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.
Would keeping her initials feel like enough of an honor? Or maybe keeping Marie in the middle spot but choosing a different “T” name as a first? Something like Tessa Marie/Marigold/Maren might be lovely. Speaking of which, I think inverting might work as well. Maren Taylor, for example. Thea, Teagan, and Talia all strike me as names that might appeal to you, and as for middles that I haven’t yet mentioned, Miriam, Marian, Margaret, Mariel, etc. all preserve either the “mar” sound or a connection to the name Mary/Marie.
Something that just occurred to me: Mary Oliver was a best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.
I adore her work, but I would probably avoid naming this child Mary (or combinations like Mary Taylor).
I think it would be lovely if you just switched up your sister’s first and middle names: Marie Taylor Ol!v3r. Most of the time she would just go by Marie or Marie Ol!v#r, (so you don’t need to be worried about the double r ending so much) but it’s still an obvious honor name. Marie is a timeless, understated beauty- it’s like Charlotte minus the popularity.
I think Taylor works nicely as a first or middle name for a boy, but at this point a little boy with first name Taylor is going to have lots of people assuming (just by hearing his name) that it’s a girl.
Middle name, for boy or girl, and it should be Taylor rather than a variant or something she liked. I think the exact name is really the best way to name in honor of someone. No, it’s not an ofd name for either sex. I’ve known quite a few men and boys named Taylor. It’s still in use. It should be a middle name because your husband doesn’t want it as the first and it would be a very strong reminder if you used it as the first, with a lot of pressure on a girl to be like her namesake. Pick a name you and your husband both like as the first name.
If I were you, I think I’d choose Taya for a girl, and Tate for a boy. Although, I honestly really love those names anyways. Taya can be spelled a few different ways (Tea, Thea) but I think Taya is the most phonetic and I just love the sound of it (and it helps that the Thea I know is one of the loveliest.) There is also Taye for a boy (like Taye Diggs – but he got there through Scott Lee strangely) but it feels a bit unfinished.
I wouldn’t use Taylor cause it isn’t my style, and I do think she/he’d get comments like in ‘Your parents are Swifties?’ and she/he’d forever be saying ‘No, Taylor like my aunt, bozos.’
The other option (beyond Abby’s great suggestion to think of things meaningful to Aunt Taylor) would be choose the initials TM with names your style. That would still be entirely meaningful in my opinion. Or even keep Marie. Tessa, Tallulah, Tabitha, Theodora may be more your style? And maybe Theo Marcus or Tobias Mark or Thomas Marcel for a boy?
I think it’s lovely you’re honouring your sister. I used family name tweaks for both my girls and I grow to love that connection even more as time goes on.
I do prefer Taylor for a boy and I love the idea of Taylor for a boys middle name. Mario Taylor Oliver would be cute. Arlo Ty was also a fun suggestion. For a girl, I love your name style and I would suggest Marie for a girl. Marie Oliver is absolutely gorgeous, honors your sister, and is so underused as a first name! Or what was her birth month— August Taylor, June Taylor, May Taylor, Julia Taylor, Pearl Taylor, Margaret (means Pearl) Taylor, Daisy Taylor etc.
Would you consider “Orlando” for a boy? I think it would be cool with your last name. It is very dashing and on trend, I think, and even though Orlando Bloom is well known, there are others. It uses several letters from Taylor and would be an intriguing and subtle name to honor her with.
If you want to use the middle name “Maria”-this is customary for boys in some Catholic countries – you would have both an honor name and a very handsome name for your young gentleman. I don’t know nicknames, but Orlo sound very on trend to me with the types of names, Hugo, Milo, etc. that are currently popular.
Orlando Maria
Also, there’s the name “Landon” – uses letters from Taylor & “Marius” instead of “Maria” could be a middle.
Landon Marius
Orlando Marius
For a boy, Webster means “weaver” & would indirectly connect with Taylor.
Also, Tabitha is a patron saint of tailors…I saw that one listed for a girl.
Oh…I just realized that Webster has the “r” sound & might not work with your last name. Sorry…I guess that goes with some of the other boys’ names I also mentioned earlier.
Just wanted to chime in and say Taylor absolutely works for a boy! I have one brother in his 30s named Taylor (and another brother named Jordan!) and they have never had issues with their names. But if you really aren’t sold on it for a boy, then what about dropping one letter and using Tyler? Or Tate?
I think the middle spot is the perfect place to put Taylor. I especially love Abby’s suggestion of Mary Taylor or some sort of more old fashioned name as the first name.
Audrey Taylor
Bethany Taylor
Penelope Taylor
Ava Taylor
Alice Taylor
Margaret Taylor
Jonah Taylor
Julian Taylor
Isaac Taylor
William Taylor
You could do something like John Taylor or Jacob Taylor and call him JT
For the record, there ARE a couple 90’s names that i love, bc when you use the right nn’s, it doesnt matter how mom / grandma-ish they are. The names in question are:
Amanda nn Anya, Ada, Andi, Nomi, (from the N & M in Amanda)
or Edie (spell Amanda backwards is Adnama, which becomes Ednama which is Edie)
Any name that means love can be used as an nn too, like Mila or Elska
Come to think, Endry is a Hungarian female form of Andrew, so amANDA can be Endry too!
Jennifer: Ren (from the R & N), Ferry, Effie, Fern, Nora (from the N and R) or Neve (Neve and Jennifer both share a common meaning too!)
Rebecca: Roxy, Rory, Rex, Ruby, Rebin (means Pathfinder) & Bexley (acc this could be another honor for Taylor bc it means ‘To Bind’, which could be a sneaky reference to sewing)
Samantha: Sadie, Sasha, Minnie, Mitzi (from the M & T) & Mira (bc if u spelt it Samandra instead there’s an R)
Rachel can also be Rory, but i dont love it like the other ones.