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.