UPDATE: Welcome, Andrew Lewis! And thanks from Julie + family for the help with the decision.
Julie writes:
We are expecting our third child, sex unknown, in October. Naming our first two didn’t seem this hard. They are Patrick Hunter (my maiden name) and Caroline Joan (his mom’s name). The kids are always Patrick and Caroline, at least outside of our house. (We have lots of silly names for them, but nothing I’m writing on a school form.)
Our last name is Czech, and while it’s not that unusual, it’s long and not especially easy to pronounce. I think that’s why we settled on such traditional first names. Because our last name ends with an ‘a’, we’ve ruled out names ending with an ‘a’. And while we like classic names, we have avoided the most common – John, Elizabeth, Mary.
Middle name options are Louise for a girl or Lewis/Louis for a boy. (Lewis is a family name.) We don’t want to use Louise/Louis as a first name, because of potential family issues. For the same reasons, I think some form of Lewis almost needs to be this child’s middle name.
My husband likes Henry, but I used to work with a horrible Henry and I can’t get past it. I suggested Alexander for a boy, but we’d have to shorten it to Alex, and I’m not sure I like that with Caroline and Patrick. And naming him just Alex seems incomplete. Or am I just being too strict with my rules?
For a girl, I wanted to like Anna, but I don’t know if it works with our last name, Anne seems a little short, and Annabelle isn’t really my style. My husband likes Katherine, but I think we’d have a problem with Kate. Plus, it was almost Caroline’s name, so I feel like I’m over it. He also suggested Clare, but I don’t want to repeat initials.
We would love some new suggestions!
Please read on for my response, and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Dear Julie –
Nearly everything in parenting gets easier with experience, but naming? Often, it’s exactly the opposite. The choices we’ve made for our first children rule out possibilities for their siblings. And being a parent means being aware of what other people are naming their kids, and how names are used in the wild. So we know more, and in this case, it can work against us!
Let’s focus on what you want: a traditional given name that doesn’t start with C or P. The name should work well with some form of Lewis as a middle name. And then there’s the most challenging part: a name that isn’t likely to be shortened. That rules out Benjamin and Charles, names that almost inevitably become Ben and Charlie. Elizabeth strikes me as another name that we all automatically reduce.
The good news is that I also know lots of kids who are Sebastian-not-Seb, Isabella-not-Belle, and Katherine-not-Kitty. It’s perfectly possibly to use many names nickname-free today.
Still, you’re smart to consider it when choosing a name. Is it too rules-y? Maybe. But names really come down to personal preference. If you find yourself loving a name that breaks a rule, then by all means, let it go. But if sticking with your guidelines make it easier to decide? Then that’s absolutely fine.
I do think you’ve got plenty of good options, even with the constraints you’ve listed, so let’s dive right in:
A Sister for Patrick and Caroline
Alice – Alice and Caroline both appear in the current US Top 100, but I wouldn’t call them too popular. They’re both nicely classic names. And Alice is very unlikely to be shortened. Patrick, Caroline, and Alice Louise work beautifully together!
Elise – If Alice isn’t quite right, and Elizabeth seems too common, might Elise work? There’s something about it that reminds me strongly of Caroline. And while it started out as a short form of Elizabeth (or, I suppose, Elisabeth), it claims a long history as an independent given name. (Beethoven composed “Für Elise around 1810.) While Elizabeth practically begs to be shortened to Lizzie or Beth or Betsy, Elise feels tailored and nickname-resistant.
Frances – No list of classic girl names would be complete without Frances. It’s a name both sweet and strong. The Italian Francesca takes the name in more elaborate direction, but I think it’s just Frances that pairs best with Caroline and Patrick.
Grace – Grace strikes me as a traditional name that happens to be rather popular at the moment – it’s currently in the US Top 25. But I still think it feels timeless, traditional, and sophisticated, too.
Mary – I know! You have Mary on your too-common list. But consider this: Mary has not appeared in the US Top 100 in nine years. Nearly a decade! You’re far more likely to meet a child named Hazel, Stella, or Zoe. Everyone recognizes it, it’s effortless to spell and pronounce, but no one is using it for a child – kind of perfect, right?
Meredith – Meredith might not feel quite as classic as Mary, but I think it fits this category. Like Caroline, it’s on the longer side, without being too frilly or elaborate.
A Brother for Patrick and Caroline
Adam – Adam feels slightly off-trend in 2018, but that’s a good thing! Names like William and Henry and James are stylish classics at the moment, while Adam (and Patrick) are overlooked. But that takes nothing away from their potential appeal.
Franklin – I have Frances on your girls’ list, and almost put Frances here. But I wonder if Franklin – two-parts presidential, one-part Peanuts might be the better fit? You might shorten Franklin to Frank or Frankie, I suppose, but it sounds so much like all of those two-syllable, ends-with-n names we love for boys that I doubt anyone would.
Lionel – If you love – or don’t mind – the alliteration of Lionel Lewis, I think it makes for an unforgettable name. Leonard would be Leo or Lenny, but Lionel seems likely to be used in full, a name that marries the traditional with our current affection for animal-inspired names.
George – Ever since Prince George arrived in England, parents have warmed to this traditional boys’ name. It’s much too storied to feel forever tied to the throne – after all, we’ve got George Washington, to name just one of the many famous figures to answer to the name. But the little royal did remind us of how charming the name can be on a child, while still feeling plenty sophisticated for a grown man, someday.
Matthew – Not so long ago, every Matthew was a Matt. But these days, I feel like Matthew works well in full. It might be my favorite match for Patrick and Caroline, a traditional name that feels surprisingly fresh and new when used in full.
Vincent – Vincent van Gogh was Dutch, but Vincent tends to read as a traditional Italian choice in the US – just like we hear Patrick as Irish. Still, I think it counts as a bona fide classic, one that is particularly handsome when not shortened – though Entourage will forever remind me that Vince can be rather handsome.
Overall, my favorites are probably Matthew and Frances – that is, if I can’t convince you that Mary is the opposite of too common.
Readers, what would you suggest as a sibling for Patrick and Caroline?
I can’t not suggest two of my own children’s names here – Alistair & Susannah.
We are not ones to shorten names either, so we went with Alistair over Alexander because we knew that Alex just couldn’t be avoided. Alistair has worked so well and I love it so much more than Alexander now and am so pleased we used it. The only issue, which we knew when we chose the name, is that there are a few different ways to spell it. We went with what we had had the most exposure to, and therefore what we perceived to be most common in our area. It does get spelled incorrectly from time to time, but is easily corrected and hasn’t caused any real pain thus far.
Susannah is also one we went into cautiously. My husband was very against ‘Sue’ or ‘Susie’, but we both quite like ‘Anna’ or ‘Annie’. I occasionally and affectionately call her ‘Susannie’ to emphasise the last part of her name rather than the first, should she want a nickname, but she is definitely and firmly the full Susannah and no one has even tried to shorten it. I suggest it because you like Anna, and I see Susannah as an Anna name more in the style of Caroline than Annabelle.
So, for what it’s worth, those are my very biased suggestions and my reasons for suggesting them, other than the fact that I think they both work beautifully with your other children’s names 🙂
Patrick, Caroline & Alistair
Patrick, Caroline & Susannah
All the best!
I think you should reconsider Anna. It works fine with an -a ending last name for me. I also like Eleanor, Jane, Natalie, Jonathan, Daniel, and Nathan already suggested. I’ll add Everett and Josephine.
Andrew and Deborah came to my mind instantly reading sibling names I think they would be darling together.
Good luck
There are some really good suggestions above.
For girls I would add:
Rachel
Margaret
Susan
Sarah
Leah
Jane
Jean
For boys I would add:
Aaron
Simon
Stephen
Nicholas
Daniel
Jeremy
Thomas
Timothy
Robert
Susan would be such a darling choice that would age beautifully. Timothy and Susan are my two votes!
I love Abby’s suggestion of Alice, and the commenter suggestions of Margaret and Lydia.
For a boy, Nicholas or Jonathan. Maybe Walter or Theodore.
Daniel
David
Vincent
Aaron
Emma
Emmeline
Julia
Juliet
Ruby
I wouldn’t worry about Kate but Katherine and Caroline are too similar to me, and I don’t think it’s a big deal if Alexander winds up going by Alex while his siblings use their full names. I wouldn’t use Anna if you’re not crazy about it. Some other ideas:
Margaret Louise
Vivian Louise
Marion Louise
Audrey Louise
Eleanor Louise
Florence Louise
Alison Louise
Sophie Louise
Sean Lewis
Ian Lewis
Jonathan Lewis
Justin Lewis
Gabriel Lewis
Jeremy Lewis
Brendan Lewis
Stephen
Robert
Geoffrey
Xavier
Thomas
I want to add a vote for Mary. Seems so unexpected any more.
Isabel, Emily, Naomi or Andrew, Adam, James/Jameson. I have known people who successfully go by theses full names. Congratulations!
Love George, Meredith and Frances from Abby’s suggestions.
Others:
Grant
Graham
Reid
Dean
Milo
Margot
Lydia
Daphne
Sybil
Mae
Faye
I love the suggestions of George and Frances and Meredith.
I also wanted to suggest:
Grant
Graham
Reid
Dean
OR
Margot
Lydia
Mae
Faye
Violet, Eleanor or Naomi.
Andrew, Oliver, Thomas, Edward, Edmund.
I also really like Leander for you.
Caroline, Peter, and Leander
Timothy is a great suggestion! So are Simon and Alice.
Girls:
Harriet
Vivian
Evelyn
Miriam
Boys:
Timothy
Eli
Oskar
John
Abram
Calvin
Good luck! I love your kids’ names!
Margaret or Marguerite.
For a girl, I love the suggestions of Edith, Mary, Frances, and Bridget (or Brigid). For a boy, I think Dean is a striking choice. That name is really growing on me, and it certainly wouldn’t be shortened!
For boys, I think Jameson, Simon and Calvin would work with the sibset. For girls, I immediately thought that Sarah and Lorelei would pair nicely. I also heard the name Leona recently and thought it was beautiful and is unlikely to be shortened.
For a boy, I immediately thought of George with Patrick and Caroline…but it might be too tied to royalty with the middle name Louis. My second suggestion would be Andrew.
I love Alice Louise! I also would suggest Eleanor and Audrey for you.
agreed, Alice sounds lovely with Caroline.
I think Adam is a nice fit with Caroline and Patrick. I think Dean works well too although I’m not sure if it’s as classic as what you’re looking for; same with Grant and Scott.
Adam Lewis
Dean Lewis
Grant Lewis
Scott Lewis
I do really like Anna with Caroline and Patrick and it sounds so lovely with Louise in the middle.
What about Natalie for a girl?
I currently live in the Czech Republic (my husband is Czech) and Anna is a very common name here, and it goes very well with complicated Czech – ends in “ova” names 🙂 In fact, I think almost all girl names end in -a here (with a few exceptions, of course, like Ingrid), and of course all women’s last names end in -ova here. I quite like the rhythm of most of them. That said, of course, if it’s not your cup of tea, that’s great too!
A few more ideas for you: Bridget, Jane, and Rose or Rosemary.
My very first thought was Grace. I also love the suggestions of Alice and Mary and I would add Edith and Eleanor. I like Timothy and Nathan or Nathaniel as brother names for Patrick.
Yes! I was also going to suggest Edith. Edith Louise goes so nicely with Caroline and Patrick. From Abby’s list, I lean toward Mary and Meredith.
On the boy’s side, my favorite of Abby’s suggestions in Lionel. But if that feel too quirky to you, maybe Graham or Simon would suit?