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.
Tyson, Sailor, Blair & Baylor (Baylor mentioned in Nameberry blog
https://nameberry.com/blog/42-stylish-surname-names-for-girls, otherwise known as dont name your daughter harper)
Srsly how come these options havent been discussed??
Suggesting Tallulah Marie
For a boy, I really like the option of Thayer! Tyler could be another way to go.
For a girl, I like the suggestion of Tamara below. It seems very obviously linked to TAylor MARie, but has a little more classic feel.
Or would another variation of a Ta first name + Ma middle work for you? Like:
Talia Margaret
Tara Madeline
Tabitha Maeve
Tanner Maxwell
Tatum Matthew
Final one from me-
What about Talbot for a boy? 4 of the letters of Taylor, same beginning & similar vibe.
One more boy option: Snyder.
This one comes from the German word for tailor “Schneider”…it hasn’t been used a lot, but is being used by parents.
Snyder could be in a class with Sawyer, Cooper, etc., etc.
I also wanted to support Abby’s suggestion of Thayer. I went to school with a boy (now a man) named Thayer. It was an uncommon name, but I think it works really well as an honor name for “Taylor” since it is a French form. Everyone can pronounce it and it is a versatile name.
Finally, you had mentioned liking the name Levi. It wouldn’t be immediately obvious, but the connection to Levi Strauss & jeans could be a very subtle nod to tailoring and your Taylor.
One more honor name for a girl baby: Twyla.
Twyla is vintage, ethereal (I think), shares four of the letters in “Taylor” and sounds like currently popular “Lila,” “Lyra,” etc.
Twyla means “woven with a double thread; twilight, star.” The meaning with the thread is a subtle thread that would connect baby to Taylor, her aunt, all her life, I think.
Anyway…Twyla.
Here are a few boy ideas drawing on the idea of “cloth”-
Walker (means “cloth walker”)
Sherman (means “shearer of woolen cloth”)
Fuller (means “cloth cleanser”)
Draper (means “cloth merchant”)
Walker is the most popular…maybe this would work as an honor name…or one of the others? They are the same style as “Taylor” in that they are all occupational names.
Hi!
The verb “coser” in Spanish means “to sew, to stitch”. (Tailor in Spanish is “sastre.”) So…this may seem like a stretch, but what about the French name “Cosette” for a girl? Of course, you would be mixing Spanish & French and no one would know about the link to “coser” & sewing (tailor…Taylor), but I think it is a name that is similar to ones you seem to like for girls.
Cosette
I will keep thinking about the boy possibility.
From Taylor Marie, I think Marita or Tamara would be lovely for a girl.
It’s harder for me to think of a combination for a boy with the same honour feeling … maybe Thomas … Tomas??
Interestingly, the first Taylor I knew was a boy younger than me at primary school (in the 80’s) and he had a sister Riley … I found it amusing years later when Taylor became big for girls and Riley for boys. I definitely think Taylor can work for a son.
All the best in finding a name you love that reminds you of your sister.
How lovely that you want to honor your sister in this way!
For a girl, my first thought was simply to reverse the order of the names: Marie Taylor. That way, there’s still a strong connection to your sister, even with Taylor in the middle spot.
You could also take the first letters of each name to create Marta, which I think is such a beautiful name. You can likewise form Lorrie using the final letters of each name.
Anastasia and Octavia both have an internal “Tay” sound. (Octavia 0l!v3r would be a bold choice, but I like it!)
For a boy, Taye was the first name that occurred to me. Tatum also gives you the “Tay” sound.
And Tyrone shares some of the same sounds as Taylor.
These names (feminine, masculine, and unisex) can all be formed using the letters in Taylor Marie:
Almira
Amalie
Amelia
Amery
Laramie
Lorita
Malia
Mario
Marlo
Omar
Royal
Talia
Tori
Tory
Torrey
Torry
Trey
I also love the idea of a creative honor name! Maybe drawing on your sister’s birth month, birthstone, or birth flower?
I hope you’ll write back with an update once your child is here!