I’m going to come right out and say it: we still don’t have a name. This has lead to a bit of stress in our home, especially when you consider that – all the way back in February – Heather had already written a post worrying about our inability to find “the” name. So what’s the problem? If you were to ask Heather she’d probably nod in my direction, and though I hate to admit it, in a lot of ways she’d be right.
Girls’ names, for whatever reason, are easy for me to think of. In fact, before we knew we were having a boy, Heather and I had already agreed on at least a dozen potential girl names that we both thought were beautiful. This, despite having already come up with two terrific names for our daughters.
But boys’ names are impossible. Heather complains that I have an (often ridiculous) objection to every potential name, and she’s not too far off. Here’s a conversation we had last night:
Heather: “What about Gavin?”
Me: “Nuh-uh. That was the name of the kid Michael Jackson was accused of molesting.”
Heather: “How about Carson?”
Me: “No way. Everyone’s always told me I look like Carson Daly. I’d never live it down if I named my kid Carson.”
Heather: “What about Jeremy then?”
Me: “Eh, there was a Jeremy in high school who bullied me.”
Heather: “Oh. Well, at least that’s a more reasonable objection.”
Me: “Also, Jeremy’s spoken. Aaaaaaaaa-eeeee! I literally wouldn’t be able to look at the kid without thinking of Eddie Vedder.”
You’re probably annoyed with me after reading that exchange, so you can imagine how Heather feels after suggesting hundreds of names. All of my objections aren’t ridiculous, though. Most of the time the name just doesn’t feel like my son’s name, if that makes sense. Other names, like “Liam,” are tough for me to pronounce (I had speech therapy as a kid for “L’s” and “R’s”).
There is one name I like. It’s a name Heather suggested months ago, and its been the only one that’s seemed right. But Heather has grown less enamored of it over time, and says it doesn’t click in the way Madeline and Annabel did.
I asked Heather what she’s looking for in a name, and she mentioned it would be great if it could have three syllables and be able to shorten into a two syllable nickname (like Madeline/Maddie, or Annabel/Annie). That would be cool, but it only makes the search even harder.
I’m really not sure at this point where the right name is going to come from. Heather has a hard time believing that I’ve done a lot of name searching considering I’ve only liked that one name, but the truth is I’ve looked at thousands of names. I’ve refreshed websites that suggest baby names until they’ve started to suggest things like Sisyphus. You know you’re in trouble when you’re up at three in the morning and saying, “Sisyphus Spohr” out-loud.
My hope is that if Heather and I keep thinking on this we will have a moment of inspiration and settle on a name that we both love. We’ve still got six weeks or so… but the clock is ticking!
Lauren says:
I’m a pretty big fan of Emerson. Which just means son of Emery. Emmy is usually the shortened version, though I have a friend whose nephew has his shortened to Sonny (which I’m not quite as much a fan of).
Also had a family friend growing up called Talyson, though not sure what you would shorten it to.
Lisa says:
I was totally going to suggest Emerson….Which is our sons nam….I think it’s such a cute name as a boy and would make a very strong name as a man….I just LOVE it! I loved Jackson or Johnston too!
Brenda says:
I was going to say Emerson too. I love that name for a boy.
TracyKM says:
I like Emerson, but now know an Emersyn….a girl…it seems like all the good, strong boy’s names that end in “son” (meaning, really, SON of…) are being feminized by spelling it differently
Annalisa says:
I know a girl named “Emerson”, no spelling variations. In fact, that’s the only “Emerson” I actually know.
It’s not even the only case of a boy’s name on a girl I’ve run into. Back when I did daycare (half a decade ago), there was this adorable 3 year old little girl who I thought was named ‘Alice’. Nope. Her name was “Ellis” and she was named after grandpa. Her parents just pronounced it ‘Alice’ (I thought that was pretty clever, actually).
Jodi says:
I have twin girls: Emerson and Ellis. We call them Emmy and Ellie!
Leah says:
I chuckled at your Jeremy exchange! I wanted to give my son the middle name Patrick, my mum is Patricia. But my partner vetoed it and we went with Jeremy instead, which got on the list via that song!! It was a compromise days after his birth and I have long wished he’d agreed to Patrick. Just yesterday I watched Jeremy on YouTube and totally fell in love with the name again even though it’s a bummer of a song. I feel like it is a link to my youth LOL Sorry about the bully but yay for all the much loved Jeremy’s named after the song LOL
Amy says:
What about Theodore “Theo”? I think Maddie, Annie and Theo sound sweet together
What are the girls names that you liked, just out of curiosity. I am due in July and I am stuck for names. I love your girls names though!
Good luck naming Baby boy Spohr!
Elizabeth says:
Or Theodore, with the nickname Teddy? Like from “Little Women”? I love the nickname Teddy for a boy.
C. says:
Theodore Spohr? Noooooo.
karen says:
Ha! Amy, I was just going to ask about their girl names too! We’re stuck too (due in September) and have the issues with 2 different foreign accents and like Mike, there are some letters I still can’t pronounce perfectly even though it seems like I’m the only one who notices. Annabel is on our short list though we have a long last name and kind of prefer even shorter first names…
Heather says:
I’ll make a list of all my girl names – I should name other people’s daughters professionally, LOL.
karen says:
Thanks
I’m pretty sure being a baby name consultant or something like that is a real job for someone!
Tara says:
Please help us too! We have to name twin girls and are totally stumped! Ack!! And they can come anytime now!!
I find it easier to name boys but our top pick was Liam.
Jen says:
It has always been my dream to have twin girls and name them Ruby and Violet!
Tara says:
Oh my goodness…Ruby and Violet were my top choices initially!! How funny!!
We still like Ruby but DH doesn’t like Violet.
Shelly says:
Please don’t do Ruby and Violet. I’m a twin, my family has 11 sets of twins, lol, it’s really not a big deal in our family. But twin names? Ack!! My sister and I don’t have twin names, but our uncles shortened them and they are twin names, lol. We do have twin cousins 9 days older than us and they have the exact same name, one goes by Rob and one is Bob (made up to protect the innocent, but you get the point). As a twin I think twins each need their own identity. Just my two cents. One more thing…I read a couple books many years ago and no one could tell the twin characters apart….so they called both girls “BlairHouston” for Blair and Houston.
Maria says:
I like the name Carson, and for a long time thought if I had a son I would like to name him Carson Zachary. I still think Zachary is a pretty good name too, and it fits your 3-syllable criteria. As a “Saved By The Bell” fan I have to take this opportunity to suggest you consider Zachary Morris Spohr.
Mommy says:
Ha ha Zachary Morris!!! What about Chanandler Bong??
Sarah says:
That’s *Ms* Chanandler Bong
Mommy says:
Lol, my bad!!
Heather says:
This is my favorite comment thread EVER.
Lilian says:
I had so many 3 syllable boy names lined up when I was pregnant with my 2 girls, but obviously never got to use them. So just for fun, I’ll list them here. They all go beautifully with ‘Spohr’. Benjamin, Jonathan, Cameron, Broderick, Alexander, Donovan, Theodore, Zachary, Oliver,
Dakota. Sorry if I’ve confused you even more? Hey, if all else fails, you could stick with Acrobat. It does have three syllable’s!
Lilian says:
PS. My all time favorite boy name is Jordan.
Jennifer says:
Loooove Benjamin. Sounds good with Spohr, too!
Meg says:
I’m a huge fan of Benjamin — I just think it’s such an awesome, strong boy’s name. Benjamin Spohr has a good ring to it — and Ben is the best! I love the name Ben. Never met a Ben I didn’t like, actually.
Tia says:
Benji is a cute Benjamin nickname! And Brody is cute as a short form of Broderick. And traditionally Jack is a nickname for Jonathan. Oli as a short form of Oliver?
Laraine says:
Maddie, Annie, and Benji? I mean… I think you kind of have to do it.
Chessie says:
I love Alexander, with Xander as a nickname.
Annabel Vita says:
I’m an Annabel and my brother’s name is Joseph, they go quite well together (and we can both be Annie / Joe).
This website http://www.babynamewizard.com gets readers to put in siblings of the names that they know for Annabel (http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/girl/annabel) they have Benjamin
Caleb
Charlie
Jack
Jacob
James
Jordan
Liam
Oliver
Peter
William
(Madeline is on the girl’s list!)
And for Madeline they have:
Alexander
Austin
Benjamin
Carson
Cassidy
Henry
Jack
John
Michael
Rusty
Ryan
Samuel
Thomas
Tyler
William
I’m in love with the name Frederick / Freddie / Fred at the moment but can’t use it with our surname…
Annalisa says:
I feel your pain. In my case, I’m the one who vetoes everything. I mean, we’ll have had 10 years of marriage to prepare for having to name a boy, and we’ve been discussing it that long (having always known boys’ names are more of a pain in the butt). We do have a failsafe family name for the boy, but neither one of us is enamored of it. That said, having a fail safe name in case we don’t reach an agreement by the big day (we do have five more months to go) has taken the pressure off a bit. We may never bridge the divide between Tristan and Spike, but in that case at least my dad will be more than happy to have a grandson named after him, even if it was no one’s first choice (his name is not bad, just… blah).
I also hear you on Jeremy. Jeremies are either annoying jerks or terrific people, but alas we happen to know one of each. I had to veto it on principle, because the I couldn’t get past the association with the one guy who happened to annoy the crap out of me.
Lilian says:
hahahaha, this cracked me up. SPIKE SPOHR !!! Love it!!
Annalisa says:
Here was my answer to the husband, which Heather can feel free to borrow: “The only way you ever get to name a kid Spike is if I’m no longer alive. Did I mention I plan on living FOREVER? No. My bad.”
(Likewise, the husband ruled out Tristan as “A sissy name. Do you want our kid to get beaten up DAILY? I don’t think so.”)
Lilian says:
hahahaha Annalisa! Awesome!!!
SA says:
Tristan a sissy name? Has your husband ever seen Legends of the Fall!?
karen says:
How about the old classic Michael? You know it works already and it can be shortened to Mikey when he’s small and Michael for when he’s in trouble!
Annalisa says:
Sometimes guys don’t like to have their kid named after them. My husband has absolutely ruled out his name (Christopher/Chris) as a pick for us, despite the fact that I love it. Something about it being so common he knew a ‘gazillion’ kids with his same first name. Can’t say I blame him, since the opposite was true for me, and I did like not having a super common first name as a kid.
Jenny says:
My husband is Michael Jr. and he wants to name our baby Micahel III. I am adamently opposed because as a Jennifer I want to avoid a popular name and also because I don’t like when people in their 30s are still called Little Mike. He is refusing to consider anything else. I am not due until Nov 1, so hopefully he will change his mind if we find out it is a boy in a couple months. We are totally set on a girls name though.
For your purposes though I really like Jackson, Cooper, and Zachary. Also I have a friend who’s son is named William and called Liam. There are tons of nicknames with William.
Annalisa says:
Tell him he can have Michael as a middle name. I’ve vetoed Michael, Matthew, Thomas and John as a first name for much the same reason, even though they’re perfectly good names and don’t run in either of our families. Maybe we’ll use one as a middle name if it goes with that unattainable first name…
Jenny says:
Annalisa that is actually okay with me and I have suggested it. No luck though. So far he is sticking with Michael as a first name. LOL! Good luck!
Elizabeth says:
Evan!!!! It means a gift from god!!!
Plus it’s a form of John and isn’t very common!!!
Evan Michael Spohr !!!
Annie and Evan!
Mommy says:
I love the name Evan!
traci says:
Love it! (as if my opinion matters)
Darcie says:
If we get a vote, I LOVE Evan Michael
Amree says:
Julian Michael “Ian” Spohr
RzDrms says:
Yes. This. Or Jackson Alexander (Jack) Spohr. Jack for short. Maddie and Annie and Jackson. Heck, name him Jacksonville if you need three syllables and then shorten it to Jack.
How about Elias Jackson (Eli) Spohr?
Tina says:
Ever since finding out you were having a boy, the Acrobat has been Jack to me, I think Jackie would be honored
Jennifer says:
I was thinking this same exact thing. They could even shorten it from Jackson.
Meg says:
Agreed! Jackson, and Jack for short. Awesome.
Auntie_M says:
Sisyphus Spohr?!? Shortened to Sissy…or Siphy?!? LOL
Mike!! You’re hysterical!!! I can think of a few 4 syllable names that can be shortened to 3 if you like names like Nehemiah or Ebenezer or Zachariah.
Chris says:
I’ve wondered about that as a way to honor Jackie too. I also, personally love the name Clyde, it was my grandfather’s. However, my husband is xyz the V so there would never be ANY room for discussion on boys names around here.
Eddy says:
I like the name Nicholas. The nickname is Nicky or Nick.
Aubrey says:
I was going to suggest Nicholas. I personally have a Nicholas/Nicky, Kaitlynn/Katie and a Madilynn/Madi. I was right there with you with the syllable/shortened name thing. Being an Aubrey I never had a ‘real’ shortened name. My friends took to calling me Aubs in high school which I hated! I wanted to be sure my kids had real names. Not that Nicky is, but his friends all call him Nick he has told everyone only *I* am allowed to call him Nicky.
Mommy says:
Boys names are HARD. We agreed on a million beautiful girl names with both of our pregnancies, and both times we learned we were having a boy, we were stumped. It’s really tough to find a name that us cute for a baby and a little boy, but strong and not cutesy for a man. Plus you don’t want trendy or overdone either!
How about Nathaniel? 3 syllables and can be shortened to Nathan or Nate?
Whatever you guys pick will be a great name- you are really great at picking amazing baby names!
Annalisa says:
I second Nate. That’s a great name!
(Notwithstanding the fact that if I totally had my way on naming a kid, I lean toward ‘Willard Van Orman’ some days…)
Mommy says:
Excuse the typos, it’s too late to be typing. Also, I forgot to add that my hubby and I considered Jeremy but he said the same thing about Eddie Vedder. Yay for growing up in the 90’s!
What about Matthew? Alexander? James? I love classic names as you can tell.
Nothing against the trendy last name as a first name thing at all- I think they are cute names, but as a teacher I see SO many each year that I lean toward the timeless names.
Jennifer says:
Nathaniel is perfect! It can be shortened, as mentioned above, and it means “Gift of God”. I’m big on baby name meanings. I have 2 boys myself, so I surely feel your pain.
Hayley says:
I realllllly wanted to call my son Nathaniel, Nate for short but it was votoed We finally agreed on Reuben.
Maddie says:
I’ll lend you our son’s name? Archibald, shortened to Archie, it’s an older name like Madeline (which is mine!) and Annabel, it’s almost impossible to spell wrong too, which helps.
Other than that I do think with a single syllable surname, again like ours, you need at least two syllables in a first name.
I honestly wouldn’t stress about it. I was adamant I wasn’t going to name our son until we had hung out with him for a little while, his name will come when you see him.
Kate says:
Samuel. nickname Sam/Sammy. Maddie, Annie, Sammy. Madeleine, Annabel, Samuel.
Amy S says:
Sam Spohr sounds like a reporter. I love it
Auntie_M says:
Or a detective!
Lisa says:
I was excited to leave a comment and tell you we named our little guy (who is now eight) Emerson. But, I noticed the first comment suggested that too!!!!!! I don’t often hear that as a name. I think it’s such an awesome name so I thought I would share. Our other son we named Camden….Good luck, I’m sure what you pick out will be perfect!!!
anne says:
if it helps, we went into the delivery room with three boys’ names and when Daniel came out, well . . . it was just so obvious he was Daniel, all doubt fell away. we did have to pre agree on the nickname since I was pullied by a Dan in my past, so Danny it was. so maybe when you see the Acrobat, it will help!
arianne says:
sometimes you just need to meet the little man to know for sure; we had three names on a short list for my son – Merrick, Joss or Chance. When the little man arrived, he had a full head of spiky blond hair, and was clearly and obviously a Chance. Never had a regret.
Vicky says:
Yeah OK, the names I’m about to suggest have mostly all been mentioned – but all longer names that can be shortened
William
Jonathan
Benjamin (my son’s name)
Frederick
Jefferson
Stephanie says:
I would suggest Benjamin. It fits with your three syllables and you can shorten it to Benny. And that flows Maddie, Annie and Benny.
Annabel Vita says:
Benji is another two-syllable nickname for Benjamin.
Courtney says:
That’s what I was going to suggest! I have a Benjamin who goes by Benji (he’s Annie’s age).
Julie says:
Mike, my husband did the same thing. If he ever knew anyone with a name, he could not then name our son that name. Strangely he did not feel that way with our daughter. Oh well! They all get named eventually!
Kylie says:
I like Oliver Three syllables and can be shortened to Ollie – two syllables! Maddie, Annie and Ollie!
ashley says:
Love Oliver/Ollie for them! Perfect!!
Kristen says:
I also have a Nathaniel and so think it’s a great name, and while I don’t agree with whoever said above that “Nathan” is a nickname for it (they’re two different names, and I hate Nathan), you do have another option besides Nate: Nat or Natty! (Like Nat King Cole, or Natty Bumpo)
Mommy says:
I have a Nathaniel and we call him Nathan sometimes. It can be a nickname if you want it to! We also call him Natey Nate and the Natertot too.
Kristen says:
I should’ve phrased my comment differently – I’m aware that people sometimes call Nathaniels “Nathan,” I just don’t like it or agree with it. It almost made the name a dealbreaker for me b/c I was afraid of people calling him Nathan which is a name I hate and an entirely different name on its own. Luckily nobody has made that mistake.
Mommy says:
We had the opposite problem- we liked Nathaniel and Nathan, so we went with Nathaniel, figuring he could chose what he wants to be called later- Nate, Nathan, Nathaniel or Nat. It’s a great name! ps. His brother can’t pronounce it yet so for now, he’s “Mafaniel”. Ha ha!
Sarah says:
Wow, I had that exact same issue with my Nathaniel (Nate). I did NOT want him called Nathan. Thankfully the only time it came up was the NICU months, and finally I told them to write it on their charts that his name was not Nathan, so stop it lol.
Mommy says:
To each their own- I love the name Nathan and only suggested it as a nickname because they asked for a 3 syllable name with a 2 syllable nickname option. Nathaniel is a beautiful name and I’m sure your Nathaniels are adorable, Sarah and Kristen.
Rachel W. says:
My husband is a Nathaniel, and he sometimes goes by Nathan, but it’s pronounced Na-THAN, as opposed to NAY-than, if that makes any sense. Some people do call him Nate, too.
Auntie_M says:
How about Jackson Alexander?
Or~for 3 syllables~ Jacksonville Alexander.
Nickname Jacksie. Or Jackie.
(I obviously like the middle name Alexander and want your son to somehow be named after Jackie!)
Or… Jamison. Nickname Jamie.
Or, come to think of it, Alexander is 3to syllables and the nickname could ne Alexi.
Or Sebastian … nickname: Seabass
Or I would be honored to pass on to you my precious nephew’s name: Demetri. Our Demi.
Whatever you choose will be perfect for your little Acrobat!
ashley says:
Bahahaha Seabass! Really though, Sebastian Spohr would be pretty awesome. You could call him Bastian! Neverending Story style!
Auntie_M says:
Love the Bastian idea!!
Jennifer says:
LOVE Jackson Alexander!
Auntie_M says:
Oh! Nickname could be Jax (like Jacks but the x from Alexander )
Tracy says:
My husband came to the table with terrific suggestions like “Thor” and “Hercules” for a boy. And “Frau” for a girl. It could be worse, Heather.
Sarah says:
Ahahaha. Thor Spohr!
Casey says:
LOL @ Tracy! My husband did the same thing. He came up with Wolverine and Magnus. They turned out to be Isaiah and Elijah.
Heather says:
BAHAHAHA!
ashley says:
Ignatius Spohr nicknamed Iggy. Maddie/Annie/Iggy all have double consonants! Caspian Spohr nicknamed Cappy? I love Caspian. Alaric Spohr nicknamed Allie? Annie and Allie? These are all suggestions from my secret baby name message board’s “Obscure Names” list. You can also go to the ssa.gov site and ask it to pull the top 1000 names for any given year and print them out and then go through crossing them off. That’s what we did.
Madi says:
I don’t understand HOW you pick out a name in advance.
Tried it and failed.
Kids. Pets. Never works!
It just never “fits” no matter how much I love the name. I’ve even tried to force it — doesn’t work.
(Case in point: we got a Jack Russell pre-named Daisy. It didn’t fit. At all. We really wanted “Lilybeth/Lily” and tried it for a few weeks, but she’s not a Lily or a Lilybeth. She’s a Fiona/FiFi. Funny part is *she* never liked Lily/Lilybeth. The moment we said “Fiona/FiFi” she was sold — she actually perked up and yipped! And she started responding to the new name within a day, after refusing to go with Lily (or Daisy) for a few weeks!LOL)
I’ve come to realize that everyone has a name that they’re meant to have. A name that *fits*. But it’s one of those things that involves appearance and mannerisms and personality, so you really need to meet ’em first!
Actually, I think this idea was probably engrained in me very young.
How’s this for an odd family tradition (and this SERIOUSLY does win for oddest family tradition): In my family, when you turn 13 in my family, you pick your new first name. (Your old first name becomes your middle….or you can buck tradition and opt to keep it if you’re boring like my brother).
So when I was 12, I literally went through name books to pick out my name. And oddly, like all the naming processes I’ve gone through as an adult, the name just jumped out at me. I knew it was “it.” I didn’t particularly LOVE it — still don’t — but it fit. It was me. It was right.
So indeed, a big fan of picking the name that fits. I say wait until he arrives and let him “tell” you his name!
(But don’t let him pick his name when he’s 13. Because that’s just strange. It was fun to pick my name, but not keeping up with that tradition for my kiddos!)
Madi
Elaine says:
I LOVE this idea! Although given teens, it could be kind of scary, too.
Madi says:
I know it! Very scary when it comes to teens! LOL
I don’t think I’ll carry on the tradition with my kiddos, though if I did, I might bump up the age to 16 or 17, rather than on your 13th birthday (so you’re 12 when you pick it out.)
My mom had ultimate veto power, though. And she didn’t hesitate to use it when I wanted the name Cori. I’m glad she vetoed it, as it totally wouldn’t fit!
I loved the name Harmony too (not so much anymore), but it didn’t “fit” (and it totally wouldn’t fit now! Oh my goodness no.)
The only suckey part was school/peers. School wasn’t a fun experience. Try explaining to your middle school-aged peers that you’ve legally changed your name! Nobody actually made fun of me (to my face, anyways), but everyone definitely thought it was super strange. Especially since Madison and other last name-type names weren’t a popular name back then.
The strangest part is I don’t remember living with or being called by my old name. I’ve had my new name for 18 years now and it’s like I’ve always had it!
@Annalisa — I love Gracie for a little grey cat!
We actually have a little grey cat who came to us as a feral. We named her Eliza — again, didn’t love the name, but it totally fit.
Then, a few months later, once we had tamed Eliza and brought her indoors, we got a really good look at her hind quarters and that’s when we saw them. NUTS!
Eliza is a boy!!!!!
But her name is so fitting! And even 2 years later, it’s hard to believe she’s a boy, as her mannerisms are so girly. (Calling her “he” feels so wrong!) So we have a grey boy cat named Eliza.
Madi
Annalisa says:
We had the same issue with one of our kitties, Gracie. She was so tiny she didn’t have a name yet, and my husband insisted on Storm as a name. She never cared for it. One day I just got fed up of her ignoring me that I called her “Gracie the little gray cat”. She stopped in her tracks, took a look at me and meowed. It’s almost like she was trying to tell me “Oh, good. You finally got my name right.” She’s been Gracie ever since.
OTOH our other kitty was pre named for us, and his name totally fit him from day one. His foster caretaker sure knew him well!
S says:
Ethan Maddie Spohr. I’ve never commented on your blog before but have followed it for years. Love the name Ethan and the middle name will be a fitting tribute
Annalisa says:
I’d change it to ‘Maddox’ or the like. I’ve had enough male friends with a middle or third name that was a girl’s name (usually some sort of wish fulfillment for a mom who got stuck with a brood of boys and no little girls!) to know that no matter the reason, even having part of a name be ‘girly’ can a sore spot for some guys.
Mommy says:
Or maybe middle name Alex as a tribute to “Alice”- both for Maddie and Heather’s grandma?
Jen says:
I have an Oliver and a Benjamin and they are frequently called Benny or Benji and Ollie. I agree that boy’s names are hard! I always thought I would have girls and coming up with girl names was just so easy for me and my husband. When we found out we were having Oliver, our first, I was so stumped. Even more stumped when we were told Benny was a boy too! Good luck!!!!!
Leslie says:
My all time favorite boy’s name, which we never got to use (two daughters and three granddaughters) is Jorah.
The only Jorah I have ever known is the son of a former traveling animal doctor in our community, and I’ve known him since he was a year old. He has become a wonderful adult, hus band and father, and active member of our little town.
I love that name!
Aimee says:
I don’t know if you guys have tried nymbler.com, you enter your favorite names and it will generate a list of similar names.
A name forum like ebabynames.com may be helpful too
kim hartman says:
Maddie, Annie, and Johnnie.
Jonathan Michael Sphor.
that is my vote.
Mommy says:
I love Jonathan too. Little Johnny? So cute!
sb says:
Also, Annie knows how to say ‘Here’s Johnny’ really well!
Mommy says:
Ha ha, yeah she does! Also John for John Lennon…
Side bar, my hubby recently made a slideshow of our baby boys to the “Beautiful Baby Boy” song John Lennon wrote for his son, Sean. Omg, I cried for hours. And it totally made me think of you Spohrs and your beautiful baby boy to be! So excited for you!
Heather says:
This made me LOL! So true!
Maris says:
Carter. Noah. Ryan. Jordan. Benjamin.
D says:
Sounds like a job for: http://www.swistle.com/babynames/
KeraLinnea says:
Ha!! I came here to post that– “Better get Swistle on the job!”
Heather P. says:
Adrian Michael Spohr
Kim says:
How about Anthony Michael Spohr?
Sara Mc. says:
Here are some names from my family – my brother’s Patrick Andrew and William Lawrence. Patrick was my dad’s name, who went by Pat. William’s name was my grandfather’s. His sons names are Braden Patrick and Jordan Scott. William is a huge Michael Jordan fan, so he got to pick Jordan. Braden was a hard pick for them. They couldn’t decide on what to go with but finally picked Braden. Right now he’s Brady, unless he’s in trouble. Both names fit them. Good luck with your naming dilema. My mom has 6 kids, so I know it can be tough!
laura says:
Everett or Joseph?
Amy K says:
Everett was going to be my suggestion too. It was the name of one of my great-grandfathers, and if I had a son, it would definitely be in the running. Some others with three syllables: Nicholas, Timothy, Sullivan, Elliot. And my very favorite boy name: Felix. I love the meaning and the sound.
Marie says:
I suggested a name a few weeks ago on here that I saw on The Baby Story. His name was Ethan and I amped it up with Ethan Michael. Your welcome! lol
Actually the only one I had trouble with was the third son and that’s because he didn’t fit either of the names we had picked out. My oldest was named for my husband – his middle name – and so that was a non issue. The second was named for Jeremiah Johnson but we shortened it to Jeremy. Some people call him Jer.
Good luck and I’m really thankful you guys made it to week 32. I already read Heather’s post for today.
Hugs from snowy Minnesota
Marie
Paulette says:
I love the names Adam and Christian, so how about Adam Christian Spohr! Annie and Adam, see, it works.
J in Eire says:
I love Oliver and Theodore, both very classical names that can be shortened as children. I have two girls but my boy name has always been Alfred shortend to Alfie as a kid..
Tia says:
We fell in love with the name Remi with our 3rd baby. We felt like it was a good kid name, but not for an adult. So we named him Remington Guy and I’ve called him that maybe 5 times a year. 90% of the time he’s called Rem, but at preschool he goes by Remi.
Good luck with finding the name of your dreams. I know you’ll find one! (they don’t let you leave the hospital wihtout one):)
Katherine says:
I love Benjamin, Jefferson, and Jonathan. Bennie/ Ben, Jeffy/ Jeff, and Jonny/ Jon.
E says:
Elias or Elijah/ Eli
Jen says:
I’m convinced our son was named before he was conceived. Our daughter was a different story. No set name until we set eyes on her then it just clicked (we did have a list of names we liked but couldn’t settle on one). My vote would be Jonathan. Jonny when little, then Jon as he grows up. Maddy, Annie, Jonny… I like it :). Good luck! (He will have a name, try not to stress too much about picking it ahead of time)
Terri says:
What about Jack Michael… Or you could go with my boys names.. Nicholas & Blake. Good luck! It will come to you sooner or later.
Lisaj says:
I like Trace. It doesn’t meet your name requirements, of course, but it’s a play on “tres”, or three.
That being said, I love Alexander, too.
Kim says:
Girl names are so easy. I had tons. Boy names are HARD! So what did I have? Boy, girl, boy. My boys’ names are Rhys (“Reese”) and Ryder. I love them now but it took a while. My daughter’s name is Schuyler (“Skyler”). They are the only ones in their school with those names.
In my humble opinion, choose something off the beaten path. LOL
Jenny says:
These don’t fit all of the criteria but I really like Ryan Spohr. I even had a bad boyfriend named Ryan, but I still really like the name.
Julie says:
Joshua/Joshy… perfect!
Amy S says:
What about Jolyon (JO-lee-in) with the nickname Joly?
Trisha says:
I like Anthony Michael or Benjamin Michael. You could go with Tony or Benji for the shortened nickname.
I have a special place in my heart for the name Michael, my dad was Michael Dean.
Lisa says:
I like Braden, Easton, Dax, Jackson (or Jack), and there is a little boy at my daughter’s school named Archer. At first I was like- Archer? Really? Now it has grown on me.
And the good old Nickolas. Mason too. Good luck, cant wait to find out what it is!!
Michelle says:
My husband wanted to name our son Morpheus. We, um, didn’t. So you’re welcome to take that one. He especially thought it would go nicely with the middle name “Danger”. Good luck! Can’t wait to find out what Baby Boy Spohr will be named.
Karen says:
How about Anderson? You can shorten to Andy. My boys are Andrew “Drew” and Matthew “Matty”. I kind of picked Matt’s nickname after meeting you guys on the web. I think we meet people and certain names have a warm feeling to them afterward. We found out my grandfather’s middle name was Andrew from his birth certificate. No one knew before that – so that was kind of cool since we picked it before we learned about it. Names to me should have some significance.
Shannon O says:
What about Benjamin with Bennie for short? Good luck – picking names is tough! My husband and I did the same thing. The funny thing is that I have a rare vocal disorder which I developed after my 1st child’s birth. I have a hard time with breathy sounds, so S, H and C are all difficult. We had named our daughter Sara, and I couldn’t say her name, and then our second child was named Caleb, and I have a hard time with his name too. My husband’s name is Mark and I can say it all the time, so I wanted our 3rd child’s name to start with a M. But we didn’t make the final decision until the day he was born so I never practiced it. And what I didn’t realize was the end of his name is hard for me to say… We named him Micah, and all that comes out is Mi. Uggg!! It is funny though. I still love their names even if I can’t say them.
Carolyn says:
Dashiell (Dash)
Elias (Eli)
Amy says:
I have an Oliver and call him Oli a good chunk of the time. Fits your three syllable/two syllable requirement and goes really well with Spohr and Annabel. Just my two cents. I know it is hard to pick a name that fits all the criteria, but I am sure whatever you choose will be perfect, and you will love it. Benjamin was a great choice too. You could call him Benji.
My husband wanted to name our son Thor, but Thor Spohr doesn’t really work…
Mary Beth says:
I have 4 boys- all 3 syllable nickname kids. Nathaniel (Nate) Zachary (Zach) Benjamin (Ben) and Samuel (Sam) We had also strongly considered Gabriel (Gabe) and Nicholas (Nick)and Theodore (Teddy). Best of luck to you!!!
Mommy says:
I love all of those names!!! I think I had each one on our list of favorites for our boys.
Katie says:
Elijah (Eli) Anderson (Andy) Jonathon (call him Jack- special for your friend) Broderick (Brody) Spohr is just a cool last name guys…
My husband vetoed Jeremy for the same reason. And vetoed Jonathon because he would yell it out Tony Danza style from who’s the boss…
SA says:
Abraham
Benjamin
Joshua
Anderson (Andy!)
Elijah (Eli for short)
Jonathan
Nathaniel
Sebastian
Zachary
Emerson
Harrison
Samuel
Patt says:
How about Patterson? I think it has a nice ring to it
Amy says:
What about Manny? as in Manny Ramirez who I believe was a Dodger at some point in his career??
Manny Spohr….
Karen says:
Yes – Manny, short for Manuel. He was on the Red Sox when they won the World Series in ’04 & ’07.
Great athlete, but known for poor behavior and attitude (especially later in his career, like when he was with the Dodgers)!
Amy says:
ugh… 10 minutes later, I realize… Manny – Annie. Um… no. Never mind.
Karen says:
Our little guy is Timothy – meets the 3 syllable criteria. Everyone has come up with nicknames galore, aside from the standard “Tim” and “Timothy.”
Karen says:
I meant “Timmy”
Lisa says:
I have a Timothy too! We mostly call him Timmy (he’s 4 now), but we also use Timothy and Tim. Haven’t met any other kid with his name, it’s easy to spell and pronounce and lends itself to a million nicknames. Love it!
Britt says:
Jeffery, Jackson, Wesley, Oliver, Bradley? I could also see you guys with an Isaac, Ethan or Miles but they don’t fit the syllable criteria
Sherylynn says:
Jackson & call him Jack in honor of Jackie That was my immediate thought (even tho not 3 & 2 syllables…)
Julie says:
I vote for the name Mike, a classic with nothing but good things
Rebecca says:
Christopher Michael
Or Mike, what is your middle name? Christopher (Mike’s middle name)
OR…I know it’s not 3 syllables but I love the name Grayson. Greyson….
Mike says:
My middle name is Christopher actually! So Christopher Christopher might not work!
Heather says:
But he could win American Idol with that name…think about it.
Stephanie says:
I’ve always liked the name Holden–the main character from The Catcher in the Rye. It would go with your literary names..not so much with the shortened nickname.
Here are some other options..just because I love baby names.
Alec
Hudson
Bennett
Mason
Cole/Colby
Devin
Lenora says:
Ok, it has to be said, you know the name of the kid that accused Michael Jackson??? I wouldn’t be able to name that kid if my life depended on it!
Mike says:
I probably wouldn’t either, but I just read a biography about Michael Jackson so it was fresh in my mind.
Heather says:
You can’t even believe the look I gave him when he told me that.
Bethany says:
I know it’s only two syllables but Calvin is a great name and you can shorten it to Cal.
Annalisa says:
I loved Calvin too. I knew a Calvin who was all around a great kid. But the husband ruined it by going “Like Calvin and Hobbes?” (his all time favorite comic strip).
Rebecca says:
Picking our sons name was harder then our daughters, for sure. I have no idea why that is though? lol
For us, our daughters name just ‘clicked’ with me, and ours sons name ‘clicked’ with my husband. I wasn’t even sure about his name until we laid eyes on him, and then I knew it was right. If there’s a name you just can’t get out of your head, it’s probably the one you should go with. We like weird names though, as our kids names prove- Orrie Michael and Eliza Rose.
Melanie says:
My oldest is Madelyn. If my second-born had been a girl he would have been Annabel. His name is Carter. I actually don’t think it goes that great with his sisters, Amelia and Madelyn, but my husband was set that that was his name – and I think it suits him well!
clara says:
My husbands family.
Thaddeus (Thad) my husband
Maxiumus (Max)
Broderick (Brody)
Shadrick (Shad)
Dad is Augustus goes by Auggie or Gus
I’ve always love Geoffrey or Jeffery
Lindsay says:
LOVE LOVE LOVE the name Theodore as it fits so well with your naming trends but also love Jackson in honor of Jackie!!
Sonya says:
I haven’t seen this name anywhere so far, so I’ll throw it out there. Atticus. My daughter has a boy in her class named that and at first, it seemed like a lot of name for a boy, but now I love it. He is totally an Atticus. And I know you are a fan of great literature so the “To Kill a Mockingbird” reference is not lost on you, I’m sure. Annie and Atticus, Annie and Attie? I don’t know if it has a nickname, but it’s cute. I’m curious to see the final name choice!
Sara Mc. says:
My brother has a friend named Atticus. What a great name and very fitting for him. Close friends do sometimes call him Attie.
Jordan says:
I’m really late on this conversation (as in they’ve-already-had-and-named-their-son late!) But I was reading through some old posts and came across this comment. I’m a massive bookworm, and TKAM is my all-time fave book. Ever since reading it I’ve wanted to name a boy Atticus!
If I ever had twin boys (wishful thinking, and wayyy down the road!) I’d love to name one Atticus and the other Augustus, for another literary character (more modern though- From John Green’s book The Fault in Our Stars) Attie and Auggie. Just makes me smile thinking about it!
Ciara says:
What about Harrison, Andrew( Drew is so cute!), Christopher, Finnan or Fionnan ( showing I’m from Ireland! can be shortened to Finn) Callum ( to Cal) , Frederick, Edward, Joshua or Henry ( I know it’s short but it is classic and can be Harry too) hope you find one soon!
Ciara says:
And another few, I love benjamin, Donnacha, Owen, Thomas, Colin, Matthew (matty) Daniel, Oisin, Greyson an I know this is short and from Gilmore Girls but it’s an Irish boys name that I think is really nice, Rory
Patti says:
Here are two old fashioned, southern names you never hear that I just love and both would sound great with Sphor:
Grady
Dewey
nicole in sd says:
My son is Jameson – Jamie for short. Love it.
Allison says:
Boy names ARE hard! So many great suggestions on this post already, though, and I’m sure you’ll find the right name. I think Harrison with the nickname Harry would be adorable, but really any one of the names mentioned above would be great. Good luck!
Jennifer says:
With the last name of Spohr which I think is a cool surname, 2-syllable names (whether shortened or not) work best. I love the idea of honoring Jackie but Jack Spohr does not sound right. Therefore, I love Jackson as a middle name. So here are some ideas (remember Mike that no matter what you name him…he will become that NAME and he will become the only person you think of when that name comes up):
Three shortened to two syllables:
Alexander Michael Spohr (Alec/Xander)
Adrian Jackson Spohr (Ian)
Elias Jackson/Michael Spohr (Eli)
Elijah Jackson Spohr (Eli)
Names that sound good with Spohr:
Ryan Spohr
Brian Spohr
Eric Spohr
Tyler Spohr
Noah Spohr
Evan Spohr
Leah says:
How about Ezra Jack Spohr (like the children’s book author Ezra Jack Keats)?
Jacqueline says:
Do you have to pick his name before he’s born? I could not name my babies without meeting them first. My husband and I settled on a middle name beforehand (each named after a family member), but we went to the hospital with a list of first names we both really loved. We named each of them on the day we went home from the hospital (much to my impatient mother-in-law’s chagrin). We absolutely love their names and that we met them and then picked their names.
Annie says:
Tobias, nn Toby. LOVE IT.
EJC says:
When I was pregnant, I suggested the name Alice to my husband and he looked at me like I was crazy. I hadn’t stopped to think that our last name is Cooper.
Missy says:
What about Gabriel? Gabe as a nickname…
Andrea says:
I can totally understand where Heather is coming from, I wanted a good name for my son that would be strong, could be shortened and sound really cute when strung together with his middle name (I blame that on growing up in the 80’s with too many Cabbage Patch dolls as a little girl!). So Alexander Clayton(a nod to Alexander the Great, and Alex P. Keaton in a small way (!), and Clayton after my dear Grandfather who is one of the best people I know. I wanted him to have strength and honor behind his name, and it was especially important because he was a preemie!). You two will do a great job finding just the right name for your new bundle of joy!
Beverly says:
How about Nathaniel and call him Nathan?
Lisa F. says:
Great minds think alike! I thought of this too as I was nearing the end of the post.
Beverly says:
pdxhadey says:
I am going to suggest one of my brothers’ names, which fits Heather’s 3 syllable name preference, and is probably one you haven’t considered: Rafael. It’s a strong, masculine name, and can be shortened to Raf or Raffy (we call him both). It also sounds great with your last name… Rafael Spohr! Good luck with the naming process. It is SO hard!
Melissa says:
Didn’t read through all of these suggestions but wanted to add Weston (or just West for the shorter name)…I also like Wyeth
Carrie says:
Benjamin!
Jess says:
I just wanted to throw some less common names out there. I’m sure you have gone over so many, so I am not going to suggest more common/traditional ones. I also am not sticking to 3 syllables and not all have nickname options.
Thayer
Remington
Zephron
Garrison
Zane
Dayton
Paxton
Keaton
Clayton
Daxon
Owen
Lauren says:
What about Harrison?
Harrison Spohr sounds cute!
Dominic
Henry
Maxwell
Jude (I know you like the beatles!)
Quentin (Quinn)
Wesley/Weston
Charlie
Greyson
Beckett
Bennett
I don’t know if any of these would spark your interest, but I thought I would suggest a few! I’m sure that whatever name you end up choosing for him it will be a great one!
Opus says:
Harry Spohr? Say it out loud before you go there.
Faith says:
What about Julian, nickname Jules or even Jude? I guess it doesn’t have the two syllable nickname, BUT It has the added perk of being John Lennon’s son’s name, and that would probably be a selling point for you, Mike!
Christine says:
I love the name Harrison or Harry. But why not be traditional and name him after you?
Nicole says:
Just wanted to share my son’s name, because I love it and the meaning behind it.
With him being my third son, and last child planned, I knew I wouldn’t have a daughter.
My husband has read the name Colson in a book, and mentioned that would be a name we could use to name a son after me (Nicole’s son).
So, Colson Henry he is. We call him Colson, Coley, and Colsey.
Stevie says:
I’m going to share with you the name we had picked out for a boy if we ever had one. Sadly, my husband’s cousin picked the same name to call her son. I was devastated…super silly, cause who has the claims to a name? But still, two boys in the same family with the same unique name? It wouldn’t be right. So…I won’t be using it, but I do love it. And the nickname is pretty badass
Lincoln (Linc)
Lincoln Spohr. It has an air of prestige to it.
Kathryn says:
Julian (Jules or Jude) Spohr goes well together!
Or a Spohr Junior and call him Michael
Alexander (Alex) sounds really cute with Annabel/Annie
Thomas (Tommy) Spohr also sounds great together
Or Jackson and call him Jack which would also be a nice tribute to Jackie
Shawna says:
As a fellow Beatles fanatic, Mike, I couldn’t help but think: What about the obvious names of John, Paul, George, or Richard? (I assume Ringo would be a little TOO unusual), or the last names Lennon, Harrison, or McCartney? (I don’t think Starr or Starkey would be a good name, but hey, whatever floats your boat!). Alternatively, some other Beatles-related boy names are Jude, Desmond, Maxwell, Julian, Zak or Zachary, Sean, James, Jason, Asher (after Jane Asher), Brian (as in Epstein), Peter (as in Pete Best), and Stuart (as in Sutcliffe).
Good luck!!
Jamie says:
Elias or Elijah: Eli
Jamison: jamie
or Oliver:Ollie
Jamie says:
Elliot could also be an Eli.
Jamie says:
Jamison could also be nicknamed Jamas/Jamis.
Gwensarah says:
Thing is about nicknames ending in a ee sound is that it’s fine if they carry over into adulthood for girls but the guys I know sometimes wish it hadn’t. That being said, if I had another boy I was going to name him Morgan and call him Orri as a nickname (I like the way it sounds, it’s the name of the drummer of Sigur Ros, win win)
Gabriel Spohr sounds awesome as does Julian Spohr and while Jules and Jude are the usual nicknames I do know a Julian that is called Jack. And Julian Gabriel (or reversed) ties in the end sounds of both Annie and Maddie’s names.
Kristen says:
I have a 7 year old Benjamin, and I still adore his name – it was one of the only boy names I liked. Strong, masculine and works well at any age. He also goes by Ben or Benny (I don’t like Benny but some of his school friends call him that).
I have a good friend who’s son is named Jack, and she calls Jackie (Jacky?) as a term of endearment. That might be a special name for your little guy? Or maybe too much of a reminder?
Sara says:
Benjamin! Nice, old fashioned, three syllables. The only bad things is Ben is only a one syllable. But all of the Benjamin’s I’ve known have been great men.
Alison says:
Benjamin
Cameron
Nicholas
Joshua
Daniel
Dominic
Sullivan
Donovan
Elijah
Everett
Isaiah
Jonathon
(I googled ‘3 syllable boy names’)
Sarah says:
In the library story time group is a little dude named Gunnison. 3 syllables, Gunner/ar or Sonny as possible nicknames. Like another commenter, at first I thought ooookay… But now it kind of sounds cool. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison (a national monument, I believe), the Gunnison River, and the small but fairly groovy college town Gunnison are all in South/Southwest Colorado.
Sarah says:
Also, please, for the love of Irish whiskey, if you name him Jameson, do not spell it Jamison. I’d consider it a personal favor! I just think it looks more masculine… And its the way I spell my son’s middle name.
Kathi says:
I have a Benjamin and an Alexander (Ben and Alex), and still love their names after all these years (Ales is 19, Ben is 10). Strong masculine names that sound good as babies, kids, and then adults. Lots of nicknames from both too.
I think we have similar tastes – my girls are Melanie Alyssa and Kristina Marie – sound similar to your beautiful names for your girls!
Good luck – I check in every day to see how you’re doing!
Kathi
Kathi says:
Oops – Alex, not Ales…
hdj says:
Please google “nicholas cage SNL baby name skit”.
Vickie Couturier says:
I like Victor Andrew Sphor,arent you guys glad you didnt let us name your son,lol
Jenn says:
I looked some up too….
Christopher (Chris/Topher)
Mackenzy (Mac)
Anderson (Andy)
Indigo (Robert Downey JR’s son’s name)
Elijah(Eli)
Elias (Eli)
Maximus(Max)
Cassicuss(Cass)
Matteo(Mat)
Malaki (Ky)
Tobias(Toby)
Sawyer
Asher
Grayden (Grady or Gray)
Keaton (Keats)
Cullan
Kieran
Baylen(Bay or Bailey)
Samuel(Sam or Sammy) – My youngest son’s name.
Addison(Addy or Adam) – Adam is my oldest son’s name.
My brother’s name is Jeremy which I couldn’t say so I called him “Germy”.
Good Luck!!!
AprilG says:
Brody Michael Spohr.
Summer says:
How about Cameron, call him Cam, Cammer, Cam Cam. I’m partial to that name since I gave it to my son 23 years ago.
Chantel says:
I dated an Emerson in HS (amazing guy!), so I second/third/eleventy that.
Arleta H. says:
Benjamin (Ben) is my father’s name. Love it. Jonathan is excellent…I love Austin!! I have a nephew who is a wonderful baseball player and ( as if that means anything) is one of the nicest people I know.
Sarah says:
I have a very good friend who has a Madeline and an Annalise. Their brother’s name is Benjamin, nn Benji.
Tara says:
I know it doesn’t fit your criteria for number of syllables but I will suggest my son’s name anyway. His name is Connor and we love it because it’s good for a baby, a little boy and a grown man.
Connor Michael Spohr!
ColleenMN says:
Timothy, Christopher, Joshua, Benjamin, Nicholas, Anthony (my son thought of that and Joshua) Donavan. And there’s always Jonathon and Jack for short
Lauren says:
Some of my favorite boys’ names are 3 syllables – Zachary, Joshua, Nicholas, Benjamin and Alexander. As someone who does not have a name that can be shortened into a nickname, I completely understand and appreciate the need to find one that can. I did it with all 3 of my boys – Steven, Jeffrey and Andrew, or Steve, Jeff and Drew.
Rest assured that whatever you pick, whether it’s before he is born, or after you meet him, will be the perfect fit for him.
Tricia says:
I love Elliot and Nicholas. Maybe it has something to do with one of my fave 80’s actors… “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. 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!”…
Neither of my boys have these names. But I did find this quote a helpful insight into the male psyche. My husband nixed a lot of names for less than the reason you gave for rejecting Gavin.
Kristan says:
I’ll share my son’s name – even though it’s a bit off the beaten path, and I don’t think that’s what you’re looking for….but it’s Baylen. I love it and most people, even though they’ve never heard it either, seem to like it too
Good luck on your decision!
Leslie K says:
I work in public health (with babies!) everyday and hear baby names all day long. I’m always surprised how “odd” names (or names that initially made me think, “Ick!” sound just right after a few weeks of knowing that baby. You’ll choose the perfect name! That said, I’ll list a few…
Our sons are named Justin and Grayson, which are my two absolute favorites, of course.
Another that I love is Kellen.
Others that I will not say whether I love or hate (as not to offend anyone!), but are names of kids from our clinic are:
Silas
Boss
Champ
Avery
Tucker
Killian
Maddox
Ethan
Eli/Elijah
Atticus
Brennan
Baylen
Gatlin
Kyler
Brayden
Erin says:
Roland “Roly” Spohr.
Jennifer says:
My criteria for naming a boy was that it had to be a good name for a President, whether it be of a country or of a nation…I won’t say the names that I don’t think fit this category as to not offend, but classic male names seem like a better fit.
p.s. so as not to offend the feminists, I used the same criteria for my daughters…
Jennifer says:
I meant “company” not “country”…
Julie says:
Think baseball……so many cool names to choose from! We had 3 boys in 3 years and really had trouble naming them. We have a Brooks, Ty, and the baby is Cooper. Cooper didn’t have a name for about a week.
Maria says:
I know it’s not three syllables, but I think Henry Spohr sounds great.
Andrew says:
Addison
Lindsay says:
You and Heather have both quoted Romeo and Juliet in your post titles about this … how about Romeo Spohr? Or go with his last name, Montague Spohr? Both 3 syllables!
(Yes, I’m 100% kidding.)
Jenn says:
Beckett?
Janina says:
I love the name Edmond. Could be Eddie or Ted or Teddy for short. Edmond Michael Spohr. I like it.
g. says:
I really like Benjamin, Oliver, Jackson and Elliot, but my favorite has to be Zachary Spohr. You can use the nickname Zooey from Salinger’s Franny and Zooey!
ryan says:
Jackson/Jack/Jackie
Kayla says:
Theodore! It can be shortened to Teddy. (One of my favorites, and it goes with the three syllable to two syllable preference!)
OH and it just occurred to me looking at it that it goes (at least I think) pretty well with the style of the girls’ names, kind of classic and old school. Ahh, go with Theodore!
Karla says:
Hi guys,
Really excited to hear all about the rest of the journey until the acrobat is with you. I’m sure you’ve already thought of this name but I think Harrison/Harry would be a nice name that fits with what you want and also is kinda similar to Heather (I was named similarly to my mum). Hope you find the right name for him but I’m sure you will!!
Valeri says:
I had my son’s name picked out when I was six weeks pregnant. It was his daddy who would not agree on anything! He did not like the name I wanted and finally I came up with a second choice about two weeks before the baby came that he liked. But it never felt right. He finally conceded when I was in the hospital about to be wheeled into surgery out of pity for me. Doesn’t matter why, I got my name! His name is Asher. My second choice was Everett (three syllables!).
Glenda says:
Jaimeson
Suzanne says:
Wow! I wish I had had all of this help with names when we picked our son’s name! Like you, we had a ton of girls names, but we couldn’t agree on the few boy names we could come up with. We went with Benjamin James. Both of us agreed that there wasn’t a Ben we didn’t like. I’m sure whatever you end up with will be great!!
Ashley says:
My son’s name is Elijah, and he said when he’s older he wants to go by Eli. It’s a good older name, and still not as popular. Samuel seems to be a popular one the last few years. We know 3 baby Sams.
Melissa says:
We have two boys and struggled mightily with naming the second. The older one is Alex (Alexander) but I knew in high school (evidently, as my best friend reminded me) that I wanted that name if I had a boy. With our younger, my husband wanted super traditional names like Peter or David, which I was not really into. I really wanted Max, but there was no longer version we could agree on – Maxim? No. Maximilian? Too long. Maximus? WTF? And we did not want to name him just Max. To make it even more difficult, my husband’s family is ENORMOUS. Cousins as far as the eye can see. And Armenian. And full of boys. So most names were taken. We ended up sort of recycling – our younger is named Nicholas and he goes by Nico. We have a cousin Nicholas who goes by Nick, so there is no confusion. And both of our heritage is still somewhat represented in the names – husband is Armenian and I mentioned and I’m half Turkish, so we of course chose Greek/Russian names for our kids. My point is, keep thinking. Something will come to you eventually. Hell, maybe you’ll even have your own Nico. I’ve been hearing it a bit more around lately, but it’s still rare.
Arial says:
I was also thinking of a Beatles connection, but would have never thought of Maxwell. Whoever thought of that – brilliant, and Max is a terrific nickname. Imagine Annie running around singing Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. LOL!
Jen says:
When we were expecting our first, unable to come up with a name, and tired of fielding questions about what we were going to name our baby, my husband started telling people we were going to name the baby Ichabod, with the nn of Ichy/Icky. It’s a 3 syllable literary name with a 2 syllable nickname, go for it
Naomi says:
I was going to be all original and suggest my son’s name Asher but I see a couple of people beat me to it. It is Hebrew for “happy”. Another very unusual name from my family (which I like but hubby wouldn’t go for) is “Deremie”
Clare says:
I am in the UK and have a Frederick, although no-one has EVER called him that. He was Freddie until he became a teenager and has since evolved into a Fred, which suits him.
Another great 3 syllable name I love is Barnaby – could be Barney for short. Perhaps with a middle J name for Jackie?
Anyway, can’t wait to find out what you end up choosing!
Skye says:
I have a unique name, Skye (not short for anything- and I am a girl, though Skye is unisex) and I LOVE it (even though most people spell it wrong, without the e), so I am partial to less common names. I really like E names for boys, like El(l)iot(t), Everett, Emerson, Emery/Emory (though I know a girl named that, so I think of it as more of a girl’s name), Emmett, Ezra, Ezekiel/Zeke (I love Zeke on its own too), and Ellery. (Just realized how many of those have an L or R sound, though!) However, if I ever have a son I’d love to name him Frank after my grandpa (hopefully one of my cousins won’t do that first!). On a similar note, I really like Francisco- he could go by Frank/Frankie (I would have found Frankie a kind of odd nickname for a boy, but I met an 18 year old guy who goes by that and it works). I also love Theodore/Theo, but I suppose the rhyme with Spohr is unfortunate. My friends and I also have a joke that we’ll bring back names that have negative connotations but sound good, like Ebenezer (nickname Ben/maybe Eben?) and Judas (nickname Jude)! Phew, sorry for this long comment. I love your girls’ names and I know you will decide on something awesome. I really like the suggestion of having it narrowed down to a few favorite names and choosing one of them after you meet him!
Melissa M says:
Eliott could be a good 3 syllable boy name and he could go by Eli – 2 syllables. Other boy names I’ve considered include: Weston (go by Wes), Dash, Crew and Nolan. Our son’s name is Parker and we call him Park so you may steal that as well I know there are websites where you can search by number of syllables as well but something tells me you probably already tried that! Another tip I had to use with my husband is to try not to associate a name with someone from your past (as hard as it can be!) only because once you get to know your little guy that will be the only person you associate the name with from then on. You’ll get to know them for the individual they are and forget about anyone else who shares the same name. Best of luck….if all else fails let Annie name him
Nan says:
Email swistle.com/babynames Best naming advice anywhere! (And I say this as someone struggling to come up with a girl name in the next three weeks!)
Sarah Kate says:
William Michael Spohr. Will. Maddie, Annie and Will. Yup.
Mommy says:
Just wanted to say that thanks to these comments, I have my next 3 sons named- first AND middle names. Thanks, Spohrs!
Tessa says:
I like Dominic (3 syllables) with NN Nico (2 syllables). Also really like Julian and even with the short syllables, Sam Spohr DOES sound like a private eye!
Sam says:
Oliver is the best boy name ever in my opinion, and Ollie is adorable. How cute would Annie and Ollie be?
Michelle says:
Gabriel (Gabe) sounds nice with Maddie and Annie. I might be a bit bias my sons name is Gabriel Harmon.
jessie says:
How about Jarren or Griffin.. nice strong boy names. Do you have a middle name?