Naming Subsequent Babies

When naming your first child, the sky's the limit. When more babies come, however, the name chosen for the first limits the options for its siblings.

Now that Blake and are expecting number 2 (whom we affectionately refer to as "Once," (Ohn-say), which is "11" in Spanish. We jokingly were planning to have an 11-11-11 baby, thus the nickname.), we've had to give much thought to sibling names. There's much to consider, and this will be only one of multiple posts on the topic.

Today I'd like to address the theme of themes. some parents maintain a consistent theme for all of their children. Common themes include Biblical names, flower names, names that all begin with the same letter (usually "J" for some reason), family names, and virtue names, but the options are endless. Were Blake and I to choose a theme (based off the name of our first child), some options could be:

- More obscure nature names-"Aurora" can be connected to the Aurora Borealis; sibling name possibilities: Bay, Willow, Meadow (which I love, incidentally), Rio/River
- Disney names. Seriously, people ask. Sibling name possibilities: Pocahontas? Gaston?
- "A" names: Arthur, Andrew, Alexandra, Alice
- "A B C D etc." names, except we've already ruled out all "B" names, so that breaks the pattern pretty quick. Sibling names: Belinda, Chad, Dietrich, Elisa, etc.
- Heavenly names, like: Luna, Starr, Sunny
- Spanish or Latin names- "Aurora" is a fairly common name in Spanish. Sibling names: Diego (love it!), Caterina, Magdalena, Julio

There are some risks with opting to stick with a theme, though. For instance, inspiration could run out before the babies do. Imagine how little "Howie" would feel in a family of "Jesse, Jordan, Jamie, and Jill." Overzealous parents can pick a theme that turns out to provide few options, like "mountains." Where does one go after "Everest" and "Rainier?" Or, the parents of little girls might fall in love with the free spirit femininity of flower names, only to have a SON after "Dahlia," "Violet," and "Jasmine." "Thistle" and "Snapdragon" are not exactly manly names. Finally, a couple could absolutely fall in love with a name outside the theme, but cannot use it because it deviates from the rest of the kids. And, of course, you may get some snickers (not the candy bar), if you get too themey, though I don't think you should let that stop you!

Despite all this, I am not anti-theme. I think name themes can be an effective way to create a little unity amongst the children, and, if done appropriately, they can be clever and cute. Just exercise caution, because the line between cute and obnoxious is pretty thin, as is that between clever and absurd.

Whether or not you choose a theme to carry throughout your baby names, sibling names must "go" together in some way. "Rebekah" and "Martha" should not have a sister named "Ashlynn," though "Rochelle" and "Marlee" could.

More about sibling names next time!

Combo-Names

A friend recently asked me my take on combo-names (combining parts of two or more names to come up with a new one). You probably won't be surprised to hear that I advise great caution when considering this concept. Many people see this as a terrific way to dodge the, "do we name her after your mom or mine?" question.
Thus, names like "Janeilica," a creative combination of "Janelle" and "Angelica" are born. Yikes. Blake and I had jokingly said that we'd give a baby girl the name "Raelynn," which happens to be a real name, after both of our mothers' middle names, "Rae" and "Lynn." But seeing as "Raelynn" is a little to mountain mama for our taste, it was never a serious possibility. Other combinations of their first names, "Diana" and "Marisa" lead to such humorous monikers as "Darisa," "Marana," and "Marisana." No, any baby of ours would be named after one person only, or none at all. However, I am in favor of the idea if the combo-name is indeed a real, respectable name (other than Raelynn!). For instance, the friend that inquired about this topic is named Aimee, and her husband is Bram. Put them together and you get "Abram!" While I probably wouldn't name a kid "Abram," it's a legitimate name, and clearly incorporates both of the parents.

So, if the idea of combo names intrigues you, go ahead an experiment. Just don't get too excited if the best you can come up with is "Janelica."