[/name_u]?

5

[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_f]Emma[/name_f], nn [name_u]Romy[/name_u] is darling. We did something similar…dd is [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_u]Dove[/name_u], nn Rovie. You could have Rovie with [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f].

6

I understand your dilemma with boys names! I do like [name_m]Bram[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m] because you have a long last name. [name_m]Silas[/name_m] is cute but I’m not too fond of [name_u]Si[/name_u] as a nn. I would also like to put [name_m]Edison[/name_m] as a suggestion. It is classic, has great symbolism and is pretty unique all at the same time! Let em know what you think. Good luck!

7

[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_f]Emma[/name_f] and [name_m]Silas[/name_m] [name_m]Erik[/name_m] are lovely together. I like that both middle names begin with an E.

[name_u]Romy[/name_u] is a lovely nn! and with initial REW you could call her that too (I know a little one who’s nn is Roo and it’s adorable!)

[name_m]Silas[/name_m] is a great name, and since you live near a mountain named [name_u]Si[/name_u] I think that’s a great connection!

8

[name_m]Silas[/name_m] is lovely, but what about [name_m]Simon[/name_m] or [name_m]Josiah[/name_m]? [name_m]Just[/name_m] throwing some other options out

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[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] is SO pretty! I just love it. Have you ever considered [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] [name_f]Emma[/name_f]? Would that be too many "E"s for you? For your boy, for some reason I like [name_m]Brendan[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m] the best. I only know of one [name_m]Brendan[/name_m], but not a ton of [name_m]Brandon[/name_m]'s. For my second choice I like [name_m]Lucien[/name_m] [name_m]Eric[/name_m], it is dark and mysterious, but for some reason I like those types of names on boys. lol