What would you think if you heard of a child being named [name]Zephyr[/name] to honor a grandpa [name]Stephen[/name]? [name]Stephen[/name] is also my SO’s middle name and I love the name but that is a lot of [name]Stephen[/name]. I am reluctent to use the name [name]Stephen[/name] (but not unwilling) because grandpa [name]Stephen[/name] would be activly involved and it may be confusing. Does [name]Zephyr[/name] work? [name]How[/name] would you honor a [name]Stephen[/name]? Last name sounds like Garris. Thanks!
I wouldn’t understand the connection. It just seems too far reaching to me to say it is honoring. You could always use [name]Stephen[/name] as a middle name (which you probably already thought of that).
Totally confused. In what way are they related?
I wouldn’t get the connection honestly, they are not related etymologically and their sounds are different… [name]Stephen[/name] would be nice in the middle.
If you are looking for names that are related to [name]Stephen[/name] here is some suggestions:
Estavan
[name]Etienne[/name]
[name]Fane[/name]
[name]Stefan[/name]
[name]Stefano[/name]
[name]Steve[/name]
Tahvo
[name]Tapani[/name]
For [name]Stephen[/name]'s meaning “crown”
[name]Taj[/name]
I can see what you’re getting at, but it doesn’t quite work.
Zephan, {a shortening of [name]Zephaniah[/name]} is a bit closer to [name]Stephen[/name] [name]IMO[/name], although they are two completely separate names.
I’m not sure because I don’t know the connection between the two, they appear to be two unrelated names
[name]Zephyr[/name] to honor [name]Stephen[/name] feels really forced and illogical. Sorry.
Some variants of [name]Stephen[/name] that you might like are:
[name]Steven[/name]/[name]Stefan[/name] (I know duh right?)
[name]Fane[/name]
Pista/Pisti
Istvan
[name]Esteve[/name]
Eztebe
For more check out Meaning, origin and history of the name Stephen - Behind the Name
What I would think is that you wanted to honor Grandpa but didn’t like his name 
I have a Zephan, and as [name]Rin[/name] said it is a completely different name coming from [name]Zephaniah[/name], but it DOES get confused as [name]Stephan[/name] (steffan) with some frequency. Honestly, having experience with Zephan’s name I think it would be more confusing having a Zephan and a [name]Stephan[/name] in the family than having two of the same name.
I have a brother and a grandfather [name]James[/name] (plus cousins with the middle name), and it was fine because Grandpa was Grandpa, my brother was [name]James[/name], and the cousins’ middle name [name]James[/name] were pretty much never used. No problem, at all – even my parents/aunts/uncles called my grandfather “Dad.” Now when I wanted to use [name]James[/name] my DH said no because he thought having Uncle [name]James[/name] and a kid [name]James[/name] would be too confusing, as all of the other generations wouldn’t necessarily call my brother “uncle,” KWIM?
I would go ahead and use [name]Stephen[/name]. The older family love it so much when they get a namesake, and if you have a good relationship with the [name]Stephen[/name] you want to honor, and he’s going to be in the picture, I say all the better.
I would use [name]Stephen[/name] as the middle, definitely!
I know it’s a stretch.
I get that [name]Stephen[/name] and [name]Zephyr[/name] are not related except for some similar noises but that is sort of the point. I’ll break down my connection if you want: Replacing an S with a Z is a common practice in language. [name]Susannah[/name]/[name]Zuzanna[/name]. People don’t like this but I obviously have no problem with it. The ‘ph’ in [name]Stephen[/name] is similar to the ‘ph’ in [name]Zephyr[/name]. [name]Stephen[/name] ends with an ‘en’ noise. [name]Zephyr[/name] ends in a ‘er’ noise. I like that they are different-but-similar like [name]Xavier[/name]/Xavien or [name]Connor[/name]/[name]Conan[/name].
I don’t want name confusion. [name]Stefan[/name] or [name]Stefano[/name] are too close to [name]Stephen[/name] and I don’t want to re-use the nickname [name]Steve[/name]. Pista, Eztebe, or [name]Tapani[/name] would not be better IMHO, but I appreciate the research you did for me. Maybe [name]Stephen[/name] is just going to have to stay in the middle… or maybe it’ll just be grandpa’s name. I just don’t think I can do it in the first spot. I don’t want my son’s whole name to come from my SO’s side of the family. Is that selfish?
Zephan, a shortening of [name]Zephaniah[/name], doesn’t appeal to me the same way [name]Zephyr[/name] does. [name]Zephaniah[/name] on the other hand is very appealing. What do you think of using [name]Zephaniah[/name] with the nickname Zeph? Would [name]Zephaniah[/name] be a more obvious nod to [name]Stephen[/name] or is it just as out there as [name]Zephyr[/name]? Am I crazy for thinking that [name]Zephyr[/name] could be a nickname for [name]Zephaniah[/name]?
I really appreciate the time you all took to reply. Thank you! More feedback or opinions are welcome.
I agree with the others regarding [name]Zephyr[/name]. In addition to the lack of common origins or preserved sounds, the style family and feel of [name]Zephyr[/name] and [name]Stephen[/name] are quite different. [name]Stephen[/name] is a classic boys’ name, used in the [name]Christian[/name] world since literally the first century. [name]Zephyr[/name] was, as we know, the Greek god of the west wind, but it was nearly never given as a human name. It was preserved as an actual word describing a gentle breeze, but was a bit ersatz and poetic. Nowadays [name]Zephyr[/name] pops up on lots of “neo-Bohemian” name lists, but it’s still a very rare bird out in the world.
I think the similarity between [name]Stephan[/name] and [name]Zephaniah[/name] is much more obvious. Besides the fact that the central “ephan” sound is preserved (and you’re right, s and z are somewhat phonetically interchangeable), they hail from a similar source. [name]Stephan[/name] is classic and [name]Zephaniah[/name] has a bit of the “trendy graybeard” thing going on, but they are both biblical names with ancient roots. I think Zeph is a sweet nickname for a little boy, too.
And FWIW-- I completely understand your resistance to give your son 100% paternal-side names. His genes are half yours, and I think names should reflect that.
I don’t think [name]Zephyr[/name] honors [name]Stephen[/name] at all, sorry. [name]Zephaniah[/name] is a big stretch. I pronounce [name]Stephen[/name] the same as [name]Steven[/name], so maybe that’s why I’m having a hard time with this.
Thank you, blade, your analysis is really, really helpful and very much appreciated.
southern.maple - I was pronouncing [name]Stephen[/name] as [name]Steffen[/name]. My father-in-law pronounces it [name]Steven[/name] and uses the nickname [name]Steve[/name]. I imagine a lot of people in the family would hit the same mental roadblock.
If you’re willing to consider full-on [name]Zephaniah[/name], that would pull me over to the “similar but different” and “inspired by” camps. Also, on the subject of the names being confused, any time my Zephan gets confused as a [name]Stephan[/name], I always, always, always have to explain that it’s a contracted version of [name]Zephaniah[/name] before people get it – so if you used full [name]Zephaniah[/name] I think it would make your life easier. Also, I think that [name]Zephyr[/name] as a nn is super cute and it works for [name]Zephaniah[/name].
On the other hand, the men in your life may or may not see [name]Zephaniah[/name] as sufficiently similar to [name]Stephan[/name] to “count.” I went around and around with my DH for eight years on a family name, trying to come up with a variation I found palatable, but he would have none of it. It had to be the full and original, intact name or it didn’t “count” as naming for family.
Since you’re concerned about the child not having any of your side of the family it begs the question…isn’t the middle name going to be from your side? The first AND middle are coming from Dad’s side? I’d cry foul, for sure. Our Zephan ended up with double-middle with a name from each side of the family and his own first name, and everyone was happy. You’ll have to work that out between the two of you, whether you “take turns,” or put your own spin on [name]Stephan[/name] with [name]Zephaniah[/name] and use the family middle, or whatever, I hope you can find a solution that both of you like.
Ohhh…The FIL is [name]Steven[/name] instead of [name]Steffen[/name]. Would it help to brainstorm names that have the “even” sound?