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?
If you ventured beyond blue, what about the name Saffron for a boy or a girl?
Saffron is gorgeous!
I think most of my ideas have been mentioned already, but here are a few others to consider:
– Asher (ash gray)
– Brooks or Brooke (suggests the color blue, like River & Lake do)
– Grace or Gracie (gray)
– Lily (white)
– Chloe (means “green shoots”)
– Paisley (a colorful pattern – maybe a way of expanding on the theme rather than sticking to it strictly)
– Autumn (suggests a whole color palette!)
– Rose variants like Rosalie, Rosie, Ross, or Royce
– Oliver or Olivia
– Georgia (peach)
Amber (orange) or Raven (black) for a girl; Ashton (gray) or Royal (blue) for a son!
I really like Violet with Scarlett and Hunter. I think Ivy, Olive, Sage, and Jade are nice but they’re both green, like Hunter. Rose, Ruby, and Poppy are red like Scarlett (although poppies are also orangey, so maybe it works). I also like the idea of a colorful gemstone, like Coral, Opal, or Pearl. I think my favorite for you is Sienna, though! Scarlett, Hunter, and Sienna! Sienna Floor-ezz!
Scarlett and Hunter don’t strike me obviously as colour names. Like I’d describe something as ‘scarlet’ but never ‘hunter’. They seem more like modern wordy names. If you can be a bit looser with the pattern, how about Prairie, Cove or Atlas?
However, I do LOVE a good pattern and Scarlett Red, Hunter Green and XX Blue (or another colour) is a super fun challenge! Navy is a super sweet name for a sister, so I’d keep that on your list! And Levi from Abby is perfection with this set. Ooh I like the suggestion of Jett but how about Juliette nn Jett??? Here are some new ones and few repeats, but with suggested nicknames…
– Goldie or Marigold (LOVE this for little sister)
– Dove
– Clementine nn Minnie
– Coraline (orange)
– Virginia (blue) nn Via or Gia to freshen it up
– Grady (though I’d hesitate as White isn’t a colour – however, I associate Grady with ocean stuff so it can lean blue)
– Grayson (could even call him Sunny to warm up that gray to yellow 😉
– Ashton
– Flint (I get that it’s alliteration but I think it sounds kickass with the surname)
Or just call a boy whatever you love and his nickname can be Little Boy Blue 😉
One thought on Matteo – I get it. I have a French name and had more than a few adults insulted when I didn’t speak French, as a child. That definitely shaped my feelings around certain names being off-limit. If you like Matteo, how about Milo? (full disclosure, the only Hunter I know has a little bro named Milo and they’re an adorable set.)
That’s a really good point – Scarlett + Hunter match lots of ways, and that opens the door for all sorts of matches …
And Milo Blue is SUCH a good suggestion, thank you!
I was going to suggest Violet but with a last name that literally means flowers it’s probably too much.
I love Sky, both as a sister to Scarlett and Hunter and as a reference to the color blue.
Other color names:
Clementine (orange)
Lilah (lilac)
Hazel (brown)
Aurelia (gold)
Ivory
Gwen (white)
Whitney (white)
Melanie (black)
Grayson (grey)
Blake (black)
Duncan (brown)
Samson (yellow)
Finnian (white)
I would do Iris or Navy for a girl and Indigo, River, or Dylan for a boy if you are tied to Blue … or maybe Calder for a boy (one of the meanings has to do with water!). But I also agree that opening up to other colors is a good idea…Scarlett, Hunter and…
Violet
Mauve
Lavender
Orla
Marigold
Clementine
Jasper
Cyrus
Blaine
Kiran
If you are open to other color/color adjacent names I think Scarlet, Hunter and Clementine or Scarlet HUnter and Jasper are my favorites!
Oh or Sterling which I just thought of!
Also, there is the name Cyan for a girl or boy or Cyane (which references a nymph who lived in a blue pool…for a girl). It is different, but kind of an update “Diane” maybe, for a girl. And there is the nn “Cy.”
From Abby’s suggestions, I really like Carolina and Jay.
If you are ok with referencing a different color then I like Grayson or Jett (as in Jett black) but I think Grayson works best because it is subtle much like Scarlett and Hunter.
Scarlett, Hunter, and Grayson
Grayson is great with Scarlett and Hunter!
What about Indigo? For a boy or girl? Perhaps it might work better for a boy in its full form, but with the nn Indie, it would be super cute on a girl, I think. I really like this name & I think it is becoming more popular.
Scarlett, Hunter, and Indigo
The only drawback is that perhaps it could be confused with Iñigo, the Spanish name. I don’t think it will be though!
This was exactly my first thought also.
I do like Levi and Iris/Violet
I’d also suggest:
Sapphire
Ocean/Oceana
Robin