I am hoping for some help. We are expecting our second son on May 30. My two year old's name is William Troy and we call him Liam. Liam's name came to us quickly and it fits him perfectly. What I like about his name is that it is a classic name with a spunky nickname.
Some info:
1) Our last name starts with a D and rhymes with Hirsch, and can be difficult to spell and pronounce.
2) I like Gaelic names because of our names (Brian, Megan, Liam), but this isn't a requirement.
3) We really like Dean, Franklin, John and Patrick as possible middle names, which are all family names.
4) I think a two syllable name/nickname sounds best with our one syllable last name, and that's where I've been stumped.
Here are the names we are considering:
*James Franklin (Jamie)--Currently our favorite, but is Jamie too feminine?
*Charles Dean (Charlie)
*Emerson Dean--No nickname. This seems like it's becoming popular for girls.
*Elias Patrick (Eli)
*Sullivan Dean--Not sure about the nickname Sully.
*Franklin--What do you think of this for a first name? Not sure about the nickname Frankie.
*Patrick--What do you think of this for a first name? Not sure about the nickname Pat.
Other names we are considering: Miles (Milo), Henry, Keegan, Ian (not sure how this sounds with Liam), Noah and Jonah.
Names we thought about but won't use: Aidan, Cameron, Declan, Finnian, Oliver, Samuel, Oliver, Owen, Ethan, Seamus, Sean and Henry.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I think the main trouble is that the name William and the nickname are such different styles: William fits with names such as Henry and Robert and James and John; Liam fits with names such as Corbin and Declan and Riley and Brendan. It's hard to find another name that matches both the traditional/classic of William AND the Celtic of Liam.
Emerson is indeed becoming popular for girls, probably motivated by the popularity of Emma and the nickname Emmy. According to The Social Security Administration, in 2009 there were 1006 new baby girls named Emerson, and 632 boys.
My favorite from your list is Charles/Charlie. I think it's perfect: it meets all your requirements and is a great name. William/Charles and Liam/Charlie is an excellent sibling set.
I also like Keegan so much with Liam---though less with William.
I wonder if you'd like Nicholas? Nicholas Patrick Hirsch; William and Nicholas; Liam and Nico.
Or Joseph: Joseph Patrick Hirsch; William and Joseph; Liam and Joey.
It doesn't have a full-name version, but I like Casey with Liam: Casey Patrick Hirsch; Liam and Casey. As with Keegan, I like it less with William.
Let's have a poll, over to the right! [Poll closed; see results below.]
