Cute Boy Names like Sonny

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CUTE AND MEANINGFUL NAMES FOR A SECOND CHILD

Mary writes:

Maybe I’m overcompensating, but I’m a Mary married to a Ryan, with very popular middle names and a common last name. (Edw@rd with an S. And no, my husband is Not That Ryan Edw@rd-with-an-S.)

Choosing different names was always important to us both. Our son is named Sonny, after my grandpa. (His real name was Joseph.) We discussed lots of middle names, including Joseph; Jay/Jaie/Jaye for Joseph; and lots of other more common names that felt like they would be good.)

Bear is from a family name on my husband’s side. Sonny Bear seemed kind of crazy to us at first, but it just fits him and I really can’t imagine him having another name.

If this baby is a girl, we’re pretty set on Goldie, a name with lots of meaning to us both, probably with the middle name Mae (for me, my mom Margaret, and his mom Maureen.)

We’re pretty stuck for a boy’s name, though.

Names that probably aren’t it:

• Maury/Morrie – From his mom, Maureen, who was named after another family name, Maurice. It’s okay, but it just doesn’t click for me the way Sonny did.
• Romy – But this seems to be a girl’s name, maybe? My sister keeps pushing Remy, but I’m just not feeling Remy.
• Benny – Feels like we’re trying too hard to come up with another Y ending name.
• Torrey – A family name on my side that I kind of like, but again, it feels more like a girl’s name. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who grew up watching VicTORIous.)

Other names have come and gone, but these are the ones that we both don’t hate.

We’ve always prayed for a big family so I feel like we need definitely need more names! But we also want to avoid anything too much like Goldie, because I can imagine we’d save that for a daughter if this baby is another boy.

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

FINDING MORE BOY NAMES LIKE SONNY

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your baby on the way!

Here’s the thing: you mentioned that Benny feels like you’re trying too hard to come up with another Y ending name.

And I wonder if that’s exactly the problem?

Imagine you have Sonny Bear and Goldie Mae. I wouldn’t suggest your third child’s name end in the same long E sound. In fact, I might strongly suggest some variety – especially if you’re planning on more children in the future.

Something else that strikes me about Sonny and Goldie: they’re casual, even cute, but they’re also vintage gems.

So I wonder if we’re looking for cute boy names like Sonny, in the sense that they:

• Are the most casual form of the name possible, a nickname that can’t be readily shortened any further
• Would have been familiar(ish) in the 1920s or 30s, give or take a decade
• But aren’t necessarily Y/EE ending names

The part that is much tougher is finding a personal connection. I’ll try to suggest names in that sort of style, and maybe that can help spark some fresh ideas!

A BROTHER FOR SONNY BEAR

ARLO

Much like Sonny, Arlo is a rising favorite now that also feels vintage. It’s not really a nickname; in fact, the name’s origins are fairly obscure. But I think it works.

GUS

Is any name as cuddly and sweet as Gus? It’s one of my favorites at the moment, and while it can be short for names like August, Gus stands up nicely on its own. And while it’s adorable on a child, an adult Gus would strike me as capable, so this name does grow nicely.

HUGO

It starts with the letters HUG. I think that makes Hugo a sweet choice with a distinctive sound.

IKE

If Gus is almost it, but feels too common, then how ’bout Ike? It started out as a nickname for Isaac, but it stands on its own, too.

MACK

Mix Max and Jack and this throwback nickname is an obvious contender as a first.

OZZIE, OZZY

Like Gus, Ozzie can be short for plenty of longer names. But just Ozzie/Ozzy has plenty of potential, too. For what it’s worth, it’s the Ozzy spelling that ranks in the current US Top 1000.

RAY

There’s something cool about Ray. It’s an old school nickname for Raymond, which still feels stuck in style limbo. But Ray? It’s a name at home with Max and Gus and Jack.

RUSTY

From the 1940s until the 1990s, Rusty appeared in the US Top 1000. It’s sometimes a nickname for Russell, too. (If you know your National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, that’s true for Rusty Griswold.)

WILEY/WYLIE

Wiley and Wylie are surnames, two spellings of a name with several possible origins. But it’s not Billy or Will, even though it’s close to classic William. And I think that puts it in the right space – familiar, but uncommon; casual, but polished.

Overall, I’m drawn to something like Hugo or Gus – choices that match Sonny’s vibe, but end with a different sound. I’m leaning towards Hugo, if only because Gus would share a first initial with a possible future sister Goldie. (Not a dealbreaker AT ALL, but something I see parents avoiding.)

As far as middle names go, I wonder if you’d consider something like Hugo Torrey? It ensures he has a family middle name, but as a middle, it feels more effortlessly unisex.

Readers, over to you! What would you name a brother for Sonny Bear?