Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every Saturday, 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!
A. and her husband have a son named Gavin, and they’re expecting another boy in April.
She writes:
My husband chose our son’s name, Gavin (although he apparently has a bad memory because he claims it was my choice).
The name was an outlier and doesn’t fit our naming style, so we’re kind of getting stuck now that we have another boy on the way. A girl would have likely been named Clara.
Our surname sounds like Oldman, but without the D in the middle.
Here are some names we’re agreeing on that don’t sound too off the wall with a sibling named Gavin (unlike, say, Alasdair or Aurelius):
- Elliott
- Sebastian (although my husband wants to nn him SeaBass, so … no)
- August, Augustus
- Oliver
- Lachlan
They’re all OKAY, but we’re still having trouble.
I guess the name Gavin seems a bit dated to me, and the names we agree on that fit with it seem too trendy? I’m not sure. I just want to have a nice little sibset where no one feels like the oddball. Help!
Read on for my reply … and please add your thoughtful suggestions in the comments!
Hi A. –
Congratulations on baby #2!
A few years ago, neighbors of ours announced that their top boy name was Gavin, and my reaction was – ooh, dated!
And then I checked the numbers, and realized that I was wrong, wrong, wrong.
Gavin’s Brother: 21st Century Favorites
Gavin peaked at #30 in 2008. It’s been a Top 100 name since 2000, and ranked #49 in 2013. In some states – Wyoming, South and North Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota – Gavin has reached the Top Ten in recent years.
In other words, Gavin is pretty much at his most popular right now.
My opinion of Gavin has shifted since then. Now I think of him as a Round Table name, somewhere between vintage Arthur and modern Kai. And his popularity in Wyoming and the Dakotas lends him a touch of cowboy cool, too.
Why did I see him as dated? Maybe because Gavin McLeod capably captained The Love Boat in the 1970s, and Gavin Rossdale is dad to Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo. But I was wrong. Gavin was rare back then, and current now.
Which means that Gavin pairs beautifully with lots of the names on your list.
Gavin’s Brother: The Current Shortlist
Let’s take a closer look:
- Elliott – Elliot – one ‘t’ – and Elliott both ranked in the 240s in 2013. They’re definitely on the upswing, but even combined, they’re less popular than Gavin. And yet, I think they make good names for brothers.
- Sebastian – Gavin and Sebastian match well, too – except since there’s a potential nickname that you heartily dislike, I think this one should be crossed off your list.
- August, Augustus – Gavin and August match well; Augustus is a little more elaborate and so maybe not quite as compatible. So I’d rank August the better choice – though only slightly.
- Oliver – Another great match with Gavin. I really like the shared ‘v’ sound in the middle. Like Sebastian and Gavin, Oliver is a Top 100 choice in the US.
- Lachlan – Pretty rare in the US, but catching on – it entered the US Top 1000 in 2013.
And yet, none of these are quite the name, right?
Gavin’s Brother: More Possibilities
I wonder if we should try to choose a name without matching Gavin. Since Clara is your favorite name for a girl, I wonder if you’d like Jude, Jasper, or Felix?
Or maybe something a little more out there?
- Donovan – A surname name, but one that feels like a given name. It has the three-syllable rhythm of Sebastian, but is less common. (Ranked #281 in 2013.) Donovan also shares the ‘v’ in Gavin, as well as Oliver from your shortlist.
- Kieran – Too modern? Kieran sounds like a new name, but it’s actually an Irish saints’ name meaning “little dark one.” If Aiden can be a sensation, there’s no reason to neglect Kieran.
- Foster – It’s a preppy surname name, new to the US Top 1000 in 2013. Gavin and Foster, Foster and Gavin – when I say them together, somehow it makes Gavin feel a little bit more buttoned-down, and less home-on-the-range. Another similar name? Fletcher.
- Ezra – Gavin and Ezra, Ezra and Gavin – it’s not the kind of sibset that springs to mind, but say it a few times, and they start to sound surprisingly right together. Maybe that’s because the ‘z’ and ‘v’ are interesting, ear-catching letters.
- Finnian – Finn names are catching on, but Finnian has yet to crack the US Top 1000. Chances are that you’ll come across a Finn or three, but Finnian – also spelled Finian – is pretty rare.
Gavin’s Brother: Narrowing Down the List
I think it is safe to strike Sebastian because of the potential nickname issue.
That leaves:
- Elliott, August, Oliver, Lachlan from your list
- Donovan, Kieran, Foster, Ezra, Finnian from my list
One other thought: are names like Alasdair and Aurelius really your style? If so, it might be worth exploring those names. I think Gavin and Alasdair could work together. You’ve mentioned that having siblings’ names match is important, but there’s more than one way to match – popularity, national origin, similar meanings.
So I think the final question is really back to you – do you want to go with a name slightly more daring and less expected? If so, I think there are plenty of possibilities, all of which would sound like a brother for Gavin – and maybe a name that’s more satisfying for you.
What you suggest as a name for Gavin’s brother?
I have a nephew named Sebastian (3 yrs old) and he gets called C-Bass all the time by the males in the family. The rest of us try to copy the way his Colombian dad says his name (four syllables) without much success. Foreign accents are so awesome.
Back to the topic at hand. I think this next baby will kind of create the feel of your sibset. Gavin is a pretty neutral name–unlike Tripp or Wyatt or Oliver. I think cowboy cool because of people I’ve known, but it works equally well as a more . . . highbrow (?) name when paired with Elliot or Oliver. If you go with August I immediately think Gav and Gus and that veers it back cowboy for me.
For the record, I adore the name Cash and think Gavin and Cash make a stupendous sibset while definitely making both names feel cowboy cool. Clara totally works with this for me as it has a pioneer flavor that matches beautifully with cowboyish names.
On the other hand, if you wanted to go a different direction many of the other commenters have made lovely suggestions. My favorites are Donovan and Foster. I would also recommend Emmett. It feels more streamlined and cool than some of the other suggestions.
Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for answering my question! And thank you, everyone, for all the awesome suggestions!
Augustus and Aurelius are def my husband’s style, while my style is names like Ezra, Asa, Cash, and Dean. Short and kind of cool. So we really had to search for names we both approve! I’m surprised to see so much Alasdair approval from you guys. Nice! It’s actually a name we both like, but we can’t agree on pronunciation: is it ALister or AlisTAIR??
Gavin does get shortened to Gav or Gavi most of the time, so Finn and Cal appeal to me, too. And Seb, but, you know, Seabass. Anytime the name gets brought up he goes, “kick his ass, Seabass!” EVERY. TIME. Wtf is wrong with guys?
We know two little Gavins. It’s not a name I ever would have expected to like but on them it’s so handsome.
To me, Alasdair totally goes with Gavin. They sound like Scottish roustabouts…in a good way. 😉
Some great suggestions so far! I was thinking, if you like Augustus and Aurelius, but they seem too “elaborate”, maybe a “lighter” sounding -us name would be a good direction to look into. I love:
Gavin and Rufus
Gavin and Seamus
Gavin and Linus
Gavin and Angus
I don’t know about you, but my husband throws out stuff like the Sea Bass thing just because he needs to deflect from the whole we-are-picking-a-name-for-our-precious-baby-who-we-will-love-more-than-life-itself thing. I wouldn’t necessarily let it scare me off a name that I loved.
However, it’s hard to know which names you do love, since you don’t spend a lot of time on that in the letter. Gavin seems middle of the road enough to me that you could go in almost any direction…Tristan or Finnian if you like the knightly, mythological feel, or Ezra or Elliott if you like the softer boy name feel. I’ll point out that Gavin is also a surname name, so it fits well with Donovan or a lot of other options. If Alasdair and Aurelius are your love-but-too-out-there names, maybe you’d like Ansel or Orson?
Also Simon. Would you like Simon?
I like Alasdair as a pairing with Gavin. And if pairing Gavin with either Kai or Arthur is too thematic, what about Tristan?
Another choice which is probably too far out there, but I’ll put it out any way: Berengar.
I’ve been drawn to Sebastian too — and have been surprised by it’s recent popularity in the U.S. I’ve always wondered, though, what the name would be shortened to… not that -I- think it needs shortening, but especially in the U.S., boys’ names often get shortened eventually. I don’t care for Baz, but have more recently come across Sebby/Seb which I prefer. I just googled this dilemma and came across some responses that I think may interest you:
“I have a Sebastian.. we call him Sebby. I was confused on nicknames before I had him too, but Sebby just rolls off the tongue 🙂
Mama to 4 handsome, awesome boys!
Sebastian, Oliver, Elliott and August”
(Interesting that all of this Mama’s sons’ names are among your possibilities for your second son.)
“As of late, I have been hearing of Sebastians being called Sea Bass as a nickname. Not for babies, but by the teen years.”
(I had never heard of this nn for Sebastian before reading that’s what your husband would want to call a son named Sebastian.)
There are some ways that Gavin and Sebastian could be seen as compatible:
–Both have been more popular in the UK than here, thus both have a British connection.
–Both are end-in-n names
–The shortenings Gav and Seb work well together.
A stretch perhaps, but if you love Sebastian — and if your husband will agree to save “Sea Bass” as a possible nickname for when he’s a teen and come up with something equally as whimsical for Gavin, along the way –I don’t see any reason not to use it.
Gavin and Sebastian
(sometimes Gav and Seb)
The show Revolution had a main character named Sebastian. He went by Bass. Just Bass. It worked great and I loved it!
The family behind the blog Camp Patton has a Sebastian, nn Bash. Very cute for a rambunctious toddler and active little guy!
We have a nephew Sebastion who is called Bastion by the family. He lives in another state so I’m not sure what he’s called on a daily basis, but I like Bastion. 🙂
I love the name Gavin and have both a baby grandson and an Australian son-in-law by that name. My son-in-law Gavin’s brothers are Nick (Nicholas), Myles and Darcy; grandson Gavin is a first child.
Of your names, I like Oliver (but not so much the nn “Ollie”) and Lachlan best with Gavin.
Other suggestions:
Everett — repeats Gavin’s “v”; ends in double t like Elliott
Trevor — repeats the “v”; Welsh origin like Gavin; more distinct sound with Gavin than another two syllable, end-in-n name
Rhys (Reece) — also Welsh in origin
Callum (variant of Malcolm) — Gaelic in origin
(In the book “Scottish Forenames” Gavin is said to be “the Scottish form of the Welsh Gawain”.)
Other Celtic/Gaelic suggestions that do end-in-n:
Owen
Ian
Dylan
Gavin and Oliver
Gavin and Trevor
Gavin and Everett
Gavin and Lachlan
Gavin and Ian
Gavin and Callum
PS Both the Gavins in my family are occasionally called “Gav”. I find Callum’s possible shortening to “Cal” makes that name very compatible with Gavin, along with both being 2-syllable names of Gaelic origin.
Gavin and Callum (sometimes shortened to Gav and Cal)
However, I like all these pairings about equally, for one reason or another.
Calvin is another option–short form Cal and matching v in the middle.
i know a brother set Gavin and Jackson. I really like Abby’s suggestion of the matching V sound and really like Oliver from your list!
If Alasdair and Aurelius are really your style, I like Augustus (nn Gus) from your short list. Gavin and Gus make a great sibset!