I'm hoping you can help me with a name for our second baby (due 2/22/11, gender unknown). Due to a miscommunication at birth, my older son was named by the NICU nurses. When I met him a few hours after birth, he had a big sign over his isolette stating his name was Jonas. All the other relatives (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc.) had already met him, so it really had already become his name. And frankly, as long as he was breathing, all else seemed unimportant at the time. Its a name that suits him perfectly and we are very happy with it, but for baby #2, we'd like to name him/her ourselves.
Our last name sounds like "Four"
The other 3 of us have names that start with "J", but I really don't want a fourth J name. It just seems like too much. Do you think this is fair to a second - and last - baby? (for what its worth, the three J's all have birthdays within 4 days of each other, and this baby will be born a whole different month).
We like names that are less popular, trying to avoid something in the top 100. Hubs and I both grew up with ridiculously popular names.
We want to avoid anything that is gender neutral
We need something that is at least 2 syllables and can't be easily shortened to one syllable (because last name is only one syllable)
My husband would like a name that has a good song associated with it - I consider this criteria negotiable. :)
I really like flower/nature names, but am not set on them.
Some of the names that we've considered and discarded:
Juniper (J criteria)
Violet (the idea of a purple baby reminds me too much of my son at birth)
Everett (hubby likes it, I just don't)
Audrey (our next door neighbors and good friends have an Audrey)
Still considering, but just don't feel great about:
Lucy (hubs has red hair, not sure if I could name a red headed girl Lucy, too type-cast)
River (too gender-neutral?)
Vera
Can you help us out?
Can you tell us more about the miscommunication? That is, did you intend his name to be Jonah but the nurses thought you said Jonas, or was it that you intended a completely different name altogether, like Griffin or Keegan? (Both Griffin and Keegan might work as brother names.)
Yes, I think it's fine to break from the J thing. If you had three children with J names and were planning a fourth and final child, I might reluctantly suggest you stick with Js---but I don't think parent initials are as noticeable. And if you LIKE a J name (if, for example, you love the name Juniper), I don't think you need to let the unintended J theme stop you.
The name Jonas sounds very good with other biblical names such as Ezra, Asher, Levi, and Elias. I love it with Gideon, and I think Gideon is such a great and underused name. I also like it with Reuben and Simon and Gabriel---though Gabriel shortens easily to Gabe. It's great with Judah (which gives your husband Hey Jude), but perhaps too similar, and also a J, and also shortens easily to Jude---so, er, pretty much wrong in every way, now that I think of it.
If you like River but want something more distinctly boyish, I wonder if you'd like Forest? It has an old-timey style lacking in the more contemporary River, which also makes it go well with Jonas.
The name Everett makes me think of the two other names I've mentally filed it with: Emmett and Elliot.
Or Griffin or Keegan, from above.
For sisters, I'll dip once again into the biblical names: Lydia, Tabitha, Claudia, Adah, Esther, Miriam, Naomi. Miriam in particular seems unfairly neglected.
For something more along the lines of Juniper and Violet, I like Acacia, Azalea, Briony, Calla, Ember, Emerald, Hazel, Ivy, Magnolia, Marin, Verena. Or Felicity, but maybe that's too alliterative with the surname; or Iris, but maybe "two syllables ending in S" is too similar to Jonas; or Beatrix, but it shortens easily to Bea/Bee.
For something more similar to Lucy: Eliza is pretty, or Phoebe, or Cecily, or Annabel? Or Clara or Cora. Of those, I think only Phoebe has the sass of Lucy; the others emphasize more the sweetness. More sass: Molly, Ruby, Sadie, Georgia.
