[name_m]How[/name_m] did you guys find a name? Did you create a list and then narrow down your choices, or did a name find you?
With my daughter, I received a “sign”, although I still debated whether we had chosen correctly (if that tells you how uncertain I am about naming babies :P) I came across her name while watching a documentary (there was a basketball team named [name_u]Harmony[/name_u]) and half jokingly suggested it as a name option to DH. Neither one of us hated it so we sat on it for awhile, still uncertain if that was “the one”.
Not too long after that, my pre-eclampsia got really bad and I was forced to deliver my baby girl 9.5 weeks early. Since I was on blood thinners at the time, I had to be anesthetized for the delivery. As I was laying on the operating room table, about to be put to sleep, I looked up and noticed the name “[name_u]Harmony[/name_u]” printed around the edge of the surgical light. [name_m]Even[/name_m] with that unexpected confirmation, I still had doubts but who am I to ignore a sign
Now I’m 18.5 weeks PG with a boy and no names have found me. I’m combing books and websites and creating lists but nothing feels quite right. Knowing that I’ve got some indications of an increased risk for pre-eclampsia again, I’d like to settle on a name so we’re prepared, in case we don’t make it to my scheduled C section date.
So, should I wait for another “sign” or was that a once in a lifetime thing?
Here are our top rated names (and yes, I quite literally created a spreadsheet and DH and I both took turns entering scores in order to get an “avg”. I am a teeny bit type A).
[name_u]Bryce[/name_u]
[name_m]Cole[/name_m]
[name_m]Henry[/name_m] ([name_u]Love[/name_u] [name_m]Henry[/name_m] but think it is probably too popular)
[name_u]Hudson[/name_u]
[name_u]Everett[/name_u]
[name_m]Preston[/name_m]
[name_m]Asher[/name_m]
[name_m]Quinlan[/name_m]
[name_m]Colt[/name_m]
[name_m]Topher[/name_m]
[name_m]Philip[/name_m]
[name_u]Darren[/name_u]
[name_m]Killian[/name_m]
[name_m]Flint[/name_m]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_u]Slate[/name_u]
[name_m]Bryant[/name_m]
[name_m]Thatcher[/name_m]
[name_m]Wilder[/name_m]
[name_m]Oliver[/name_m]
[name_m]Fletcher[/name_m] (trying to get DH to bump this up on the list to honor his late father the bow hunter but one of his coworkers has this as a last name, and he doesn’t like the guy)
[name_m]Benjamin[/name_m]
[name_m]Milo[/name_m]
[name_u]Sterling[/name_u]
For my son, I kept getting this “peaceful warrior” vibe, which made it pretty easy to narrow it down to three names (first + middle combos) that felt that way in sound as well as meaning. I feel like that “sign” was just a personality/vibe, and I probably became certain of it around the 7 month mark in my pregnancy. [name_m]How[/name_m] he moved in the womb was definitely a contributing factor–he was pretty smooth with his movements, not jarring or kicking the breath out of me. At 18.5 weeks, you might still be a bit early to feel as much, right? I think you still have a month or two before the name becomes more urgent. Maybe think about what some of those names say to you, see which of the ones feel like they fit him and your family the best.
If you want feedback on the names in your list, I like these best with [name_u]Harmony[/name_u]: [name_u]Hudson[/name_u], [name_m]Colt[/name_m], [name_u]River[/name_u], [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m], [name_m]Milo[/name_m], and [name_u]Sterling[/name_u] (no particular order).
Ones that seem jarring or don’t match well with [name_u]Harmony[/name_u]: [name_m]Asher[/name_m], [name_m]Killian[/name_m], [name_u]Slate[/name_u], [name_m]Wilder[/name_m], and [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m] all seem a bit too wild next to the peaceful name [name_u]Harmony[/name_u]. Also, [name_u]Harmony[/name_u] and [name_m]Henry[/name_m] seem too similar, so I’d nix that one too.
[name_m]Philip[/name_m]/[name_u]River[/name_u]/[name_m]Oliver[/name_m] [name_m]Cole[/name_m] are cute combos imo!
I dont know about a sign, it might not happen again, but you still have time!
I am obviously not a mom yet but my girlfriend and I have always loved the name [name_m]Lukas[/name_m], it has to do with how we met, so if we do get to name a child wed probably go for that
I think [name_u]Hudson[/name_u] and [name_u]Harmony[/name_u] sound lovely together, and you could very well swing [name_m]Fletcher[/name_m] as a middle with that! However, if you are (sort of) into “signs” then your SO not liking his coworker with the last name is significant enough to knock it off the list.
I think [name_u]Harmony[/name_u] is very feminine and evokes a peaceful, calming feel (obviously ) and your top name, [name_u]Bryce[/name_u], doesn’t seem to go well with it. I picture a chaotic little brother constantly getting into trouble and [name_u]Harmony[/name_u] yelling “stop it, [name_u]Bryce[/name_u]!” which will most likely happen regardless of any name you choose… Suffice it to say, if the double H names don’t bother you or you wouldn’t want to continue a trend with any future kids (or have one left out with an initial that doesn’t match!) then I say go for [name_u]Hudson[/name_u].
My other suggestion would be, choose a book or film or poem that inspires you, and find a name within it. When a name has meaning or purpose or a good association tied to it, it often “feels” right and a sign is not needed
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] that helps!!
Shameless plug for the name [name_m]Graham[/name_m] just because my SO hates it but I think it is absolutely perfect for a little boy, so I want to do my part to see more Grahams running around the playground
I like [name_m]Topher[/name_m], [name_m]Killian[/name_m], [name_u]River[/name_u], [name_u]Slate[/name_u], and [name_m]Flint[/name_m]…
[name_u]Harmony[/name_u] is a lovely name!
I think the “fit” is definitely what I’ve been going for I’ve got a handful of grainy sonogram photos, the knowledge that he always fights the ultrasound probe with some pretty strong 1-2 punches, and a general idea of how he might look based on my daughter’s appearance. There are a lot of names that I really like, but when I think them/say them they just don’t seem like “him”. Weird that you can have so little info on a person and still have a sense of who they are. Guess that is the kind of amazing thing about motherhood
Thanks for the feedback on the names. You picked up on a lot of my favorites and I don’t think I’d be too sad to nix the ones on your second list.
Hmm DH and I met via Yahoo personals (when that was a thing). Not sure Yahoo would be a great name hehe j/k
I really wish we had a name that was meaningful to us in some way but the few that might have worked have been taken by his family members throughout the years that we’ve struggled to get (and stay) pregnant. Maybe I need to take another trip down memory lane and see if there are any places/events/people that might serve as an inspiration.
[name_u]Hudson[/name_u] is definitely near the top of my list We flew from TX to NYC back in 2013 to meet with a reproductive immunologist to help with our pregnancy losses and we drove over the [name_u]Hudson[/name_u] on our way upstate to see family so it at least has a loose association with my current state
I’ve liked [name_u]Bryce[/name_u] but there is something about it that just doesn’t feel quite perfect at times. It may be that one of my friends is named [name_m]Brad[/name_m] and we jokingly called him B-[name_m]Rad[/name_m] so when I try the same thing with [name_u]Bryce[/name_u] it becomes B-Ryce hehe Not quite so [name_m]Rad[/name_m]
Funny you should mention a book or poem, my husband’s favorite book series is Sword of [name_u]Truth[/name_u] and the main character is the Seeker of [name_u]Truth[/name_u]. DH has used this as his email address the entire time I’ve known him, and oddly enough our OB/GYN who has been so helpful throughout the last 6 years, also shares the last name of Seeker (I believe in signs, what can I say? hehe). I would love to incorporate this, but I can’t really find any mainstream boy names that mean “Seeker”.
I would do my homework and research names, make lists, etc, while continuing to look for a sign. It doesn’t always happen. I know someone who dreamed the name of her daughter. I always thought this would happen to me, but it simply didn’t with my son. For him, a name just struck us before we were even pregnant and just stuck around as our favorite.
I noticed that your daughter has the same initials that you have… [name_u]Harmony[/name_u] [name_u]Lynn[/name_u] (HL) and [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] [name_u]Lynn[/name_u] (HL). Would you consider following the pattern and giving your son his father’s initials?.. NG as in [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] [name_m]Grant[/name_m] I don’t know how you feel about naming your son after your husband, but [name_m]NATHANIEL[/name_m] is one of my favorite names AND it has a beautiful meaning, “Gift of God.” You could call him [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m], [name_u]Nat[/name_u], [name_m]Nathan[/name_m] or [name_m]Nate[/name_m]. What could be more meaningful than being named after a family member. If you like the idea of repeating the initials NG …Other N names you might consider are: [name_m]Niles[/name_m], [name_u]Noah[/name_u], [name_u]Neil[/name_u], [name_u]Noel[/name_u], [name_m]Nolan[/name_m] For middle names you could use [name_m]Grant[/name_m], [name_m]Gifford[/name_m], [name_m]Griffin[/name_m], [name_m]Grayson[/name_m], [name_m]Garrett[/name_m], [name_m]Garner[/name_m], [name_m]Graham[/name_m], [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m], [name_m]Garrick[/name_m].
[name_m]Just[/name_m] a thought, but if you are trying to incorporate “seeker”, have you tried looking up names with “adventure” or
“journey” in their meaning? Also, names of famous explorers, such as [name_m]Lewis[/name_m], [name_m]Clark[/name_m], or [name_m]Ferdinand[/name_m]. Ooo, and there was a famous English explorer called [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_u]Hudson[/name_u].
A previous poster mentioned [name_m]Ferdinand[/name_m] (there’s also [name_m]Hernando[/name_m]) that could be shortened to [name_m]Nando[/name_m] or [name_m]Ernie[/name_m] as a nickname (a little out there but without being complex or difficult to pronounce ) [name_m]Ferdinand[/name_m] means bold voyager and [name_m]Hernando[/name_m] means adventurer/explorer, too! Maybe there are other names with “nand” that have similar meanings?
There’s also [name_m]Ved[/name_m], which means “sacred knowledge” in sanksrit, and [name_u]Emmet[/name_u] (more commonly spelled [name_u]Emmett[/name_u]) which means “universal truth”. [name_u]Emmet[/name_u]/t and [name_u]Harmony[/name_u] go together nicely, although more mainstream/popular than your other names. [name_m]Ved[/name_m] is a really short & sweet, strong name that could also be a nickname for something like [name_m]Belvedere[/name_m] (“beautiful view”) or [name_m]David[/name_m] (“[name_f]Beloved[/name_f]”).
[name_u]Hudson[/name_u] [name_m]Belvedere[/name_m] would be a fun pairing, something more approachable for a future career and not childlike with [name_u]Hudson[/name_u], but a less common middle that can be shortened to [name_m]Ved[/name_m] to have meaning and a sweet, uncommon nickname! I absolutely love this now, actually! [name_m]Ved[/name_m] officially gets my vote
replying again to add [name_u]Alfie[/name_u], [name_m]Eldridge[/name_m], [name_m]Rainier[/name_m], [name_m]Raymond[/name_m]/[name_m]Redmond[/name_m] and [name_u]Sage[/name_u] - all meaning “wise” with associations of “protector”, “leader”, “knowing”, and “counselor”.
This seems to be the approach we’re taking although not necessarily on purpose hehe. Of all the names on our list, DH and I seem to be gravitating towards “[name_m]Cole[/name_m]” the most. I don’t know what it is about that name, and we have no connection that I can think of, but it just feels like “us” if that makes any sense. Probably doesn’t hurt that [name_m]Joshua[/name_m] [name_m]Jackson[/name_m] plays [name_m]Cole[/name_m] Lockhart on “The Affair” and I have loved him since [name_m]Dawson[/name_m]'s Creek hehe
My husband especially loves [name_m]Cole[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m] ([name_m]David[/name_m] was his dad’s first name) but when saying the whole name, it feels a little odd to say his dad’s name so I’m not 100% sold on that just yet hehe I may still try to convince him to pick a name that honors his dad without using his dad’s actual name but I may not win that one.
Thanks for all the support. This is such a tough decision!
) and your top name, [name_u]Bryce[/name_u], doesn’t seem to go well with it. I picture a chaotic little brother constantly getting into trouble and [name_u]Harmony[/name_u] yelling “stop it, [name_u]Bryce[/name_u]!” which will most likely happen regardless of any name you choose… Suffice it to say, if the double H names don’t bother you or you wouldn’t want to continue a trend with any future kids (or have one left out with an initial that doesn’t match!) then I say go for [name_u]Hudson[/name_u].
I’ve got a handful of grainy sonogram photos, the knowledge that he always fights the ultrasound probe with some pretty strong 1-2 punches, and a general idea of how he might look based on my daughter’s appearance. There are a lot of names that I really like, but when I think them/say them they just don’t seem like “him”. Weird that you can have so little info on a person and still have a sense of who they are. Guess that is the kind of amazing thing about motherhood 