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.
BOY NAMES ARE TOUGH THIS TIME
Lindsey writes:
We named our son Noah Daniel. It was my favorite name from high school, and the only name my husband and I really agreed on. Daniel is my husband’s name and my dad’s name. Even though lots of people said Noah would be too popular, that hasn’t really happened.
It’s time to find a name for his brother, and this time is much harder.
If Noah was a girl, we would have named him Audrey. I’m not sure if we’d still use the name in the future, but it is still on my list.
Right now we are talking about:
- Ezra – Is it too much to have two four-letter, ends-with-A sound, Old Testament names? We’re not especially religious. I would like to have one more child after this, maybe even two, and so we don’t want a pattern.
- Logan – my husband’s favorite since we were due with Noah, but I can’t get into the whole superhero energy. We dropped it for Noah because we have good family friends with a teenager Logan and that’s still true, but I know this is my husband’s #1 choice
- Caleb – name we both sort of like lately, but again too religious?
- Patrick – family name on my husband’s side, probably only a middle because we don’t want him to be called Pat
- Theodore – I think it’s cute but my husband thinks it’s too old/serious
Our last name sounds like Lauren with a B.
What should we name a brother for Noah?
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
FINDING FRESH OPTIONS
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new son!
As I often say, naming is that rare parenting responsibility that gets harder with experience.
Let’s start with a few observations:
- No one perceives Noah as a religious name. Noah with a brother named Ezra and a sister called Ruth? Yeah, that’s maybe different. Still, I think a name like Caleb or Ezra has been popular enough that I wouldn’t necessarily assume the parents are intentionally drawing from the Old Testament. It’s just that lots of great, well-established boys’ names do come from the Bible and the more you choose for your family, the more it gives that impression.
- It sounds like you’re not on board with Logan, and your husband isn’t crazy about Theodore. In my mind, that means they’re both probably out.
- Patrick sounds like the logical middle name. I’ll try to work with that, though obviously, you have plenty of options.
I wonder if part of the issue is the name’s overall flow? Your surname has a hard B sound, a middle R, and ends with N. Names like Logan (and Jackson and Hudson and Dylan) probably clash a little bit with that consonant-heavy sound.
Noah, on the other hand, flows nicely. Ezra is great, too. Caleb is a little run-together, because of the b/B.
Let’s see if we can find more options that:
- Don’t seem religious/Old Testament-inspired so as to avoid amplifying that aspect of Noah’s name.
- Maybe end with a softer sound to flow better with your surname.
- Avoid sounds that conflict with Audrey, so no Austin or Drew.
- Fit the same general category as names like Noah, Logan, and Ezra – familiar choices for a boy born in the 2020s.
NAMING A BROTHER FOR NOAH
EVERETT
Something about Ezra reminds me of Everett, but it’s a different vibe.
JACE
A far more modern option, brief and bright.
LEO
A name equal parts fierce and cuddly. It shares a vowel ending, like Noah. Another thought: if Leo is a yes, but Theodore is a no, would Theo in full appeal?
LUKE
Yes, it’s a New Testament name. But most of us think Star Wars before Bible. It’s a strong, solid sound, a brother for Noah but not an overtly religious choice.
MICAH
I think Micah matches Noah in the sense that it’s a modern favorite, distinct from its religious roots.
MILES
A distinctive sound for a Top 100 favorite, Miles suggests adventure.
TATE
A bright, strong name with such a good meaning: happy.
XAVIER
Maybe it’s a bit religious, since there’s St. Francis Xavier. And maybe it’s a tiny bit superhero-adjacent, because X-Men. But I think Xavier is mostly just a great sound that pairs nicely with Noah.
I’m tempted to suggest Theo Patrick, but I want to tread lightly since Theodore is already a no. That makes Miles Patrick Lauren-with-a-B my top pick, followed by Leo Patrick.
Either way, I think you’ve matched the energy of Noah nicely, and left yourself lots of options for future children, too.
