The Baby Name Wizard

I think Kingston and Barack are sibling matches for one another.

A suitable opposite sex sibling match for Kingston could be Odessa (also a place name).

For Sylvie, I would suggest Henry.

I know a Sylvie who is in her early thirties. Her sister is named Allegra and her brother is named Alexander; he goes by both Alex and Sasha. I think "Alexander," although far more popular than "Sylvie," makes for a perfectly fine match. Other suggestions:

Maxim
Ezra
Theodore
Roman
Leo

(On a different note, my cousin just gave birth to twins, a girl and a boy. The girl was named for my cousin's partner's grandmother; it has ranked in the mid-300's for the last two decades, give or take. The boy's name has been declining in popularity since 1915; a similar girl's name was at its most popular around that time, too. Any guesses?)

No comments for Barack and Kingston.

Brothers for Sylvie: Theo or Leo.

For Sylvie's brother, how about Alban? It's well-used in France but seems to have disappeared in the English-speaking world, although there is the town of St Alban's to remind us.

Ooh yes, Maxim's a great one for Sylvie, HMF. Same upbeat feel, and Maxime (for boys) is very popular in France.

For now I'll tackle the easiest one - brothers for Kingston:
- Rex
- Rordan (Irish)
- Royal
- Zoltan (Hungarian)

I see Kingston as a celeb name, though I know it's rapidly working its way up the mainstream ranks.

Any of the above would easily be used by a celeb, and all have something to do with the meaning, King.

I believe that the brother of actress Mariska Hargitay (Hungarian) is named Zoltan.

Rocky, Antonio, Rio, Montego - all names or parts of names of major cities in Jamaica, as Kingston is.

actually, I think Barack is the easy one, for at least a few.

Nia, Imani (g) /Amani (b), Mandela

I'll keep working at it. 3 more?

Nia and Imani are both part of the Kwanzaa principles and I've met children named those names in the US precisely b/c of their connection with the holiday and their meaning.

Mandela is the most homage-able African leader I know of. Nyerere doesn't have the same ring somehow. It might be better as a girls name b/c of the nns Mandy or Dela.

I met a kid the other day named Askari, which is Swahili for soldier but I'm not sure it fits as well.

I think Gabriel goes well with Barack but I've known so many Africans named Gabriel that to me its almost an African name.

Sisters for Sylvie:
- Camille (Cammie)
- Charlotte

Brothers for Sylvie:
- Roman
- Blaise
- Dorian
- Felix
- Gabriel (Gabe)
- Julian
- Luc

I think that Max & Theo were great ideas too.

I don't know that I can come up with five of each gender for each name (well, I probably could, but it'd take alot of time that I just don't have right now).
A few ideas/ ie, my first thoughts:
Barack: Aaliyah, Jahleel
Kingston: Delaney, McCoy
Sylvie: Everett, Henri Claude, Remy...Noemi, Adele, Amelie, Hazel

Without looking ahead--

BARACK
Brothers: Kofi, Malik, Sefu, Udo, Wekesa
Sisters: Asha, Marjani, Maryam, Nia, Zuri

KINGSTON:
Brothers: Kai, Maddox, Magnus, Orion, Rex
Sisters Arielle, Kaia, Lorelei, Marley, Reina

SYLVIE:
Brothers: George, Hugo, Jerome, Raphael, Theodore
Sisters: Celeste, Delphine, Louise, Mathilde, Noemi

~Elisabeth
http://youcantcallitit.com/

I know a Sylvie who is in the 3rd grade at the school I work. Her brothers are: Preston and Rowan.

Brothers for Sylvie:

Jasper
Frederic
August
Claude
Edmund
Emile
Oliver
Ferdinand
Henry
Sebastian
Marcel
Hugo

Sisters for Sylvie:

Esme
Camille
Adele
Sophie
Imogen
Cecily
Florence
Rosalind
Mathilde
Eloise

I'm pretty stumped on Barack and Kingston...

A sister for Barack: Zahara
A brother for Sylvie: Emil

Well, I can't refuse a dare, but I really have nothing for Barack, though I'd tend to go with something Swahili sounding rather than a political match or foe.

For Kingston, why not something else from pop culture, like Rihanna or Brandi?

Sylvie I think would go well with Hugh-- doesn't sound too American, but it's masculine enough to sit beside a particularly feminine and traditional-spun name.

Kingston's Sisters:
1.Marley
2.Brooklyn
3.Chelsea
4.Julie
5.Harlow

well, i'm not really good at this sort of thing..
but i was going to suggest marley for a sister to kingston, although someone already did that :)

Wow, you guys are good. I LOVE Alban for Sylvie. And Nia and Imani are PERFECT for Barack, IMO. Kaia is a great suggestion for Kingston. Oh, and I want to throw Aliyah in the pot for a Kingston sister.

For Barack: Mandela (or borrow from "The Cosby Show," Nelson and Winnie)
For Kingston: Havana
For Sylvie: Claude, Yannick, Rene

Barack: Zahara/Zahra/Zara, Zora, Mandela, Amira, Aziza.

Zahara because it's both African in origin and has an Arabic root and cognates in other languages, like Barack. Zora is a variant and Zora Neale Hurston is a popular black author. People who name their kids after Obama might be inclined to use Zora as well. Mandela after the South African leader. It was used as a first name for the best friend character in the teen movie Ten Things I Hate About You back in the 1990s. It's a hero name that would be in keeping with a Barack or a Zora. Amira and Aziza because they're both names in use in Africa and by Muslims and in Amira's case, also by Jews. They all sound like modern American names.

Sylvie: Gaston, Francois, Damien, Raphael, Gabriel.

I'd say the Obama's did a good job of matching the first child's name to her father: Malia.

My cat is Sylvie and daughter is Camille - looks like I matched them well, even though it wasn't intentional!

for sisters : Esme or Estelle, Pauline, Gabrielle, and maybe Emanuelle?

Boy names are harder for this one I think. I agree with the earlier mention of Claude, but it doesn't work as well in English as it does in French.

Sylvie's brothers:

Oliver
Merlin
Edmund
Franklin
Virgil

Kingston's sisters:

Maxine
Rae
Frances
Stella
Cordelia

I was thinking that Malia works as a sib name for Barack too.

Would also add that going with strong AA women names would be good:

Camille (Crosby)
Coretta (Scott King)
Aretha
and then there is Oprah...

Kingston

Croix (For St. Croix Island...I knew a family who named their son this).

I agree that Maddox would be a good sib name.

Also Marley for a girl, or even Harley -- has kind of a rebel feel to it.

Sylvie

Amelie for a sister.

No idea for brothers.

Sylvie's brother could be Jules.
Barack's brother could be Ali.
Kingston's sister could be Olive or Sunday(don't know why, just what came to me)

Brothers for Barack:
Chane

Sisters:
Zahra
Adia
Dalila

Oh, I love Rae for Kingston!

Wow, Betty and Elisabeth echoed my thoughts exactly: I have a daughter named Sylvia (who is only rarely called Sylvie). If my second child had been a boy, he would have been named Theo or Theodore. We ended up having a second daughter, and we named her Ramona.

For Kingston's "sisters".. how about Presley or Piper?

I know a Sylvie (maybe she'd be 3 now) and her twin brother is Charles.

Barak = States (saw it on an old tombstone once & it stuck with me), Navarre.

Kingston = Evy, Harlow, Felice, Julia.

Sylvie = Blaise

My cousin's name is Barak (no "C"). He is one of 11-year-old triplets: brother Jared and sister Hannah. Their 14-year-old brother's name is Asher. They're Jewish, by the way. Hope this helps!

HMF - I am dying to know your cousin's twins' names!!! Please tell.

Elisabeth, you did a great job with the sibling ideas. Maureen, you too! I have to think on this one ...

OK, these are really just gut reactions, but...

Barack:
sisters: Samara, Indira, Jeanette, Zora/Zahra, Maya, Sojourner, Wanda

brothers: Khalil, Luther, Quincy, Omar, Reggie, Theodore, Kennedy

Kingston
sisters: Shelby, Morgan, Sydney, Jordan, Skyler, Arley, Dakota, Presley, Mallory, Queenie, Sadie

brothers: Austin, Carson, Coleman, Joss, Reese, Phoenix, Ranger, Desmond, Jameson, Colt

Sylvie:
sisters: Lucie, Zoe, Genevieve, Suzette, Juliette, Aimee, Gemma, Rosalie, Nadine, Phoebe

brothers: Luca, Luc, Ludovic (or Ludo), Arthur, Denis, Sebastian, Nico

Yeah, fine, fine, too many- and I suggested my own name- I think I lose points for that.

I only have time for Sylvie now--I'm stealing some (in agreement with the original poster), altering some, and adding some here:

Sylvie:
(B) Julian, Auguste, Alban, Leo, Theodore, Sebastien, Oliver, Adrien, Samuel, Roman, Gabriel, Alexander, Blaise, Calvin, Dashiell, Galen, Louis

(G) Adele, Amelie, Colombe, Marie, Juliet(te), Eloise, Elise, Rose, Louise/a, Lucy/Lucile, Nicole, Adrienne, Claire, Avril, Celeste, Caroline, Lisette

(the theory here being French or at least continental sounding names, but easy to say in English, including some that sound old-fashioned and/or musty, some that might be considered a bit too soon for a comeback, and some that are a bit trendier to catch the Sophie crowd--but all names that are fairly "safe" and attractive)

Here's my take on those names

Barack, Jordan, Omar, Neo,Videl
Battina, Aisha, Shiela, Janine, Elana

Kingston, Brogan, Alton, Graham, Brodrick
Ardon, Peyton, Carrigan, Fallon, Tegan

Sylvie, Cicily, Delphine, Estelle, Adaline
Lucian, Phillipe, Noel, Adrien, Henri

My favorites:

Sylvie: Luc, Pascal, Amandine, Juliette

Kingston: Evander, Lyric, Truman, Marley

Barack: Malindi, Tana, Nyeri, Waris

I like the ideas on here so far! Here are the names I came up with before reading others' suggestions.

Brothers for Sylvie: Dimitri, Felix, Lucian, Sacha, Theo

Sisters for Kingston: Calypso, Indigo, Lavinia, Regina

I like the ideas on here so far! Here are the names I came up with before reading others' suggestions.

Brothers for Sylvie: Dimitri, Felix, Lucian, Sacha, Theo

Sisters for Kingston: Calypso, Indigo, Lavinia, Regina

Barack was the easiest for me, too (disregard my cultural connections--I'm thinking objectively;). But it's only easier if you're looking for names that are likewise common in Muslim, Swahili-speaking East African circles. IN that case, just go with any of the usual suspects:

Sisters--Amina, Jameela, Mumtaz, Zahra, Faiza, Aisha, Malaika/Malika, Hasina, Layla,
Brothers-- Omar, Hassan, Jameel, Ali, Mohammed, Malik,

Now, this is the type of matching I would normally take with the name Barack/Barak, because in Africa and around the world, Muslim identity often trumps local cultural or ethnic practices when it comes to naming. (For example, it would be quite out-of-the-norm if Barack's g-father, who converted to Islam, named his kids a traditional "tribal" Luo name or the name of a Luo relative [the majority of Luos are Christian]).

On the other hand, if we are talking about a NON-Muslim American family wanting to name their kid after Barack for other reasons, then the field is much more open. Check these out:

(1) A parent or parents with some African and some European ancestry that wants kids's names to reflect multi-ethnic role models:
-- Halle, Eliza, Mabel, Nella, Maya
-- Aleksandr (or Pushkin, for the adventurous), Alexandre or Dumas, Alessandro (lots of famous Alexs!), Frederick, Booker, Bob or Marley, or Walter (for the tremendously brave journalist W. White).

(2) A parent/parents interested in hi-lighting the African connection. This is tricky because the parent/s will have to realize that in many parts of Africa, Muslims and non-Muslims very rarely use the same name-sets. A brother and sister called Marcus and A'isha would immediately (whether wrongly or rightly) be classed as belonging to a Western culture in which names can be cross-pollinated across religions. But, if parents are aware of this ans still want to do a Pan-African thing, here're some suggestions:

SIsters-- country names (Tunisia, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzie, etc.), Femi (West Africa), Fatou (Muslim West Africa), Maren (Christian Ethiopia), Nagesa, Sanyu, (non-Muslim Ugandan), Njeri (non-Muslim E. Africa), Kesi (non-Muslim E. Africa), Wangari (as in Maathai).
Boys-- country names (Chad, Egypt,Zim/Zimmie, Zaire,), Janani, Dembe, (Non-Muslim Ugandan), Kimani (non-Muslim E. African)

Finally, there's always famous political or social or artistic leaders (most are left-leaning like Obama, but I tried to mix it up). I'm not really into this, as I find it gimmicky, but here goes:

Sisters: Susan (for B. Anthony), Gloria (Steinem), Nawal (al Sadaawi), Wangari, Ellen or Sirleaf,
Brothers: Che, Diego (or Rivera), Mandela, Desmond or Tutu

Brothers for Sylvie:

Maximilian or Maxim or just plain Max (This is the first name that popped into my head.)
Sebastian
Theodore or Theo
Linden
Burch or Birch

Sisters for Kingston:

Marley
Reese
Harper
Skye
Presley

Barack--I have no idea.

Oh, and maybe Scarlett and Eden as sisters for Kingston as well. I think I like those better than Skye or Presley.

Sylvie, Colette, Louise, Lisa, Anne, Elise
Frederic, Xander, Philip, Peter, Ilan

Kingston, Roman/Romeo, Landon, Apollo, Bennett
Alexandria, Victoria, Britannia, Marly, Hera

Barack, Malcolm, Aaron, Jesse, Isaiah
Eden

Kingston's sisters: Olive, Edie, Pearl

Sylvie's brothers: Rowan, Otto, Sam

I know a Sylvie and Iris set of sisters.

For Kingston you could have a London boroughs theme (if you wanted to be really tacky): Camden, Chelsea, Brent

When we were voting for name of the year I composed a vote for Barack, but somehow lost it and didn't have the energy to post it again! The main point was that the reasons it should be the name of the year is that we're having debates over the origin/meaning, etc., just like we did with Shiloh.

Anyway, are you disregarding the Hebrew Barack? S/o above posted about a Jewish Barack that she knew. My son (middle name Bennett) has the Hebrew name Barack, based on the word for lightening. I've also heard that Barack comes from the same root as Baruch, which means blessed.

For me, the sibling names for Barack come from a different perspective, and I'd suggest names with Hebrew origins, or references to nature (sort of trendy -- so capturing the it factor that Barack has).

Boys:

Levi (also, as of a day or so ago, a celeb. baby name)
Gabriel
Eliezer
Jonah
Noam

Girls:

Shoshana
Liora
Naomi
Noa
and, for different reasons others have stated, Zahara.

Off topic, I met a little tot named Arrow. (Boy). I like it. The only thing was that his hair was curly, and I expected him to have hair that was straight (as an arrow). ;)

Mom was named Kiki. Now there's a name that you don't hear very often. She said it wasn't a nickname either. Hubby tried to sell me on Kiku when I was pregnant, which is "chrysanthemum" in Japanese. Apparently he knew a girl with that name. It reminded me too much of "cuckoo."

The book Lewis Carroll wrote after the Alice books was called "Sylvie and Bruno" - they're a great match AND a literary reference!

Barack: Bennett, Barrett, Beckett, and Benedict. (Hee!)

Kingston girls: Gwen, Astrid, Aspen, Linden, Teagan.

Sylvie boys: Bertrand, Bernard, Milt, Evander, Adrien, Alain--and a lot of others from your French category.

The first thing I thought of for Sylvie was Marc.

i have been thinking kingston would be a great match for my daughter Piper. to me they are both spunky and spritely with a bright sound. the meanings give them each a bit of weight but its almost a fun silly weight.