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!
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NO JUNIORS … BUT MAYBE AN HONOR NAME?
Nicole writes:
Our first child, a son, is due in October.
My husband liked the idea of a junior, but I’m just not on board.
While it’s mostly because I want to choose our child’s name ourselves, it’s also because we have some ugly family history around juniors/divorces/grandparents refusing to call their grandson my their ex-son-in-law’s name. (Really.)
Anyway, my husband is Andrew. Growing up he was Andy, and he’s Andrew, except with family/a few friends from childhood. He wanted to name our son Andrew Jr., called Drew.
When I said no way, he suggested Crew.
I’m sort on warming up to it, especially since he agreed that I could choose pretty much any middle name.
Two questions: first, could I get some feedback on Crew? Second, are there other Andrew-adjacent names we should consider?
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
CREATIVE HONOR NAMES
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new son!
It sounds like you and your husband have done an amazing job of compromising so far. And I really like the way Crew is nothing like Andrew, and yet vaguely related at the same time.
It’s a perfect not-Junior name.
In fact, I doubt I can do any better. But let’s try anyway.
NAMES (SORT OF) LIKE ANDREW
ANDERSON
This feels like a logical option. Except … Anderson still ends up Andy, right? Or possibly Sonny. But if you’re not about Junior, is Sonny any better?
ANTHONY, ANTON
Would another An- name appeal? I think Anthony, used in full, is one of those great, classic names that sounds handsome and unexpected.
CHARLIE, CHARLES
Andrew comes from a Greek word meaning manly. Charles is Germanic in origin, with the same meaning. It’s oh-so-subtle, but if you like the idea of Charlie, it could work.
ROONEY
Another obvious path: look for more names that share the “roo” sound of Drew and Crew. Rooney is one, and I think it’s a bright, surprising kind of choice.
TRUE, TRUETT, TRUMAN
Following that train of thought … Drew, Crew, Rooney … True? Truett and Truman share the sound, too.
Still, I’m not sure they’re in the same vernacular as Crew somehow? Crew is modern and fresh, a very 2020s name that feels a little bit J. Crew. a little bit Motley Crue. Lots of contrasts, lending this name a surprisingly flexible image, even though it’s just a single syllable.
I wonder if there are other family names or nicknames that could serve as inspiration?
Otherwise, let’s look at some options inspired by Crew. Because another choice? Use Andrew as your son’s middle name, and just choose a name you both love as a first. (Or just plain choose a name you love. It’s a totally fair option!)
MORE NAMES LIKE CREW
BROOKS
Or maybe even Briggs? Brooks appeals because, like Crew, it’s just vaguely associated with the water.
CALLAN
Brief, strong Crew brings to mind Cal. Callan feels like the most logical choice for your family, but I can imagine lots of Cal names – Callahan, maybe? – working well.
DEAN
Dean is a little bit of a throwback name, but so is Drew – a brief, complete, single-syllable name with plenty of old school cool.
JUDE
Short and complete, like Drew and Crew, but with a distinct sound.
LANE
Another name with some of Crew’s energy and spirit.
REID
A tailored, strong option that feels like an alternative to Drew.
WILDER
Like Crew and Brooks, Wilder just feels like a name in the same broad style category.
Overall, I still love the idea of Crew. Is Crew Anderson too much? Either way, I’d encourage you to at least explore alternatives like Brooks Andrew or even Anthony Drew. Because you’ve made the case that you really want to choose your son’s name – and that means thinking broadly about all of your options.
Warden is an anagram of Andrew, and Edward or Warren are almost anagrams, so I’ll offer those as suggestions.
My other idea is a bit convoluted. It’s Joseph. It has parallels to Andrew in that it’s a familiar, classic Biblical name, and Joey is a perfect match for Andy as a nickname.
But what made me think of it was this: a joey is a baby kangaroo, or roo for short (as in the character Roo from Winnie the Pooh). Roo echoes Andrew’s final syllable, which I think is a sweet but subtle connection between the names.
Oh those are so interesting. I am completely sold on Joseph – and good thought on Warden/Warren/Andrew …
I was just looking through Abby’s suggestions and noticed that Dean is an anagram of Ande (Andy?) … but Joey as a son for AndREW (Roo) is adorable!
Oh, I hadn’t noticed that – good thought!!
Some great suggestions from Abby and in the comments! My favorites are Anderson, Ander, and Alexander.
Another option would be to choose a first name that ends in -an, then use Drew as a middle name, subtly evoking Andrew. For example:
Allan Drew (“All Andrew”)
Callahan Drew
Colman/Coleman Drew (nickname “Cole” would honor mom Nicole, as well)
Ethan Drew
Evan Drew
Finnegan Drew
Ian Drew (“I, Andrew”)
Kellan Drew
Lachlan Drew
Logan Drew
Maximilian Drew
Nathan Drew
Roman Drew
Ronan Drew
Sullivan Drew
Tristan Drew
There are even more possibilities out there!
Love that idea! -an Drew opens up SO many great options!