Naming Nate and Jack’s Brother: Tradition with Energy

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed. 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.

FORMAL NAME AND NICKNAME NEEDED

Alexis writes:

We have two boys, Nathaniel “Nate” Evans and Jonathan “Jack” Michael. We’d like their brother’s name to be the same kind of thing, a longer, traditional name but with something snappy for everyday use.

Jack was almost Michael called Mack, but we switched it at the last minute. My husband really doesn’t like anything too different. He has a really unusual name and doesn’t like always having to repeat/explain it.

Names we are considering/have discussed:

• Ezekiel/Zeke – Love Zeke, but feel like Ezekiel is both too close to Nathaniel and maybe a little too different for us
• Andrew/Drew – What my husband would choose, and what he’s suggested for every baby, but I don’t love it
• Edward/Ned – What I’ve been in love with since I saw it here the other day, but my husband just can’t wrap his head around a baby called Ned and Eddie is a no for me
• William/Liam – My favorite boys’ name for ever, but now I feel like it’s too popular, but it’s still my “model” name

For a middle name, we are considering Bryan, Elliott, or Louis. We would not consider any of those first names.

Our last name starts with a long I sound. (Which is why we wouldn’t use Elliott/Eli.) E!s3nb3rg. And because our last name is longer, we really do want a nickname.

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

MATCHING BOTH PARTS OF A NAME

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new son!

I think Nate and Jack are great together, and I’m a sucker for a longer formal name with a nickname. So. Many. Options!

The problem, of course, is that you’ve already used two of the best long/short combinations. Nathaniel and Jonathan are serious and buttoned-up, but Nate and Jack are chasing around a soccer ball. Best of both worlds. Now you need to style match both – and preferably while staying within the mainstream. Because yes, part of me wants to suggest Quintilian called Quin, but … somehow I don’t think that’s exactly the vibe.

The good news? Even if you’ve used two of the best, there are lots of choices remaining. Let’s look at your short list first.

CURRENT LIST

ANDREW/DREW

On paper, this works beautifully. In practice, I think of Andrew and Drew as dad names. Which isn’t really fair. Andrew is a classic! And Drew is every bit as high-energy as Crew. But all variations of this name were very popular in the past. Think of it this way: Toy Story was released way back in 1995. Not only has the franchise’s Andy gone to college, he’s probably buying toys for kids of his own now.

EDWARD/NED

I can see Ned being the perfect brother name for Nate and Jack, except … yes. If Andrew/Drew feels like it’s a dad name, Edward is still a little bit grandpa. That will change. And if you named your son Edward-called-Ned, I think it would a) be charming and b) immediately reset everyone’s opinion of both names. But I can see that it doesn’t feel like a fit.

EZEKIEL/ZEKE

Nate, Jack, and Zeke are perfect together! It sounds like this is the clear frontrunner, and I think that makes sense. Nathaniel and Ezekiel are similar in many ways, but that’s not the biggest hitch for me. Instead, it’s how Ezekiel sounds with your four-syllable, starts with E surname. Nathaniel and Jonathan sound great. I’m not quite convinced with Ezekiel.

WILLIAM/LIAM

I’m mentioning it because you mentioned it as the model, and oh yes – I absolutely see what you mean. It also makes me wonder if I’m dismissing two-syllable names too quickly? After all, lots of them have great nicknames, too – like William called Liam.

I’m not convinced the right name is here, so let’s see if we can’t brainstorm some new options.

FRESH SUGGESTIONS

CHARLES called CHARLIE

I’m quite certain you know at least one Charles/Charlie, but maybe not. Nate, Jack, and Charlie are great together, and Charles is one of those serious formal names with lot of short, punchy nickname options.

FINLEY, FINNEGAN, FINNICK, PHINEAS called FINN

I think Nate, Jack, and Finn might be my favorite. Except I can’t settle on a favorite formal version. Phineas would be my favorite, but I know the Ph/F swap bothers some parents. (I think it’s fine.) If not Phineas, I love Finley, too.

LEONARD, LEONIDAS, or LIONEL called LEO

Leo seems like a logical successor to Liam. It’s nearly as popular, yes – but not quite. And there are so many longer Leo names that maybe one of these will appeal? I’m a huge fan of Lionel. Though as with Phineas/Finn, I concede that the Lio/Leo switch isn’t necessarily intuitive.

LUCIAN, LUCIUS called LUC/LUKE

I love Luke as a brother for Nate and Jack. Again, there’s a tiny spelling challenge with longer forms. Do you mind shortening Lucian to Luke? Since you have a Jonathan called Jack, I’m assuming you don’t mind a little bit of a reach.

MAXIMILIAN or MAXWELL called MAX

Jack and Max are a little close if you say them five times fast, but I think they work together well.

NICHOLAS called NICO

There are lots of Nick names. Nicanor. Nicodemus. But Nicholas is a classic choice. Like Andrew, it’s very much in dad name territory right about now. But those dads are Nick. Shorten your son’s name to Nico instead, and he’ll fit right in on the playground with Arlo, Theo, and Milo.

ROBINSON called ROB

This is one of the more out-there options on the list, but lately I’ve been thinking about what a great name Rob can be. Robert feels a little dated. And Bob is somebody’s granddad. But Rob? It remains handsome and capable across the generations, probably because it’s never been so popular that it feels tied to any particular decade. Robinson is a fun, surprising formal name, worn by plenty of notable figures as a surname.

ZECHARIAH, ZECHARIAS called ZEKE

My first thought was Zachary. But Jack and Zach? Probably not. Then I thought about Zechariah, a name that appears in both the Old and New Testaments. It could easily lead to Zeke, just like Ezekiel. It’s sometimes Zecharias in Greek, too, though Zacharias – the forerunner of the English Zachary – is more common. Anyway, I think it has potential as an alternative Zeke name.

Overall, I like Finn and Leo best of them all, but I’m less certain about a formal name. I’d probably go with Phineas and Lionel.

So … Nathaniel “Nate” Evans, Jonathan “Jack” Michael and:

• Phineas “Finn” Bryan
• Lionel “Leo” Elliott
• Zechariah “Zeke” Louis

Overall, Lionel “Leo” Elliott is my favorite, but I know readers will have some great ideas, so let’s open it up.

What would you name a brother for Nathaniel “Nate” Evans and Jonathan “Jack” Michael?