Sep
27
September 27, 2007
First of all, thank you so much for the books/movies/music suggestions! I’ve got Knocked Up added to my Netflix queue; I downloaded Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Etc (LOVE), A Fine Frenzy (feeling lukewarm about this so far, but I think it’s one that will grow on me), Giant Drag’s “Wicked Game” cover (LOVE), Kanye’s “Stronger” (this song makes me do ridiculous things with my butt); and I’ve got a fantastic to-read list (including “The Nasty Bits“, which I have been meaning to pick up for a while now because man, do I ever love me some Bourdain). You guys rock, as usual.
(Also, here’s something I’ve never known: how are you supposed to reference books or music or movies? With italics, with quotation marks, or what? Is it different for each medium?)
In the spirit of good suggestions for good things, indulge me while I plug the newly-launched business of a family friend: Steve the Art Director has created a very cool website for ordering collage artwork. If you’re like me and you have shitloads of great family photos but no idea what to do with them other than periodically posting them on Flickr, his studio can create some really amazing options—matted, framed, the whole nine yards. Recognize this suspicious little guy? I have that image as a print, beautifully matted and framed, hanging in Riley’s room right now (there are some other cool samples here). Go check it out, and if you have questions, Steve will answer.
Okay, so . . . BOY NAMES. We had a great girl name picked out, but we’re struggling a little with a name for the dong-bearing Smalltopus. If coming up with fabulous-sounding boy names is a passion of yours, your input is welcome. Some possibly-helpful parameters: the middle name will be Emmett, and our last name sounds a lot like Sparks, so first names like Sam or Sheldon are out.
We have considered and mostly discarded the following:
• Ethan (love it, but it’s also the name of my new Workplace boss, who will be starting work—and sharing my office—as of next Monday. “Hi! I’m really hoping you won’t decide to phase out my position, and as a gesture of goodwill I have named my child after you! Hope that’s not awkward, ha ha!”)
• Jake (love, but do not love Jacob)
• Dexter (possibly influenced by my deep adoration for the Showtime TV series, possibly a name most people won’t find very appealing)
• Cody (cute, but maybe too trendy-sounding, especially when combined with Riley)
• Garrett (JB’s choice. Not mine)
• Casey (too gender-ambiguous; also not sure about another name ending in an “ee” sound)
The top contender is a name we both like very much, it just isn’t ringing the same bells that Riley did for us. I’m not sure if we can expect to have another “YES! YES THAT’S IT!” moment, or if we need to let a name percolate and become more familiar. I guess we could wait until the babe makes his appearance and name him then, but I’m concerned we’d end up with something like Vermixy or Red-n-Squashed or Hiccups Von NeverSleep.
Comments
212 Responses to “By any other name”
damn, Emmett was my first thought and then i finished the rest of the sentence. Rliey and Emmett sounds so lovely together…put it first instead! We’ll all come up with another middle name…
Evan is sort of like Ethan, but not the name of your boss. I like Evan.
If I had a boy, he would have been Jonas, so I like that one too.
Dex is a cool ass nickname.
I hate Cody. Sorry!!
whoa..Riley. fast fingers way too excited about this obviously.
Use quotation marks around the titles of short works: newspaper and magainze articles, poems, short sotires, songs, episodes of television and radio programs, and chapters or subdivisions of books.
Use italics for longer works: book titles, magazine titles (as in, Newsweek), newspapers, pamphlets, long poems, (like Paradise Lost, plays, films, television programs, raido programs, musical compositions (Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, choreographic works, works of visual art, comic strips, software, and Web sites.
I got that from my Bedford Handbook. It’s an awesome grammar book. And I am a big nerd for calling a grammar book awesome.
Some off of the top of my head:
Nicholas (or any spelling variation thereof)
Henry
Liam (possibly too trendy, but dude - it was my great-grandpa’s name)
Simon
I kinda dig on the more “normal” names, as opposed to the Creightons and Willoughbys I’ve seen lately.
I agree with Jean - I dislike Cody too. And Casey. Neither are very masculine names. Think about a grown man, maybe an executive, named Cody. Or Casey. um, no. Of your choices above, I really like Jake. Strong and simple! It works at all ages.
I also like Garrett. And what do you think of Griffin? I’ve liked that name ever since it was Jennifer Love Hewitt’s boyfriend’s name on Party of Five, a hundred years ago.
Oh I love Garrett! Garrett and Riley, kewl.
I like Garrett, so much so that I married one.
I like Parker, too… so that’s what we named out daughter.
www.opaqueprintproduction.com/jbblog
Yeah, why not Emmett first?
The MFA program taught us book titles are underlined, but if you’re writing it online, it’s common to italicize so it doesn’t look like a link when it isn’t a link. Article/journal articles are italicized.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Style_guide#United_States
I’m pretty sure the Chicago Manual of Style is standard for all non-academic applications, but I used Turabian in school and I’ve become accustomed to it.
I like classic names, like James and Robert and Michael. I’m also a fan of Sam and Max, Sebastian and Jack, and the previously mentioned Simon. And if I may, may I also join the nixers on Casey and Cody.
How about Grant? It’s like Garrett, only just a shade more masculine.
Also, absolutely NO to Dexter. Dexter is a dog’s name. I only say it that plainly because you asked. Otherwise, I would never just hand out a$$vice like this - just not the way I roll. :)
Other names to consider:
Jonathan
Charles (Charlie)
Connor
Good luck!
Might be too out there or Southern for you, but I really like my brother and dad’s name: Slade. I want to name my son (if I have one) that, but I guess I can’t steal it from my brother if he wants to continue that line.
It’s definitely not a name that he’d ever be able to find on a keychain though. Whenever I found (half the time) was able MY name on a keychain when I was younger, I’d feel sad for my little bro. I don’t know if he really cared.
Also, I used to think shortened names were weird (Jake in lieu of Jacob), but I know a Mandie, a Rob, a Bob and a Danny. All their actual given names as stated on their birth certificate. I think Jake as a given name would totally work.
Well, I like Garrett, but not with the middle name: “Garrett Emmett” is too repetitive, and somehow doesn’t roll off of the tongue.
Why can’t you go with Jake, and leave Jacob out of it? (This, from a woman named Niki, not Nicole.)
I agree that Cody is a bad idea. A second boy with a -y ending may end up sounding cutesy.
Finally, I think it’s good to consider the meter of the whole name. If the first name is two syllables, I’d think they’d sound better if they’re very different from Emmett. And, of course, think about how they sound together. Because Emmett begins with a vowel sound, ending the first name with ‘n’ might cause problems. (Example: Jason Emmett could easily end up sounding like “Jasah Nemmett”)
Congratulations on your second boy. Whatever his name, I hope you all bring each other much joy.
We were going to name Eric “William Robert” which also translates to “Billy Bob” no way! So we named him Eric Robert. If I had another boy I would want to name him William because I like the name Billy.
I love the name Dexter too! That would actually be my first pick off your list.
Rae stole my grammar thunder. Boo.
Boy names are HARD. How about Adrian, as a kind of sideways nod to your almost baby girl? Or is that weird?
To quote from “The Sure Thing”:
Lady in Car: What are you gonna name it?
Alison Bradbury: What?
Lady in Car: The baby.
Alison Bradbury: Well, if it’s a girl, Cynthia, and if it’s a boy, Elliot.
Lady in Car: Those are lovely names.
Walter (Gib) Gibson: Elliot? You’re gonna name the kid Elliot? No, you can’t name the kid Elliot. Elliot is a fat kid with glasses who eats paste. You’re not gonna name the kid Elliot. You gotta give him a real name. Give him a name. Like Nick.
Alison Bradbury: Nick?
Walter (Gib) Gibson: Yeah, Nick. Nick’s a real name. Nick’s your buddy. Nick’s the kind of guy you can trust, the kind of guy you can drink a beer with, the kind of guy who doesn’t mind if you puke in his car, Nick.
I love baby name discussions!!
Boy names I love:
Caiden (but maybe too trendy?)
Dustin
Finn
Griffin (I like that one too Sadie)
Tanner
I like names that are sort of unusual, but not to strange or scarring for the poor child who has to wear it their whole life
I am a big fan of classic names, we have a Charles (Charlie) and our other choices were Jack, William and George. I do really like Dexter and think Cody is pretty cute too, but I agree two ending in “ee” might be a bit much.
We Changed our minds off and on until a week before when it was glued to his wall in rope (cowboy themed nursery) and would have peeled the plaster off to change it.
My choice would be Scott. It is a strong manly name. Also it is the name I gave my son.
There are little boys in my kid’s daycare class named Garrison and Finn. I like both of those with your middle/last name.
There’s also a kid named Linus. PLEASE GOD WON’T SOMEONE USE LINUS? If I never meet another Linus I shall be Very Sad Indeed.
Think about the name as it is applied to a grown man. One day, he will be a man. Will he want to be a Cody? I wouldn’t. I think Ethan’s my favorite. It’s easy to say, spell, and is good for a male of any age. Classic and defies fads. Emmett’s my dad’s middle name. I’m partial to it as well.
I really dislike Cody. Not a big fan of Casey, either.
I really like Jake, I wouldn’t worry about it not being short for Jacob. What about:
Jack or Jackson
Henry
William
Daniel
Oliver
John
Charlie
The grammar thunder has totally been stolen, but the general rule that helps me remember is this: If it’s published independently, italicize or underline it; if it’s published as a smaller part of something bigger, quotes. (So, a song would be in quotes, but the album name would be italicized; and a TV show episode name would be in quotes, but the name of the show itself [not the individual episode] is italicized.)
I love both Ethan and Jake. And I think a name like Dexter, which could be shortened to Dex, is absolutely to-die-for adorable while simultaneously being a kick-ass name for an older boy/man. In short, it will be a name that is good to him throughout his life.
If we had a boy, his name would have been Henry. I love James. I really like Garrett too. Andrew. Edgar.
LOGAN
-Janet in Miami
Ooohh, I do like Garrett. I personally have to suggest Avery and Daniel.
I do not like Casey (too girly) or Cody (too, ummm, “Duuuuude”-sounding, for lack of a better word).
Ethan is the name of my youngest, and was definitely a “good enough” choice. For my oldest, his name was a no-brainer, it was the only one we considered and the only one that ever fit. For Ethan, though, we never had that lightbulb type moment. We actually would have preferred Evan, but my husband has a family member (one he doesn’t get along with too well) with that name so it was, unfortunately, out.
I should have read all the other comments but I didn’t. Forgive!
I like:
Barrett
Jack
Tanner (although I used to like it much more than I do now)
Carter
And I think we’re naming our boy (if we have one; when we get knocked up): Kyler
I’ve always loved the name Keegan for a boy but my neighbor named her son that (what are the chances?!). ‘Riley and Keegan’ has a nice ring to it. ;)
How about Gavin? I think that goes better with Emmett than Garrett, though I do like Garrett.
I also like Jack; I babysat a kid named Jackson which they shortened to Jack and I liked the long and short versions of that name.
Liam is one of my favorite boy names.
Aaron sounds good with your middle/last name combo too!
Here’s some I like:
Mason
Chance
Wyatt
Wes
Jesse
Dalton
:)
I also like Logan. But, quite possibly, because of my wee obsession with Veronica Mars.
Oooh, I had forgotten Keegan, but I do love that name and agree that it works will with Riley.
Lowell? That’s a family name of ours I like.
I know a lovely little boy named Dexter, so I’m in favor of that name…
Here are my favorite unused boy names for my second son - we ended up naming him Ethan, and his big brother is Will (William). Feel free to use any of them:
David
Patrick
Owen
Liam
Malcolm
Wyatt
Jeffrey
Gregory
Matthew
Michael
Nigel
Daniel
It doesn’t depend on the medium as much as it does the style you’re writing to. In Chicago and AP, it’s all different, and I’m sure in another style book (MLA?), it’s even MORE different. AP will tell you to put it in quotes, as italics aren’t used in newspapers or wire services, while Chicago will say to use italics, and when that isn’t available (like in a plain text e-mail), they’ll tell you do use underscores in front of it, like this:
_The History of the Siege of Lisbon_
That little puppy was taken directly from the CMOS online site. I have never read the History of the Siege of Lisbon.
Anyway! I write and edit in both, and I can never remember this point exactly because they both use them so differently, that I’m always using both online manuals until my fingers bleed.
Aaaand, with that, I don’t know how else to say this to Jamie, except that Dexter is on our short list for boy’s names. Buuuut, maybe not anymore, given that it’s a DOG’S NAME in some people’s minds? HAHAHAHAHA.
(Lest this be misconstrued, I love Jamie, and we’re actually friends. No drama, I promise!)
This is getting slightly popular, but I think Cooper is a great boy’s name.
I like also like the name Jensen.
I usually don’t respond to posts like this (mainly because it isn’t something I would feel comfortable asking for advise on myself), but the name I have always loved but can’t use now because it doesn’t work with my SOs last name is Owen. Owen Emmett Sparks has a nice ring to it. So does “Riley and Owen”.
Good luck with the naming!
Congrats on another boy!
I vote for Jake, but only because Garrett sounds funny with Emmett. Also like Grant, Oliver and Simon. (Oh look, here comes Riley and Oliver. Those Sparks boys are the most suspicious kids I’ve ever known.)
I love Nathaniel. I tried desperately for my hubs to go for it with our second boy, but to no avail. Nate is such a cute nickname…And I second the Logan. Another one my husband wouldn’t agree to.
I love Henry!
“Henry Emmett Sounds-Like-Sparks” = hot guy
Also: Benjamin, Charlie, Nolan, Nathaniel/Nate, Timothy, Mitchell, Theodore/Teddy, Ryan (too close to Riley - I know), just plain Jake, Christopher, Edward/Ned, Luke, Alexander/Alex, more to come.
I never had a nickname. I always wanted one. Can you tell?
I think that if the new boss is the only thing holding you back from Ethan, you should go for it. It’s not likely you’re going to know him forever and I doubt either would get confused when you’re referring to the other.
I think those names are all stellar, but you might want to make up a cover story if you name him Dexter. “Uh, he was my great uncle, not a dude with serial killer tendencies or anything.”
Oh, Jonniker. What can I say? My mind, it has strong opinions. :)
I have trouble with ANY name that could be perceived as a dog’s name, and similarly, I don’t understand people who give their pets human names (unless they’re funny, like old men’s name. I love a cat named Wilbur). It’s just my own narrow-mindedness, I guess. I will never have a son named Hunter, Cody, Cooper, Tucker, or Dexter. Because in my mind’s eye, those are dogs. Similarly, I will never name a dog Emma or Charlie. I really don’t judge others - it’s just my own bizarre criteria.
Perceptions of a name is different, but I have to admit I like a lot of these suggestions, Sundry. Especially Keegan and Wyatt. And I hate trendy names, so that’s really sayin’ something.
I actually know a child named Dexter, as well, and I don’t HATE it. Cody and Casey - not so much. First name probably shouldn’t end in “T” if the middle name is Emmett. Nathan? Zachary (I’ve always liked that one)? I like names that you can make a good nickname from…probably because my name isn’t necessarily conducive to nicknamage. It does rhyme with lots of first-grader versions of mean, though. (Jelly. Smelly. Belly.) I also like Brandon and Patrick.
Umm, apparently I’m so fired up about names that I flipping forgot to do a self-check on my own grammar. Whoopsie.
Finn
Beckett
Simon
Owen
Henry
Patrick
And my personal favorite, Ivan, which is what we named our son!
Caden Emmett
Jackson Emmett
Cooper Emmett
Carter Emmett
Finley Emmett
Parker Emmett
Drake Emmett
Levi Emmett
Miles Emmett
I like those, I love Riley and Caden though, Caden is my favorite.
Simon or Jake
I know super cool little boys with both names.
We had the same problem naming our second, too. We LOVED Darsie but how could we top it? We named our second Ellise.
I suggest Smiley, and not just for the rhyming. Either it becomes self-fulfilling, or you get to savor lots of delicious irony. Win-win!
Or, since last names as first names seem to be so popular, how about Harper? Combined with your last name it has a ring to it.
I like Hunter. If we were having a boy, we would have gone with Hunter. We’re having a girl, however, so you can have Hunter. It’s only fair, since we’re naming our daughter Riley.
Slagging on the names mentioned here, left and right:
He can’t be Ethan (nor Evan) Emmett Sounds-like-Sparks, because Ethan Emmett is not musical at all and is excessively Victorian. (Not to mention that E.E. Sparksish sounds like E.E.Shane, of The Shane Company, a direct diamond importer…)
Garrett Emmett is unfortunate, too - children’s names should not rhyme.
He cannot be named Connor because his brother is Riley and it makes Sundry sound like a slavering Buffy fanatic.
“Slade” is a perfectly good name that’s been ruined around the PacNW by Slade Gorton, who is slightly to the right of Newt Gingrich, and celebrates the natural beauty of the Northwest by encouraging clearcuts and open pit mines.
In order not to be a complete hater - James is a nice name. Plus, James Emmett turns into Jem completely naturally.
Don’t worry about your boss because he won’t always be your boss. My sister’s dog has the same name as her new boss.
A friend of mine has one son named Jake (not Jacob– which he has to explain over and over to the teachers) and one named Cody. Another friend named her son Liam. I wouldn’t call your Jr. Jr. “Dexter” either, more because of the whole serial killer thing than it being a name for a dog. But that’s coming from someone who wanted to name her dog Steve.
No matter what name you choose, he’ll end up with a nickname– even Cody is called Code Man. I had two names I adore for boys, Sebastian and Vincent, but couldn’t stand the thought of someone calling my child “Vinny”. I guess the worst for Sebastian would be Ian or Seb.
I agree that Emmet has a nice ring to it as either a first or second name. Other names I like are:
Isaac
Duncan
Bruce
I love Dexter - both the name and the show. Sure, it might be a little odd to name your kid after a likable serial killer, but the nickname is just plain cool.
I went through a weird phase of liking presidential last names (Carter, Clinton), but unfortunately, that also included past presidents I didn’t particularly admire (Reagan, Nixon).
Oliver is great, and not only because of the Ollie factor, and I agree that Jake need not be tied to Jacob. I have a Keegan and a Kyle in my family and they are both pretty satisfied with their names.
My random one is Nolan. Nolan Emmett Sparks is a worthy follow up and meshes well with the Irish-evoking Riley.
Corbin
Jackson
Cole
enh- that’s it for me :)
The name I’ve reserved for my someday-in-the-future little boy is Gabriel. Not so much b/c of the biblical reference, but because I like names that have good nicknames. I like the idea of using Gabe most of the time and then him knowing he’s in deep shit if I call him by his full first middle & last name! So I vote for Gabriel!
How about Grant ?
I’ve always like the name Luke, I think it’s a nice strong name and it’s also a destined-to-be-hot name because seriously, have you ever heard of an unattractive man named Luke? in all honesty, I even like Lucas. I know, I know we grew up with the stigma of that being a nerd name but I really don’t think it is.
Noah is a good name also. So is Isaac. I don’t know why I’m shouting out the biblical names but whatev.
Just out of curiousity, what was the girl name you had?
The only thing that makes me laugh harder than the comments on baby-naming posts is posts where the older sibling chooses the name. What, pray tell, does Riley prefer?
I share your that ship has sailed mentality with names - as in you could not revisit Madeline this time around. So I bestow upon you our top boy contender from our first time around for consideration~ Finn (finnegan for real, finn for short)
Finnegan Emmett Sparks?
Finn Sparks - A HS quarterback for sure, though also sensitive, kind, and respectful of his parents admiration for techy things.
Riley and Finn?
PS. Garrett was also a top contender for awhile, trumped only by Conner - God are we Irish or what?!
I love the name Jake. You don’t need to even have to bother with Jacob. I’m not a fan of Cody and I know too many female Caseys.
If I were having a boy, it would have been William (Will) or Nicholas. But I’m having another girl (due the same week as you I think) and we may have to steal your name because I love the name Audrey.
Aww beat me to it.. I LOVE the name Grant. It’s a big family name on my husband’s side. So strong…
and also, close to Jonas, but better IMHO- Jonah. I know it’s a bibical name and all that, but also a hot All Black (NZ Rugby).
oh and because i was too busy lurking at the time.. CONGRATULATIONS on the Dong-Bearing!
I love Ethan, but am not sure Ethan Emmett goes that well.
My son’s name is Victor, which would also go well with Emmett, & “Vic Sparks” would sound great over a loudspeaker!
The other one on your list I like is Jake.
One of my son’s friends is Gabriel, which was also on my short list. I had a fantastic girl’s name, but I knew I was going to have a boy because I couldn’t think of a boy name!
I like the name Casey A LOT. I like one of the things you don’t like: that it could go for either a boy or a girl, in the same way the name “Riley” can. But I know what you mean about ending in Y: I don’t know if that’s awesome or if it’s to be avoided. I’ve loved the name Casey ever since seeing the TV series Sports Night (underlined because it’s the name of the show; an episode name would be in quotes).
I think Jake makes a fine full name, no Jacob required.
I have been trying to make someone use the name Oliver, since it’s my top-choice boy name. It’s a mouthful with Emmett, though, and I’m not sure it’s a good fit with Riley. Eric is another name I like but it’s not good with Emmett.
Considering their dad is giving him fence-leaping superhero type genes, I think Dexter (with the nickname Dex) would be pretty awesome.
I agree with the commenter who said the name Evan would be a good “like Ethan, but not Ethan” alternative.
I also agree about Keegan: it’s a great name
What about Milo? I think that has the same cute boy energy as the name Riley. Riley and Milo. Cute. Maybe too cute.
Or Kyle? Riley and Kyle? Too matched?
I like Charlie and Finn if that helps
I like:
Andrew Emmett “Sparks”
Jason Emmett “Sparks”
Adam Emmett “Sparks”
They all go well with Riley. Brothers Riley and Andrew. Riley and Jason. Riley and Adam. See….? :o)
I like biblical names as well. They are timeless.
After more thinking, I’m voting for Keegan. Keegan Emmett Sparks is terrific. Riley and Keegan is terrific.
Okay, this is not going to be helpful at all, but it is fun. When my childhood best friend and I were about 14, we decided that if either of us had a son, we would name him “Bbob.” With every “b” pronounced. Apparently we hated our unborn child. (A top girls’ name contender was Nicoxle. The “x” would be silent.) (We were special kids.)
I love: (Riley was on my short short list last time)
Morgan
William (Will)
Collin
and I gotta say I like Grant, even though that is the name of this real snotwad and I have a tendency to associate names with the snotwad people they belong to sometimes.
Boy name huh? Brady. That’s all I got. or Nathaniel.
Joe
Ranger
Riley and Ranger sound great together!
I would totally name my boy child Elliot. Mostly because I’m in love with the character from SVU. Not really a good name for nicknames though.
I do like Dexter though. He might hate you for it when he gets older but in the meantime you could call him Dex. Dexter Emmett has flow to it too.
Has to be either….
FINN
FLYNN
WILL (WILLIAM)
PRESLEY
JAMIE
WYATT
JIMMY
KANE
Hey ginger, you’re mixing up E.E. Robbins and Tom Shane. :)
I’m a teacher so I can tell you that right now in the schools there are at least 2 Jakes per classroom, 2 Wyatts per classroom, 2 Williams per classroom, loads of Ethans, Charlies, and soon to be Henrys too. If you don’t mind your son always being “So and So Last Initial” then those are all great names.
Riley is a good one. I have 1 Riley in 6th grade and he is such a great kid. I also had a Keagan last year who made me want to have a boy and name him Keagan so I have to second that notion (or 50th that notion) for Keagan and Riley.
In the end, its your and JB’s son =)
I didn’t have a boy so I will give you the two that I love to do with what you will–
Atticus
Keaton
Note to all: Riley’s middle name is William, so I don’t think his baby bro is going to be William Emmett.
Note to Swistle: I love you, but Riley and Kyle are likely to become “Riley and Kylie” on the playground, not to mention that both Kyle and Milo evoke the band Rilo Kylie, which is a bit like naming your children Dave and Matthew.
(I’m sorry, Linda, for this compulsion I have to police your comments today!)
It’s really weird to be doing this, but here goes:
Cody and Dexter - not so much, or even muchly not.
Ethan is nice, goes well with Emmett too.
Gabriel, Ariel, Adam, Nathan, Daniel (or Dan), and Benjamin (or Ben) are all Biblical names that we have shortlisted or at least considered for our future offspring.
oh, and how about Theodore?
I absolutely love baby naming. Here is a little list- and I always have to put the name together with the siblings name-
Drew Emmett- Riley and Drew
Mason Emmett- Riley and Mason
Braden Emmett- Riley and Braden
Grayson Emmett (very distinguished sounding)- Riley and Grayson
Kelson Emmett- Riley and Kelson
Wow, I really am a freak… oh well, good luck on the baby name journey.
Milo, Charles, and Simon are my top boys names.
But I only have pink people here.
I also love Dexter and Jake from your list. And Keegan that everyone keeps mentioning… love that.
Thanks for letting us in on the baby naming!!!
Ooh, I love name games! I’m always making lists of names for future kidlets, and rattling them off to my husband who’s like, dang, woman, give it a rest. Anyhoo, some of my current faves that you are welcome to steal:
Logan
Daniel
Aidan
Brendan
Braden
James
Jordan
Joel
And my nephew’s name is Corran, which I also love. (Apparently my brother-in-law read it in a Star Wars novel, but never told my sister-in-law that’s where it came from!!)
Having had two kids, read a million baby naming books and solicited a thousand friends/colleagues for their opinions at the time, how about:
Shane
Brian
David
Colin
Nathan
Finn (Finley) was my top choice that was vetoed, so I always love that one!
I also love Dexter. I know a little boy named Dax and I always thought that was cute.
I like Luke as well. And also, William, Matthew, and Theodore.
How about Sean or Kaelan?
If I was ever having kids, which I will not, I would name them after the 2 best dogs I ever had.
Chance and Casey.
Both kick-ass boys names IMO.
But if I had to choose from your first list - Jake. Which might or might not have anything to do with my obsession with Sixteen Candles.
Yep. Definately. Jake Ryan Emmett SoundslikeSparks. Perfect.
Blake? Blake Emmett? Hm. Sounded better in my head. Emmett does make me think of the UW’s president, though, whose last name is Emrett.
I’m doomed with kid’s names…my future last name is as formal and British as they come and with my love for traditional names, I’m going to end up with William Benjamin Jefferson’s or some stuffy variation!
On the other hand, Jeffrey Emmett is cute. Jeff is kind of blah, but the combination is nice.
And I also kind of like Dexter. I’m not getting the serial killer reference, but Dex is nice if you don’t think about the phone book company.
My son’s name is Liam. It was always going to be, so good thing I had a boy. Down here in the deep South, no one else has that name, and most folks think I named him Lem because we’re way too far away from civilization, much less Ireland for them to know of this second half of the name William of which I speak.
Anyway,
I will be the nay-sayer and dislike Keegan. I just don’t like it. Sorry.
I think the names that begin with vowels work the best with Emmett. But I will also second, or third, the vote to call him Emmett, even if you leave it as the middle name.
Personally, I love Ian Emmett Sounds-like-Sparks.
Good luck.
We had a horrible time choosing a boy’s name. We ended up with one we both liked: Kieran James. James being my husband’s middle name, not because we particularly loved it, but it was a way to silence the horrible cries of “use a family name” coming from his side. Their family names are awful and old fashioned and generally only suitable for 90 year old, crotchety men - an opinion shared by both of us, thankfully.
Also, the collage of Riley is gorgeous.
Mortimer Emmett Sparks. Oh, yeah.
Or, for a really literary bent, one of Lord Peter Wimsy’s middle names: Death Emmett Sparks. Y’all, it rhymes with “heath.”
OR, for a nice family name — my family, that is — Brushabee Emmett Sparks. There ya go!
It’s possible that I don’t take these things very seriously, but come ON! Death!
If you love the name Ethan, then I don’t think you should let the New Workplace Boss association get in the way. NewBoss will be in your life for, essentially, a moment of your lifetimes, while Twotopus will be in it eternity. Would-be-Ethan will never, ever be “Ethan, who we named after NewBoss”. He’ll just be the “Ethan” from the day you decide (if you do) to call him that.
Or, failing that, I think Liam is a really cool name and when I have my second son (who is not even a twinkle in Anonymous Sperm Donor’s eye yet)(I read The Secret too, I know how it works), he’ll be called Liam. Today, that is. Tomorrow, obviously the best boy’s name evah! will be something else entirely. Because that’s how this choosing a name bizzo works.
I like off-beat names, so my top three are Kjel (pronounced Chell), Ceicil and Alastair. Other favorites are Duncan, Stockton and Abraham.
I have an Ethan and an Aiden and a girl named Quinn. I wanted a Liam, but my husband wouldn’t go for it. We almost settled on Leo, but that might be kind of out there or grandpa-ish for some.
On another note, I HOPE your last name is SHARKS because that would be just plain cool.
My two sense?
River, Isaac, Owen, Broderick (Brodie/Brody for short), Heath, Miles, Nelson, Hudson, Ryder, McGuire, and because I’ve always had some sort of attachment to my Dad’s name: Guy.
I love the name Miles, but I guess Riley and Miles kind of sound goofy together. Miles was a top contender for me before I found out I’m having a girl! We are up a creek, because we had tons of boy names we liked, but are really struggling with girl names.
I recently met a guy named Aubrey - not sure if that’s what you are really looking for but since you liked Audrey for a girl. Riley and Aubrey? Hmmm?
I concur with the Griffin suggestions but that’s only because that’s the name I would like to use if we have a boy this time around.
I understand your struggle…not easy picking a masculine but cool, not too popular but not too odd boys name.
Chaz
Chase
Aris
Holden
Before we even started trying for kids, my husband liked the name Oliver but I scrunched my nose at it. Then when I actually got pregnant–before we found out the gender–I had a bunch of dreams about a little curly-haired boy, and the name Oliver grew on me more and more. Now I have a real little curly-haired Oliver and I can’t imagine having called him anything else!
Naming another human being is quite a task. Whatever you decide will be just right for the little guy. :)
I tend to think one should steer away from anything too trendy. Names like “Mackenzie,” “Madison,” “Caitlin,” and “Zoe” all sound really dorky to me for that reason because there was such a fad for those names in 2004-07. Names like “Blake,” “Chance,” “Hudson,” “Ranger” and “Ryder” all sound (to me) way too much like they’re the names of male characters from a really bad romance novel. They belong on dreadful dust jacket blurbs: “Then she found herself falling for Chance Maxwell, a man with a reputation as a bit of a cad and a bit of a rake. Yet his eyes seemed to pierce her very soul.” “Could callous ladies’ man Ryder Corrigan finally understand her the way no man ever had before?” “Will saucy Brianna ever be able to tame Hudson McConnor’s fierce pride?”
My husband’s name is Nathan. He goes by Nate. It’s a great name — manly, brief, solid, untrendy, slightly unusual but not weird or hard to spell. I like the names Frank and Mark for the same reason. Jack is a good name. Aaron is nice, not too trendy.
I’m suprised no one mentioned Dylan. Maybe it’s too 20th century? I have always liked Jackson, but I don’t have kids, so what do I know about such things? Just wanted to add that I went to school with a Fabian, a Zepplin and a Santana. I also have a friend that really pushed for Vader as a middle name for his son. His wife said no way to that.
Kyle
Kirk
and my all-time favorite ever
Joel
But hubby would only agree to Joel as a middle name. Moot point since we had two girls — and that was back in the day when you were “surprised” — none of that fancy ultrasound stuff for us!
I will second (or third, I don’t know, I didn’t read that far in the comments) Gavin. I also really like Kade or Cade but not Cayden.
I like Jake, think Dexter is cute but not very realistic, and am in LOVE with Owen. Especially when you put it together “Riley and Owen” “Owen and Riley”
Ethan could be Evan instead.
Joel?
Jack?
Andrew? (Drew or Andy)
Evan Emmett Sparks. Joel Emmett Sparks. Jack Emmett Sparks. Andrew Emmett Sparks. Just tryin’ ‘em out.
My favorite of your list is GARRETT.
Some names I think would sound lovely with the middle + sounding of your last name:
-Gregory
-Dalton
-Clayton
-Carson
I like Luke and Grant, too.
Charlie, Nathaniel (Nate), Logan, Henry, Jack, or Quinn. I have known and loved little boys with all these names, if you couldn’t guess.
Maverick! Nah, too Top Gun sounding. How about Emmett Wade? Now that I have my two boys I haven’t even thought about boy names. If I were to have another boy *shudder* I’d pick something traditional like James or Joseph. The first thing I thought of when I read Emmett was The Muppets, how about Kermit?
Just kidding.
My son is just a few months younger than Riley and I’m expecting another one in April (don’t yet know gender). Our son’s name is a family name that I absolutely LOVE (of course) and I don’t know why everyone doesn’t name their boy babies this name. My heart hurts just a little whenever I hear another boy with this name - stupid and selfish and weird, I know, but I feel like it’s MY name. Anyway, to get over this stupid thing I have with my son’s name, I’m sharing it with the world, well at least Sundry readers. I think it was already mentioned above - just once, and not the way we spell it. Are you ready?
Greyson
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. And Grey is such a cute nickname, although I’m really not a big fan of shortening names. We use the full name, for now.
If this next child is a boy, I will never find another name I like nearly as much. But, I’m trying and here’s what I’ve thought of for boy names:
Either Wesley or Weston
Again, a family name. I like going with family names (assuming you like the person you’re naming after).
So, there you have it. My list is short. I am too picky with names. I hate that about myself. I never have “lists” - it’s always just one or two names.
Benjamin. I’m not for trendy names, but I do like Keegan as well. Good luck deciding!
My favorite on YOUR list is Ethan….. I also love the name Tyler and so far no one has metioned it. Goes well with Emmett too…..and with “sounds like Sparks”.
I don’t like trendy names. Perhaps that makes me boring. The funny thing is I met a 24 year old Keegan just yesterday at the bank. Also, one of my daughter’s friends is named Keegan. I thought this was very odd because I had never before met a Keegan. If we had had another boy we would have named him Benjamin Emmett. My son’s name is James Christopher. I was dying to use my husband’s name (Leonard Scott, or a variation of) for a boy but he wasn’t having any of it.
My short list for boys:
Addison
Aidan
Benjamin
Evan
Gavin
Harrison
Ian
Jasper
Parker
Riley
Leif
Liam
Tate
Zane
But, I also have to speak up for Cody. I’ve always liked the name, and I know several grown men named Cody and it never occurred to me that it was a non-manly name.
Whatever you do, don’t do Jake. I am a teacher and Jakes are EVERYWHERE.
DEXTER DUDE!!!
I’m loving these names lately:
Hayden
Reid
Lucas
Jackson
Eli
Do any of these grab ya?
I’m like you and like Jake but not Jacob, but I think the perfect alternative to this is the name Jackson (could be Jack for short, but doesn’t have to). And, IMO, it goes great with Emmett and coordinates well with Riley.
Also, my son’s name is Max and I still just love that name. Maxwell is actually his full name.
I’m also loving the names Henry and Charlie these days.
I love playing with names, even though I’ve got no intention of having somebody to use them on anytime soon. I went to the Social Security website and the top ten most popular names for 2006 were:
Jacob
Michael
Joshua
Ethan
Matthew
Daniel
Christopher
Andrew
Anthony
William
I’m not sure if you want to avoid a name that’s overwhelmingly popular, although some of these are pretty classic recurrents - Daniel and William would work nicely with Emmett. I like Luke a lot also, and Timothy, and also Mark. Ooh, and David. My husband has a family name that’s really unusual - Green - and if I had a boy I’d probably try to work it in as a middle name.
ooh i love the baby naming game. in my spare time i actually really enjoying looking up different names, their origins and meanings. you seem to like names with an irish/celtic sort of “bent.” i must say i have always adored the name ethan, but what about some of the following (and i tried to pick ones i hadnt already seen listed here)?
declan (with the awesome bonus of having the nickname “dex” and being sorta like dexter, only not…)
rowan (my friend just had a son and named him this)
colin (i also have a friend, cullen, which is similar)
nolan
blaine (also, blaise)
neal
caleb
gabriel
derek (possibly influenced by the fact that its my best friends name!)
brendan (or brennan)
emory (which is actually a boys name, but i always thought it would make a lovely girls name as well…)
I really like the name Garrett.
Cody sounds like a pet name to me as I once had a dog named Cody
Some other names I really like
John
Nathaniel
Mason
Callum
Britton
Oliver
Owen
Aaron
I’ve always loved the name Cody. Out of all those names, I like that one best!
Umm…without choosing my favourite name ever that I’m saving…(I don’t think its one you’d particularly care for anyway)
I also really like Nathan’s nickname of Nate…
- Aidan
- Max - this one is funny. Our friend (male) and his wife just had a kid called Max, and he went to fill in the birth forms. They asked for a middle name and he couldn’t think of one, so he just put “Danger”. As far as I know, they haven’t denied it yet
- Nikki
- Kendal
- Timothy
- Caleb
- Connor
- Damian
My cube-buddy Matilde is pregnant with a boy, and every day I come up with at least one terrible name from our list of patients to give her. She first repeats it back to me in English, then with a Spanish twist (as her parents speak only Spanish, and it has to sound good with them, too, and then she tests it out to see how it will sound when she’s yelling at him to stop whatever he’s doing.
My fave so far? Purvis.
For you, though, I’d go with yesterday’s name, Dragos. Or Ethan…
:)
Well, Tyler sounds good alongside Riley. Digby Yourlastname sounds like a cool spy, but Do Not Name him Digby! And more congratulations to you!
Gage Emmett Sparks.
- Janet in California
Please, no Cody. I hate it for a dog, cat, mouse and especially a little boy. Um, Kathy Lee named her son that, which should be enough to make you run far, far away. Please. Casey is another option? No more. You guys have to hand over naming rights.
What about Oliver?
So what’s WRONG with Garrett? OK, I’ll give you Garrett Emmett, something that sounds like Sparks, doesn’t work. Our last name ends with “son”, so any of the first names that end with “n” don’t work for us. One we never used but I always loved was Rhys. Pronounced Reese. One of our cousins almost used Nolan. I loved Nolan! Didn’t work for us, because of the last name, but I loved it with theirs. We go for uncommon, but not weird. “Er” names are interesting to explore, too. Ya know, Walker, Cooper……names like that.
Also look at family ethnic background or a family geneology chart, if you have one. We found our youngest son’s middle name in a family history. Came up with a cool name, and honored a whole side of the family at the same time. It was supposed to be his first name, but when we discovered that no one would pronounce it correctly, we made it his middle name.
Oh heck! I forgot to tell you my trick for testing out names. Imagine hollering the name of a three year old as he runs away from you in Bellevue Square. You have to use all three names. If you think you sound like an idiot yelling the name, out it goes!
Ooh, but Karey is right…….Owen Emmett sounds like “Sparks” rocks my world!
Sawyer
Eli or Elias
Silas
Avery
Jonas
Luke
Patrick
Seamus
Finn
Noah
Charlie
Our second turned out to be a girl (who we named Genoa) but if she’d been a boy, we would’ve named her (him) Isaac and called her (him) Zack.
Oh my god these people love baby names. I wanted to chime in to say that you shouldn’t worry about how many so and sos will be in his Kindergarten class, because you never can tell. My brother’s idea was to look at the top 3 or 5 names of the year and veto all of those. I teach Kindergarten and I have a colleague who has three Ivan’s this year. So like I said you never can tell.
My vote goes for Emmett as a first name, or Nicholas. Because the name Nick with a short last name makes me think rock star.
Jason (my son’s name)
Joseph
Mason
Colin
Martin
Grant
Rowan (my daughter’s name… but totally a cool boy name)
Blake
Michael
Can you tell us why you chose Emmett? That is a great name.
I am having a boy also. My husband is Italian so we wanted to go with an Italian name Rocco Nicholas. Here is our list of Italian names in case you want to get crazy. ;)
Rocco
Luciano
Marco
Lorenzo
Alfredo - This was my husband’s choice not mine
“Anderson” comes to mind. I also like Max, but it doesn’t seem to go with the middle name.
Man, the baby naming thing is so personal. But it is my favorite conversation. So I’m adding my new favorite boy name: Tate.
owen
luke
ted
owen is my #1 and i think it sounds adorable with riley, as well as “sparks”
Love
Drew
Josh
Logan
Never met a Drew that wasn’t handsome and charming.
Craaaaaap. Someone mentioned the name I’m saving for myself. Here, let me distract you: MacGyver. Or Chuck. As in Norris.
HEY! My husband is a Casey but that is just because he goes by his last name. :) He doesn’t like “Erik.”
I like the name Xander - short for Alexander. :)
I also like “Logan” but not for Veronica Mars - but because of Mike Logan in Law and Order!
We have boy names picked out for the very distant future - Dylan and Aidan. Cute!
Many of these sentiments have been shared, but I have to throw in my 2 cents:
-Do not let it rhyme with Riley
-Don’t like Garrett Emmett also for rhyming reasons
-I think Keagan/Keegan is awful
-I think Casey and Cody are also awful
-Could definitely use Jake without Jacob and it is a great name
-I think Jake, Jackson, Jack, and Finn are great, hot names, and my favorites mentioned
-Theo is also great and I think Riley and Theo sound really good together. Theodore Emmett sounds really good too
-Here’s my throw in: Gus.
i luurve the name arlo. don’t think my fiance will go with it though. actually, i kind of DREAD the choosing of names things because i have a kid already with an unusual name, and so i kind of favour the ‘unique’ names so he doesn’t grow up feeling like the odd one out. i think my fiance is a little more conservative though… normal names and all that.
last time round though, my ex suggested we name the kid balthazar. so theres always that to look forward to not going through again :P
Well, the obvious choice for this one would be Joshua. It’s a lovely name that many fine leaders through out history have held.
Of course I understand if you feel ambiguous about naming your child after such a lofty and ambitious lineage. Maybe he will end up being a jack ass who posts arrogant comments on the serious blogs that strangers post online in the future. I mean who the hell would do that? Seriously?
But no joke, I’ve always wanted to name my own son Noah or Luke. I really like those two. I’m not sure you should be asking for outside opinions though. This is a very personal thing that you and JB should work through on your own. I’m just gonna say from personal experience that Lorne is not a very cool name to grow up with. And maybe you should stay away from names that rhyme with “squash”.
Xander. I can’t believe I forgot Xander. One of the coolest kids I know is named Xander, and the name is pure bad-ass.
I really like the name Teague! I have an amazing, good-natured little boy named Teague in my preschool class (which, incidentally, is comprised of 14 boys and 5 girls), so now I like it even better than before.
Other (student!) names that I like:
Mason
Alexander
Cameron
I feel like too many people name their children cutesy kid names without remembering that those children will someday be ADULTS, and while Kaylee may be cute for a 5-year old it might be a bit hard to swallow as a doctor or a lawyer, you know?
I KNOW, I AM A BITTER PESSIMISTIC OVERGENERALIZER.
My favorites which have already been suggested by others are:
Plus I like Grayden… (I like how it sounds but not that spelling although I can’t figure out how I would like it spelled….
Also, my favorite boy’s name of all time is Tobin.
Okay drop these in the hat…
Teigan/Teagen/Tegan however you wanna spell it, it’s like Keagen but less trendy
Taryn (spell it like that so people can’t call him Terry)
Cadence shorten to Cade or Caden or as the kids in my son’s class say : Caydie or KD
Don’t be afraid of the feminine sounding names, one of the most charming,masculine men I’ve ever met was named Ashley
A friend recently named their baby Jones (nickname Jonesie), with a single syllable last name. No one thought it would work, but it really fits.
My sister is a nanny for a boy named Dash. Yep, you heard right. As in “The Incredibles”. Super cute lil blondey just like the movie…
Sayler & Sawyer are cute but both start with S…
I happen to know a guy named Brookes and love the name. Everyone assumes it’s a last name/nickname thing though
When I hear older names like Charlie, Frank, Willy, Tommy, I always think of someone friendly and good natured. Can’t go wrong with that.
I personally like the name Reggie (boy or girl). Even though it has the 2 R thing I think it sounds good with Riley because it sounds more traditional less trendy than say Reagan and Riley
I’m excited to hear the final verdict!
The poster whose name rhymes with “Squash” is absolutely right, this is a pretty personal decision so I’ll be amazed if a blog commenter suggests something you’ve not thought of. But, stranger things have happened I suppose!
I’m surprised that 2 people have suggested “Tanner.” That’s my mother’s maiden name and if I had ever had a child (either boy or girl), that was going to be the name. I think it’s not too trendy, not too weird, and not very common either.
Now we’re all going to be excited to hear the final choice. You have this way of keeping people coming back to the blog!
Joseph.
Jake. Garett Emmett? No, JB. Sorry dear- that’s a tad much. :)
I also like Cody- too cute!
Oh oops- I thought you were getting opinions on those names. Haha, don’t mind me, I’m not reading blogs at work or anything. *shufty eyes*
My boy names, which you are free to pilfer:
Brandon
Gabriel
Jay (Ok, I’m biased, it’s a family name, and my husband’s!)
Logan
Kirk
Samuel
how bout Spencer? Aidan..Nathan..Landon…or Lucas.
when i think Garrett, i think Leif Garrett—not a pretty baby mental picture!
Gah!
In my personal experience as a teacher, I would never name a boy Ethan or Aaron….bad times, bad memories.
I LOVE Emmett I think that would be a great 1st name. Jake is my 2nd pick (but NOT Jacob…more bad memories)
While I like the name Luke, I can’t stop tee-heeing at the thought of you shouting it (with your surname) across a crowded room!
Like Garrett, and Emmett but not together. Dexter will likely be teased. Dislike Cody, Casey, Keegan, Grayson, Brady, etc. Jake is fine and stands on its own. I would stay away from anything that even remotely rhymes w/ Riley. Ethan is nice, but totally understand about the boss.
W/ Riley, I like Mason, Jordan, Owen, Blair, Sam, Carter, Zander, Nolan, Adam, Cooper, Finn, Ian-most of which would work great w/ Emmett as a middle name (Sam only if Samuel, I think).
Best of luck!
Jack (not John like my mother insists), just Jack.
Boy, everybody sure loves a good baby-namin’ session!! My husband and I had such an awful time with boys’ names too. We’ve also decided to keep the sex a surprise until the D-Day of March 1, so my preparations have gone into overdrive.
Our pick? Colin James.
Other contenders that my husband mostly hated but which I fiercely love:
-Benjamin
-Isaac (LOVE this one)
-Luke
-Nolan (which I think sounds pretty fantastic with Emmett, BTW)
Good luck… it’s so much fun naming.
SUNDRY! I’ve already told you this, but we just had our second boy in July and named him Emmett!! Emmett is a great name. Obviously, I’m biased, but yay for Emmetts!
Our other boy (who is a few months younger than Riley) is named Calum. It’s also an old Irish name like Riley and Emmett, and it means “calm.” It’s also spelled Callum or Colm. We pronounce it /Cal-um/ but it can also be pronounced /Caul-um/. We call him “Cal” for short. What about Calum? Calum Emmett? How’s this for tooting my own horn? Lame, I know.
I really love the names Grayer and Liam. Wish I had more little boys to use them for!!
Congrats on the new suspicious willy making!
My hints for names are:
Mason
Cameron
Lucas
Rhys
Dominic
Leo
Hayden
All sound good with Emmett as a middle name as good with “Snarks” or whatever your surname is! lol
You know, people read other peoples’ blogs because they have something in common or feel a connection. For a long time now, I have wanted to name my kid Emmet! The only problem is that my husband hates the football player Emmet Smith and well, without giving away my anonymity, I married into Smith. So my two cents is Ethan since the double E sounds really good. And besides, I just named my kid Elliot and E names rock!
I thought of another one, but it will again be in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer realm. Alexander, but Xander for short.
Xander Sparks
Xander Emmett Sparks
I LOVE that.
No Cody, Casey, Dirk, Hunter, Tyler, Lance, Stone, Brick etc… It all sounds either too ambiguous or possibly a little flakey. Or soap-operaish.
Garrett is my nephew’s name, but I call him G-Money. So I like that name.
Grayson was our choice for a boy. After Dick Grayson, boy wonder. My husband is a total Batman geek. But I like it.
These are the three I love personally:
Grayson Emmett ‘Sparks’ is good
Maxwell Emmett Sparks or Max for short.
Jonathan Emmett Sparks
I love Jackson. Thats my sons name. But for a second choice I would choose maybe….. Chance?
Jaden
Jeremiah
Evan
Erik
Jack
Theran
Thoren
My cat’s name is Elliott. =D
May I just say that the whole Aiden permutation trend is driving me nuts. I normally don’t get so up-in-arms about what people name their kid, but this Brayden Jaden Kayden Caden crap must stop. Aiden is a great Irish name, though now frightfully over-used. All the other ones are horrifying to me, and none of them sound like boys, honestly (and you’ll see them on girls too). Ick.
Cody has always been a bad choice. Three words: Kathy Lee Gifford.
If you like Ethan, Nathan might be a good cousin to it in terms of sound. It’s not matchy matchy with Emmett and I’ve always liked the shortened Nate, too.
Casen, Connor, Parker, Hunter
Remy (doesn’t go with Emmett-but must include)
Rory
Gage
Gator
Ari
Jackson (nickname “Jax”)
I’ve already put in my 2 cents, but I wanted to mention the name I love, but hubby vetoed: Xavier.
I haven’t seen it in previous comments, so I thought I’d comment again. :)
If DD #2 was a boy we were going with Jake (our last name is an “S” name also). Jake NOT Jacob. I love this name so much I would ALMOST consider a third pregnancy to try for a boy.
There is no law that says you need to use Jacob - Jake Emmett sounds awesome, IMO.
Since I have an interesting/uncommon name, names are one of my very favorite topics. So even though you already have 175+ comments, I’m still going to give my two cents.
My favorite boy names are Owen (my baby boy’s name) and Jackson or Jack which was my first pick for baby boy, but my husband disliked. Which ended up being ok because Jackson is becoming very common.
OOh… I think Samuel is really great too! And maybe Louis?
More that I remembered from my short list when we were trying to think of a name for our son. I tend to go for normal-but-quirky names. I do not like trendy or made-up sounding names; makes me think of soap opera characters.
Spencer
Oscar
Oliver
Perry (my husband said he would be called “Perry the Fairy”)
Jack
You’ve already got a ton of suggestions - and I haven’t read most of them - but anyhow, my suggestions are thus:
Jack
Max
Dexter (yours, but I *love* “Dex” as a shortened version)
Alex
Congratulations, Linda & JB!
Linda - I just adore your writing. Keep up the terrific work!
What about Colton?
I personally love Emmett for the first name, much like the first Amy way, way up there. It’s different, as well as strong.
Good luck!
Love your writing style and your blog and am compelled to give me $0.02 along with everyone else on this particular topic :) I like classic names that aren’t common; i.e. I would refrain from naming my child Calculator or Yoga (well, maybe for a middle name?!). Maybe ask Riley for suggestions - you could have a kid named BaPa.
Luke (Lucas)
Ramsey
Brock
Evan
Connor
Reed
Cameron
…I am sure I will think of The One right when I submit this post :)
GOOD LUCK! I look forward to seeing what you guys choose.
In my daughter’s preschool last eyar and kindergarten this year…
Braden
Grayson
Graydon
Ethan
Evan
Joshua
Jared
names to either avoid because they are overused, or use so your child will fit right in. :)
Garrett Emmett… I agree that this name is unfortunate.
I love my sons name, Christopher but I also like Trevor for a boy too.
Our boy pick was Avery. It’s kind of reminiscent of your Audrey for a girl (which I love, BTW).
People sure are opinionated about what you name you own child. The Internet is funny like that. Do you think people would tell you to your face that they thought your favorite name made them think of a dog?
Good luck; I hope you will tell us what you decide before the arrival.
kolby
We had a hard time naming our boy so I won’t be much help. I’ve wanted to name him Aiden for years. Then it got all popular so we tried to find something different. Didn’t come up with much that we liked so in the end we said screw it, we’re using Aiden. I don’t know anyone in these parts with that name anyway (hello conservative Indiana!).
Like Emily, when I was growing up I also had a list of kids names. We were having such a hard time deciding with our boy that we consulted my 2nd grade diary. First on the list? Mumfred. Thank you, past self!
My all-time favourite names are:
Baird (pronounced Bay-ired)
Eben
Zed (my oldest friends let me choose this name for their boy)
George (I love this name)
Alec
Hector
Augusto
Finnbar
and then you are to imagine yelling them across the playground to see if you sound stupid.
Or if they will increase the likelihood of a beat down from the other kids, take my word for this I once knew a boy named “Mervin”.
I agree with Erin here “Cody has always been a bad choice. Three words: Kathy Lee Gifford.”
I have more!
Ian
Daniel
Cary (like Cary Grant!)
Rohan (hee)
Elphard ….. just kidding :)
You listed Jake but don’t like Jacob - which is exactly why we named our #2 Jake, not Jacob :)
Good luck - you have a lot of great suggestions here to put on your list.
It is also funny though, I wanted a name that couldn’t be shortened into an annoying nickname, and I ended up calling Jake, Jakey! Go figure
I really like the Dexter/Dex option, too (and I’ve never seen the show…yet.) What a thing for me to delurk for, though!
I’ve been thinking about boy names lately, since I’m newly knocked up and pretty sure this one will be another boy
Favorites:
Jared
Evan
Nathan
Adam
Dexter is great, too!
i think it would be awesome if you had a dexter and he was super cool. if he was nerdy he might get beat up on the playground. but i can totaly imagine you having a little dex. i think emmett is such a great name to work with and sounds well with other strong, masculine names. jackson is my favorite boy name. i secretly hung onto it for ages and now it’s getting popular, dang it. my fiance’s name is william and i LOVE it. and he has a ver;y masculine, old-school middle name too. i love declan too. i wouldn’t have thought of finnigan but now i’m loving that too. and oliver. also great.
Oh, I LOVE names! Thanks for asking for input.
My top choice for a son, should I have one someday: Gareth.
Know peole who just named their daughter Finley. I smell a trend.
Speaking as someone who grew up with a nickname — I HATE having one! If I had a child, I would never saddle it with a name that lends itself to nicknames. After years of being “Kim” I just cannot suddenly become “Kimberly” because it sounds so stilted & formal now, but I dislike my childish nickname. Sigh.
Finally, FYI but Vanity Fair’s Oct. issue has a Vanties article titled “Know Your Asshole Footprint.” It’s broken into age groups, and for the 14-25 group, one item asks if your name is “Skyler, Tyler, Taylor, Cat, Bryce, Morgan, Brandon, Braden, Hayden, Jaden, Brianna, or Keegan.” Your kid will be much younger than this, but it sounds like these (or very similar) names continue to enjoy much popularity — judging from previous comments — Keegan especially. Sorry, but I don’t like these trendy names & Vanity Fair doesn’t seem to, either. :-))
“Rufus” has actually started to grow on me of late.
My son’s name is Kevin Cory. Kevin Emmett isn’t bad. :o)
I wanted to add that I don’t consider Riley to be trendy.
And I’m not the Mandy who went off on “Cody.”
Our (my) current choices for the Boy That May Be In My Belly are
Graham (Current fave, inspired by Gram Parsons)
Dashiell
Dean
Also had a lot of Beatles on lately, and this one is also a maybe:
Desmond
This boy’s MN must be David in our family. Dean has too many grade-school insults that rhyme with it (weenie and meanie come to mind), but oh, what a great big-boy-man name! Strong and easy to pronounce.
I love Dashiell, too, sooo much, because Dash is such a badass nicknane. However, it’s French and should be pronounced da-SHEEL, and I don’t know how I feel about Americanizing ethnic names and calling him DASH-ul. ‘Course, my daughter’s name is Hebrew and we don’t pronounce it that way, either.
Alas, I ramble.
All my names were chosen to go with “David”, though, and “Emmett” has that vowel sound, so maybe you don’t want a
Grammett
Deanemmett
Dashlemmett or a
Desmondemmett
running around. You’d have to rely on wordwide good enunciation.
Maybe I’m no help at all.
Emmett would make a great first name! It’s unique but not “too” unique, it sounds nice with Riley but not matchy, and didn’t you mention that it was a family name? You both like it enough to be sure you’d want it as a middle name, too. Just another 2 cents (or 50,000 or however many the comments are up to now!).
When you mentioned Garrett, it made me think of Bullock, from Deadwood. Seth Bullock kicks ASS! ;) Who wouldn’t want a kid named after Deadwood? ;)
…although Vermixy made me laugh and I had to Google it, but it turns out you’re the first human in the world to ha