Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed. 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.
A CHOICE THEY’D LIKE TO REPEAT
Kaitlyn writes:
Our daughter, Cora Valentine, was born on February 12th, but due on Valentine’s Day. We were kicking around all the usual middle names – Elizabeth, Katherine, Marie, Rose – when a friend suggested Valentine because of my due date, and we both loved it.
We would like to find a similar middle name for our son. We plan to name him Miles, and we’d like a middle name that has something to do with spring. My due date is May 2nd.
This might be unrealistic, but we’d like his name to be obviously about the season/time of his birth, but we want it also sound like a name. Lots of suggestions we’re seeing are either not obvious (Adam, Owen) or not really names (Gemini, Spring).
Our last name is a very common and traditional first name, starts with an H, ends with -ry.
Do you and your readers have any ideas?
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
A BROTHER FOR CORA VALENTINE
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new son!
Cora Valentine is a great name. And I love Miles for her brother’s name, too.
But here’s the absolute, hard reality.
Cora’s due date came with an obvious, built-in name choice. It’s actually a given name with centuries of use. Everyone gets it. It’s not particularly religious, even though it’s a saint’s name, so it might be. Plus Valentine sounds quite current – after all, Valentina ranks in the girls’ Top 100 right now. Should she reveal her middle name and someone ask if she was born on February 14th, she has an easy response.
Simply put, there is no equivalent for the second of May.
Even giving a daughter the middle name May/Mae wouldn’t have the same kind of significance, because it’s such a popular choice.
Another wrinkle: May 2nd is quite close to April. So if you chose a highly May-specific middle, would it still work if your son arrived on April 29th?
I’m going to suggest the following: instead of focusing strongly on a date-specific middle, brainstorm middles that have meaning for you. Where was your first date? Consider the street name or other place names associated with places you first lived or traveled together. Do you share a favorite song, musician, athlete, fictional character, author?
In the meantime, let’s see if we can come up with some general names related to your son’s due date that might work.
A MIDDLE NAME FOR MILES
BRIGHT
I thought about suggesting Blue for the blue skies of spring. But that feels a little vague. Is Bright any more specific? Maybe not, but Miles Bright is an appealing sound.
HAWTHORN
Also known as Mayflower, hawthorn trees and shrubs flower in spring. It’s both a May-specific choice and one you might not need to change should your son arrive on the 30th of April.
MASON
I’m guessing this is too much in the Adam/Owen camp, but Mason has the month of the name built right in. (You could even spell it Mayson, though I’m not sure it needs to be so specific.)
QUINN, QUENTIN, QUINTAN
May is the fifth month on our calendar, so any name suggesting the number five has potential.
SOMMER, SUMMER
While May is very much the spring, it’s also the beginning of summer. I wonder if Summer appeals more than Spring/Springer as a middle name? Spelling it Sommer is every bit as valid, and the surname was often given to those associated with the season.
TWAIN
As in the number two, from a Middle English word. Author Samuel Clemens took it as his pen name while working on river boats. When the pilot heard “mark twain,” he knew the river was two fathoms deep – safe to travel.
I’m voting for Miles Hawthorn. It’s seasonal and surprising, but not completely out-there. Unlike Twain, the name doesn’t lose meaning if your child arrives a day early or late. I’d also vote for Miles Quentin, which is quite name-like, but has enough meaning to possibly appeal.
What about a time of day?
Miles Morning H___y
Miles Meridian H___y (mid-day)
Miles Night H__y
Miles Midnight H___y
The suggestion of Green is pretty great, too! That name has been used a long time! (Even one of the Alamo soldiers had the name Green!)
Mies Green H___y
Fielding, Fielder, and Grove are excellent. Depending on where you live, if it’s frosty the morning he’s born, his middle name could be Frost (which isn’t spring-y in some places, but it is in others… looking at you, PNW and Alaska).
Springfield might be a reasonable choice, too.
Miles Springfield H___y
May 2, 2025 has some obscure holidays… but they might be too subtle for your plans:
International Harry Potter Day (Albus, Rubius, Grainger, etc.)
International Scurvy Awareness Day (Bart, Captain, Davey, etc.)
Yom Hazikaron (Jewish memorial)
Polish Diaspora Day (Polish name)
Congratulations and best wishes!
(We also have a daughter with the middle name of Valentine, so we love your style).
What a lovely tradition to continue from your daughter’s name. And such a fun prompt for brainstorming.
In addition to Quinn and Quentin, Quincy would reference May as the 5th month.
Some other possibilities:
Arbor – A restful spot in the garden, as well as a reference to Arbor Day on April 25
Bloom – I love this one!
Florian / Florent – Another reference to the blossoms of spring
Green / Greene – The color of new growth
Lark / Larkin – Cheerful and uplifting
Leif – Homophone for “leaf”
Novak – Meaning “new” in many Eastern European languages
Rene – French for “reborn”
Robin – One of the first signs of spring
Sage – Nice triple meaning: an herb, a color, and a source of wisdom
Spring – It could work!
Vern / Verne / Vernon – Inspired by “vernal”, although they have a different etymology
Viridian – A shade of spring green
Vivaldi – Inspired by the composer of the Four Seasons concertos; his name means “life”
Zephyr – The name of the West Wind, said to bring warm and gentle breezes in spring
Another idea would be to choose a middle name based on the day of the week your son is born. If you’re okay with all 7 options, you could leave that to chance.
I really like the suggestion of Mayhew. Another one to consider is Maynard.
Miles Maynard…
Thinking about “spring” symbols, and themes of rebirth or renewal:
Miles Phoenix
Miles Renato
Miles Pascal
Miles Jay
Miles Robin
Miles Florian
Miles Linden
Miles Forest
Miles Grove
Miles Green (too much not a name?)
I didn’t see this yet suggested. But Miles Mayhew is a great alliteration. It French version of Matthew. Kinda in line with Valentine.
Here are a few more ideas…
-Miles Thoreau (French meaning strength of the bull. As Taurus is the sign of the bull)
-Miles Orson (meaning bear cub, as they are often born in spring)
-Miles Pascale (meaning Easter time)
-Miles Vernon (meaning springlike)
-Miles Genesis (meaning origin or new life)
-Miles Neo (meaning new in Latin)
So many things I thought of have been suggested already, so I just wanted to add that Beltane has an English name. And if he is born on May 1st, and you don’t name him Miles Mayday, I think I will cry!
My suggestion is Miles Beltane … Beltane is the Gaelic May Day Festival usually celebrated on May 1 (so not May 2…but pretty darn close) that marks the beginning of summer in their calendar.
How about a name connected to Easter, which is April 20 this year? Miles Pascal or Miles Paschal would be lovely.
I also think the image of flowers or fields could work for a spring baby. How about Miles Garland, Miles Florian, Miles Field, Miles Gardener, Miles Glade, Miles Lee, Miles Vale, Miles Dale, Miles Glen, Miles Bud, Miles Bloom, Miles Grove, Miles Heath, or Miles Huckleberry?
Robin! It’s gotta be Robin.