Names we didn’t use

Why is naming a tiny human so hard? All three of our kids have been nameless for the first day or two in the hospital because we have such a hard time deciding on a name and being sure about it.

We finally settled on Westley this time around (after Ben and I had a 24 hour debate on how to spell it. Wesley vs Westley – “The Princess Bride” spelling won out in the end). I had decided on the middle name of “Scott” long before we figured out a first name and, for me, it mostly came down to which of our favorite names worked with that as a middle name.

The names we didn’t use make me want to have another 10 boys just so we can name them all. In general I gravitate toward strong, classic, or historic names

Favorite boy names we didn’t use

1. Reed: This was the very first name I threw around for this baby, doodling it while coloring with the kids back in the spring. No one else loved it like I did and once we decided on a middle name, I didn’t love how “Reed Scott” sounded.
2. Emerson
3. Bennet
4. August: If the baby wasn’t born in August and if we could guarantee he wasn’t called “Auggie,” this might have been baby’s name. Both Ben and I have liked this name since I was pregnant with Lincoln.
5. Oliver: This was one of the final two names Ben and I agreed on in the hospital. And then Ben looked up the popularity of the name Oliver and we decided on Westley.
6. Anders
7. Pierce: This was another one I loved and ditched when we decided on the middle name Scott.
8. William
9. Warren
10. Grant
11. Anderson
12. Ellis // Ellison
13. Carter
14. Merrick
15. Madison: I really love this name for a girl or a boy – but I have a sister named Madison and I think a girl and a boy in the same family might be a bit much.

 

from last time around (when I was pregnant with Lincoln):

• Harrison
• Landon: this was my top pick for Lincoln…and four years later I’m glad we went with Ben’s choice.
• Bentley
• Benton
• Kennedy
• Easton