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.
WE KNOW WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR …
Carrie writes:
We named our daughter Evangeline Mae. Everything about her name is perfect. It’s long, traditional, but not something you hear all the time. We mostly call her Evie, but I like that she has choices in the future. We just watched The Princess and the Frog for the first time, and she loved that there’s a song about her name in it.
Our second baby will be here in April. It’s a boy, and we’re so excited, but it feels like no name is as right as Evie’s name.
Names we have considered but probably won’t be using:
- Theodore/Theo – Would’ve been Evie name if she was a boy, but my sister-in-law named her son Theo, so it’s out.
- Sebastian – We don’t really like Seb/Sebby as a nickname, and I don’t like the idea of Ian, either.
- Maxwell/Max – I like this a lot, but our last name sounds like Minor, and my husband dislikes M names for that reason. (Max Minor sounds like a cartoon villain.)
- Oliver/Ollie – Maybe, but I don’t really like the -R sounds at the end of Oliver/our last name. Ollie doesn’t sound like a grown-up name.
- Charles/Charlie – Maybe, but my in-laws had a dog named Charlie and I think it would be weird. I like Charlie much, much more than Charles, so I don’t think using another nickname for Charles makes sense, either.
- Anthony – But we don’t like Tony.
- Ezekiel/Zeke – We’re not religious, so this just seems like it’s not right for us, and I don’t know about another E name. (I do love the way Evie and Zeke sound together!)
It’s so different than naming Evie, I’m not sure where we’re going wrong!
The one thing we agree on is that we’ll probably use the middle name James, which is my husband’s middle name and his dad’s name, and also my dad’s name.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
LET’S START WITH WHAT WE KNOW
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new son!
Nearly everything in parenting gets easier with experience. Naming is the exception.
Because our firstborn’s name sets some expectations and often establishes a pattern or set of criteria we want to repeat. It’s not a blank slate any more, which means we have a different set of choices – and that can be frustrating!
I think it helps to define what you’re looking for, but also to recognize that you’re free to deviate from this list. It’s a broad description, not a set of requirements.
- A longer formal name, probably three syllables or more
- An easy, obvious nickname that works for a child or an adult
- No M names
- Nothing too similar to Evangeline/Evie
- Nothing too religious
- Probably nothing too popular, or at least nothing shared by a family member (including the four-legged ones)
- Ideally, it will work with the middle name James
We can work with this!
But first, I want to go back to your original list, and talk about Ezekiel/Zeke.
Or maybe religious names in general.
A great many names have filtered into use because they’re associated with saints or taken from the Bible. That’s partially about belief, of course. But it also reflects the ways we had to know about names before the internet. Or, y’know, books.
In general, popular Old Testament names are not likely to be perceived as religious, unless they are rare.
I don’t expect Jacob, Noah, or Isaiah to come from a particularly religious family. Obadiah, on the other hand? That might cross my mind.
Because Ezekiel ranks in the current US Top 100, I think it’s very much a mainstream, not-religious choice. And Zeke? It’s this generation’s Zach … also a Biblical name, but never perceived as one.
And I agree that Evie and Zeke are perfect together. Evangeline Mae and Ezekiel James.
I think it’s the name to beat.
But let’s look at some more options.
A BROTHER FOR EVIE
ALEXANDER/ALEX
I’m wondering if you consider Alexander too popular? It’s absolutely been around, ranking as high as the US Top Ten a dozen years ago. But if it just so happens that you don’t know an Alex or three already, I feel like this an obvious name to go with Evie.
CAMERON/CAM
I love the way Cameron feels traditional, but not really old school. Cam is friendly and upbeat, and a nice balance with Evie.
GABRIEL/GABE
Another one of these yes-it’s-from-the-Bible, but-no-I-don’t-hear-it-as-religious names. Friendly and high-energy.
LEONEL/LEO
I feel like Leo is a logical add to your list, if it’s not too weird to have Leo and Theo in the family? That’s your call. The issue I see if finding a longer name for Leo. Leonardo is an obvious choice, but it doesn’t quite feel like the names on your list. And Leonard might be too antique? I’ll suggests Leonel. It’s the Spanish form of Lionel, but I think this spelling is rising for parents who want an obvious nickname built-in. I also like Lionel called Leo. (If it works for soccer star Leo Messi, why not for our sons, too?)
NATHANIEL/NATE
Like Alexander, this name had a good run a few years ago – but it never was quite as popular. Nate doesn’t have a Disney song, but does have the long-running Nate the Great book series, about a boy detective.
RAPHAEL/RAFE
A traditional name rising in use in recent years, I like Raphael/Rafe as an alternative to favorites like Sebastian/Seb and Gabriel/Gabe.
WESLEY/WES
While Wesley is a little shorter, it works nicely with your surname and your list of criteria.
ZACHARY/ZACH
If you love Zeke, but can’t come around to Ezekiel … would Zachary called Zach (or Zack or Zac) appeal? While I’m definitely meeting dads named Zach now, it’s a rock solid choice that would wear well for a boy born in 2025, too.
Overall, I’m still pulling for Ezekiel. But if it just doesn’t feel like The Name, I’m going to put Alexander next on the list. It’s a little longer, so I think it works well with your surname. (Unlike Oliver.) And Alex is an easy, obvious nickname that grows up nicely. And if you just happen to already know an Alex or two? Nathaniel called Nate gets my vote.
My first thought was Nathaniel, so I absolutely endorse it but the suggestion of Benedict is making me swoon. I agree Alexander works well, but I would also suggest Nicholas nn Cole or Dashiell nn Dash…. or Abraham nn Bram.
Timothy nn Tim
Julian nn Jules
Samuel nn Sam
Andrew nn Drew
Harrison nn Harry
Sullivan nn Sully
Edmund nn Ed
Nathaniel feels absolutely perfect along side Evangeline! Evie and Nate, Evie and Nat. Such an underused gem of a name in my opinion.
If not Ezekiel then how about Isaac? Yes, Isaac is technically religious but it feels a bit more accessible and mainstream than Ezekiel. Isaac could easily be Zeke (or Zac) for short. A bonus to using Isaac? It means “laughter” which is just lovely. Evangeline and Isaac. Evie and Zeke
Or how about Alexander with the offbeat nickname of Zane instead of Alex? Evangeline and Alexander. Evie and Zane.
William “Liam”. Evangeline and William. Evie and Liam
Lionel “Leo”. Evangeline and Lionel. Evie and Leo
Malcolm “Mac”. Evangeline and Malcolm. Evie and Max
Desmond “Dez” Evangeline and Desmond. Evie and Dez
I second Benedict! Or perhaps Sullivan – Sully or Van. Repeats the “v” in Evangeline/Evie.
Evangeline is actually a religious name (saint’s name, means “good news” as in Johnnthe Evangelist) , so I probably wouldn’t rule Ezekiel out if you like it.
You could try other long names: Augustus, Barnaby, Frederick, Gregory, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Orion, Sebastian, Thaddeus, Zachariah, Zebedee
What about Sylvester?
Evangeline & Sylvester
Evie & Sly (I think this is the nn)
Not religious … kind of cool…I think!
Sylvester James
Also…
Constantine (maybe too Greek!?)
Oberon/Auberon
Balthazar nn Tolly
Peregrine (nn Perry)
Percival (nn Percy)
Evangeline & Constantine
Evangeline & Auberon (nn Ron?)
Evangeline & Balthazar
Evangeline & Peregrine
Evangeline & Percival
Best wishes…you will THE name! : )
Princess and the Frog made me fall in love with the name Evangeline. I know two Evangelines and funny enough their siblings both have El- names (one has a brother Elliott, the other a sister Ella.) I don’t think you said repeating an initial is totally out, so maybe Elliott would appeal?
I love the idea of a Benjamin nn Jamie! How have I never heard of that before??? So many Bens out there and I do love Benji as a nickname, but Jamie is perfection. Although Jamie James is maybe too much 😉
Abby’s suggestion of Nathaniel is great. Although even more fitting with big sister would be Ignatius nn Nate! Why not lean into the over-the-top style of Evangeline?
Tobias nn Toby or TJ
Calloway n Cal or CJ
Frederick nn Freddie or Fritz
Caspian nn Caz or CJ
Aurelius nn Ray or Ozzy
I know you said r-endings aren’t your fave with the surname but maybe it depends on the exact name?
– Alistair nn Alec or AJ
– Christopher nn Christo or Kit
Lol! about Jamie James! I actually thought it worked because Jamie can be a nn for either first or middle so you could change your story about why Jamie to whatever suits you!
Benedict!
Caspian came to mind first, and also Bastian can be a nn for Sebastian, or just used on its own. Also what about Rafferty nn Raf or Rafe?
Congratulations for your baby boy!
Evangeline Mae is such a lovely name.
I like Evangeline and Sebastian together. Another nickname for Sebastian is Bash. Evie and Bash?
How about Xavier? Evangeline & Xavier James… Evie & Zavi?
Jonathan? Evangeline & Jonathan?
Jonathan James could give you the nickname JJ. Or Jono, Jonny, or Joe.
My other thought was Emmanuel/Immanuel, but maybe Evangeline & Emmanuel are too religious for you.
Well, our daughter Evangeline is our second child after our first (a boy).
Her middle name was going to be Mae, but we changed it last minute for a variety of reasons (none of which are pertinent since it was family drama).
Her nn is Evie. Our last name ends in -er. I also did not want a repeating initial. Several of your boy names were on our list if Evie had turned out to be a second boy. I mourned that Oliver ___-er did not work in my mind. So we have a lot on common!
Our oldest is Alexander James. Now, we picked his name first (although he rather named himself- long story). And settled on Evangeline because I couldn’t do the same initial (If I hadn’t cared, she would have been Anneliese). The plan was to call him Alex, but he became Xander through the toddler/preschool years. When he started school, he switched to Alex (his choice- he *like being Alex S., but we still called him Xander at home). He has also been AJ for one summer (I cringed, but he was 11 and if I balked, he’s the type of kid to have then been AJ for all of his teen years just because I’m not fond of it).
Because it’s 4 syllables, it breaks up the -er -er sound. And even Xander ___-er has never actually seemed sing-songy. As an adult, he has settled on Alex, and after high school hasn’t been in anything with another Alex (and only had one other from 1-3 grades and then in high school- but he hated with over 500 kids, so…). Given both names are also from Greek origin and come with a wide variety of nickname options, when we finally hit upon Evangeline for our youngest, it just fit as a combo. So I very much vote for Alexander.
Other thoughts:
-I do see Ezekiel as religious, but not Zeke.
-I would avoid Gabriel as that is Evangeline’s long lost love in Longfellow’s poem.
-Nathaniel hits a similar vibe as Theodore for me. Both were on our list for a second boy.
-Sebastian nn Bash was also contemplated here, but despite several nn options, we just weren’t fond of the nns, so it was placed aside since one of the things we valued were nn options in our naming process.
-Another name that was a top contender when we discovered she was a girl was Benjamin with the intended nn of Jamie.
Good luck!
Alexander James nn Xan or Xander was my first thought. Alex and Evie is great too. Or AJ. Really great with Evangeline.