Vintage Boy Names to Go With Cora and Eliza

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.

SO MANY NAMES ARE TAKEN

Maddie writes:

We love our daughters’ names, Cora Marie and Eliza Mae, and we agreed on them quickly. Now we are having our third baby and first son, and nothing seems right.

Our last name sounds like Adam-with-an-S. I liked the idea of naming a son after my late dad, but his name was John. And that’s too much! We will probably use John as a middle name instead.

I think part of the problem is that lots of our favorite names are taken. We already have friends with boys named Max, Charlie, Henry, Daniel, Miles, James, or Sam. (Though Sam wouldn’t work with our last name anyway.)

Maybe we need a new list, or maybe we need to accept that we can have a Henry, too? Either way, would love some ideas!

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

THINKING THROUGH YOUR LIST

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new son!

I’m going to assume that Max, Charlie, Henry, Daniel, Miles, James, and Sam is – more or less – your current short list.

Which means we need a two-step process:

• Which names should be ruled out because they’re truly taken? There’s a point in parenthood where we know so many children. But just knowing another child with the name doesn’t necessarily rule it out.
• Are there other names to consider? The answer to this is almost always going to be yes! But we should think about the qualities you like in a name to help make a great list.

WHEN IS DUPLICATING A NAME A PROBLEM?

Imagine some new neighbors move in next door. They’re friendly and your kids along. But their eldest? She’s named Eliza, just like your daughter.

You don’t rock-paper-scissors for who changes their kid’s name, right? You laugh off the occasional mix-up and find a way to make it work.

These questions might help sort out which names can be duplicated:

• Are they close family and/or friends that feel like family? Or are these friends for now? Sharing names isn’t going to be a problem if it’s that cousin you only see at a family wedding every few years. Your husband’s childhood best friend/the best man at your wedding that he still texts with every week and you meet up with all the time? I might hesitate to duplicate names in that case.
• How common is the name overall? A name like Cedric or Boone is surprising. But Jack or Oliver? I can almost promise you’ll meet more than one, probably at your first day of kindergarten pick-up.

Max, Charlie, Henry, Daniel, Miles, James, and Sam are all traditional, familiar names. You could safely duplicate them – unless it will cause confusion or hurt feelings among your loved ones.

Let’s focus instead on finding some new names to consider. But first …

IF JOHN IS OUT, WOULD YOU CONSIDER …

I agree – John with your last name is very … Hamilton.

But would you consider naming him Jonathan or Jack? I think both sidestep the problem and sound great with Cora and Eliza.

A BROTHER FOR CORA AND ELIZA

Drawing on traditional names that feel current, I wonder if any of these would work?

DAVID

Davy is darling, and David in full is strong and somehow slightly unexpected.

HUGO

I love the way a traditional name ending in O sounds with your surname. Hugh is a classic, but so is Hugo, and I think it’s the two-syllable name that works best as a brother for Cora and Eliza.

LEO

Another option, Leo is a traditional sound with plenty of strength.

LEVI

This is a little bit of Leo, mixed in with some of David’s sound, too.

NATHANIEL

Shorten it to Nat or Nate, and it’s a great, traditional choice.

THEODORE

The first name that came to mind. It fits perfectly with your list of names you like, but can’t use.

WESLEY

I love the way Henry sounds with your surname. Wesley tends to be my default substitute for Henry, and I really like the way it sounds for your family.

XAVIER

Maybe this name is a little more vintage than classic, but Xavier has a long history of use and a compelling sound.

I keep coming back to Theodore-called-Theo as the perfect brother for Cora and Eliza, but it’s not the only name that works. That’s assuming that Jonathan or Jack doesn’t seem like the perfect name, because I really do like the sound of Cora, Eliza, and Jack or Cora, Eliza, and Jonathan, too.

Readers, over to you! What would you name a brother for Cora and Eliza?