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!
Audrie writes:
We’re excited to be expecting a baby boy in May. Our older two children are Freya and Emrys.>When we named Freya several years ago, the name was still very uncommon here in the US.
A couple of years later we felt another rare name would be a good match and chose Emrys for our son. We loved the connection to Arthurian Legend and thought it was a nice complement to our daughter’s mythological name.
Of course, Freya has since rocketed up the name charts to within the top 200 and looks poised to continue its rise.
On the other hand, Emrys isn’t even in the top 1000 and doesn’t look like it will be any time soon!
So, I suppose that in just a few short years, these two names have become kind of an odd pair themselves which makes things more confusing as we try to select another name to join the group.
The list of names we’re considering currently consists of:
- Malcolm: On our list for all of our pregnancies. We love that despite its classic feel, it’s never been popular and we love the nickname options. This name would probably be our hands-down choice, but we’re both concerned it feels a bit like the odd-man-out with our other two kids’ names.
- Rhydian: Another Welsh name outside the top 1000. Despite it being extremely uncommon, I feel it has a very familiar quality about it (maybe because it rhymes with Gideon) and I think it’s easy to pronounce. My one hang up has to do with nicknames. We might use Rhys for Emrys, and Reid seems like a natural nickname for Rhydian. But Rhys/Reid are just too much for me. Even Rhys and Rhydian seem too close.
- Cian: Pronounced “Kee-an”. I like the sound, though I think I’d get frustrated with the inevitable mispronunciations based on the spelling.
- Tristan: Another more common name that we’ve always had on our lists. We like the legendary connection.
My husband loves Taliesin with the nickname Tal. I love the nickname, but just can’t get on board with the given name.
I love August and Lachlan, but my husband isn’t a fan.
I’d love thoughts on our list, but we’re completely open to suggestions! Thanks for any help you can offer!
Abby replies:
How exciting to be expecting your third – congratulations!
It’s funny how we go out of our way to balance our children’s names – origins, meaning, popularity, syllables, image, nicknames – only to have the world come along and change everything after the fact.
Sigh.
So that’s out of our control.
But the good news? Freya and Emrys are great together, and they still feel nicely matched. Even though Freya is rising in use, it’s still the kind of name that’s VERY rare on 20-something and older America. Freya might have another Freya on her soccer team, but it won’t be the coach’s name.
I think the strongest threads are:
- Established names with strong, clear backstories.
- Northern European influence.
- Intriguing + unexpected, but straightforward sounds.
When I look at that list, I see your dilemma. Malcolm does feel a little more conventional. August, too.
Rhydian, Cian, and Taliesin pose spelling/pronunciation/nickname challenges.
That leaves Lachlan and Tristan … but it sounds like Lachlan is out.
Tristan, then, is the last one standing.
I do think it’s perfect. It hits every one of the threads I hear in your older kids’ names. And while it’s similar to Freya, popularity-wise, the good news is that Tristan almost certainly peaked in the late 1990s, without ever quite catching on. That means that yes, your Tristan might have a soccer coach with the name … but he’s less likely to share it with a teammate.
Still, let’s see if we can come up with some other names – because if Tristan fit, then you wouldn’t be writing, right?
A BROTHER FOR FREYA and EMRYS
ANGUS
An Irish god of love and youth, and the name of several historical kings, Angus fits with Freya and Emrys nicely. But does the repeating -s ending seem too close? Still, Angus hits that everybody-know-it but nobody-is-choosing-it sweet spot.
BAYARD
A name borrowed from medieval French legend – though, full disclosure, Bayard was the wildly powerful horse. Still, Bayard is rare as a first, somewhat familiar as a surname, and shortens to accessible nickname Bay.
CONAN
Maybe your first thought is barbarian. But the rise of late night talk show host Conan O’Brien has reshaped this name’s image. It’s more classically Irish now, with a great meaning: little wolf.
FINNICK or FINTAN
Okay, Fintan is the name from Irish legend. Well, lots of Finn names feature in their tales, from Finn McCool to plenty of saints. Fintan, legend tells us, was the only person to survive the Great Flood. Finnick is borrowed from The Hunger Games stories, but it feels like a cousin to so many heroic, adventuring Finns.
LEANDER
You’ve yet to choose a name from Greek or Roman myth, so how about Leander? Like Tristan, Leander is famous for a tragic love story. It also shortens nicely to Leo or Lee … or Ander, so plenty of choices.
MAGNUS
Like August, Magnus has roots as a title. It means “great.” Or possibly strong, because Norse myth gives us a son of Thor called Magni. The name is well-used across northern Europe, but seldom heard in the US. (Though unlike Emrys, it does fall in the current Top 1000, at #806.)
ORION
Another option from Greek myth, Orion is the hunter, immortalized in a constellation. At #326, it’s more popular than many names on your lists, but still relatively uncommon.
OSCAR
Maybe Oscar is too similar to Malcolm? They’re both great name with stories galore, and a sort of stands-out/fits-in quality.
TORSTEN
Thor is too big of a name for a child, especially in our Avengers-soaked moment. But Torsten – literally, Thor’s stone – might bridge the mythological and the accessible.
VIDAR
Another Norse name that’s not yet wrapped up in the Marvel universe, Vidar was a son of Odin in myth. It’s an incredibly cool sound, but maybe it feels more like an import than Angus or even Torsten.
NARROWING THE LIST
First and most importantly: from your original list, I really wouldn’t rule out Malcolm.
Maybe it’s not a perfect fit in terms of cool/surprising/unexpected factor. There’s something strong and enduring about Malcolm. I’d probably describe it as a solid choice. But that’s a good thing, right? Freya, Emrys, and Malcolm sound just right together.
But if the legend/myth part matters, and I can see that it does, I love Tristan. It splits the difference between Emrys and Freya, and it avoids some of the pronunciation/spelling issues with Cian and possibly Rhydian.
From my list, I’m tempted to push for Angus. It feels like the perfect name we all know, but seldom hear on an actual child. Yes, it shares an ending with Emrys – but Rhys and Gus aren’t too close. Plus, I think Angus has a lot of cool factor. (Maybe it’s the AC/DC factor!)
There are so many good suggestions! I love Malcolm, and Tristan works really well. I also like Viggo, Alaric, Amalric, Anselm, Otto, Griffin, Thorsten, and Diarmaid for you.
Freya, Emrys, and Desmond
Freya, Emrys, and Malachy
Freya, Emrys, and Thorfinn
Freya, Emrys, and Ronan
Freya, Emrys, and Arthur (too common for you, maybe, but otherwise perfect)
Freya, Emrys, and Cedric
Freya, Emrys, and Percival
Freya, Emrys, and Geraint
Freya, Emrys, and Macsen/Maxen
Freya, Emrys, and Sigmund
Freya, Emrys, and Alvis
Freya, Emrys, and Alberic
Freya, Emrys, and Bran
Otto was mentioned and i think would be so good!
I love Malcolm and Tristan with Freya and Emrys … and I love the suggestion of Orion too (I think that’s a perfect match). I had also thought of Phoenix, Griffin, Atlas, Caspian, or Cosmo … but I think you already have a lot of great choices!
I’m here for Cian and Tristan! I think Cian is easy to learn to pronounce. Maybe it’s that Kian (Persian) is more common here so it’s familiar? Plus it’s just “Like Ian?” And I’ve always loved Tristan! The legend, the sound. Though I guess it might repeat a sound ‘iss’ with Emrys, but that’s a more subtle connection (although you said you might call him Rhys?) Hey, you could even do Tristan Taliesin and call him Tal? Love alliteration.
I agree that, from the existing list, Tristan and Malcolm are two strong choices! I also love Taliesin and think the easy nickname of Tal offsets the pronunciation difficulties of the full name.
Here are some additional possibilities…
Inspired by Norse mythology:
Alf (nickname Alfie)
Odin
Inspired by Welsh mythology:
Cai/Kay
Inspired by Irish mythology:
Diarmaid/Diarmid
Oisín
Germanic:
Alaric
Amalric
Anselm
Arnold
Otto
Ulrich
I like Tristan as it has a nice ring to it with your other children’s names. Tristan Angus.
What about Yves? It has that established yet rare quality to it like your other kids names. Visually and by sound they are well matched. Freya, Emrys and Yves.
I like the suggestion of Torin. Orrin could also work. Except with Orrin there are a lot of spelling alternatives…. Oren/Oran/Orin/Orren/Orran.
But it sounds like you are more comfortable with this pregnancy doing a name that is more common. Of your names, I do love Tristan. It is an awesome name.
I agree about Angus! Perfect for this sibset.
If you want something more uncommon, I suggest Atlas or Darius.
You could use just Tal, it is a Hebrew name that means ‘dew’. Freya, Emrys, and Tal.
Viggo
Torin
Clark
Wulfric nicknamed Wolf/Wulf
Dmitri
Gustav
Donovan
Basil
Tobin
As a mother to a Lachlan, I’m biased, but I definitely think it deserves to be on your list! We also considered Magnus or Galen for him, and his middle is the very Welsh Griffith, which you might like too, or maybe Tadhg.