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!
Allison writes:
My husband and I are having a terrible time coming up with boys names for baby #3, due in March.
We have a daughter (Rosalie Grace) and a son (Reid Augustus).
If this baby is a girl, we’ve agreed on Julianne.
Boy names are really tough for us, and we won’t know the sex of the baby until birth.
We do not want another R name.
My top picks for boys right now are Conrad, Alden, Hugo, Taylor, and Jonah.
My husband likes Louis (pronounced Lewis).
But nothing is jumping out at us. Can you help?
Thank you!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your third!
I think knowing that you don’t want another R name is half the battle here. And yet, that still leaves a huge pool of potential names, right?
It also feels like your naming style for a son is just a little bit different than it is for a daughter. Which is true for most of us!
So what sounds like a brother name for Reid?
Let’s look at your current list first:
- ALDEN – Like Reid, a surname that feels well established as a given name. Reid and Alden sound great together!
- CONRAD – Maybe a little more old-school than Reid, but still a good style match. One note: the second syllable of Conrad is very similar to Reid. Say them five times fast together, and it’s easy to trip into Conreid.
- HUGO – Possibly my favorite for bridging the styles between Reid and Rosalie. It’s brief, like Reid, and strong, too. But it feels a little more like a vintage gem, which seems to hit the right note.
- JONAH – A current favorite in the US, I’m sure there are brothers called Jonah and Reid … but I’m not sure it would immediately come to mind as a suggestion.
- LOUIS – A strong, traditional option for a son. It sounds very much like a brother for Rosalie, and it goes well with Reid, too.
- TAYLOR – A surname like Reid, and a handsome choice for a son. But I wonder if its recent popularity for girls – a Top Ten name from 1993 to 2000 – and the dominance of Taylor Swift would make this a frustrating choice? Curious to hear others’ reactions to this name especially, because I like it so much with Reid.
Out of these, Hugo is probably my top pick as a sibling for Reid and Rosalie. (And Julianne, come to that.)
But let’s see if we can come up with some more ideas.
A BROTHER FOR ROSALIE and REID
ALDER
Alden meets Taylor. But it’s also a tree name, so it has something in common with Rosalie, and that strong sound brings to mind Reid. Adler is another option.
EMMETT
Emmett sounds capable and down-to-earth. It’s the tiniest bit old-fashioned, but really quite current.
HAYES
There’s something smooth about Hayes. Sound-wise, it’s similar to James, or maybe Louis/Lewis. Style-wise, it’s closer to surnames like Reid.
JUDE
Jonah mixed with Hugo, with a hint of Reid’s strong, single-syllable style, too.
KIERAN
An Irish import less popular than Ryan or Aiden, but with just as much charm.
MAXWELL
You might shorten it to just Max, but Maxwell seems like a good balance for Reid and Rosalie.
SULLIVAN
A longer surname-style name with an unforgettable sound.
THATCHER
A handful of surnames feel similar to Taylor, but are less common. Thatcher is a good choice for a stands-out/fits-in kind of name, but there’s also Thayer, Baylor, Walker, Bridger, and Turner to name a few.
WESLEY
I think Wesley hits the same traditional, but current note as Reid.
One last thought: do you have any interest in using Julian for a son? Obviously, it would rule out Julianne for a future daughter, so it’s not a perfect choice. But if you don’t imagine you’ll grow your family after this child, it might be worth considering.
I really love the sound of Adler, Emmett, or Wesley with Rosalie and Reid. They’re all non-R names, but they still feel like they go together as sibling names.
Congrats on the new little one on the way! Just thought I’d add more ideas to the list…
+ Quentin
+ Felix
+ Brennan
+ Casper
+ Gavin
+ Wendell
+ Jules — you mentioned “Julianne” so why not “Jules” for an alternative?
Hope we’re helping! All the best for you and your growing family. x
I love Arthur, but Art Hartman is sadly a no-go and will be too hard to avoid!
Oh, yes – too bad!
Agree that Alden Hartman is too repetitive sounding, and Jonah Hartman doesn’t have great flow. Alder, however, makes me think of elder…Book of Mormon vibes.
Angus is too close to our son’s middle name, Augustus. Blake is very handsome.
I agree Hugo is a strong name that might be better suited to a one syllable last name…but after all these comments it’s a top contender for now!
Thank you!
Love, love this discussion. We are Taylor Swift fans, and I do wonder if people would think we named our son after her! LOL
Thoughts on Hugo Taylor Hartman as a full name? You’ll get the G and R sounds that are also in our other children’s names (Rosalie Grace and Reid Augustus).
LOVE Hugo Taylor Hartman.
Finn & Reid are adorable together!
Isn’t it wild that Julianne doesn’t crack the top 1000, but Julian is 33 for boys? It’s a lovely name, but too common for me.
From your choices I like Louis – but beware of the multiple pronunciation issue.
I’m not a fan of Taylor, but since it’s falling faster for girls than boys (and still a name that I think most people know could go either way) I wouldn’t hesitate to use it for a boy if you like the name (especially with a gender-unambiguous and perhaps more “current” middle name since Taylor may feel like a “parent” name now with it’s ’90s peak).
From Abby’s suggestions I love Sullivan (that would be my pick from all the names mentioned), and I also like Emmett and Jude.
I am loving the idea of non-R name with an R in it. I am also keen on a 2 syllable name as you have a one and three syllable’s with Rosalie and Reid.
From your list- Conrad. I have always loved this name. I don’t think Conrad and Reid clash at all. Rosalie, Reid, and Conrad are great!
From Abby’s list- Alder. Rosalie, Reid, and Alder all have a slight vintage nature vibe. It’s also cool that Alder ends in an R.
From the comments- Arthur sounds great with Rosalie and Reid.
My suggestions-
Rosalie, Reid, and Laurence. Laurence has a beautiful R sound to match his siblings and is such a handsome name.
Rosalie, Reid, and Oliver. Oliver picks up on letters from both siblings names, and has that vintagey/nature quality.
Rosalie, Reid, and Barrett. Barrett is a new favorite and sounds so great with these siblings. Rose, Reid, and Bear or Rose, Reid and Rhett.
PS Regarding Louis (which I love)— I saw the Lou Reed note and I know it’s Louis pronounced Lewis but if he is ever called Louis pronounced Louie, Rosalie and Louis are ‘rhymey’.
Congratulations on your baby. Let us know what you choose. All the best!
After reading the 1923 names post it reminded me of the great name Angus. I’ve known an Angus nn Gus.
Rosalie, Reid and Angus
I have known a Reid with a brother called Myles. I always remembered them as their names seemed to go together so well.
Rosalie, Reid and Myles
I do think Taylor is getting more to the girl side sorry. If you like the long A sound maybe Blake?
Rosalie, Reid and Blake
Another possible one similar to Jonah is Joel. The “ah” sound at the end of Jonah is the same as in your last name which is a little sing song to me. If you like surname style names then Jones might work. Even Jasper is a possible match.
Rosalie, Reid and Joel
Rosalie, Reid and Jasper
I think all would sound great with your last name.
I agree that Lucas might be a strong contender since hubby likes Louis. Or even Luke?
Hugo is one of my all time favourite names but I’m not sure I like it with your last name as much as a single syllable name. But it’s not a deal breaker either as Hugo is a strong name.
Alden is interesting but I feel it sounds too similar to your last name to my ears, so it tends to run together. I’m liking a hard consonant next to your last name so the first name is stronger than the last name. L, M, T, S, B, D and K/C sounds.
Alder suggested by Abby makes all 3 nature sounding names.
Good luck choosing. Hopefully you have some new ideas with all the great suggestions.
I think another name with a strong r would make sense. Like…
Cormac
Arthur
Connor
Ni kow it starts with R but Rowan is awesome!
Good luck!