Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, we discuss reader’s name questions, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight! To have your question considered, email appmtn (at) gmail. Looking for your own private #namehelp post? Order one here.
HE KEEPS SUGGESTING HIS NAME
Faith writes:
I’m pregnant with our first child, a boy. We’ve gone through literally hundreds of names and we don’t agree on anything.
My husband would really like a junior, but he knows that I’m uncomfortable with the idea. I might be willing to consider it, but his name is Brian Lee, so there’s not really an easy way to distinguish between a father and son, like William being Will and Billy or anything like that.
I have gotten my list down to five names, any of which I’d be fine with:
- Austin
- Jack
- Harrison
- Owen
- Wyatt
Our last name sounds like Dave-with-a-Y, so the only kind of names that we’re really not considering are those that end with Y, like Henry or Brady.
I am absolutely fine with using some combination of Brian and Lee, or even both names, for our son’s middle name, but I just want him to have a name of his own.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
AVOIDING A JUNIOR: SO EASY, BUT ALSO IMPOSSIBLE
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new son!
I do not, in any way, want to accuse your husband of scheming.
Except … is it possible that he likes the idea of a Brian Jr. so very much that no name can top it?
That happens! Sometimes we don’t even completely realize. It’s just that we have a name in our mind to which nothing will quite compare. And so Wyatt and Austin are nice enough names, but they don’t rise to the level of Brian.
What we need is a slightly different question.
Imagine you already have a son named Brian. What would you name his brother?
Frame it as an experiment. A thought exercise.
It might not make sense to your husband. But it’s a way of re-phrasing the question.
In the meantime, let’s talk about your favorite names. The only real criteria you’ve identified so far is that they have to work with your surname and the middle name Brian – or Brian Lee or possibly even just Lee.
WHICH NAME FLOWS BEST?
While there aren’t any absolute rules about syllable count, conventional wisdom suggests a little bit of variation in syllables and emphasis is helpful. So yes to Harrison Brian Dave-with-a-y. Or Wyatt Lee Dave-with-a-y. But maybe not Austin Brian Dave-with-a-y.
From that perspective, I’d drop Austin and Owen. Great names, and I’m sorry to see them go. But if Brian is the must-use middle name, then the flow isn’t great with Austin or Brian.
Unless, of course, Austin Lee or Owen Lee is an option.
But let’s move on to Wyatt, Jack, and Harrison.
Because of the repeating vowel sound, I think Wyatt Brian isn’t ideal.
Harrison Brian Dave-with-a-Y is a little better.
Jack Brian Dave-with-a-Y, though? That seems like the name to beat.
So if that logic works, then I’d rank Jack the top of your shortlist, based on middle name compatibility.
