4 replies to this topic

[K.C.]

It's been awhile since I've visited; we need some help! We are expecting our third and final child in June, a boy. His older siblings are Oliver and Annabel. If he had been a girl, we would have chosen Eliza.

At this point, Elliot is our leading contender. It's a name that was a favorite for a long time. As a teacher, I had one who was a bit of a rough ride, but it's been a long time and I'm over that. I also think it works very well with our other children's names.

However, while I feel it's our best choice so far, I'm not in love with it, the way I was (and am) totally in love with Oliver. I love it every single time I say it. I'm also a tiny bit hesitant about the fact that Elliot has become more of a gender neutral name. So... what to do? I feel like I spend so much time looking at names that I've become a bit desensitized to them. I'll list some other names I like and would LOVE any suggestions you have! Thank you so much.

Top tier:
Elias
Felix
Arthur
Theodore
Simon
Milo

Second tier:
Julian
Leo
Henry

I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting, but you get the idea. Thank you again!

[Katie-Nana]

I love Oliver & Annabel! I think Elliot would go nicely with their names, however, if you aren't quite sure it doesn't hurt to keep looking.

I LOVE all of your other choices as well, however, I'm not sure that all go as nicely with Oliver & Annabel. I'll start with my least favorite...

Arthur - I LOVE Arthur, however, the similar -er to Oliver troubles me especially since Arthur has a strong R sound at the beginning as well. Oliver & Arthur, Arthur & Oliver might be a bit of a mouthful to say at one time.

Felix - I do really like Felix, but it is probably my least favorite of these options. I think it is an adorable name for a little boy, but I'm not sure that it would age very well.

Julian - If you are worried about Elliot being a bit gender neutral, then Julian wouldn't be a good one to consider since it is very similar to Julianne & the very popular Juliet. I like the name Julian, but it is the most feminine sounding of your choices.

Simon - There is nothing that really stands out as bad to me with Simon, but then there is nothing really great that stands out either. Simon is just a bit blah compared to the other great names on your list.

Leo/Milo - I'm going to lump these two together since I like and dislike the same things about these names. I love the stylish -O ending and how it sort of matches the O of Oliver without being too similar sounding. However, both Oliver & Annabel are great solid names and in comparison both Leo & Milo feel a bit nickname-y. If you like Leo, I think it works as a great nn for Elliot. Also I think Milo is adorable on a little boy, but like Felix, I'm not sure if it would age well. What about Miles nn Milo?

Now we are down to my three favorites from your list...Elias, Theodore & Henry.

Henry is a great choice. Like a lot of your other choices, it has a similar style to Annabel & Oliver. Henry just works.

Theodore is a particular favorite of mine. I think the nn Teddy is adorable for a little boy and the nn Theo is great with the stylish -O ending similar to Leo/Milo. But unlike Leo & Milo, the full name Theodore has substance. Like Oliver & Annabel, Theodore also has three syllables and has a similar rhythm without sounding too similar.

I think Elias fits best with Oliver & Annabel. All three names are three syllables and contain the L sound. But all three also have very distinct beginnings and endings. But just because the name goes best, doesn't make it THE best...it really depends on if YOU love the name as much as you love your other kids names. Elias is very similar to Elliot, however I think Elias would be a better choice considering that Oliver & Elliot have a bit too similar sounds. The ALL and ELL beginnings are similar sounding and the middle LEE sound is identical in both names. The only main distinction between Oliver & Elliot are the endings. Elias in comparison has a much more distinct sound.

[PaperHeart]

I think my favourites off of your list that I think go best with Oliver & Annabel are Henry, Theodore and Simon.
Elliot nn Leo is also a great suggestion! As is Miles.

I do love Elias, but I think Oliver and Annabel are much more classic and traditional {as is Elliot} and I'm not as certain that I would use it together.

Here's a few ideas using the names you seem to like:

Zachary
James
Daniel
Harrison
Gabriel
Roderick
Jonathan
Bennett
Collin
William
George
Derek
Luke
Adrian
Brandon
Dylan
Jackson
Logan
Vincent
Christian
Gavin
Drew
Reece
Kieran
Saul
David
Edmund
Michael
Aaron
Eli
Ryan
Gregory
Dexter
Jude
Alexander
Luca
Thomas
Eric
Benjamin
Charlie
Joseph
Evan
Blake
Noah
Christopher
Andrew
Jacob
Levi
Julian
Joshua
Spencer
Graham
Pierce
Louis
Jack
Matthew
Adam
Patrick
Robert
Ethan
Preston
Nicolas
Grayson
Nathan
Caleb
Timothy
Harry
Lucas


I was almost going to suggest Julian, but saw that it was already on your list!

[K.C.]

Katie-Nana, thank you so much for your very thoughtful reply. Elias is my second choice (Eliza was our girl name), but it feels a bit more biblical and less classic/British than the names of our other kids. I'm probably overanalyzing! I'm also not wild about the nn Eli. We've talked about Ellis and Leo as possible nns fro Elliot, but I feel like nns are something that just come. We rarely call Annabel anything but her full name, for example, and call Oliver both Ollie and Oliver pretty interchangeabley. You mentioned a few points I hadn't considered. Thanks!

Paperheart, thank you for all of your suggestions!

[Untitled]

They're all great! My favourites are probably Arthur and Theodore, but they're all fantastic names so it's hard to choose!

I think Arthur goes very well with Oliver, as does Elliot, even though Arthur and Elliot are very different.