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!
Lauren writes:
We have three children: Charlotte Amelia, Walker Navy, and Penelope River. Now we’re expecting another son. We definitely want a two+ syllable name because our last name is short.
I love Wilder, but it might be too similar to Walker.
My husband loves Legend, but I don’t think it matches our kids’ names.
Boy names are the hardest for us. My husband wants an epic, strong name, and we both don’t like classic boy names. But I don’t like anything from his list. Besides Legend, he’s suggested Major, General, and Rocco.
We really wanted an L name, except we’re not liking any. Suggestions?
Please read on for my response, and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Dear Lauren –
Congratulations on your new son!
Here’s the thing: epic boy names are trending. Maverick ranks in the current US Top 100. And Legend is in the Top 250. So it’s not a wild, bananas kind of choice.
It just doesn’t sound like a name you’re into. And it would be a little out-there with sisters named Charlotte and Penelope. Walker feels a little more modern, true – but it’s still firmly in the familiar names with history category. There’s photographer Walker Evans and novelist Walker Percy, to name two twentieth century notables.
Legend seems like the outlier.
But there are great, bold boy names that have some of Legend’s bravado, but feel a little closer to Walker in terms of familiarity.
Barrett – Maybe the most obvious direction is another surname name. Barrett can shorten to Bear, which is every bit as fierce and energetic as Legend.
Calder – There’s something outdoorsy about Calder. It shares the -r ending of Walker, and the same first initial as Charlotte, but I think it’s still different enough to work.
Everett – Names with the ‘v’ sound have an extra edge. One hesitation Barrett and Everett – they share the same ending as Charlotte.
Knox – There’s a whole category of boy names I call Americana: Knox, Boone, Ford, Twain. They’re short, strong choices with big sounds and appealing images. I like Knox best with your older kids’ names, but most of them could work.
Lawson – Okay, you’re loving the idea of L names, but Legend isn’t it. So how about Lawson? It’s another surname, true. But it has a different ending than any of your older kids’ names. And Lawson sounds like a lawman, an Old West sheriff, a little bit of a tough guy. But I think it’s far more buttoned-down than Legend, so it works with Charlotte, Penelope, and Walker.
Nash – If Knox is close, but not quite, maybe Nash would appeal?
Ridge – Nature names are a wildly popular category these days, but some – like River or Rowan – feel a little more gentle. Ridge strikes me as rugged, an outdoorsy name in the key of Wilder, one that conjures up mountains and trails in wilderness.
Weston – Lawson always makes me think of Weston – the Wild West, and the promise of heading to California to make one’s fortune in an earlier age. Like Wilder, it repeats an initial. But instead of sharing the -r ending, it’s an -n, which seems just different enough.
I’m stuck on Lawson. It starts with L, has that cool, home-on-the-range vibe, and still fits with Charlotte and Penelope and Walker.
Readers, what would you suggest? Or should they go with Legend instead?
Atlas or Declan
Lance!
Or Lane!
How about Leo?
There’s a lot of great suggestions already, but I wanted to add Lane to the pile. I think it sometimes seems like it’s only considered for girls, but it is the name of the late famous rodeo star, Lane Frost, and i think it sounds like a brother for Walker, less intense than Legend, but starts with an ‘L’ and has a cool factor.
I really like Bridger, Ledger (does make me think of Heath), Archer (Archie is such a cute nickname!), and Blaise (one syllable, I know, but a long one) for you.
Good luck deciding!
Abby sometimes suggests Bridger, and I think he’d make an excellent younger brother for Walker!
He’s Americana, strong, underused, straight-forward, and COOL.
I think Barrett is pretty perfect for you. Or Everett. I also think Lincoln, Langston and Lachlan do as well.
I’d def avoid a name ending in -er or starting with W, P or C.
A few others:
Tobin
Boden
Bauer
Broderick (nn Brody)
Grady
Ryder
Remington (nn Remy)
Trevor
Beckett
Holden
Bowie
I love Burke for you but it’s probably too short.
Lachlan, Leroy, or Langston seem like good fits to me.
L Names:
Lincoln
Loyal
Lucas
Larson
Linus
Lucian
Larkin
Laramie – Has that Americana feel of Walker and Wilder, but starts with L and sounds familiar because of Jeremy.
Lawrence
Landry
Linden / Lyndon
Ledger – it’s a twist on Legend, and it repeats Walker’s ending, which might be a nice tie between the names. A smoosh of Legend and Wilder, and a name on its own.
Lachlan
Non-L Names:
I like Abby’s suggestion of Ridge.
Also Bridger.
Silas (shares the IL sound of Wilder, and has a different ending sound from the other siblings’ names.)
Remington
Stellar (a husband favorite, sounds familiar because of Stellan)
Paxton
Ellis
Indigo
Hudson
Harrison
Jasper
Felix
Mathias
Dakota or Lakota
Justice
Gentry (so underused! And definitely a boy name, despite increased usage by those thieves the girls. 😉 )
Bravery (familiar because of Avery, yet so meaningful)
Rocket (too close to Walker?)
Names with a strong IL sound
Skylar
Tyler
Ryland
Miles and Kyle (one syllable, I know)
Ledger is BRILLIANT!
Love love love Lawson for an “L” name. I also like what others suggested: Lincoln and Lachlan. I’d add Luca. Good luck!
What about Archer? It has an adventurous last-name vibe to compliment Walker.
Or what about Thornton, nickname Thor? Hard to get more epic than Thor. Thornton Wilder is quite dashing.
Best of luck!
I think the names mentioned so far that sound best with are Calder, Lawson, Lincoln, and Remmington. I think the best of these are Calder, which like Walker doesn’t really shorten, and Remmington which shortens to the still long-ish Remy. Lawson and Lincoln intuitively shorten to Law and Link respectively.
I would like to add Ulysses to the list as the most Epic, which doesn’t shorten, and has an Americana vibe.
Alexander is also kind of epic, and only shortens to two syllables. I do feel it misses the Americana vibe of the other names, in spite of Hamilton.
Marshall sounds epic to me, and there’s the Supreme Court Justice and civil rights champion Thurgood Marshall.
Calder Lawson
Lawson Marshall
Lawson Alexander
Lincoln Marshall
Remmington Alexander
Remmington Marshall
Ulysses Calder
Ulysses Alexander
Ulysses Marshall
Alexander Lawson
Alexander Lincoln
Alexander Marshall
Marshall Calder
Marshall Remmington
Marshall Alexander
Looove the suggestion of Marshall!
My first thought was Reevis (Rev-is). I like the sound of it particularly with Walker.
How about Larkin?
I really love the suggestion of Larkin, especially with its strong meaning.
I’ll add Micah and Sawyer.
Clark
Ike
Levi
Gavin
Nolan
Peregrine
I think Lawson is a great choice and a good middle ground. It fits nicely within the sibling set, starts with an L, and sounds pretty badass without being too over the top. It’s like if Legend and Wilder had a baby haha
My second choice from the suggestions would be Nash.
Other names that might work
Zane
Hayes
Blaise
Jacoby (not really *epic* but it is unexpected)
Xavier (X-Men comics anyone?)
Bram
Jace
Vance
Bear
Rylan
Dashiell/Dash
Braxton
Briggs
Brooks
Trace
Cade/Kade
Harvey
Zeke
Cash
Slate/Slade
Lex
Lucian
Remington
Reeve/Reeves
I’ll add Ryder to the mix. 🙂
My favorite suggestions for you so far Lawson and Lachlan. I would add:
Lincoln
Hawthorne
Forrest
And Sterling!
Lincoln’s a great suggestion! The nickname Link/Linc is such a selling point.
I do think Wilder is too close to Walker.
I would suggest Lachlan, Livingston, or Hudson.