What do you think of our family-inspired names?

General Name Discussion
1

Okay, after a long a gruelling process, we have finally come to a decision on a boy and a girl name to go along with our daughter, [name]Grace[/name] [name]Patricia[/name] nn [name]Gracie[/name]. Although we aren’t ttc just yet, it’s important that we have a named picked out because I got really sick when I was pregnant and I wasn’t able to participate much in the process. We want names that honor our family, like our daughter’s name.

[name]Grace[/name]- for my mom. Her middle name is [name]Ann[/name], which means [name]Grace[/name]. (We actually didn’t realize this until after the fact, but it has helped my buyer’s remorse of [name]Grace[/name]'s first name and the fact that I wasn’t really able to name her.)

[name]Patricia[/name]- Dh’s paternal grandmother’s first name.

We want to honor the other sides of the family (my dad’s side and his mom’s side) with our next child.

GIRL
[name]Meryl[/name] [name]Amelia[/name] nn [name]Merry[/name] or [name]Millie[/name]

[name]Meryl[/name]- DH’s mother’s middle name is [name]Lynn[/name], which means lake. [name]Meryl[/name] means shining sea. I [name]LOVE[/name] this name. I know [name]Meryl[/name] has a strong association to [name]Meryl[/name] Streep, but I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal. (Besides, this is the only lake/ocean/sea name that DH will agree to!) I also thought about a name with lyn or lin in it, but DH hates all of those, as well.

[name]Amelia[/name]- my father’s grandmother’s middle name. (Whew! that took a while to list. However, I knew her and she is where I got my creative streak. Also, there aren’t very many names on my dad’s side that DH likes at all, so I got lucky with this one!)

BOY
[name]Jack[/name] [name]Walter[/name] nn [name]Jackie[/name] or [name]Jay[/name]

[name]Jack[/name]- DH’s maternal grandfather who recently passed away. (also share the same meaning an my paternal grandmother’s first name, [name]Joan[/name], and my paternal grandfather’s middle name, [name]Ivan[/name].)

[name]Walter[/name]- my paternal grandfather’s first name.

Last name starts with a “B” and sounds somewhat like [name]Michelle[/name].

2

I like [name]Jack[/name] [name]Walter[/name] ok, but I would probably go with [name]John[/name] or [name]Jonathan[/name] nn [name]Jack[/name] personally. I don’t like [name]Jackie[/name], and [name]Jay[/name] is a lot less cooler than [name]Jack[/name]. I love [name]Walter[/name] though.

As far as the girl name, I really don’t like [name]Meryl[/name]. It doesn’t sound very pretty and it feels middle aged. Also it makes me think of Pokemon. I actually like [name]Grace[/name] and [name]Amelia[/name] much better. [name]Amelia[/name] makes a much better match with [name]Jack[/name] and [name]Grace[/name]. I’d put [name]Amelia[/name] in front and something else in the middle.

3

My name is [name]Meryl[/name] but I have no nn. the connection with [name]Meryl[/name] STreep is not strong. Sometimes hwen ppl ask how to spell my name I will say, “[name]Just[/name] like [name]Meryl[/name] Streep.” Many many ppl have said to me, “who is [name]Meryl[/name] Streep”.

4

I think any association with the iconic actor [name]Meryl[/name] Streep is a plus, it is like naming someone after [name]Katharine[/name] Hepburn.

Why not [name]Meryl[/name]? It is not common, it sounds pretty and if you like it can be spelt as [name]Merrill[/name].

[name]Jack[/name] [name]Walter[/name] is a great combo.

5

I like [name]Meryl[/name] [name]Amelia[/name] especially with the nn of [name]Merry[/name], so cute!!! (And somehow so different from [name]Mary[/name]… odd! lol) A friend of mine just had a baby named [name]Merle[/name] last year. (She is [name]German[/name].) So there are some young [name]Meryl[/name]/Merles out there, it’s not just for [name]Meryl[/name] Streep! hehe

[name]Jack[/name] [name]Walter[/name] is very handsome.

I am glad you found two names you like, I definitely approve! [name]Lovely[/name]!!!

6

I really like all of your names! I always love ‘[name]Grace[/name] [name]Patricia[/name]’ when I see it in your signature. I am a big proponent of a [name]Patricia[/name] revival.
[name]Meryl[/name] [name]Amelia[/name]-I actually know a 3 yr old [name]Meryl[/name] (in fact, she is [name]Meryl[/name] [name]Grace[/name]!) and the name seems so refreshing among all her peers. It wears well on a small child but it is so sophisticated. I think this one is a winner!
[name]Jack[/name] [name]Walter[/name]- I prefer [name]John[/name] nn [name]Jack[/name], but other than that, I think this is a very handsome name.

7

[name]Jack[/name] [name]Walter[/name] is a pretty cool name for a son. Although I like [name]Meryl[/name] and [name]Amelia[/name], my only concern would be how they blend into each other (Merylamelia). On second thought, since most people other than family and close friends will not know her middle name anyway, I guess it’s no big deal. Yes, why not choose [name]Meryl[/name] [name]Amelia[/name]? I love the nn [name]Merry[/name] too! All the best!

8

I [name]LOVE[/name] your choices! I really like the nn [name]Millie[/name] too.

There is a DJ on the radio here who goes by the initials J.W. It flows really well, I think. That could be another nn option. I think [name]Jack[/name] can stand alone though - doesn’t need a nn.

9

[name]Meryl[/name] [name]Amelia[/name] and [name]Jack[/name] [name]Walter[/name] get my vote!

10

[name]Love[/name] [name]Meryl[/name] [name]Amelia[/name] and love both nns! Fabulous choice! Which nn are you leaning towards?

[name]Love[/name] [name]Walter[/name] and [name]Jack[/name] is nice. I prefer [name]John[/name]. Was your dh’s grandfather’s real name [name]John[/name]? I prefer it because It’s more unexpected and less popular. I also think of [name]Jack[/name] as a nn. [name]John[/name] [name]Walter[/name] nn [name]Jack[/name] gets my vote but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with [name]Jack[/name] [name]Walter[/name].

I think it’s wonderful that you are using meaningful family names. Good luck!

11

Thanks so much for all of the replies! [name]Just[/name] to clarify, [name]Jack[/name] was DH’s grandfather’s actual name (I think it was misprinted as “[name]Jackie[/name]” on his birth certificate, though). I really prefer [name]John[/name] nn [name]Jack[/name] too, but DH doesn’t. I think he dislikes the “[name]Johnny[/name]” nn potential, which is fine by me! And thanks to grey56 for the suggestion of JW! I was actually just thinking how much I like the sound of that! Through all of our lists of potential baby names, [name]Jack[/name] was always near the top, but we never gave it much thought!

I was initially concerned of the similar sounds the [name]Meryl[/name] and [name]Amelia[/name] share, but [name]Grace[/name] and [name]Patricia[/name] have some similar sounds, too, so I really like that they would share that. I think I’m leaning towards [name]Merry[/name] as the nn, although I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Millie[/name]! [name]Grace[/name] is called by a bunch of different nn’s, and I don’t think that [name]Meryl[/name] would be any different. DH wants to call her Maeby (like in Arrested Development) because her initials would spell out [name]MAB[/name]. Although I am HUGE fan of [name]Meryl[/name] Streep, I never suggested the name, DH did. Then after some research, I found the [name]Meryl[/name] and DH’s mom’s mn, [name]Lynn[/name] share similar meanings. That really sealed the deal for us. We don’t really like the idea of naming after public figures, simply because we don’t actually know them. But since there is a family tie to the name, we really like it.

Again, thank you so much for your replies!

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13

[name]Meryl[/name] [name]Amelia[/name] and [name]Jack[/name] [name]Walter[/name] are great names. [name]Jack[/name] is my all time favorite boys name, I don’t care how popular people say it is getting, and [name]Meryl[/name] nn [name]Merry[/name] is adorable. I am loving [name]Merry[/name]. (Also, [name]Amelia[/name] is one of my favorite girls’ names. You guys have great taste! haha)