@Icarriedawatermelon with 2 kids that share the same first initial, I don't think it's unusual at all. Personally, however, I wouldn't want 3 or 4 that all start with the same letter. That just seems like it would get confusing!
@lcarriedawatermelon I also agree that the same initial is fine. The only time it bothers me is when people decide to do this with an entire brood and run out of names so start getting creative with spellings to make it fit. Example, a family from my hometown had a boy named Kory instead of Cory cuz they all had to have "K" names.
My brother and I are both M names. Both DS's have DH's initials (PW) and DD has my middle initial. We have toyed with the same issues with the twins and have decided they will also have my middle initial (M) but their first names will begin with different,not rhyming first names. It is totally personal preference but I like it!
I can't remember if I mentioned this before in this thread, but one name H and I both like for a boy is Rowen. Partly because we like the nature component and partly because it's not common. We're having a girl, so we won't be using it this time around. However, all of a sudden, I'm seeing Rowens pop up! I've never personally seen it spelled with an "e" before. I haven't known any Rowans, either, but have heard of it that way, commonly for girls. But in the past two months, I've seen two facebook announcements for new Rowens in my general location. I wonder if that name is becoming more popular.
@starphish18 that's crazy you mentioned that because Rowan has been on our middle name list and in more recent discussions, possibly a first name choice now. The name is significant for MH.
Although, still trying to come up with hard-c names that go with Colt...
@Icarriedawatermelon , I don't think siblings with the same initials is weird. My name is a R while my 2 siblings have names that start with N. I personally agree with PPs that I couldn't name all of my children with the same first letter, but DH and I finally have agreed on a name that also starts with same letter as DS.
To all of those that gave their opinions on my name options - thanks! (sorry for not tagging everyone). DH and I have finally, officially, agreed to name baby boy Lincoln. So we will have a Logan and a Lincoln. I love it
I can't remember if I mentioned this before in this thread, but one name H and I both like for a boy is Rowen. Partly because we like the nature component and partly because it's not common. We're having a girl, so we won't be using it this time around. However, all of a sudden, I'm seeing Rowens pop up! I've never personally seen it spelled with an "e" before. I haven't known any Rowans, either, but have heard of it that way, commonly for girls. But in the past two months, I've seen two facebook announcements for new Rowens in my general location. I wonder if that name is becoming more popular.
@starphish18 I believe Rowan/Rowen is gaining some attention. Plus people are using it for either sex. The girl that is the star of Girl Meets World (Boy Meets World Remake) is Rowan.
@Icarriedawatermelon , I don't see anything fundamentally weird about 2 siblings sharing a first initial, but we did actively avoid it with this kiddo only because I frequently refer to DS in text as "S". I was also thinking ahead to how I make lists/label things and I frequently just use first initials (packing lists, etc), so I figured it was just safer to go with different initials to make things easier on myself. The kiddos will share a middle initial, though...so we will have an SRK and an ERK.
@Icarriedawatermelon I don't mind the same first initials for siblings, but my OCD mind would tell me that all of my children would have to be the same. And I wouldn't want to be like the Duggars so I would probably sway away from the same initials then!
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
@hp_momma: Would you be willing to take both names to the hospital for when you meet him?
My vote is for Ryan. We love the name but can't use it, and it's such a good one.
That's what I suggested to DH, just waiting until we see him but DH is set on having a name beforehand.
DH leans away from Ryan because he has three he works with. Even though they all go by their rank+last name he still KNOWS they are Ryan so thinks it may be weird.
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
@hp_momma , I love Levi! I'd pick Levi because it seems to be a little more on the unique side and matches well with the uniqueness of Halle and Paige. Ryan is nice, too, though!
I'm feeling the pressure to narrow down our name choices since the littles will likely be out in the next week & a half...
DH likes different but not made up names. He's gotten discouraged lately by how popular a few of our potentials are. I could really care less since we thought we were so clever naming DD Eleanor and there are a zillion of them now, including a girl the same age right across the street!
Short lists (mine) are:
Claire Rose/Rowan We both like Claire, which has a little family meaning. The recent posts about Rowen/Rowan totally make me want to include it as a nn since DH vetoed it as a first name.
Charlotte Ada "Lottie" and Ada (short for Augusta) are both family names. DH is bummed that Charlotte is so popular though.
Maeve Rowan
Maeve is the most accessible Scandinavian name out of all my suggestions according to DH. But our last name starts with M and I'm not a huge fan of alliteration.
Owen Thomas/Henry
Theo(dore) Patrick
William Thomas/Henry None of the first names are in the family except William, but the middle names are. I really really struggle with boy names.
@mdlorenz: All of your choices are solid! They all have a timeless quality, even if they seem somewhat "common" right now. I understand your DH's hesitation, but if they are names you love/enjoy/agree on, then that's really all that matters. All of these go great with Eleanor, too!
P.S. Keeping the popularity issue in perspective: According to the SSA, for 2015 and Charlotte:
For 2015, the number of births with name Charlotte is 11332, which represents 0.586 percent of total female births in 2015. (Only a half a percent!)
@hp_momma I like both of your choices, but I think I agree that I like Levi just a bit better.
@mdlorenz I like all of your choices. Claire is one of my favorites and I think it goes well with Eleanor. I also am not a fan of alliteration - I don't judge people who do it it's just not something I like for us personally so that would probably eliminate Maeve for me. For boys, DS is Owen so I'm biased but I think it's a great name. I will say it has become a lot more popular in recent years. Not popular enough that I meet many other Owen's but I hear "oh my cousin/friend/neighbor just had a kid and named him Owen!" more than I would like since we also thought we were super clever when we picked it 2.5 years ago. Anyway, I know this isn't super helpful but I really do like all of your choices!
For everybody who is struggling with names, something that I found surprisingly helpful yesterday was seeing a few of our name choices on birth announcement templates. Last night I started looking for birth announcements I liked and I saved a few choices on tinyprints since I'm a crazy planner and like having the template ready before birth - makes it easier to plug in data and photos when the time comes. We have our boy name set but are debating between a few different options for girls. Just for fun I plugged a few of our top name choices into the templates I liked and for some reason seeing the names on a birth announcement made it more real and helped me rank them in preference. So, if you're really struggling, that's something to consider!
@mdlorenz I love Claire! It's always been on my short list for girl names. For boys, I like Owen and Theodore, but I think I like Owen just slightly more!
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
@mdlorenz , I am on the Claire bandwagon--so pretty and I think it goes well with Eleanor! I love Theo for a boy, BUT I will say it seems to be rapidly gaining in popularity (at least where I live in the NE), so maybe I'd given the edge to Owen because it seems a little less trendy? I don't think you can go wrong, though. You've picked some adorable names!
@0408Bear I LOVE Clara but both are good options. I also had a terrible, terrible boss named Cora so I might be a bit unfairly biased against that name. I think either way you've got good choices.
@mdlorenz, our top two names for DS (who is 21 months) were William and Theo(dore). By the time we had him, both names were popping up everywhere for us, especially with Williams and Liams. Boy names were hard for us too! We waited until after he arrived, and we ended up going with Sebastian, which was always one of my favorites that DH vetoed early. I like Owen and Theo best, but I think all of the girl names and boy names sound nice with Eleanor.
@RainyDays86 Off-topic but I completely agree with your Feb Siggy Challenge choice! Didn't see it until I logged on to my computer - darn mobile bumping...
Opinions on our girl choices? We have a front-runner right now, but given that we changed our minds last time when DS arrived, I don't trust myself to not do it again.
Eliza Zoey
Matilda Zoey
Verona (MN as either Margaret or Celestine)
Celestine (MN as either Ann or Margaret)
Matilda is our only random one. Eliza is my great-great-great-aunt who was born 150 years ago, and Verona and Celestine are DH's grandmas' names, and my grandma was Anna Margaret. And Zoey is our (passed) dog's name. We didn't pick her name as we adopted her with it already, and DH loved it and always wanted it for a little human if we didn't have her any longer. I can't quite get onboard with the FN after a dog. Haha! So he gets the MN.
@mdlorenz love it! There are a lot of good ones this month but the former nerdy middle schooler in me will always have a soft spot for Mulder and Scully. Also, if you're an X-Files fan, have you watched Stranger Things on Netflix? It's in that same genre and so, so, so good!
I have a question for STMs who have been through the naming thing before. I think this has been mentioned before but does anyone have experience with your spouse picking a name that isn't necessarily your first choice? We have narrowed our girl choices down to Paige and Hailey. I like both but I definitely prefer Paige. H prefers Hailey. I am leaning toward going with H on this one since I pretty much picked DS's name and I do like Hailey, I just don't LOVE it. So, for those who have been through something similar and let your H pick, did you regret it? Do you get used to the 2nd choice name and now can't imagine another name? Or are you still wistful for the original first choice name? I'd love to hear your thoughts for anyone who has been through this!
@RainyDays86 I had a similar situation with my first's middle name. If you like it but it just isn't your number 1 I think it definitely grows on you. Now if you really don't like it I would use your veto but otherwise if you would give the name a B+ or something it should be ok.
So I've stayed clear of this discussion until now. I hope y'all don't mind me jumping in now, with my own.
DH I have had the hardest time agreeing 100%, we're good at 90%, on names. We've narrowed our boys' first name down to almost a sure thing. But the middle name (which I had previously thought was more solid) is in complete question now.
We don't have any family names we feel strongly about or like to fall back on. Our last name is a naturey kind of name, one syllable (like Wood or Birch), first name is one syllable.
Middle names:
Edel (Austrian for "noble", we "came up with it together", and this was what we had in place first, also makes all three monosyllabic.)
@RainyDays86 I think that's the trouble we are having with the name this time around, DH has a preference but I'm not 100% sold on it. I've been trying to use the name when referring to baby "mostly in my head" for a week and then next week I'll try the other option and hopefully that will help me make a decision. Have you decided on a middle name? Maybe you can do Hailey Paige? I'm biased over my own Paige of course, but I also have a Halle so I like Hailey too! Would your DH be willing to wait on a name decision til birth and you see her?
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
@jayandaplus - I like Edel given that your last name is naturey, and I'm thinking River would be overkill with that. As a first name, I would be nervous that no one would pronounce it correctly, but as a MN, who cares.
@hp_momma we're team green so we definitely aren't deciding on a name until the baby is here - this whole thing may be a moot point anyway if we have a boy. I do really like the idea of using the name in my head for a week just to see. I don't hate it, I just like Paige better.
Re: Baby Name Choices & Discussion!
Although, still trying to come up with hard-c names that go with Colt...
DS1 7/24/15
DS2 5/7/17
To all of those that gave their opinions on my name options - thanks! (sorry for not tagging everyone). DH and I have finally, officially, agreed to name baby boy Lincoln. So we will have a Logan and a Lincoln. I love it
BFP #1 10/8/13, EDD 6/4/14, DS #1 6/9/14
BFP #2 5/1/16, EDD 12/16/16, MMC 5/27/16
BFP #3 8/29/16, EDD 5/5/17, DS #2 5/11/17
BFP #4 2/28/21, EDD 11/9/21
@starphish18 I believe Rowan/Rowen is gaining some attention. Plus people are using it for either sex. The girl that is the star of Girl Meets World (Boy Meets World Remake) is Rowan.
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
We have a Halle and Paige. Our last name is short, one syllable, rhymes with Block.
Levi Tyler or Ryan Tyler
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
My vote is for Ryan. We love the name but can't use it, and it's such a good one.
DH leans away from Ryan because he has three he works with. Even though they all go by their rank+last name he still KNOWS they are Ryan so thinks it may be weird.
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
#1 DD Aug 2014 @39weeks via CS
#2 Due May 2,2017 hopeful VBAC
DH likes different but not made up names. He's gotten discouraged lately by how popular a few of our potentials are. I could really care less since we thought we were so clever naming DD Eleanor and there are a zillion of them now, including a girl the same age right across the street!
Short lists (mine) are:
We both like Claire, which has a little family meaning. The recent posts about Rowen/Rowan totally make me want to include it as a nn since DH vetoed it as a first name.
"Lottie" and Ada (short for Augusta) are both family names. DH is bummed that Charlotte is so popular though.
None of the first names are in the family except William, but the middle names are. I really really struggle with boy names.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.S. Keeping the popularity issue in perspective: According to the SSA, for 2015 and Charlotte:
@mdlorenz I like all of your choices. Claire is one of my favorites and I think it goes well with Eleanor. I also am not a fan of alliteration - I don't judge people who do it it's just not something I like for us personally so that would probably eliminate Maeve for me. For boys, DS is Owen so I'm biased but I think it's a great name. I will say it has become a lot more popular in recent years. Not popular enough that I meet many other Owen's but I hear "oh my cousin/friend/neighbor just had a kid and named him Owen!" more than I would like since we also thought we were super clever when we picked it 2.5 years ago. Anyway, I know this isn't super helpful but I really do like all of your choices!
For everybody who is struggling with names, something that I found surprisingly helpful yesterday was seeing a few of our name choices on birth announcement templates. Last night I started looking for birth announcements I liked and I saved a few choices on tinyprints since I'm a crazy planner and like having the template ready before birth - makes it easier to plug in data and photos when the time comes. We have our boy name set but are debating between a few different options for girls. Just for fun I plugged a few of our top name choices into the templates I liked and for some reason seeing the names on a birth announcement made it more real and helped me rank them in preference. So, if you're really struggling, that's something to consider!
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
Cora Megan
Or
Clara Megan
(twin A will be Lucy Marie)
Married 8/27/2011
BFP #1 9/28/2011 DS born 5/22/2012
BFP #2 4/24/2013 m/c 4/25/2013 at 4w
BFP #3 1/31/2014 DD born 10/14/2014
BFP #4 1/20/2016 m/c 2/12/2014 at 7w2d
BFP #5 8/19/2016 DS2 born 4/29/2017
BFP #6 3/7/2018 EDD 11/18/2018
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Eliza Zoey
- Matilda Zoey
- Verona (MN as either Margaret or Celestine)
- Celestine (MN as either Ann or Margaret)
Matilda is our only random one. Eliza is my great-great-great-aunt who was born 150 years ago, and Verona and Celestine are DH's grandmas' names, and my grandma was Anna Margaret. And Zoey is our (passed) dog's name. We didn't pick her name as we adopted her with it already, and DH loved it and always wanted it for a little human if we didn't have her any longer. I can't quite get onboard with the FN after a dog. Haha! So he gets the MN.I have a question for STMs who have been through the naming thing before. I think this has been mentioned before but does anyone have experience with your spouse picking a name that isn't necessarily your first choice? We have narrowed our girl choices down to Paige and Hailey. I like both but I definitely prefer Paige. H prefers Hailey. I am leaning toward going with H on this one since I pretty much picked DS's name and I do like Hailey, I just don't LOVE it. So, for those who have been through something similar and let your H pick, did you regret it? Do you get used to the 2nd choice name and now can't imagine another name? Or are you still wistful for the original first choice name? I'd love to hear your thoughts for anyone who has been through this!
May '17 labor memes
DH I have had the hardest time agreeing 100%, we're good at 90%, on names. We've narrowed our boys' first name down to almost a sure thing. But the middle name (which I had previously thought was more solid) is in complete question now.
We don't have any family names we feel strongly about or like to fall back on. Our last name is a naturey kind of name, one syllable (like Wood or Birch), first name is one syllable.
Middle names:
Edel (Austrian for "noble", we "came up with it together", and this was what we had in place first, also makes all three monosyllabic.)
River (DH's choice, I'm struggling.)
I'm biased over my own Paige of course, but I also have a Halle so I like Hailey too!
Would your DH be willing to wait on a name decision til birth and you see her?
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
@hp_momma we're team green so we definitely aren't deciding on a name until the baby is here - this whole thing may be a moot point anyway if we have a boy. I do really like the idea of using the name in my head for a week just to see. I don't hate it, I just like Paige better.