Name Help: A Brother for Mary Adelaide

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!

Lauryn writes:

We have a daughter named Mary Adelaide, and we’re expecting a son this summer.

When we were pregnant with Mary, I wanted to name a boy Henry Barnabas. My husband’s sister just had a little Henry a few months ago, though, so we can’t use Henry now.

Our style is pretty traditional, but I definitely like older names. My husband wouldn’t agree to those as first names, but he’s happy to let me choose what I want for middles.

Names I like that my husband has said no to: August, William (because of someone he went to school with! this bothers me so much), Simon (because of the chipmunks!), Daniel (no reason why he doesn’t like it, just says no).

Names he likes that I’m not crazy about: Patrick (we’re not Irish and this just is so Irish to me), Thomas (I want to like Tommy/Tom, but I’m not sure), John (this is too basic even for me, especially with a daughter named Mary), Joseph (his dad’s name, but we’re avoiding family names for lots of reasons, so even though I like it as a name, I feel like it would cause problems).

Nothing else has really leapt out at us, even though I feel like we keep going over the same names. Help!

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

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your son!

It’s too bad about Henry, but I can see that having two cousins so close in age with the same name is a lot.

So we need a boy’s name that is:

• Traditional
• Probably nickname-light, if not entirely nickname-proof
• Familiar without feeling antique

Let’s see what I can think up that you haven’t already considered!

A BROTHER FOR MARY ADELAIDE

DAVID

Not so long ago, David was a really common name. (Canadian comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall created a song called “The Daves I Know” … but that was back in the early 1990s.) Today it ranks a relatively modest #31 in the US and is falling. That could be the sweet spot – a name everybody knows, but your son won’t actually share with boys his age.

EDWARD

Like David, Edward was once really common in the US. Today, though, it’s faded. The challenge here might be around nicknames. Eddie is obvious, and would fit right in with boys named Charlie. Ned is another option, a sepia-toned choice that would fit in with current favorites like Max. But I’m wondering if the nickname makes this a non-starter?

GREGORY

Greg is a Brady, but Gregory used in full? It’s a handsome name, a little like Montgomery.

JONATHAN

If your husband loves John, would you consider Jonathan? It’s just a little different. (Because I agree that John and Mary is maybe too classic together!)

JULIAN

A name that feels both traditional and contemporary.

LUKE

As brief as John or some of the other traditional choices you’re pondering, but with some of the spirit of Jack, too.

SAMUEL

Mary and Sam sound perfect together.

VINCENT

A classic we sometimes overlook, maybe because we’re not wild about Vinnie. But Vince is a great nickname … not that a tw0-syllable name requires one in the first place!

My favorite, overall, is Samuel. Samuel Barnabas and Mary Adelaide; Sam and Mary. Or maybe Jonathan, as it feels like a compromise between one of your husband’s favorite and your preferences.

But I’m curious to hear what readers will suggest, so let’s open it up for suggestions. What would you name a brother for Mary Adelaide?