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!
Carol writes:
I am expecting a baby boy in July.
Siblings are Kade Thomas, Nora Isabelle, and Rory Josephine.
We want to use the name “Monroe” in his name but aren’t sure if we should break from the 4-letter first name pattern.
We need help finding a 4-letter first name that would go well with Monroe as a middle name.
If you can help, I would appreciate it!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new son!
Before I ask whether you should break your pattern, let me be nosy: do you imagine you’re likely to have more children? Because if this child almost certainly completes your family, I’m inclined to stick with four-letter names. They’re abundant, and it’s easy to come up with a dozen that would wear well. So it feels like sticking with the letter count serves as a useful filter for possible names.
But … if you can imagine adding three or four more children to your family? That four-letter rule might feel limiting. Yes, choices abound. But it’s not as easy when you’ve already used your five or six most favorite four-letter names.
I’m going to stick to four-letter names for my suggestions, because I found plenty that would be great with Kade, Nora, and Rory plus middle name Monroe.
FOUR-LETTER BOY NAMES
ALEX
Alex leans pretty traditional, but so does Nora. I also like that it’s on the gender-neutral side, just like Rory. But if you’re looking for a more modern possibility, Axel might appeal.
CORD
I tend to list Chord with the musical names, but Cord – as in rope – works every bit as well.
JOVE
Strictly speaking, Jove is another name for Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods. Except I don’t hear it as a mythological name. Or maybe I hear it like Atlas and Orion – very wearable, modern-sounding options.
LINK
Presidential surname Lincoln is having a moment, so why not Link? It’s a little Legend of Zelda, but in a good way.
NATE
How do you feel about repeating initials? Because Nate seems pretty perfect, if Nora doesn’t mind being one of two Ns.
RAFE
Okay, same question with Rory. Rafe is often short for Raphael, but I like it on its own, especially as a brother for Kade.
REID
Reid strikes a good balance between all of your kids’ names, I think.
SHEA
An Irish surname name with a baseball vibe.
I’m most drawn to Alex Monroe – or maybe Axel? – with Cord as a close second.
But I know there will be some great suggestions to consider.
I am absolutely in love with Jove. Jove Monroe, mwah, that’s darling.
People mentioned Cody and Otis, which both have different vibes but also sound great! Cody repeats the ending of Rory, though, and with how short the names are the endings matter!
Otis Monroe. Nice. I like it.
So many amazing suggestions! Lemme add a few more:
Duke Monroe
Roch Monroe
Hart Monroe
Reid Monroe
Wolf Monroe
Zack Monroe
Hank Monroe
Ames Monroe
My suggestion is to name him Monroe, because that’s the name you seem excited about! I think it’s more fun for a kid to have a first name that their parents loved and chose just for them than to have a first name that was determined by the fact that their siblings have four letters each.
I could see insisting on the pattern if every kid started with Q or every kid had a flower name. But four letters is not obvious or conspicuous at all—especially when the names are spoken aloud.
So Monroe seems like the clear choice to me. That said, you’ve gotten some great suggestions here!
Luke Monroe
Kade, Nora, Rory, and Luke
Jett Monroe
Kade, Nora, Rory, and Jett
Jace Monroe
Kade, Nora, Rory, and Jace
(This one uses the same long ‘a’ sound as Kade to mirror how Nora and Rory both share the ‘oh’ sound).
I like Nash and Knox!
Owen Monroe
Luke Monroe
Jack Monroe
Evan Monroe
Zach Monroe
Finn Monroe
It’s similar to Alex/Axel, but I like Alec: Alec Monroe.
Kade, Nora, Rory, Alec
Joel, Cole, Ross
Cody