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.
I think it’s important to consider what kind of names you want for a future sibling.
If you like names like William, James, Thomas or Edward, then Andrew sounds best with them.
If you like names like Sullivan, Grayson or Miller, then Anderson makes sense for this baby.
If you prefer names like Zane, Quinn, River or Huxley, then Crew fits right in.
Or maybe you like completely different names, so it would be nice to find a way to honor Andrew with another kind of name.
Maybe you like:
Randy
Landry
Drake
Lando/Nando
Or maybe you can switch things a little:
Nicholas/Nico/Cole for a boy (to honor mom)
Andrea/Andie/Drew for a girl (to honor dad)
That’s really good advice – thank you, Iris!
I don’t want to be a party pooper, and Crew is a perfectly normal name that many people choose, but a couple of things come to mind. One is how to explain that it’s an honor name when people ask where you thought of Crew. “It sounds like Drew but we didn’t want a junior” is probably something you will have to say a few times at least. Second, to me it just isn’t related to Andrew in any way. If your husband sees it as a honor name, that’s his prerogative! But again, “it sounds like Drew, and I warmed up to it” is maybe not the story you want to tell? Maybe it is and that’s totally okay!
I would put Andrew in the middle and find a name you both love. Sorry, Andy.
Andrew in other languages or varieties
Andre
Andreas
Andrei
Anders
Andris
Andro
Anderson is a good fit too
Or Crusoe instead of Crew for spelling but pronounced the same.
Crew Anderson
Anthony Drew
Are great ideas Abby.
I think Crew is a nice compromise but also if you don’t love it then it’s ok to keep looking. I think the middle name spot is a perfect place to use Andrew without going the route of having a junior. Anderson is a great way to honor your husband as well without directly using Andrew.
I really like Abby’s suggestion of Jude. It shares the same vowel sound with Drew/Crew but is still its own name. Jude Anderson would be lovely.
Lewis could work for the same reasons and is a classic name like Andrew. Lewis Andrew. Lewis Anderson.
Or maybe Rudy?
Another idea would be to find names that share your husband’s initials.
Crew is great if you both like it! If it were me, I would probably choose a Greek name ending in – ander because it’s the same root. Alexander, Evander, Leander, Lysander, etc.
Alexander was my thought, too. It’s hard to know what names you are drawn to except for not Andrew and maybe Crew, but Alexander gives a lot of options. It’s classic like Andrew and nn Alex is classic too, but there is also the more Crew adjacent Zander. A pliable name like this also opens the way for broader options when/if sibling names become a consideration.
Anderson as a middle name is brilliant.
Sanders might be an adjacent option, too.
Would a Crew and Andrew be confusing in the same household? I *think* the different syllable count keeps them distinctive.
Congratulations and best wishes! Please let us know what you choose!
Abby your Anderson idea is inspired! With the other “son” names you could interpret it as “son of Andrew” which is cool
Congratulations on your baby boy! Crew is a nice name, and if it feels like an honour name to your hubby, perfect. It doesn’t feel connected to Andrew/Andy at all to me, but Bob isn’t intuitively connected to Robert either.
My only idea for alternatives to a Junior would be to look at famous pairs of men where one is named Andrew. Peter & Andrew we’re brothers in the Bible. Amos and Andy were the characters names in a comedy that aired in the 50s. Peter or Amos would make great names for a baby now. & would be a connection to Dad, too. There must be other pairings with Andrew out there. Im sure you will be able to find a name that suits your baby & you will fall in love with the name because it’s your baby’s!!
Yes! This idea is great!
A few other options in a similar vane:
Ash, maybe you could do shared initials if that appeals or one initial from each parent
Dexter or just Dex
Dashiell or just Dash
Zane
Maddox
Larkin
Hi-Here are a few other names to think of, if you are not sold on Crew yet. I like it, but its vibe is quite different from Andrew since Andrew is such a traditional name.
Landry-saint’s name, French…sounds like Andy, but distinct.
Angus-means “one strength”…similar to masculine meaning of Andrew & shares the first two letters.
Montgomery (Monty)-means “man power.”
Arnold-strength of an eagle
Arno-I really like this one…eagle…and name of a river in Florence, Italy…also “Arno” seems to match with some of the sounds of today’s favorites like Hugo.
Conal- Irish; strong as a wolf.
Maynard-hardy, brave.
Autry-noble strength.
Of these, maybe Landry, Angus, and Arno are my favorites! Crew is sweet though, too!