With baby #3 on the way, I’ve been obsessing about names more than normal!! Which has me thinking a LOT about the patterns in my kids names.
In some regards, the way I have named my kids always felt inevitable. My oldest got my middle name, she is the 6th in line to get it. Then, when #2 arrived, we followed the same formula: (Parent’s Choice on First)(Family History Middle)
We are going to do the same again this time, because it feels funny to have one kid have just a random middle name when the other two are so meaningful.
Do you have a formula you followed? How did you arrive at it? If you deviated, why did you?
We went with similar-vibe, familiar but not ubiquitous classic, Anglo/Germanic firsts and middles that (semi-intentionally) have some connection to our middles in meaning.
If we have another, we definitely want to have some similar patterns and I think avoid the same initials.
I know my taste leans towards the GP end of the spectrum, so I decided when I was younger that my kids would always have one definitely wearable name in there along with my wilder choices. Although, my definition of ‘wearable’ has definitely broadened over the years I also like at least one of them to have a family connection, usually a shared meaning rather than directly using someone’s name.
I have seven kids, so any strict formulae have gotten less solid over time but these still hold true:
They all have a less common first name and a more traditional middle name (e.g. [name_m]Mordecai[/name_m] John). They all have a family or historical figure honor, usually as the middle name.
Realistically when I have kids I will probably follow a similar formula, though it would look more like (Parents Choice for First)(Family Name Middle)(Character Name Middle), as I have several characters I’d like to “honor.”
I’ve also noticed that with two middle combos I prefer syllables that go 2-3-1 or 3-2-1, where as one middle combos I’m a little more flexible!
I don’t do honor names so all of their names will be “Parents Choice”
I love word names, outlandish/adventurous names, and names with alternative spellings, but I would only use each once in a combo. For example, (Word First Name) (non-Word Middle) or (Normal Spelled First) (Uniquely Spelled Middle). I would also use (Word First Name) (Outlandish Middle) though, or any combination of the three, just not two from the same category.
parent’s choice + variation of family name from both sides + one of his dad’s middle names
We’ve wracked our brains for ways to follow that same formula but there’s no way for us to do that and still come up with a name we love. For example, there is one girl name that shows up on both sides of the family but I absolutely do not like one of the people it belongs to. It feels unsettling to think about using that name or a variation of it.
I think we’ll just go for something we love. I think that is more important than us boxing ourselves into a name we settled for, just to fulfill arbitrary naming rules.
We did a similar combo of (Parents’ Choice on First)(Honor Name Middle), in a way that would be a little bit hard to repeat, so the formula might have to change in future! The [name_u]Honor[/name_u] Name is also one I just love in its own right…
I always thought about this as a kid too, thinking about how my parents did this, with some curiosity and interest. I have my mom’s last name as my middle, and my sister has a family name from my dad’s side of the family as hers, and I remember thinking those two things seemed very different, as if no formula was followed! The sense of connection from my middle name felt much more direct to me, and hers more distant/remote. But it still seemed logical enough, and I assumed they just chose the name they thought was best in each case as it arose!
I too want to avoid the same initials (only concerned about first initials really, not middles) but mostly because my kids have less-used first initials, so repeating them would be noticible/odd.
I have also thought a lot about country of origin of my kids names. Both are [name_f]English[/name_f] versions of [name_u]French[/name_u] names. Is it weird to name the third a Germanic root name? (Will anyone notice but me? Haha)
Interesting! I have kind of done the same, although first names are more common than [name_m]Mordecai[/name_m]. Both of mine are around #100 in popularity. And middles are amongst the most common of all time.
I don’t have any kids yet, but my parents had a sort of formula when they named my siblings and I. First names were parents choice, middle names honoured their Spanish & Portuguese heritage. [name_m]Joaquin[/name_m] & [name_m]Alejandro[/name_m] were used in the middle spot, for example.
X
That could be fine/completely up to you, although I’m curious what kind of [name_u]French[/name_u] names? A lot of [name_u]French[/name_u] names are ultimately Germanic, a lot are from classical Greco-Latin etc., and then you have [name_u]French[/name_u] versions of Biblical names etc. If it’s all from versions of Germanic names it wouldn’t be a stretch at all. But there’s nothing to say all of them need to have the same origins.
Something I’d be more concerned about, personally, is whether they are equally familiar/obscure, if the pronunciations and spellings are equally well-known, etc. And then whether they have a similar feel/vibe, which needn’t mean the same origins at all.
I’m one of four whose names were all over the place stylistically, in origin (Old [name_f]English[/name_f], Welsh, Biblical and Latin) and in terms of popularity (I’ve got one of the most popular names of my generation while one of my siblings is the only one in this state if not the country) but it didn’t do us any harm! We’re a set because we’re family, and I think the eclectic-ness is kind of a theme of its own.
I don’t have any children but most of the girls names I like end in an -ee sound (ivy, indie, bailey, tillie) and most boys names end in -as (silas, atlas, thomas). I am lucky when I find a name I like that doesn’t end in -ee (jemima, zara, ines, jean)
We very much had a formula when naming our son: the first name needed to be easy to spell and pronounce in both Finnish and [name_f]English[/name_f]. The second name needed to be Finnish in origin. And the third name was set in stone - we knew we were going to use my wife’s maiden name as a second middle name.
If we have any more kids to name, the formula will definitely be (a versatile international name that works in Finnish & English) + (a Finnish middle name), but I’m not sure about the 3rd name! We probably won’t go for another family name and will instead pick something else meaningful or just a bit exciting and fun. Two middles seems like a good opportunity to slip in a beloved GP name.
I love the idea of using a specific language of names for all your kids. I would have loved to more specifically do this (my choice would have been Scandinavian names to honor my Norwegian heritage) but tbh it felt weird/too much of a stretch. Maybe I’m too far removed from my euro roots? I should have just gone for it! [[Love [name_f]Linnea[/name_f], [name_m]Soren[/name_m], Axel]]
I would also argue that all your kids could (should?) have your wife’s family name in the second middle spot. [name_f]Lovely[/name_f] way to honor her family!
Based on my understanding, both are English names that came over with the Norman invasion.
Viv1an {Roman Latin name Viv1ana >>> Gallo Romans >>> Normans >>> appeared in England in the 12th century}
Benn3tt {Latin word Benedictus >>> Normans??>>> Appeared in England in the 13th century}
The name we are considering seriously is Hug0, although now that I’m going deeper, looks like it ALSO came over to England with the Normans in the 12th c. so maybe it’s a better fit than I originally thought
I love the way you put it. “We’re a set because we’re a family.” Were you and your sibling aware of the wide range of popularity of your names when you were kids?
I mean, if we can mention pattern-wise😂? [name_f]My[/name_f] siblings and I all have two syllable first names, one syllable middle names. [name_f]My[/name_f] parents didn’t realize this pattern until my little brother (child #3 of 5) was about to be born and our neighbor was like “Oh? Are you going to repeat the pattern?”
for my brother and I, my parents chose short first names with pretty long middle names (4 syllables) (to balance out our unbelievably long surname ). Our first names are from different languages, and completely different levels of popularity, but they work together I think!
I’ve never named anyone but realistically, I’d choose a first name that’s familiar but not super common, paired with a longer middle (probably nature or word name). They’ll probably end up very mismatched in style and popularity, but I’ll be choosing names I love and that’s what matters
I also like at least one of them to have a family connection, usually a shared meaning rather than directly using someone’s name.
but these still hold true:
). Our first names are from different languages, and completely different levels of popularity, but they work together I think!