Colorful Baby Name to Match Scarlett and Hunter

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.

IT TURNS OUT WE HAVE AN ACCIDENTAL THEME

Michelle writes:

We named our daughter Scarlett Marie. It was the only name we agreed on, and it suits her big personality.

Our son, Hunter James, is named for my Grammy Hunter, and my husband’s dad.

We are expecting our third and final child this spring. Somehow we completely missed that our children’s names are Scarlett red and Hunter green. My sister joked that our third child should be Something blue.

Maybe it’s silly, but we really don’t have a name we agree on and I like the idea of having a blue name, but not actually Blue, because I am not Beyonce-level.

My husband is maybe on board assuming he can come up with a name we agree on. I sort of like Navy, but I’m not sure. We probably wouldn’t use Azura because of how it would sound with our last name, which is like Floor-ezz.

We have talked about Mateo for a boy. One issue: our last name is Spanish, but it’s from several generations in the past, and if we named our kid Mateo, I feel like he’d be expected to speak Spanish. (My husband has had this experience, and his name is Justin.)

Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.

NAMING BABY BLUE

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new baby!

Also: this is fun. And I think it’s exactly the right moment to consider a theme name. It’s subtle, and it sounds like you’re viewing it as a possible way to connect your kids’ names, not a rule to be followed.

I want to note a few things before we get into the names:

• First, would you consider the middle name Blue? Mateo Blue Floor-ezz is all kinds of amazing.
• Regarding the issue of a romance language name with a Spanish surname: Oof. I hear this. I’m not sure it rules out Mateo entirely, but I can see the issue.
• One possible sticking point: yes, Scarlett and Hunter refer to colors. But they’re also current favorites. Finding a name that means blue could potentially mean choosing something less familiar. A very different name might respect your (previously) unintentional theme, but it might make your third child’s name seem very different, too.
• Which makes me wonder: is it only baby blue that speaks to you? Because there’s a rainbow of colors, and possibilities like Lilac and Goldie, as well as more mainstream favorites from Violet to Rowan. But since you’ve said blue, I’m going to stick with names that reference that color.

On to the names …

BLUE NAMES FOR A GIRL

ALICE

It’s not the most familiar shade, but Alice Blue is absolutely a thing. My mind always goes to Alice in Wonderland, and that’s not too far off. The original shade was named for Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of US president Theodore Roosevelt. She was a fashion icon in her day and favored a particular shade of icy blue.

CAROLINA

Carolina Blue is strongly associated with the University of North Carolina, and the state in general. It’s sometimes called Tar Heel blue, too, but that’s just not a name!

CELESTE

Celeste comes from the Latin word meaning sky, and a shade of sky blue is sometimes called Celeste. In heraldry, it’s bleu celeste, but I think that’s fairly obscure. (Unless, of course, you’re into medieval coats of arms, in which case it’s perfect.)

IRIS

A vivid shade of purple-blue, and a lovely flower as well.

LAKE

As nature names go, Lake remains fairly uncommon. But River is big, and Lake feels like it ought to work, too. Laken and Lakelyn – choose your spelling – are related choices.

LIVIA

It looks like it’s short for Olivia, which might suggest the color green. But Livia comes from a Roman family name that actually means blue.

SKY, SKYE

Brief and complete, and a compelling mix of nature name and color one, too. Skye-with-an-E is the more common spelling. Surnames like Skyler are also options.

BLUE NAMES FOR A BOY

BAY

Another body of water-inspired name, in the key of River and Lake. Strictly speaking, it’s unisex, just like nearly every similar choice.

JAY

Blue Jay comes to mind immediately. Jay is also a fairly traditional choice, often short for names like James.

KAI

From a Hawaiian word meaning sea, Kai has become a mainstream favorite in recent years, a fresh alternative to classic Jack.

LEVI

Maybe this is a stretch. But I always hear Levi and think blue jeans, even though this Biblical name doesn’t reference the color.

RIVER

The most mainstream body-of-water name of the moment, a popular choice for a son.

SLATE

Slate blue is a sophisticated, deep color and it works as a boy’s name, too.

Overall, I’m leaning towards Skye for a girl and Levi for a boy. Scarlett, Hunter, and Skye – they’re all current, colorful names that also feel a little like surnames. Scarlett, Hunter, and Levi – they’re all contemporary favorites with a range of origins. I also really like both Skye and Levi with your surname. Skye Elizabeth or Levi Michael, maybe?

But I will add this: I’m equally drawn to just the middle name Blue. Maybe Luca Blue or Micah Blue?

Readers, over to you! What would you name a sibling for Scarlett and Hunter, probably with a name tied to the color blue?