The Baby Name Wizard

Jillc, We have some friends who named their son Trek because when they were talking about potential baby names, they looked over to the corner of the living room, saw the husband's bike, and said, "That's the name!" Strangely, his little brother is named L3vi, although I'm not sure they're actually avid cyclists and know of Leipheimer.

Eo, you say, "Someone earlier mentioned "Helena", which is an interesting question. Isn't the only "correct" English pronunciation "HELL-en-a"? Many other pronunciations abound, but they wouldn't be the classic English way of saying it. Or would they? Perhaps a point is reached where it no longer matters?

I find the question provocative, in the same way that it is fascinating to consider which of many spellings of a name is the "correct" or accepted version. So many elements factor into it..."

When I'm being cranky, I use the word "correct" for spelling and pronunciation. When I'm in a more charitable mood, I substitute "traditional" (or "classic" as you used above) and feel expansive and accepting. :),

I have written periodically about naming my second son, who should be here in August. We have been calling him Ben (Benjamin Anthony) and that feels fine. But, we're not too excited about this and maybe that's just because we have a teething toddler that distracts us from being excited about many things.
With that said, this morning I heard "Sennex" and wondered if maybe we could find an interesting and different (but not kr8tiv) name that would excite us more. (Our first sone is Lincoln Douglas.) Since my husband is a history fan (although generally US history) I am wondering if any of you have any words (or names) from Greek or Roman history (or other countries, but I'm thinking much older than the US) that would be worth considering.

Re: Helena is a name I've thought about because I think both pronunciations are really pretty. Although they do have different vibes HELL-en-uh is spunkier than the sweeter He-LAY-nuh. At least how I hear them. Here's the thing I'm not sure I could use that name because I like both pronunciations and am not sure I could pick one. But I feel like you should stick with one pronunciation of your child's name, or at least I would think so. What do you all think about that? And this is just a hypothetical:)

re:Wheeler, I just wanted to add, this is a last name in my family so very legit as a name, but also definitely a fun biking reference! The only other one I can think of now is Bell, but I don't think most adults have bells on their bikes...:)

KimB: With Lincoln as your older son's name, perhaps Augustus, or the name of another Roman Emperor might be appropriate for his brother. I like the idea of a legendary leaders theme. Some other possible (if less known) Roman Emperor names are Titus, Domitian, Trajan, Hadrian, Gordian, Constantine, Jovian. I quite like Jovian: it has a fashionable feel to it, and it honors an emperor who re-established Christianity as the religion of the empire.

Jillc: I second Rhanda's suggestion of Keirin as a cycling name! Very cute... but probably best for a girl, as the English pronunciation is similar to Karen, and the Japanese is a bit like Kaylin or Kayleen. (Japanese R is sort of interchangeable with L.) Pronouncing it Kieran and using it for a boy is a bit of a stretch, if you want to keep the track cycling connection. I like Wheeler better for a boy.

Jenny L3igh: I agree that a parent should probably stick with one pronunciation of a small child's name... but on the other hand, it's nice for an older child to have a versatile name with lots of nickname or pronunciation options she can play with to reflect her personality.

As far as the "correct" pronunciation of Helena: a person's name isn't like a word in the dictionary or even a country's name, surely the correct pronunciation is whatever that person says it is...

KimB, I think there are some wonderful names from Latin that could work today. Some I could see on a real-life boy:

Marcus, Titus, Julius, Gaius, Aurelian
(emperors' names in some form - I can't remember if any of the real 'baddies' carried these, though!)
Cato, Martial (writers with names I think are very 'current')

Rufus, Quintus

Thanks for the suggestions - please keep them coming. August is a family name and has always been a contender for the mn. But, my dh and I aren't crazy about Gus or Auggie for the nn and I don't know what else - Tussie for Augustus, I suppose, but that's a little "casual" (not sure how else to explain my hesitation).
I'm not sure the "us" Roman names will work, but maybe that's just because I'm not crazy about most of them that I've heard. I think that's why Sennex stood out - a word that could be tied to history but was obscure as a name (although Sennex itself is nms...)

KimB- If you're considering eminent Romans, I have to suggest one of my favorite names here- Marius (sorry everyone, I feel like Eo with her Augusta)!

Jillc-Wheeler is very inspired. I think its a great name to use in a mn spot. The Trek idea is okay but may be a bit too much like the Palin crowd (which might not be your style). The only other one I could think of (sorry-sports aren't really my thing) was Ryder. Now Ryder Wheeler doesn't sound all that great but Chase Ryder and Cadence Wheeler sound very western and make a great sibset. Thanks for the challenge. Any other challenges anyone?

zoerhenne,
i have a question. assuming there is a couple in your life whom you'd like to honor, what is the best way to do so? name the first child after one and hope that you eventually have a child of the opposite gender...? use their last name? what if the last name doesn't work particularly well as a name? this isn't a pressing matter, but it's something i think i might want to do sometime in the future and i was trying to figure out how it would be best done.
(obviously others can reply aside from zoerhenne!)

KimB-I don't have any other historic names outside the US to offer. But I don't know if these were ever mentioned so I will throw them into the ring just in case.
Stephen Graham
Jackson Marshall
Spencer Grey
Harrison Davis
Carter Vance
Roman Alexander
Miles Patrick
Julius Anthony
Felix Anders
Frederick Ulysses

emilyrae-My thoughts on honoring a couple are these:
1)Wonderful! Put the surname in the middle spot if that works okay with other names you've thought of.
2) Name directly after with both FN + MN spots being used.
3) Name with a meaning in mind. For instance if you go boating on the weekend with these people use a reference to that.
4) Ask the couple if they would like to help in the process-if possible that is.

Using Emily and Ray:) Smith as an example you get:
Child Smith LN
Emily Rae LN
Emmett Ray LN
Child Blake LN (for the lake boating reference)
So many options-its hard to say which is right for you though.

KimB: What about Windsor or Arthur (working my way into British History)

Greek could be cool too- Pericles, Phidias (Phid is a cool alternative to Phil to me), but then it is easy to get into mythology: like Orion

Or, use Antony instead of Anthony and pair it with another Roman-ish name: I like Antony Marcus, Antony Alexander, or to match Lincoln Douglas, what about Antony Augustus?

zoerhenne- How about aviation names? My husband is an airplane fanatic. DD's MN is Skye. We just started trying for #2. How about a list of boy or girl names?

KimB, I'm assuming you mean Senex in terms of its 'senate/council of elders' meaning. If you like the idea of that, there's also Rex or Consul. A similar Greek suggestion would be Archon.

I like the Antony idea too, and also the suggestion to plunge into early British history.

Ha, I think that's what my quotation marks were feebly trying to convey, Elizabeth T., or at least a sense of irony about the use of that starchy word!

Jenny Leigh-- Oh, yes, I think I agree that once a pronunciation is chosen, parents should stick with it. Of course, that doesn't bar them from having playful variations or pronunciations for informal fun and teasing...

KimB, I am in love with all these classical names people are proffering-- fabulous! Since it's still on my mind I'll mention as well the Roman clan derivative, "Tarquin" from previous discussion. But wow you have a wealth to choose from with these fantastic suggestions...

May I add something as a parent of a Benjamin? If you are less than excited about Benjamin Anthony, consider this. People WILL shorten it at will to the very generic "Ben", whether you want them to or not! Perhaps you are fine with that.

We weren't, and came up with a nickname that fits him much better and distinguishes him from the other nine year old Bens (at least3) in the third grade classes at his school.

We went with the distinguished old name Benjamin for a complicated variety of family, situational and historical reasons, BUT it remains a rather too popular choice, and again, can feel generic.

I love it, but, were we to do it over, I might make it his second name, and go with one of his more unusual middle names like "Hugh" as a first. Or my perennial favorite "Barnaby/Barnabus" (stifle your groans please, group!). Then we'd still get to use the nickname "Banks"!

Since this is at least a slight concern with you, I thought I'd give you our experience. If you are looking for a name few of his peers would have, then this might not be your number one choice. Just food for thought...

Interesting discussion about how to pronounce foreign place names. I live in a university town in a very international region, so I meet a lot of people who are either from these countries or who have spent significant amounts of time living and studying there. In many cases (Chile, for example) both pronunciations sound equally normal to my ears, and I wonder if part of it is that I pick up the local pronunciation from those who have spent enough time there for it to feel like the natural one for them to use.

On the other hand, the country in which I have personally spent the most time is France, and I would never consider calling it Par-ee when speaking English. Perhaps some of it has to do with which names we are familiar with before we start learning languages and international politics? I suspect most of us hadn't discussed Pakistan much before recent events, so without a strong default pronunciation we tend to just use whatever the talking heads on TV do.

Of course, one of the most high profile discussions of this was the debate about whether the TV broadcasts would refer to it as the Turin Olympics or the Torino Olympics.

Eo, I actually really like Barnaby and Barnabas. I can't believe I'm admitting to reading these, but I grew quite fond Barnabas thanks to Jan Karon's Mitford book series (Barnabas is the main character's dog). Anyway, it has a very comfortable and old-fashioned appeal, and I think Barnaby sounds like a snappier/more modern version (relatively speaking, of course). Of course, both names have a far more distinguished literary and historical pedigree than the Mitford books, but it wasn't until I read those that I actually considered them as a pleasing modern name choice.

Kim in Philly- we have friends who are similarly fanatical and called their daughter Lucinda Piper LN.

I would love to use Piper but can't for family reasons. I mentioned the reasons a couple of blog post back.

I like Amelia, but it's becoming too popular.

Anyone else have any aviation ideas?

Kim in Philly, I know very little about aviation generally, but am the daughter of a former Air Force pilot, so I'll give it my best shot:

Let's see, there's the nickname Zoomie (which is the appellation given to first year cadets at the Air Force Academy). That could be an amusing middle name or nickname for something that begins with Z (or for an especially quick toddler).

Here are a few others for boys or girls, as you see fit:

Cessna
Wright
Hawk (as in Kitty Hawk)
Wing
Bird

For girls:
Amelia
Katherine/Kitty (as in Kitty Hawk)
Cloud
Wren
Lark

For boys:
Orville
Wilbur
Charles (Lindbergh)
Curtiss (plane model)
Leonardo (he sketched the first flying machine, right?)
Icarus (though a sad story)
Gustave (wikipedia claims he had the first manned airplane flight in Fairfield, CT 2 years before the Wright brothers)

How do any of these work for you?

Bue- yes, I meant Senex.

I like all of the ideas coming my way, but none have jumped out at me so far. (To give you more of an idea on what I like - slightly unusual but not kr8tiv, I find myself returning/wondering about Axel. Of course, my dh has said it immediatly reminds him of Axel Rose. I've since asked him if this is something he could get over...)

Eo- Great story, thanks for sharing. My problem is somewhat opposite of yours - I like the sound of Ben, alone, and with our ln. But I really am not crazy about Benjamin. However, we are on the same page about really not wanting our ds to be 1/3 or 1/5 in the same class.

I did a couple quick google searches but haven't had a chance to check out the legitimacy or tone/character of these. With that caveat, here are some aviation ideas (a couple were already mentioned, but I don't have time right now to check, so please pardon the redundancy). Also, I think some of these are probably too obscure - but you never know, so I'm including them. Also, some would probably be better as a mn than as afn.
Quimby
Markham
Dumont
Lexington
Saratoga
Vixen
Cheyenne
Cessna
O'Hare
Delta
Jet(t)
Radar
Wright

Kim - May I suggest Gaius?

I think Benjamin is lovely. How about Benjamin Franklin instead of Benjamin Andrew?

Another great historical name is John Quincy or just Quincy for John Quincy Adams.

"the name "Quincy" having come from Abigail's [Adams] maternal grandfather, Colonel John Quincy, after whom Quincy, Massachusetts is also named.[1]" (Wikipedia)

JQA is sometimes ignored but was actually an extraordinary man. IMO, he was one of the most amazing Americans to ever live.

BTW, I really like Lincoln Douglas...

Do you just like history but perhaps there could be some interesting figures in other fields, like Niels Bohr (am I getting that right?) I like Niels a great deal. And Neil is good too.

I'll also throw out Sigmund (because I've never seen it suggested here). I'm not sure the association is necessarily entirely positive. But the name is great!

You could also consider some explorers like Lewis and Clark. Both great names...

Aviation names:

Boys:
Charles (as in Lindbergh or Yeager)
Kinner (after the Kinner Airster, the first plane Earhart owned)
Lockheed
Orville
Wilbur
Wright

Girls:
Lindy (after "Lucky Lindy"--Charles Lindbergh)
Jenny (type of biplane)
Electra (Lockheed Electra, the type of plane Earhart was flying on her last trip)

That's all I can think of for now! I'll have to pick my husband's brain later!

I agree that removing fictional sibling names is very important. Personally if I am looking for ideas of names that would stylistically suit my daughter's name (Clara) I would be very angry if I later learned that the name I picked to be her sibling was actually a sibling in a trendy book I didn't know about! Now I look like a big fan of something I might really dislike.

KimB:

Just so as you know... the original meaning of the Latin word senex is "old man". It's the root of our English word "senile". As a title (according to Wikipedia) it was "awarded to elderly men with families who had good standing in their village".

It would be a little bit like naming your little boy "Methuselah"...

What does the board think about Lexington-- I saw it above as an aviation name, but it is also a place name-- in history. But, disregarding all that, what do you think of it, for a boy? My dh and I had thought of it, but the popularity of Lexi for a girl makes Lexington less appealing. Of course Lex would be the nn for boy.

Ok, Zoerhenne, another challenge for you. Baby #3 is on the way. Don't know the sex yet. Everyone here helped me name my daughter last year, Ivy D*lphine. My son is August Fr*derick.
We have just started tossing around names. I would love your thoughts on the following names and which would be a good match with my other children. I'm also open to suggestions. I like a fairly uncommon first name with a classic MN. I'm partial to frilly, flowery girl names, German and Scandanavian names. I like soft sounding boys names. I tend to like H, P and F sounds. I think I would be considered a "hipster" namer, but I don't want to be (if that makes sense).

Boys
Casper
Stellan
Hendrick (Love this name, but not a fan of last name as first trend)
Hans (too stereotypical German??)
Hughes (family name)

For a boys MN, I like Peter or Phillip

Girls
Philippa Tate
Juniper Frances
Calla
Poppy
Leisl

Oh, Hyz- I really need your input as well!! As a fellow mamma to an Ivy and fan of August.

I forgot two other contenders from my boy list, Ambrose and Garland

Steph P: I love CASPAR and STELLAN. GARLAND seems a little feminine to me--and I do like softer names for boys too but seems it could be hard to carry. I guess I'm thinking Judy Garland and Christmas garlands. Love AMBROSE too. I think Hans is "too German" as you say. HUGHES just makes me nervous because it sounds like huge. Maybe if you're sure he won't be overweight, it won't be a problem? What do you think of DARIAN?

Your girls' names have very different associations for me. CALLA seems very contemporary, while the others are more classic. i guess POPPY could be seen as sort of contemporary too. definitely fresh. LEISL definitely seems the most old-fashioned to me.

Ayaka - I saw the meaning of senex but I din't make the senile connection because I went straight for the sage/wise connection. Good thing I wasn't all excited about this name!

knp - really like Lexington!

Steph P - I really like Phillipa (new a sweet, pretty girl with this name who's probably 20 now).
For a boy - Axel?

steph p,
i think ambrose is my favorite pick of the boys' names. i just love that name. and august, ivy, and ambrose just sound so lovely together. generally i don't like a lot of siblings starting with the same letter, but for some reason i love the idea of brothers ambrose and august. if there were 3 a-names that might be too much. i think i like ambrose peter over ambrose phillip, though both are very nice. i'm still deciding with the girl names.

Steph P. -- Congratulations!! I can't wait to see what you end up with this time around--I'm pretty sure I'll love it. :)

So, your boy list sparked off two immediate ideas for me--Ansel or Anselm instead of Hans (same root, and yes, I do unfortunately think Hans sounds too stereotypical--the German equivalent of the Swedish Ole and Lena jokes, or something), and Henrik instead of Hendrick (I like Hendrick, but if you don't like last names first, Henrik seems like a very legit alternative). Also, what about Johan(n)(es) instead of Hans? Similar sound, still very German, but not so jokey.

Other boy ideas:
Oliver
Rowan
(ok, you may remember those rounded out my top 3 before, with August, so I had to mention them)
Alaric
Alden
Ambrose
Brighton
Christian
Conrad/Konrad
Clement/Klement
Cyril
Kazimir/Casimir
Felix
Forrest
Frasier
Graham
Gregor
Gustav
Jasper
Julian/Julius
Noel
Orson
Rainer
Roman
Silas
Silvan/Sylvan/Silvester
Simon
Solomon
Soren
Sven
Torsten
Thornton
Valentin
Walden

Those are mostly on the Germanic theme, with some more easter European and other random ones thrown in. They're all names I like, but not all I'd be brave enough to use (i.e. Sven and some others sound too "ethnic" to me, but if you're considering Hans, then you may have less qualms about this sort of thing than I do). I'll have to pull up my list at home, because I know I'm blanking on a lot of others.

From your current boy list, I think my favorite is Stellan (which is funny, because I don't like Stella--but Stellan has such a different feel for me). I like the idea of Casper, but "the friendly ghost" association is WAY strong for me, so I couldn't give it to a kid (I used to ride a white pony named Casper, after the ghost, and we called him "Casper the friendly pony"--a totally innocuous and/or slightly positive association, but still not the main thing I'd want people to think of in conjunction with my kid's name). My biggest objection to Hendrick is the similarity to Hendrix, so I think people might mis-hear it and get the wrong idea. Otherwise, I do like the sound and look of it quite a bit. I'm not wild about Hughes--I'm probably in the minority around here, but I don't love the name Hugh (the strong -eww sound, plus all the guys I've known with this name have been kind of irritating), and Hughes is more of the same for me.

I'm going to do a separate girl post.

Ok, it took me forever to post that, and I didn't see until just now that you're thinking of Ambrose! So Ambrose would probably be my favorite from your list, then Stellan. Garland is too much of a non-name noun for me, if you know what I mean. Interesting, though--it could grow on me.

Thanks, you guys are giving me much to think about already.

RobynT- Darian doesn't work for me. Sounds too close to Darren

KimB- I like Axel, but it's not soft enough and sounds like a future Brangelina baby name.

Emilyrae- I feel the same about two a-names but I think Ambrose and August sounds great too. I would hope Ivy wouldn't feel left out though not having an a-name.

I'm afraid I may not get much support for Garland. I met a 40ish man with this name, and have loved it since. He was very masculine, maybe that's why it worked.

Hyz- I knew you would have some great input for me. You reminded me of some other favorites that will have to go on my list for consideration. I LOVE Ansel, Clement and Soren. I also like your suggestion of Henrik over Hendrick. Regarding Casper, the ghost association really doesn't bother me. I think this will fade over time. I can't imagine his contemporaries would know the cartoon.

I can tell boys names are going to be much easier for me. Ambrose, Casper and Stellan are my top three so far. I don't feel passionate about any of my girl choices so far. I passed over Philippa and Juniper when I named Ivy, so I'm not sure I can get very excited about either this time around. I really need some fresh girl name ideas. Please keep the suggestions coming.

Steph P., I love your girl list. Juniper would be my favorite, if you're not concerned with having two botanical girls. What are your thoughts on this? I feel like using Ivy has barred me from any future botanicals, and that makes me sad, since I'd say a good 75% of my favorite girls names are plant-related. I also quite like Philippa Tate, especially with Pippa as a nn. Love Poppy and Calla, but I have the same botanical concern--weren't you considering Willa before? I still like that. Liesl (spelled like that--in German, Leisl would be pron. LYE-zl, not LEE-zl) is nice, but it does have that Sound of Music issue we discussed recently.

So, here are some more ideas off my lists:
Ada
Adele/Adela
Adelaide
Adeline
Althea
Amalia
Amity
Anthea
Araminta
Beatrix
Calantha
Clara
Cleantha
Coralie
Coraline
Eleanor
Eloise
Elsa
Fern
Fiona
Geneva
Hannelore
Hazel
Honora
June
Junia
Laurel
Lena
Lenore/Lenora
Leona/Leonie
Lorna
Marguerite
Petra/Petronel(la)
Rosalie
Rosalind
Rosamond/Rosamund
Rowena
Sorrel
Silvia/Sylvia
Theodora
Valeria
Vera
Verity
Zora

Well, that's from the lists I have handy--more at home, if you're still looking later....

Bear in mind that Leisl would be pronunced LY-zel in German. Liesl is the traditional spelling.

Hyz- Couple of other thoughts... I'm on the same page with you on Stella vs. Stellan. I really dislike Stella too. You have also touched on my other concern about Hendrick. I am worried about the similarity to Hendrix. We are not the type of parents that would have a child named after Jimmy Hendrix (no offense to anyone that would).

Side question here--can someone tell me if Stellan would be pronounced like Shtellan in Swedish? That's how I think it would be in German, and that affects my perception of it a bit--when using foreign names, I like the ones best that are very nearly the same in English and the native language--Sven, for instance, or Hans--they're not terribly mangled in English, as opposed to something like Wolfgang or Heinrich. I would actually like Stellan a lot either way, but just slightly more if our English ST- is the right pronunciation.

Valerie--Thanks. I meant Liesl, not Leisl.

Hyz- I think I'm ok with two botanical names, if I find one I really love. I have always liked Fern, but it doesn't work with my LN, which starts with a "fer" sound. I like the Junia and Sorrel suggestions. Maybe Hyacinth. Wasn't this on your list too.

When Ivy was born, it was down to Ivy and Pippa. With Philippa, I was too worried about pronunciation issues with the name which brought us to just Pippa, but I didn't have the guts to use a name that sounded so informal. I'm still open to this one though. Yes, Willa was under consideration too. I was afraid it was getting popular at the time. But I don't think it has risen too much. I will have to look at last years stats on this.

Oh, Hyacinth, you have to be kidding me! I LOVE this name, and I thought I was the only one, so I didn't even bother listing it. I was just waxing poetic about it the other day with DH, and he remains unconvinced of its charms, and told me I was sounding very girly. lol. The name itself sounds like a breathy, beautiful whisper to me, graceful, serene, but also proper and a little fun and quirky, and of course the flower is such a cheerful, vibrant, and beautifully scented harbinger of spring. I just truly adore it. If you would consider Hyacinth, then it's entirely possible that we will someday end up with 3 children with the same names. lol.

I actually like Pippa better than Philippa, and I totally understand your pronunciation issues, but I would be in the camp to stick with the full name anyway. And I remember you saying you thought Willa was getting too popular, but I think it's way farther down on the list than Ivy or August, so even though it's gaining ground in some circles, it's still unusual enough imho.

Jenny L3igh,
You wrote: "But I feel like you should stick with one pronunciation of your child's name, or at least I would think so. What do you all think about that? And this is just a hypothetical:)"

There is a child at my son's preschool named Lena. Her mom pronounces her name Layna, and her dad says Leena. It seems strange to me, and I can imagine them having arguments, "No, it's Laya!" "No, damn you, it's Leena!", but it seems to work okay. I asked the child once what her name was to see what she would respond, and she said, "You KNOW what my name is!" and ran away. It made me laugh.

Steph and Hyz, you guys are naming twins!! :)

Since you like Casper, I wanted to suggest Caspian. The Caspian Sea is rather romantic and Prince Caspian is a fine literary character.

For a girl, I don't believe Linnea has been suggested. It's botanical and Swedish in origin. I understand there is more than one pronunciation. A former classmate of mine pronounced it Lin-NAY-uh, which is quite lovely. (Good if you want to honor a Lynn as well.)

KimB - I have a little boy named August. We've intended for his nickname to be Gus (it's another family name), but we usually just call him August. You don't have to use a nickname.

Laura - HURRAY!!! I've been despairing over whether your new book will ever be published, and I'm overjoyed to know that I only have to wait another month for it. WOO HOO!!!

Instead of Garland, maybe Harlan?

also, LOVE hyz's lists. i'll just sit here and sigh admiringly for an hour.

Tirzah--yes, it's a little spooky. Here I am, sitting around feeling semi-original, only to have a near-exact naming doppelganger out there. Love the Caspian suggestion.

Thanks, RobynT. :) I'm a big fan of list-making. :)

Thought of a few more before I leave to pick up my Ivy from daycare--Thora and Fiala for girls (and Averil, but that's probably too close to Ivy for you), and Everett, Linden, Calder, and Alban for boys. And don't forget, Willa (or Minna!) can be short for Wilhelmina, if you like that better.

Steph P, congrats on baby #3! Of your current names, I love Stellan, Ambrose, and Philippa (which I think was a strong contender last time, right?). While I like Juniper *a lot* I feel it's too matchy with Ivy.

Could I possibly sell you on Laszlo for a boy? I love that one, and it seems like one you might consider.

Re: aviation names - how about names from the NATO phonetic alphabet, which is used in radio communication?

For girls: Alfa, Delta, Echo, India, Juliett, Lima, November, Sierra

For boys: Bravo, Charlie, Mike, Oscar, Romeo, Victor

There are some stretches there, admittedly, but also some very familiar names. For the sake of amusement, here are the ones I left out: Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, Kilo, Papa, Quebec, Tango, Uniform, Whisky, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

I can totally see a sibset of Juliett Sierra and Oscar Charlie.

Also, re: a brother for Lincoln Douglas -

Because I grew up in the States my first association for Lincoln is definitely the president, but when I searched for a second association, I thought of a couple of very English associations - the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, and also Lincoln College, Oxford. That got me thinking that Oxford and Cambridge have many very charmingly named colleges that might match well with Lincoln, if you were feeling adventurous.

Some names from the colleges that I like: Pembroke, Sidney, Edmund, Emmanuel, Fitzwilliam, Hugh/Hughes, Stephen, Mansfield, Antony, Benet (a medieval contraction of Benedict).

The full lists are here:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/colleges/colleges_and_halls_az/index.html
http://www.cam.ac.uk/colleges/addresses.html