Finding A Strong Name for Phoebe and Diana’s Brother

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, we discuss reader’s name questions, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. 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.

IF THIS BABY IS A GIRL, THEY’RE ALL SET

Angela writes:

I don’t know how fast your turnaround is on these emails, but my husband and I have found ourselves in a desperate situation. We have a girl’s name: Estelle Daphne, but we do NOT have a boy’s name. Actually, we have literally never been able to decide on one, and this is our third baby. Luckily, the first two were girls, but I have a feeling this one is a boy, and I’m panicked that they won’t have a name. 

This baby’s sisters are Phoebe Alma and Diana Juliette.

Names that I like:

• Monroe- please help me convince my husband to bar our child this name lol
• Drew
• Heath – OR this one… please help me convince my husband to name our child this name
• Dmitri (Dimitri?) – I read your article about this one, but I’m curious if your opinion has changed on this name since 2009… is it culturally appropriate for white/non-Russian/non-Greek folks to name their baby this living in the Midwest of the U.S.?

Names that my husband likes:

• Dean
• Edgar
• Bernard
• Malcolm
• Cillian 
• Alistair

We are open to new suggestions, but we are struggling! Honestly, we will just whip up any old middle name when the time comes and we are more concerned about the first name.

Our surname begins with an N, is three syllables, and ends with an -on.

Do you have better/other suggestions?

Any advice is welcome and VERY appreciated!

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

A BROTHER FOR PHOEBE AND DIANA

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your third!

Here’s what leaps out at me: Phoebe and Diana are both subtly connected to the night sky. So is Estelle. That makes your girls’ names such a perfect set. They’re also vaguely mythological, though in a straight-out-of-Percy-Jackson kind of way.

So I wonder if there’s wisdom in looking for another name that feels subtly tied to the natural world and/or some strain of Greek or Roman myth?

I suggest this not because it’s the only possible approach, but because time is very short and it might be a yardstick to measure your possible boys’ names against.

I’m going to mix all of the names on both of your lists together to evaluate your current candidates first.

RANKING THE CURRENT FAVORITES

BERNARD, EDGAR

Cool names, but they’re a little heavy and Germanic compared to the light, bright energy of Phoebe and Diana. Were there 19th century siblings called Bernard and Diana? Very possibly. Does it feel quite right in 2026? Maybe not so much.

DMITRI/DIMITRI

On paper, I think this is perfect. It’s mythological, interesting, familiar-but-rare. But … would I give a 2026 baby a very Russian name? I’m hesitating. If it was a heritage pick, honoring a grandparent, or otherwise personally significant? Probably. But I don’t think I choose it out of the blue.

MONROE

I absolutely see the appeal of Monroe. The O ending, the traditional(ish) energy of a presidential surname. If Carter and Kennedy are popular, why not Monroe? At the same time, Monroe is a departure from your girls’ names and it’s actually more popular for girls than boys now. So I wonder if it’s a name that would’ve been perfect for you if this were your first child, but maybe less right for brother for Phoebe and Diana? That said, it leaps out at me as a logical middle.

ALISTAIR, CILLIAN, MALCOLM

A little more Irish/Scottish than your girls’ names, but potentially a good fit. I particularly like Malcolm because it’s easily spelled/pronounced and has that same vintage-but-current vibe.

DEAN, DREW

Brief, complete names. Drew reads more 1990s, while Dean’s moment was the 1960s. But both work well today.

HEATH

Heath on the other hand? It has the tie to the natural world. And while Heath is originally a surname, it has northern European roots like many of the names on your husband’s list. I think it’s a great compromise and a really good choice with Phoebe and Diana – distinct, but sounds like they’re in the same family.

Overall, I am most drawn to Heath, Malcolm, and Dean – in that order. I think Monroe might be the logical middle name, or maybe Malcolm or Cillian. So … Phoebe Alma, Diana Juliette, and Estelle Daphne or

• Heath Monroe sounds-like-Nicholson
• Heath Malcolm sounds-like-Nicholson
• Dean Cillian sounds-like-Nicholson

I really do like Heath Monroe best of all your family, but I think there’s plenty of space for compromise on the middle name. If your husband is really about, say, Edgar, I think it could be tremendously fun as a middle with a name like Heath.

Readers, over to you! What would you name a brother for Phoebe Alma and Daphne Juliette?