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Name Help: A Brother for Journey and River

January 5, 2022 By appellationmountain 12 Comments

Welcome Wells MatthewUPDATE: Welcome to the world, Wells Matthew!

Angela writes: I liked Wells the minute I saw it on the list. My mom read this, too, and she had the same reaction. But my husband immediately said no. Then just a few days before I went into labor, he said “What about Wells?” Like he’d never heard it before! He swears he doesn’t remember me suggesting it. It’s the perfect choice. Thanks to you and to everyone who helped!

Angela writes:

We have two children and we’re expecting a third (and last) child in a few weeks, a son.

Our daughter, Journey Suzanne, is 5 and our son, River Lewis, is 3. We didn’t mean to choose two noun names, but they were the names we both liked. The middle names are for his mom and my dad.

Our list of girl names is long: Sloane, Meadow, Poppy, Serena, Lyric. My favorite for a daughter is Lyric. I know it could be a boy’s name but I’ve always thought of it as a girl’s name.

I’m not sure where to start with another boy name. Sage and Callen are the only names that I sort of like, and my husband dislikes them both.

Part of me thinks that another word name makes sense, but it shouldn’t be too close to the other kids’ names. So I’m not sure where that leaves us.

My husband’s only suggestion is Maverick, but I just think it’s too much.

We’d like to use some form of Matthew or Matthias for his middle name.

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your third!

It’s an interesting dilemma, isn’t it? I’m tempted to start suggesting word names, and yet … you didn’t really set out to choose word names, right? And you’ve both ruled out some obvious choices, like Maverick, Sage, and Lyric.

River and Journey strike me as word names with a contemplative vibe. They’re sort of outdoorsy, maybe a little bit virtue-adjacent. And while they don’t feel completely new, they’re definitely twenty-first century names. You wouldn’t name a brother for Journey and River something classic like Michael, but I can see that a name as bold as Maverick isn’t quite a fit, either.

Let’s see if we can come up with some names that fit that same kind of vibe, without being too obviously matched.

A BROTHER for JOURNEY and RIVER

BEAU

Strictly speaking, Beau is a word – in another language. It means handsome in French. And in English, it’s an outdated word for boyfriend. (Or maybe “suitor” is a better synonym – but that seems outdated, too!) Anyway, Beau has plenty of modern energy, even if it’s not completely novel as a given name.

BOONE

We tend to think of Boone as a surname name, and it is. But it comes from the French bon – good, ultimately from the same Latin root as our word bonus.

FLYNN

More of a straight-up surname name, Flynn feels daring – credit to Disney’s Flynn Ryder and Hollywood’s Errol Flynn.

GAGE

A big hit from earlier in the 2000s, Gage can mean “to measure.”

KNOX

Knox comes from a Scottish word meaning hill, but we associate it with Fort Knox – home to the US gold repository.

PAXTON

While this surname name has distinct origins, it looks an awful lot like the Latin pax – peace. That makes it feel like a brother for Journey and River.

RIDGE

The first straight-up word name on this list, Ridge might be too well-matched to River. And yet, I think it works.

WELLS

A hopeful nature name, Wells mixes surname style with the natural world and water associations of River and the positive, almost virtue-vibe style of Journey.

It’s that last name that checks all the boxes for me – Journey, River, and Wells. I particularly like Wells Matthew. It’s a good mix of the current and the traditional. And I think Wells bridges the style of both sibling names, while still feeling like a current, stylish choice.

Readers, what would you name a brother for Journey and River?

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Comments

  1. Mae says

    January 8, 2022 at 11:11 PM

    Hawthorne Matthias

    Reply
  2. Jean C. says

    January 6, 2022 at 4:25 PM

    Love Lyric! Here are some ideas (some seconding and thirding probably as well!). I picked some non-noun names too that I feel like vibe well with Journey and River.
    Archer
    Jasper
    Shepherd
    Kai
    Lazslo
    Forrest
    Pax
    Cassius
    Bodhi
    Bridger
    Dashiell
    Viggo

    Reply
  3. Willow says

    January 6, 2022 at 1:48 AM

    I think Brio works because it is a musical name like Lyric, sounds like a boy name, is full of energy like Journey and River, and also has a strong R sound.

    Reply
  4. Dr. Awkward says

    January 6, 2022 at 1:39 AM

    Nature names that suggest gentle movement seem like a nice match for Journey and River. I second the suggestion of Peregrine above—or what about Heron or Orion?

    Reply
  5. Dutch says

    January 5, 2022 at 6:43 PM

    My suggestions :

    Larkin
    Seager
    Marshal
    Fielding
    Croft
    Shepherd
    Leland
    Hayes
    Sawyer
    Kemp

    Reply
  6. Anchors_and_Whales says

    January 5, 2022 at 3:38 PM

    Wells is great, Abby!

    Some other suggestions:

    For Mom:
    Leaf
    Storm
    Blaze
    Leo
    Palmer
    Harvest, possibly called Harvey
    Brighton
    Everest
    Huckleberry
    Hawthorne
    Marsden/Marlow called Mars
    Heath
    Gentry

    For Dad:

    Maverick (say it fast and slur it) called Merritt – Sounds like virtue noun: merit.

    Maverick called Mack – Mac means “son of” so could put Dad’s name in the middle, or some cool virtue like peace/Pax, freedom, liberty, Light/Lux, etc.

    Maverick called Mick or Mickey.

    Reply
  7. Renee says

    January 5, 2022 at 2:09 PM

    For your set, which feel edgy-nature to me, I would love to see a brother named Flint or Vale!

    I also love the suggestion of CyprEss – I know a little boy with this name and it’s surprisingly wearable.

    Reply
  8. KM says

    January 5, 2022 at 1:03 PM

    Abby I really like all of your suggestions here! Wells, Flynn, and Gage especially.

    I’d also add Hollis, Curran, and Mac.

    Reply
  9. keats says

    January 5, 2022 at 10:00 AM

    So it seems to me you all like two syllable names with strong r sounds, outdoorsy, gender neutral and contemporary. The two boy names that popped into my head were Cedar or Cypress. Nickname of Cy for Cypress is pretty cool. Cormac is also one of my favorites.

    Journey, River, and Cedar
    Journey, River, and Cypress
    Journey, River and Cormac

    Reply
  10. Alison Doherty says

    January 5, 2022 at 9:51 AM

    If you want something nature/noun adjacent but that still feels like a name, how about Walden, Jasper, Cosmo, Sylvan, Sterling, Alder, Garland or Ash? I’ve also met boys with virtue names like Noble or Sincere that I think are very cute. Or if you want something that’s a little more like Maverick maybe Phoenix, Griffin, or Zion.

    Reply
  11. Iris says

    January 5, 2022 at 8:52 AM

    Some ideas, but they might be too much:
    Hunter
    Wilder
    Walker
    Saylor
    Lennox
    Zane
    Duke
    Everest
    Grant
    Graham

    Reply
  12. Marisa says

    January 5, 2022 at 8:12 AM

    How about Heath, Peregrine, or Kit? Those are explicitly nature linked. Some that have natural (and sea-linked) meanings: Ronan, Dylan, or Morgan.

    Reply

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