An Initial Thought

Just a brief consideration of initials...

It seems obvious that parents need to at least pay some mind to the initials their child is going to end up with. Although unfortunate initials can be embarrassing, they are certainly not insurmountable. In other words, initials should not make or break a name, in my opinion. This is especially true for a baby girl, who likely will get married and change her initials anyway. Still, when it's avoidable, parents can do their kids a favor and thoughtfully provide name-orders that do not spell/represent something offensive.

"Good" Initials
Most people are fairly indifferent to their initials, in my experience. This is probably a good thing. On occasion though, I'll meet someone who loves their initials. For example, I grew up with a boy named "Andrew Benjamin C." He was thrilled to be an "ABC." Good initials do not elude to anything too specific; they are mildly amusing or clever without adding to the significance of the name itself. An exception to this is if the parents intentionally choose initials with meaning, such as naming a daughter "Sierra Alexandra Moore" after dear old great uncle Sam.

"Bad" Initials
Obviously, there are combinations of names that really should not be combined if possible. Any set of names that spell out particular three letter words, for instance, are bad ideas. Common abbreviations can be bad ideas too, like "SOS" or "TAX." With initials, the goal is not so much to come up with initials that make a child happy as much as to avoid initials that make them cringe. Much of this is personal preference; add some common sense and you're good to go!

Quirky Names with Normal Nicknames

Generally, parents choose a "normal" name and a unique nickname for their kids (if they're going the nickname route), as opposed to the other way around. For instance, "James" may be called "Jamie," or "JJ," and "Margaret" may be "Greta" or "Marti." However, an interesting twist on nicknaming is to select a more unusual first name and have a typical nickname. Some examples":

Boys:
- "Hal"- short for "Hallelujah"
- "Zeke"- short for "Ezekiel"
- "Mel"- short for "Melchizedek"

Girls:
- "Rhoda"- short for "Rhododendron"
- "Zoe"- short for "Arizona" (I actually know one!)
- "Maggie"- short for "Magdalena"

First/Last Considerations

It seems obvious that parents must pay attention to their last name before deciding on a first name for their kids, but to what extent should a surname make a difference?

Certainly it's important to avoid accidental rhyming names, like "John Swan." This goes for potential nicknames as well, like "Richard Fitch," who could very well end up a "Rich Fitch."

Less obvious than rhymes are run-on consonants, and even run-on vowels. For example, I cannot name a child a name that ends with "B," like "Abe" or "Gabe," since the ending "b" sounds runs in to the beginning "b" sound of our last name and gets lost. This means, of course, that the nice-sounding "Abraham" and "Gabriel" are not good possibilities for us. A friend of mine as a brother named "Bryant Todd." One of those poor "ts" gets completely lost! If your last name begins with a vowel, like "O'Brien," you'd be better off avoiding first names that end with a long "o" sound, like "Milo" and "Cairo."

Along with ending sounds, it's wise to consider syllables. I don't really believe that there are any fast rules for syllables (such as, a 1-syllable last name needs a 2-syllable first name)- there are always exceptions that work. Take my 2-syllable last name, for instance: my husband, myself, and my sister-in-law all share the name. One of us has a 1-syllable first, one has a 2-syllable first, and one has a 3-syllable first. They all work fine. Or what about a 1-syllable last name, like "Fox?" It could be argued that such a name should never be paired with a 1-syllable first name (Bob Fox), for example, but many of them are perfectly okay, like "Meg Fox" and "Sam Fox." "Blake Fox" doesn't work, though. So, pay no heed to rules, but try each name combination out- some will work, so just won't sound right. I like the name "Reuben," but it sounds wrong with "Bowen." It has more to do with the ending syllable sounds on both names, but clearly it doesn't have the right ring. Another 2-syllable Old Testament name, "Asher," sounds fine though. It's necessary to note not just the ending of the first name with the beginning of the last, but also the ending of the first with the ending of the last. In the "Reuben" example, "en" and "en" at the end of each does not sound right. Also, similar consonants may be a problem, like in "Violet Schmidt" and "Elena Mirna." Although, "Violet White" and "Elena Dinah" are not so awkward.

To summarize, don't be afraid to play around with any "rules" regarding first and last name combos, but don't throw all caution to the wind either. Try your first name (and any likely nicknames) out a few times, and run it by a trusted, unbiased friend if you dare.