Naming a Brother for Remi: Classic Meets Unexpected

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.

FINDING NAMES LIKE REMI

Hannah writes:

It’s been a while, but I interviewed you when writing an article for The Cut back in 2019!

I am now pregnant with my second child, due Thanksgiving day, and looking for some help with names.

Remi, our first child, a boy, was born in 2021. We took a bit of inspiration from France for his name, as we were living in Paris when he was conceived. Remi’s full name is Remi Rustin. His middle name, Rustin, pays tribute to his grandfather’s Iranian heritage.

Our last name is two syllables, starts with S and ends with K.

For Remi’s little brother, that original French-American inspiration isn’t as relevant to our lives these days. We would love something that feels American but also worldly would be great. Our family has roots in California, Texas, and Virginia, as well as the Boston area.

The ideal would be a name with the qualities of a classic but that feels a little fresher and more unusual. We’re hoping to strike a similar note to Remi’s name in terms of un-fussy and easy to understand/pronounce, and we like a 2- to 3-syllable full name with a cute shorter nickname (echoing Remi/Rem).

CURRENT LIST

• Oliver/Ollie might be a candidate if it wasn’t so popular. 
• Daxton/Dax is cute because it reminds me of Jack but is much rarer.
• We also like Phineas/Finn, but aren’t sold yet.

Any ideas would be very welcome!

Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.

TRADITIONAL BUT FRESH NAMES FOR A BROTHER FOR REMI

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new son!

Remi Rustin is such a great name, and it hits that international/traditional/fresh mark exactly.

Looking at your current list, it does feel like a puzzle.

• Oliver/Ollie sounds like a perfect brother name, but it is very common. That doesn’t have to rule it out, but if it’s a concern for you, then let’s rule it out – at least as a first.
• Finn/Phineas seems like it could be perfect. And yet, if it’s not clicking, I wonder if it’s the disconnect between the spellings and styles? Strictly speaking, Phineas is an old school, Old Testament name. Despite the shared sounds, Finn is a name from Irish legend. I wonder if choosing another longer Finn name might be worth consideration?
• I like Daxton/Dax for the reasons you’ve mentioned. It does feel a little more American, and it’s definitely less popular than Oliver, so that’s a bonus, too.

Let’s add a few more names to the list.

NEW NAMES TO CONSIDER

BOWIE “BO” (unranked; Beau is #69; Bowen is #321)

One of my first thoughts was a Beau/Bo name. They feel a little more squarely American, and I think the bright, upbeat energy of Bo is perfect as a brother for Remi. I like it for the Texas connection, too – folk hero James Bowie lost his life at the Alamo. Though most of us will think of the singer David Bowie first – but in our age of Hendrix and Lennon, that seems like another reason this name succeeds.

CALLUM “CAL” (#159)

Cal has the same home-on-the-range energy as Beau/Bo. (Think of James Dean as Cal Trask in East of Eden.) As longer Cal names go, Callum is maybe a little more English/Irish/Scottish. That’s because it caught on there first. But it’s risen in use in the US, too, and I think that makes it a good match for Remi.

DASHIELL “DASH” (unranked)

Dashiell might be the very opposite of what you’re after, if only because it’s technically French. (Or French-ish. Author Dashiell Hammett’s mother came from the du Chiel family of Maryland, originally from France.) Still, Dash has risen in use ever since The Incredibles introduced us to the character, and it’s a good mix of surprising formal name and wearable short form.

ELIO (#507)

If you like the sounds of Oliver, I wonder if you’d like rearranging them for something like Elio?

FINLEY “FINN” (#290 for boys; #365 for girls)

There are plenty of longer names for Finn, but if Phineas isn’t quite right, would Finley appeal? It’s slightly Irish, but in our age of so many children named Riley and Rowan and Nolan, it’s became very much an American standard, too. I’ll also suggest a dark horse Finn name: Fintan, an Irish saint’s name and significant figure in Irish mythology, too.

MILO (#120)

The nickname options are less obvious with Milo – though I’d probably shorten it to M. Again, I’m listening to the sounds in Oliver and trying to find something in the same general category. I do really like the way Remi and Milo sound together. A longer Milo name might be Miles, though they tend to be used as two separate names.

TATUM “TATE” (Tatum is #195 for boys; #205 for girls; Tate is #210 for boys)

The strong, long A sound of Tatum is memorable. It’s a little more common than Remi/Remy, but I think it’s the same general space – familiar, not too common.

TRISTAN (#267)

Some names with a long history end up reading as classics. Ancient Alexander or regal Henry, to name just two. Others end up slightly overlooked. Tristan has Celtic roots and the medieval romance of Tristan and Iseult has endured across a thousand years. We also associate Tristan with tales of King Arthur. I think it hits the same traditional-but-not-classic note as Remi.

Overall, I’d probably put Bowie at the top of the list. (The Texas connection seems particularly right.) Or maybe Tatum/Tate, which sounds like the perfect brother for Remi. And I do think Finley or Fintan might take Finn to the top of your list.

Except I’m really struggling to move past Oliver. Yes, it’s very popular … but it is a great name, and I love the way Remi and Ollie sound together, plus Oliver is great with your surname.

I wonder if a surprising middle name would help? Oliver Bowie, maybe? Because I’m inclined to suggest Oliver as a middle name regardless: Tatum Oliver, Finley Oliver or Fintan Oliver.

In fact, hearing those combinations? I think Fintan “Finn” Oliver would be my top suggestion.

Readers, over to you! What would you name a brother for Remi Rustin?