Strong, Not Too Popular Boy Names to Match Olivia, Eloise, and Georgia

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.

AGREEING ON A BOY’S NAME AFTER THREE GIRLS

Melissa writes:

We have three daughters and are now expecting a son in April. We hadn’t found out gender for our girls, but something told me I should say yes when the ultrasound tech asked this time and I’m so glad I did.

It turns out we’re really not on the same page about names for our little guy, and I feel like we need some help figuring out what to do.

Our daughters’ names are:

• Olivia Grace – We love her name, and I know it sounds cliche, but we didn’t know it was that popular when she was born. She’s had another Olivia on her swim team and at summer camps, but so far, she’s never had another Olivia in her class, so we haven’t minded it all that much.
• Eloise Mary – We tried for something a little less popular with our second daughter, and we’ve been pretty happy with our choice. But she has good friends named Eleanor and Eliana, and they call themselves the Ellies, so I feel like maybe we fell into a different kind of trap. Still love her name!
• Georgia Rose – Our sweet pandemic baby who almost didn’t have a name. We were down to Sienna, Serena, Scarlett (but not really with our last name), Savannah (which is how we finally thought of Georgia), and Sophia/Sophie, but we already knew a few girls with that name, including a close family member’s daughter.

Our last name is B–t, like the sisters in Pride and Prejudice. We won’t be naming our girls Jane, Elizabeth, Catherine, Mary, or Lydia. (Which is too bad because I love the name Lydia!)

For Olivia and Eloise, our favorite name for a boy was Logan, with Jackson a close second. By the time Georgia was born, I knew we wouldn’t use those names, but we weren’t 100% on anything else. Probably Owen was the closest we got to agreeing, but not really. I liked Sebastian, but my husband was very meh about it.

This time, we did have a shortlist for a daughter: Cecilia, Vivian/Vivienne, or maybe Anastasia. (Because we’re due around Easter.) I wanted Vivian/Vivienne because that way Eloise wouldn’t be left out, but we couldn’t agree on spelling.

Names we have talked about but probably won’t use:

• Henry – we know too many
• Jack – we know too many
• Owen – don’t really want to repeat initials
• Grayson – don’t really want to repeat initials
• Isaiah – feels too religious
• Beau – love it, but not with our last name
• Kai – love it for someone else, but doesn’t feel like us
• Hunter – almost the right name, but I worry it’s a little bit violent
• Hayden – I really like this, but worry about all the boys with rhyming names

Nothing is really jumping out at us. Maybe I’m being too picky, or maybe I’m just not thinking of the right name?

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

DEFINING YOUR STYLE FOR A SON’S NAME

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your third!

One of the things that happens when we have two or three sons or daughters is this: our preferences for naming boys or girls become very clear. We understand our style, and while matching it isn’t always easy, it’s familiar. It sounds like that’s what happened with Georgia, right?

Switch gears, though, and naming a child of the opposite gender sometimes reveals an interesting fact. We often prefer slightly different styles for a son than a daughter.

It’s not (typically) extreme. Rarely do we see families with kids named, say, Algernon and Kaylee.

But it’s enough of a switch that it make naming just a little bit harder!

I’d say we’re looking for a name that:

• Doesn’t begin with O, E, G, or B
• Ranks in the current US Top 500(ish) and probably more like the Top 250, while avoiding anything in the Top Ten, and possibly Top 50
• Is probably one or two syllables – a little shorter and more consonant-heavy than Olivia, Eloise, and Georgia
• Nothing too strongly Old Testament
• A mainstream name is fine, but we’re avoiding anything too trendy

I have some more thoughts, but I’ll save those for the name list.

A BROTHER FOR OLIVIA, ELOISE & GEORGIA

ARCHER

I don’t hear Hunter as particularly violent, but I think that’s the kind of image that you can’t un-see, right? I wonder if Archer might appeal. While it does bring to mind archery, I think of that as more of an Olympic sport than an aggressive term. Cuddly nickname Archie makes it even more approachable. It’s current, but outside the current Top 100.

CARSON

After spending nearly two decades in the US Top 100, Carson has slipped just a bit. I think that speaks to this name’s status: modern traditional. No one thinks of Carson as particularly trendy, but it’s also not the kind of name we expect to hear on somebody’s grandpa. (Though it could happen, of course. Fictional detective Nancy Drew lived with her widowed father, respected River Heights attorney Carson Drew.) It’s a little less flowing and lyrical than Olivia, Eloise, and Georgia, but sounds like their brother.

DYLAN

Speaking of modern traditionals, how about Dylan? It’s slightly softer than Carson, and I think that makes it a perfect match for your girls’ names. It’s ranked in the US Top 100 since the 1990s, and I can think of boys named Dylan across a range of ages. But it doesn’t have that same very trendy vibe as the Aiden names.

HARRISON

Technically it’s a cousin to Henry, though it shares the surname sensibility of Jackson. It’s longer, like your girls’ names, but represents a slightly different style. It’s popular and familiar, but not ranked in the current US Top 100.

HAYES

For what it’s worth, I think Hayden is one of the more enduring rhymes-with-Aiden names. But I hear your hesitation – and I share it. So let me suggest Hayes instead. The -s ending is quite stylish. (Think Brooks, Wells, Banks, Rhodes.) But this name has plenty of history and is immediately familiar.

JUDE

Yes, it’s an Old Testament name. A literary one, too. But most of probably think of the Beatles song first. It’s a substitute for Jack, Kai, and Beau, with a vowel sound you haven’t used for your daughters’ names.

ROWAN

Owen is more popular, but Rowan has just as much potential. An Irish surname associated with the color red, Rowan is used for boys and girls. But it’s more popular for boys, and it sounds very much like a brother for Olivia, Eloise, and Georgia.

WESLEY

I feel like I can’t stop recommending Wesley! But I think it’s slightly softer – like Sebastian – but also clearly masculine. Obvious nickname Wes feels like a substitute for Kai and Jack, too.

Overall, I think there are some really good choices on your current list. I love Grayson and Hayden for you. But I also hear your hesitations, so I’m going to suggest Dylan Henry as my top choice for Olivia, Eloise, and Georgia’s brother. I also wonder about something like Jude Grayson, maybe? But I can’t wait to hear what others think.

Readers, what would you name a brother for Olivia Grace, Eloise Mary, and Georgia Rose?