Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, we discuss reader’s name questions, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. 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! To have your question considered, email appmtn (at) gmail. Looking for your own private #namehelp post? Order one here.
IS THERE A WAY TO UPDATE THE NAME TAYLOR?
Alyssa writes:
I’d really like to use my sister’s name, Taylor Marie, for our first child, her first niece or nephew.
Our last name ends with R, though, and is a very popular boy’s name beginning with O. I’m not sure about Taylor 0l!v3r because of the repeating Rs. I’m also not sure if it’s a weird name now, for a boy or a girl. Would everything assume I’m super into Taylor Swift? (No shade, I think she’s great, but not in a name-my-baby-after-her way.) Is Taylor even usable for a boy?
Looking for suggestions, I keep hearing things like Taylie and Tayla and that is not me at all. If you’d asked me about names a few years ago, I think I would’ve said Charlotte or Penelope for a girl, maybe Sebastian or Levi for a boy, something more old-fashioned.
We could always make Taylor this baby’s middle name, and I think that’s probably my husband’s preference and what we will most likely end up going with. But we don’t really have a favorite first name, and I think it’s because I still really like the idea of a name that is more directly linked to my sister’s memory.
Would love some help brainstorming new ideas.
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
HOW FAR CAN YOU GO BEFORE IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE AN HONOR NAME?
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new baby!
Before we jump into brainstorming names based on Taylor, let me say this: the best honor name might not be her name at all. A favorite flower, song, color, place … there’s lots of ways to take inspiration from your sister than go well beyond her name.
(My daughter’s bonus middle is Wren, after her aunt’s childhood nickname, Bird.)
So I think it’s worth thinking that question through, and weighing whether there’s an option you haven’t considered that would feel like an honor name, even if it’s not something like Taylee.
Now … does Taylor work for a boy?
Opinions will vary. After all, your sister Taylor (and Ms. Swift) are part of a generation that saw the name rocket into the girls’ Top Ten.
But Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan reminds us that the name is properly unisex. And “he’s name after his aunt” seems like the easiest, sweetest explanation.
So my thought is that – especially for a boy – the most appealing honor name for Taylor might just be Taylor.
In keeping with that spirit, I’m going to list more alternatives without separating by gender, though most of these are clearly masculine or feminine in use.
MORE NAMES BASED ON TAYLOR
ARLO TY
Scramble the letters of Taylor and you’d have Arlo Ty, a thoroughly modern option. (Though I think this one works best for a boy.)
AYLA
Tayla feels a little forced, but Ayla is a current favorite. Is it too removed?
LORE, LOREN, LAUREN, LAUREL
Playing off Taylor’s second syllable, would a name like Lauren appeal?
LOTTIE RAY
In the spirit of Arlo Ty, LOTtie RAY uses all of the letters of Taylor. (And adds a few more.) It brings to mind Charlotte from your earlier list.
MARY TAYLOR
Speaking of names like Charlotte, sometimes a double name can be sweetly old-fashioned. I’m loving Mary Taylor. (Full disclosure: I’ve had Mary Blair on my personal long list for ages.)
ORLA
Drop the T and the Y, and Orla emerges from Taylor. I’m not sure if this is an update to the name Taylor, or just the subtlest of nods, but I like it quite a bit … except I’m hesitating with your surname.
TALLIE
Tayla and Taylee feel like they belong to an older generation, friends for Kayla and Jaylie. But Tallie fits more closely with favorites right now, like Hallie and Tilly. And I think it feels a little more vintage, too.
THAYER
One of my favorite alternatives to Taylor, Thayer is a surname name with the same origin and meaning … just much less common.
I feel like that exercise was a bit … gymnastic, maybe? And I’m not sure if I have a great solution, because I still think Taylor might be the perfect honor name for a boy. Choose a more conventionally masculine middle, and it works nicely.
For a girl, I am drawn to Lottie Ray. Is it a stretch? Yes. But I think it sounds great with your surname, keeps with your general sense of style.
Congrats on your baby! I’d like to second using Taylor as a middle name for a boy. If you don’t like the double -er endings, then I like the suggestion of Tate.
For a girl, I’d like to suggest:
Talora
Mariana
Marielle
Good luck!
Have been thinking about Tamara. I think Tamara works well in full and brings to mind your sister’s full name, but there are also nickname options with considering.
Tammy has never been common enough here for it to be dated, but I have heard it referred to in that way. I think it’s sweet in the same way as Penny, Sally, Molly, Annie etc and could definitely work as a nickname in 2025. It might be different where you live.
But when I saw Tara among previous suggestions, it jumped out as another possible nickname for Tamara! If I meet a little Tara and discovered her full name was Tamara after her Aunt Taylor Marie I would be enchanted.
I think Thayer or maybe Tate are good ideas for a boy. Taylor or Marie …or maybe Maren Taylor would be my suggestions for a girl!
For a girl, what about switching the first and middle names:
Marie Taylor
Maren Taylor
Marietta Taylor
Marina Taylor
Rosemarie Taylor
For a boy, I would definitely lean toward using it as a middle name. As a first name, I do think it reads female now, but as middle, it retains it’s unisex surname vibes. Especially with a last name that is also a first name, it’s going to sound very cool.
Sebastian Taylor
Theodore Taylor
Frederick Taylor
Dominic Taylor
Harrison Taylor
Tyler or Thor for a boy
Layla Marie or Tamara for a girl
If I were you, I’d play with Marie for a daughter’s first name and use Taylor in the middle.
Maren Taylor O.
Mara Taylor O.
Molly Taylor O.
Miriam Taylor O.
For a boy, I like your suggestion of Arlo Ty O. Alternatively I’d just use her initials:
Theodore Milo Ol!v3r for example.
How clear do you want the link to be? Do you want it to be something that anyone (knowing of your sister Taylor) would recognize as a tribute? Or is it okay if the link is so subtle that nobody (but you and your close family) would know it was there without an explanation? I think I would start by answering that question and go from there.
If it’s the former, using Taylor as a middle name would certainly be the clearest link. A second option would be to find a name with a stressed syllable that sounds like “TAY.”
For a girl, might I suggest Mattea? Actually, I am all for traditional spellings, but in this case, because the TAY is important to you, I might even bypass Mattea and go straight to Mataya. You get your stressed Tay sound (and even spelling, if you choose the spelling option). You even get a bonus Ma sound for Marie. Neither spelling is (or ever has been) in the top 1000 names in the US Social Security name index, although since Mateo is currently at #7, it’s clear that a lot of new parents find the sounds extremely pleasing. It could be a beautiful way to honor your sister without using her name exactly.
That’s a really good question – thank you for framing it like that.