As I said in my last post I recently rebuilt my favorite names list from the ground up and discovered several new favorites along the way.
In this post I'll be talking about my new top 25 favorite boys combos and why I like them.
My Top 25 for Boys
- Edmund Laurence - Edmund has been a favorite of mine for a while and I wrote a whole post on it once. Laurence honors my paternal grandfather who I was named after so it's a very special name to me. Recently I've loved this combo more and more, it just seems so handsome to me. I don't like the nicknames Ed or Eddie but recently I've been liking the nicknames Mund / Mundy and a guilty pleasure of mine now is the nickname Mud / Mudd, silly I know but I still think it's rather cute.
- Ciaran Michael - Ciaran has been at the top of my favorites list for many years and although I put it further down on my list I find I cannot give it up altogether. Michael is my surname and although it's a bit common to use as a first name I really like the idea of using it as a middle name.
- Nathaniel Welcome - Nathaniel is a family name that I've come to love quite a lot in recent years, I like this spelling because it is the one used on my family tree and fairly easy for most people to remember. Welcome Shippee is the name of my dad's four time great-grandfather who was a Quaker during the time of the Civil War - the story goes that although his faith kept him from actual fighting he joined his local Infantry and tended their horses. Anyway, I like the story and the name is a unique one that my parents and sister seem to like as well so I'm proud and happy to add it as a middle name for further consideration.
- Silas Matteson - I had Simon toward the top of my favorites list for quite a while but I've recently started to think it sounds a little too posh and less of a favorite but I find that Silas is growing on me more and more lately. Matteson is a family surname that I like rather a lot.
- Mark Douglas - Not too long ago my parents and I were discussing names and my dad mentioned that he liked short and strong names for boys like Mark and since that discussion I haven't been able to get Mark out of my head so I'm trying it in my top five combos and finding I'm starting to love it. Douglas is my mom's stepfather's name and he's such a special part of our family and makes me like the name more and more.
- Emmett Simon - Emmett is one of those names that I've liked for quite a while, probably longer than Edmund (what a thought!), I find it quite handsome and thankfully it's not very popular in the USA although it does seem to be in the UK and Ireland. Simon honors a family member and I can't get rid of it altogether so I'm using it as a middle name which seems to work well.
- Pearce Colin - Pearce is a family surname (sometimes pronounced like "purse" but I prefer the "Pierce" pronunciation) which has been growing on me lately. I usually put Pearce as a middle name but I'm liking it more and more as a first name so I paired it with my father's name Colin and although the name don't quite flow together perfectly I am rather liking it.
- Elias Matthew - Another E name that has slipped into my top 10. I'm not a huge fan of Elijah but so like Elias which is the Greek version, and I've noticed that this is one of seven names that end with -s that I've added this time around. I love Matthew but because of some associations I probably won't use it as a first name, it does make a handsome middle name though!
- Aidan Stone - I know similar sounding names are quite popular right now (aka Hayden, Caden, Brayden) but to me Aidan is different, it's such a handsome Irish name and with my grandmother's middle name / family surname Stone the meaning of combo is "fiery stone" which has always been quite handsome to me.
- Henry Tilney - Okay, yes this combo is a bit cheesy but I recently realized that the real reason why I love Henry is because of my favorite Jane Austen hero, plus I couldn't quite come up with a clever middle name for Henry so I just went with the full on Northanger Abbey reference.
- Eamon Matthias - Yes, another E name! I love Eamon because it's the Irish Gaelic form of Edmund and it's just so handsome. I usually pronounce it EE-mon instead of generally accepted AY-mon pronunciation. I can never decide whether I like Matthew or Matthias better so I've included both on my list as middle name.
- Gideon Levi - I love Biblical names and Gideon is one of those that always feels fresh, youthful and handsome to me. Pairing it with Levi might be too many Biblical associations but I do love the sound of the names together.
- Benjamin Asa "Ben" - I've known a few Bens but recently I've been (haha!) thinking about what a dependable sounding name it is, it's wonderful historical connections (like Benjamin Franklin) and how I haven't heard it used for younger kids as much lately so I've added it to my top 25 to try it on for size. Asa is one of my mom's favorite Biblical names so I always enjoy including it and it makes this combo unique.
- Ian Kenneth - In the discussion on names where Mark was talked about I mentioned Ian and my dad sort of shrugged and said it was pretty much just "John by any other name". While that's true I'm realizing that I do like most of the John related names (Ian, Evan, Owen, Hans, Ewan, Eoghan, Sean, Jack, Hugh, Ioan, Johann and even Jacques) but this Scottish version is still my favorite. Kenneth is not only a Scottish name but it honors uncles and grandfathers or great-grandfathers on both parents families.
- Roderick Theodore "Roddy" - Roderick honors the last name of the first elderly lady I cared for so I like the idea of using the name to honor her, but I've also started liking Roddy more and more recently. Theodore has also been growing on me but it also honors the elderly lady's first name.
- Kieran Dermot - As much as I love Ciaran I do have this thought in the back of my mind that the original Irish spelling might be too difficult for most people so I've added the Kieran spelling to my favorites list. Dermot is just another favorite Irish name.
- Ezekiel Peleg "Zeke" - Another E name that has really been growing on me lately, especially with the nickname Zeke. Peleg is an obscure Biblical family name that I've always liked and enjoy including on my list.
- Titus Abel - Titus is almost as much a favorite as Silas but it does seem to have a tad harsher sound to it. Abel is another Biblical family name that I just love.
- Callum Neil - I love Callum because it has a similar sound to my other favorites Ciaran and Colin and means "dove". Neil is another Irish name that has been growing on me more so I paired the two together.
- Sebastian Luke - Sebastian is so handsome and I've always liked it with Luke as a middle name.
- Garrett Keagan - I like Garrett a lot and it reminds me of Emmett - Irish and incredibly handsome. Keagan is another favorite Irish name so I've paired them together this time and while it's not my favorite combo I do like it.
- Declan Miles - Declan is one of those Irish names that I've always liked but some times seems a little too posh but I'm giving it a try paired with Miles which I also like but not really as a first name.
- Jack Willoughby - Again I love me my forms of John and although Jack was originally a nickname I really like it as a full first name. Willoughby is such a charming name and it makes the combo so cute. The similarity of this name to the villain of Sense and Sensibility is purely unintentional (well, almost).
- Crispin David - Crispin has the same meaning as my mom's maiden name and I've liked it ever since I read a book whose hero was a boy with this name. David is my dad's middle name and it's also a name on our family tree. C names and E names - my list is full of them! :)
- Tiernan Rhys - I like Ciaran / Kieran / Kiernan but Tiernan recently caught my eye and I've been liking Rhys too so added it to the list and it seems to make a nice pairing.
Do you like any of these first name / middle name combos?
Are there any of these names you might consider using for a son?
Do Edmund and Ciaran sound good for brother's names?
