Favorite Girl Names Inspire a Boy Name Like Emmett and Blake

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.

CAN OUR FAVORITE GIRL NAMES INSPIRE A BOY’S NAME?

Karlie writes:

We have two boys, Emmett Charles and Blake Patrick. Our third child will be here before the end of the year. It’s a boy, and much as I’m happy to be a boy mom, we are 100% out of boy names.

I’m sending you our list of girl names. This is definitely our last baby, so we won’t use these anyway.

• Lucy – my top name, but I don’t like Luke, Lucas, etc
• Olivia – another long-time favorite, and I do like Oliver, but not Ollie
• Phoebe – not sure there’s a boy’s equivalent, but this is a new name that was at the top of my list if this baby was a girl
• Sienna/Sierra – not sure which one I like better, but they’re both on my list
• Macy – I’m probably over this one now, and I’ve never liked Mason
• Mae, May, Maye – not as a first name, not sure about spelling
• Charlotte – But we used Charles for Emmett’s middle name and I think Charles is probably not for us as a first name anyway

Besides the names listed above, we can’t or won’t use Sebastian, Calvin, Andrew, Elliott, Matthew, Cole/Colton, Dean, Barrett, Beckett, Finn, Knox, Jesse, Xavier, and Griffin.

His middle name will probably be Kenney, a family last name.

Our last name is D@n!3l with an S, so names like Brooks, Miles, and similar don’t work. I don’t really like D names with our last name, either.

Help!

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

A BOY NAME INSPIRED BY LUCY, PHOEBE, AND MAY

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your third!

And I’m so sorry you’re stuck! I feel like I answer some variation of this question lots, both privately and in this column. It makes sense, right? The more names we choose, the more we feel like we’ve ruled out future possibilities and the greater the pressure to match. Even if that pressure only comes from within our own sense of what sounds right or fair to our growing familiy.

Let’s start with what we know:

• Blake and Emmett are both surnames with a long history of use as first names. That’s a specific style, one that’s both current and traditional.
• Both names are compact, and not likely to be shortened or nicknamed.
• We’re avoiding D names, along with Sebastian, Calvin, Andrew, Elliott, Matthew, Cole/Colton, Dean, Barrett, Beckett, Finn, Knox, Jesse, Xavier, and Griffin – though many of those are probably too similar to your older boys’ names anyway.
• While your girls’ list suggests a few obvious choices, like Oliver and Luke/Lucas, those don’t feel like fits.

So let’s start fresh. We’re looking for a name that balances the traditional with the currently stylish without replicating the sounds of Blake or Emmett.

A BROTHER FOR BLAKE and EMMETT

BOWEN

Bowen is a relative newcomer. I considered suggesting Owen, too, but Bowen’s surname style seems like a better match.

CARSON

Maybe Carson feels a little grown-up right now, having entered the US Top 100 early in the 2000s. But I think the sound is perfect with Blake and Emmett.

GRAYSON

Grayson is the middle point between Blake and Emmett – same long A sound like Blake, two syllables, like Emmett.

HOLDEN

Because you haven’t used the long O sound yet, I think I keep coming back to it. Holden has that same surname-as-first-name-for-ages vibe that feels polished and pulled together.

JUDE

You’ve ruled out Luke, but how about Jude? I love the way it sounds with Blake and Emmett, and that vowel sound is one that seems nicely distinctive.

ROWAN

Another from my Bowen/Holden list of long O surname(ish) names.

SAWYER

Something ending with -R could be great, and Sawyer is the first one that came to mind.

WESLEY

Another name that feels traditional and stylish, a good mix of both qualities. My only hesitation is around your preferred middle name: Wesley Kenney is probably not ideal.

Overall, I’m really drawn to Jude as a brother for Blake and Emmett. But I’m surprised by how much I like the sound of Carson Kenney D@n!3l-with-an-s.

Readers, what would you suggest for Blake and Emmett’s brother?