Finding Strong, Uncommon Boy Names for a Brother for Felix

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!

FRESH CHOICES FOR A SECOND SON

Stephanie writes:

We are having our second child in the next few weeks and coming up with a name has us stumped.

Our son is named Felix Harper. Our last name sounds like Richard-plus-son. Harper is a family surname from my side.

Felix was my favorite name from before I met my husband. He was lukewarm about it at first, but by the time we knew we were having a boy, he’d gotten on board with it.

Other names on our list from then included Max/Maxwell, Henry, and Ezra. Now we know at least one kid with each of those names so it feels like we’re kind of past them.

If it’s a girl, my favorite name has always been Mabel, and my husband is good with that.

Family middle names we could use include Davis, Hanson, Marshall, Lewis, and Scott.

But this baby is a boy, we’re really not sure. I’d like to avoid repeating initials so no Ms in case we do have a third. (Though who knows? Maybe that’s just making it harder than it needs to be.)

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

LET’S TALK OFFBEAT CLASSICS

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your second son!

With parenting, experience makes most things easier.

Naming actually gets harder as we raise our children!

Knowing more children means that we feel like more names are taken – or at least not quite as special as when we first considered them for a child of our own.

We’re looking for boys names with strength and substance, that have stood the test of time. And because so many of your favorites are popular, we’ll look for names that are a little less common for a brother for Felix.

Before we go any further, one note: I’m not going to suggest a name like Oliver and Theodore because they rank in the current Top Ten. But, but, but … if it just so happens that you don’t know a little Oliver or Theo? It could be the perfect name for your son. I wouldn’t avoid a name because it happens to be very popular on paper.

But because I can’t guess which kids’ names are taken? I’m shifting my suggestions a bit higher up the list. Let’s call them Offbeat Classics – traditional names that remain undiscovered, at least for now … just like Oliver and Theodore were not so long ago!

A BROTHER for FELIX

ARTHUR

The name of a legendary king, old school Arthur sounds a lot like stylish names for our sons now – we love almost anything starting with A, plus names ending in R have become favorites. That makes Arthur feel like an obvious vintage name to revive – and sure enough, it’s gained in use steadily in recent years.

CONRAD

There’s something cool about Conrad, and now it’s the name of a character in YA novel turned Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty. If teenagers are declaring themselves “Team Conrad” on t-shirts? The name is back.

DEXTER

This might set a pattern … but I love the way Felix and Dexter share an X without duplicating too many sounds.

ELLIOTT

Elliott is one of those previously undiscovered names, in the same category as Maxwell.

HUGO

Cuddly and traditional, Hugo fits with O enders like Leo without being nearly as common.

OTIS

Bright, traditional, and definitely unexpected.

SIMON

This name just plain sounds smart and capable.

WESLEY

A name with a little bit of swagger, Wesley feels like a name with a good balance of substance and style.

Overall, I’m loving the sound of Felix and Conrad. Felix Harper and Conrad Scott, maybe? Or Otis … Felix Harper and Otis Marshall?

Readers, over to you – what would you name a brother for Felix?

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