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!
THREE TIMES THE NAMES
Caitlin writes:
We recently learned that we are expecting triplets!
We do not yet know boy/girl but two are sharing a sac so it’s likely we will have two of one gender and one of the other.
We plan to pick out three names for each gender just to be prepared.
The new babies will join big sister Emerson and big brother Arlo. They both have classic, one-syllable middle names. (We will likely choose family names for the middles so we mostly need help with first names, though all suggestions are welcome.)
Our last name is three syllables and can be hard to know how to pronounce the first time you see it but most people get it after being told. The only initial we want to avoid is F as my husband doesn’t want alliterative names.
We want each triplet to have their own unique initial, no alliteration there either.
We chose our first two kids’ names because they were relatively gender-neutral, were recognizable but not popular, a little bit fun/whimsical but not frivolous, and could be shortened to nicknames (though they both prefer their whole names!)
The babies’ names don’t have to necessarily share a common theme, just fit into our overall vibe with our first kids’ names.
Thank you in advance! We love your site and know if anyone can help us, it’s you and the readers!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments!
MORE GREAT NAMES LIKE ARLO and EMERSON
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new babies! And thank you for your kind words. This is a challenge, but I believe the AM community is up for it, right?
Emerson and Arlo are both great names, and happily, I think you’ve left yourself plenty of room to choose more compatible names. It sounds like the right names will be:
- Fresh, contemporary names; nothing too old-fashioned, but also nothing invented
- Not strongly gendered, though your son’s name is more common for boys and your daughter’s name for girls
- Familiar without being too popular
- Have nickname potential
I think that’s a good list to start with – so let’s dive in!
BOY NAMES to GO WITH EMERSON and ARLO
A note before we begin: lots of these names feel like they could fit on the list for daughters or sons. Maybe that feels like I’m cheating, but I like the way it gives even more options.
BRIAR
Brian meets all of those R-ending surname names, with plenty of the natural world mixed in, too.
CADE
There’s something strong and solid about Cade. It’s less traditional than Jake, not quite as trendy as Caden. (Or Kayden or Caiden or … you get the idea.)
CALLAHAN
Lots of Cal names could be great here, but I’m sticking with Callahan because I like the way it balances with big sister Emerson’s name.
HAYES
Finding names with a similar energy matters, but so does choosing names with distinctive sounds so your kids’ names don’t run together, right? I think the long A paired with the scissory S ending of Hayes is a great choice.
JUDE
I thought about Judah, since it shortens to Jude, but Jude seems more like your style.
ROWAN
This name ranks in the current Top 100 for boys; it’s also used for girls, though it’s not quite as popular. I’m not sure if that means Rowan belongs on the girls’ list … or maybe isn’t something that works for you at all?
SULLIVAN
Like Callahan, a longer name that balances out Emerson when I say all of the names together.
TATE
As with Judah, Tate could easily be short for Tatum. This is where it gets interesting: Tatum is just about unisex, given to around 1500 boys and 1300 girls last year. But Tate is almost exclusively masculine. I like Tate better with Arlo and Emerson, but Tatum has plenty of potential, too.
GIRL NAMES TO GO WITH EMERSON AND ARLO
BLAIR
Because it’s close to classic Claire, Blair feels nicely feminine.
FINLEY
One of those names equally at home on the boys’ list, and worth noting that Finn/Fin is seldom heard for a girl.
HAVEN
A word name and modern virtue with a bright, distinctive sound.
JUNIPER
A rising modern favorite.
POPPY
Another nature name, this time bringing a vibrant red color and the meaning of remembrance.
RORY
Like Rowan and Poppy, a name associated with the color red.
SUTTON
One of those surname names that’s been steadily trending for girls and is catching up for boys.
TEAGAN
Bright and just plain fun to say. It could shorten to Tea, like the letter T, or Tea, rhymes with Mia and Leah.
Now, the challenge: coming up with combinations!
While it sounds like you might still be surprised, I’m limiting my suggestions to two boys/one girl and two girls/one boy.
For two boys/one girl, I really like Jude, Hayes, and Poppy. There’s one surname in the mix, something a little old school and a nature name – quite the mix, but they all seem compatible.
But I can also imagine something like Rowan, Tatum, and Blair – a little more weighted towards that modern surname style, maybe?
For two girls, one boy, I immediately thought Juniper, Teagan, and Callahan – Junie, Tea, Cal, if you like.
Finding another option was tough, but maybe something like Sutton, Rory, and Jude?
Okay, this is a challenge. Time to open it up to the community.
Huxley was the first name that came to my mind! Bexley also feels like it would fit.
Some other ideas: Drew, Gale, River, Honor, Dorian, Olive, Penrose, Indigo, Maxence, Darcy, Ives, Unity, Reeve, Julian (or Jules), Daley, Quill, Luca, Scarlett, Torrance, Dana, Patience
Emerson, Arlo, Huxley, River and Drew
Emerson, Arlo, Torrance, Bexley and Jules
Emerson, Arlo, Unity, Olive and Indigo (if you want to embrace the vowel theme!)
Emerson, Arlo, Patience, Luca and Dorian
Emerson, Arlo, Daley, Reeve and Scarlett
Emerson, Arlo, Dana, Ives and Julian
Emerson, Arlo, Penrose, Gale and Darcy
Emerson, Arlo, Honor, Quill and Maxence
Arlo, Emerson, and…
all girls: Delaney, Juniper, & Sinclair
one girl and two boys: Bellamy, Sullivan, & Callahan
two girls and one boy: Indie, Lark, & Rhys
all boys: Heath, Jude, & Tate
another all girls: Tatum, Vesper, & Winslet
another all boys: Bowie, Ira, & Wyatt
Emerson, Arlo, and…
Quinlan
Lane
Shay
Sloane
Pacey
Riley
Delancy
Piper
Sutton
Wesley
Wynne
Dale
Orson (only for a boy!)
Ira
Ellis
Grady
Congratulations and best wishes!
Oh what fun to name three at once!
I’d love to know what nickname Arlo sometimes has? I always consider it firmly a no nickname kinda name.
I agree the few Briars I’ve met IRL were girls. But I’ve also met girl Arlos and boy Emersons, so you’re doing well with the unisex choices so far.
Here are a few sets I think would make a lovely trio for siblings of Emerson & Arlo (and like another poster said, you choose which gender is which, though in my mind I’ve offered a number of combos)
Yates, Wilder & Zev
Ryker, Noble & Prairie
Ira, Oakley & Ulysses
Rooney, Sawyer & Truett
Winter, Neeley & Jax
Poe, Quincy & Twain
Crew, Boone & Hale
Can’t wait to see how this one (three) turns out!
You have A and E names already, so I’m suggesting the other vowels:
Iris, Orion and Uma.
Others options:
Campbell, Sawyer and Paxton.
Meredith, Lucian and Bennett.
Kai, Raine and Quinn.
Parker, Duke and Riley.
Boys: Baird, Birch, Blaise, Brandt, Brody, Brogan, Burke, Carlisle, Clark, Davis, Deveraux, Hart, Hollis, Jensen, Lane, Miller, Mills, Montgomery, Norris, Padgett, Royce, Steele, Sterling, Styles, Tallis, Tolliver, Ward, Wright,
Girls: Blair, Brielle, Brighton, Brynn, Cameo, Carlisle, Chapel, Clarion, Clancy, Corday, Dare, Delaney, Harlowe, Hollis, Kenneally, Kensington, Maren, Marlowe, Montgomery, Mills, Royce, Tillis, Westerly, Willoughby, Yancy, Yeardley,
Triplets! Congratulations, so exciting! My husband is an identical triplet but they didn’t know the genders so each parent named one baby each and then they agreed if the third one was a girl then dad picked the name and if it was a boy then mom picked the name! Just wanted to share; I think that’s such a fun way to go about it!
From Abby’s suggestions I really love Jude, Cade, and Haven 🙂
Emerson and Arlo have a sunny, energetic vibe to me. Here are some other ideas that may fit although I had a hard time thinking of names that fit your vibe and are also gender neutral leaning but there are a few that could probably go either way. I especially like the idea of one baby having a Z name since you already have an A name with Arlo…A to Z!
Boys:
Morgan
Mackenzie (Mack)
Zane
Quinn
Blake
Rhys (Reece)
Dylan
Stellan
Ronan
Girls:
Tessa
Zoe
Lennon
Jade
Sage
Delaney
Reagan
Kaia (Ky-a)
Lark
Wren
Maisie
Shay
Rae
Morgan
Clarion
Merritt
Robin
Todd
Vesper
Wynne
Osric
Sky
Congratulations! How exciting!
Girls names, for me, feel easier…. Emerson is confident, capable, modern. It feels like the “it” girl of her peer group. To me Blair, Avery and Riley feel nicely paired in style and usage for girls.
Arlo is tougher… It feels more soulful and romantic while still contemporary but storied and international. Sebastian and Victor fall in this category for me but I’m not sure they are right. I want to suggest Cormac, Felix and Fritz but I think all those initials are out. Others are a Hugo, Soren, Orson, Orren, Raiden, Torin…
Emerson, Arlo, + Blair, Riley and Soren would probably be my suggestion for two girls and a boy….
Emerson, Arlo,+ Hugo, Orren, and Raiden for three boys…
Emerson, Arlo, + Blair, Riley and Avery for three girls (recognizing the repetitive A)
Emerson, Arlo, + Blair, Soren, and Raiden for two boys and a girl…
Best of luck!!
Wow-triplets! So exciting! I am going to include more names that I think fit your vibe, but these names are really quite gender-neutral (most of them), so it is up to you to decide whether they work better for a girl or a boy, if you decide to use any of them. Girls: Linden, Delaney, Sascha/Sasha, Sinclair, Romy, Sheridan, Vesper; Boys: Cedar, MacKenzie (I don’t know if the “K” is always capitalized), Lennon, Brecken, Laird, Roscoe, Sterling, and Hart. Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy and a smooth delivery!
Oh-I just saw that Mackenzie has a lower-case “k” in it.
I would put Briar on the girls’ column. Just adding all same gender combos for fun.
For 3 girls, I would do Briar, Haven, and Quinn.
For 3 boys, I would do Sullivan, Hayes, and Callahan.