5 Days Overdue And Questioning Name
This will be our fourth baby, and first boy. Our three girls are lia, Eden, and Lucy. We have had the name Milo picked out as our top boys name since before we had our first baby, with Ezra as a runner-up. We've kind of just assumed we'd use the name Milo, but I'm feeling uncertain now. I also like the names Silas, Phinn, Jonah, and Eli, though my husband isn't sold on any of those. I'm concerned about Milo being a bit too trendy. We like short names that aren't common, but also not too out there. I know Lucy is pretty popular, but we couldn't help that, she just came out a "Lucy!" Any other name suggestions? What do you think works best with our three girls' names?
By Nth
Wed, 04/25/2012 - 2:59am
Wed, 04/25/2012 - 2:59am
Replies
They're all such lovely names. I love short names! Lucy and Lea are both on my list of favorite girl names. Personally I'd use a long time favorite rather than making a switch right at the end. I think that's almost a set up for namer's remorse. I also think Milo is a great fit with your other girls names although Ezra, Silas, and Jonah would be nice too. I woldn't go with Eli b/c the long E in Eden's name -- a little too close for sibs particularly when you have several other choices. If you were goint to make a switch, I'd go with Silas but mostly b/c I have a soft spot for New Testament names.
I think you are right about the long E in Eli, and it also sounds quite similar to Lia.
I like both Milo and Ezra and they fit well with the sibling names (which I love BTW). Your short list is good as well. If it were me, I think I'd go in with Milo and Ezra as top runners, with maybe a short list to as back-up/middle name choices and see what fits him when he comes in. Your list is good so you really couldn't go wrong. For more possibilities to go on the short list, I'll throw out Micah, Asher, Felix and Jude. I also rather like Levi and Liam, but don't know if you'd be bothered by Eden having the only non-L name.
Oh I do like Asher and Jude too!
What great names your daugthers have! Both Milo and Ezra fit your sibset nicely, though I like Milo better personally. It has the same sort of vibe as your daughters' names (peppy and upbeat), whereas Ezra feels a bit more solemn. Of your additional names, Eli and Phinn fit the best stylistically, imo. I'd give the edge to Eli over Phinn, though it's close to Lia. You could go with Elias and shorten it to Eli, I suppose so that it's a bit more separate from Lia.
Have you considered: Theo, Enzo, Alec, Asa, Arlo, Hugo, Leo
I will say though, if Milo has been your favorite up till now, I'd caution making a change at this point when you're probably on an emotionally rollercoaster waiting for your son to make his debut. Taking your list and waiting to see your little boy for the first time might be your best option here.
Good luck!
I love the name Arlo too! I think everyone is right to caution me about changing at the last minute. I suppose we will just have to see what name fits when we meet him. I love all the suggestions though, my list is growing.
Any of them are good but I think I like Milo the best. You seem to like L names/sounds so I think it matches your style the best. Silas would be second but Phinn and Ezra a close third. I don't care for Jonah in this sibset and I think Eli/Elias/Elijah is too close.
Thanks for chiming in. I think part of my concern about Milo is that this older lady at our church who we are quite close with absolutely flipped when she heard we were thinking about Milo because "it's a dog's name!" I know it's silly to worry about that, but I was starting to wonder if Milo was kind of a terrible name. I know there's also the movie Milo and Otis, but I don't think many kids from my son's generation will be familiar with it.
How rude! I honestly wouldn't worry too much about what an older person at church said about the name. We know how the generational perceptions of names change.
As for Milo and Otis, my 9 year old watched that movie over & over, but my 4 year old hasn't even seen it-so you are probably correct in assuming that younger kids won't make that association. Even if they do, I think kids are much more forgiving when it comes to names, and Milo willl likely fit in with other retro names that are being used now.
It's a great name and I say if you love it you should use it.
Don't worry about it. She may just happen to know someone with a dog named Milo and perhaps that's the only time she's heard of the name. Lots of people (like me) give pets human names but that shouldn't keep anyone from using those names.
Milo is the cat in the Milo and Otis movie. Milo is also the boy in The Phantom Toolbooth.
In any case, it's a lovely name.
Milo goes beautifully with your girls' names, and you should totally feel comfortable about using it!
None of the associations it has are bad ones, and there will always be someone who says some whackaloon thing about any name you pick. :) Really, I would go with your original instincts on this.
FYI, all the other boys' names you've listed are quite a bit higher on the SSA popularity list than Milo is (if you count the different spellings of Phinn), so I think you're doing fine on the trendiness factor. (As mom to a Silas, I can tell you that it's rising faster than I'd expected, and I know a surprisingly huge number of Elis.)
I agree. Eli is everywhere. It still is nice but I hear it all the time and I haven't heard any Milos yet. Though I live in a pretty Old Testament naming pocket.
I actually know a lot of boys called Eli, but none of them are really named that. They are mostly Elijah with an Elias and Eliott or two thrown in. Eli is one of those names that appears more popular than it really is because of nicknames. Throw in the Ella's and Ellies and it's pretty a pretty oversaturated sound-at least where I live.
It's funny, because I have two friends with boys named Milo, though they don't live nearby and they aren't close friends. So I guess it seems quite common to me. I suppose we just have similar taste. I agree with what people have said about Eli though, both about it being popular and being close to my other girls' names.
I'd wait until you meet him to decide but I do think Milo works well with your other kids names. Don't worry about what the old lady said, people make rude comments like that all the time.
Have you considered going with Miles and using the nn Milo? I know some people like to stick with the name they are going to use on the birth certificate but Miles nn Milo may give you more options down the track.
Of your other options I do think Eli is a bit trendy and too close too to both Lia and Eden for me. Silas I love and I'm also a fan of Phinn but Finn/Finlay is massively trendy where I am.
Ezra is cute but doesn't work as well as Milo for me with the other sibs.
I have thought about Miles but it seems too formal to me. I do see how that could be beneficial when he is an adult, but I just can't choose a name that I don't really love.
Love your girls' names!! I second the suggestion of Miles nicknamed Milo. I work with a Milo who is really Miles, none of his colleagues/friends/family call him Miles ever , but he does use his given name Miles on conference calls, when introducing himself to patients and their families etc. It has a little more of a professional air, I supppose
O.K...I'm just going to say it....Milo Does have a bit of a, "Dog's name," quality.
As do other very nice names, like Molly and Sadie.
It doesn't mean you shouldn't Use it-I'm just trying to address your concern sort of head-on. As for trendiness, I don't know of any, and although I'm not the expert, we are around gobs of kids all the time.
I prefer just Milo to Miles. Milo has a lot of charm and character. Sounds like a kid you'd like to be friends with. Miles, for me, has a bit of a stuffed shirt quality.
I think it's very nice with your girls' names, which are a lovely, interesting mix.
My top pick would probably be Phin, but I think that one may be about to become the next big thing, so perhaps that's out. I also adore Jonah and Silas. I've never known a Jonah who wasn't a terrific kid. I also love Jonas. Has that been ruined by the Jonas brothers?
I do share the conerns others have mentioned about Eli, and I think that one is a good bit more popular than any of the others you've mentioned.
This reply makes me laugh. I want an honest opinion! Jonas has been ruined, for me at least, by the Jonas brothers. I would really like to meet this little guy though, as I think we will probably just know what fits, as we have with our other babies.
if it's not too late---miles might work for you--similar in sound to milo but just a bit different.
eta: oops! i see it was suggested above. i know a couple adults named miles and can say the name fits but milo is also great!
I agree, I know a couple of Milo dogs or cats. I think it's because of the cuddliness of it. I think it's still a great name for a baby boy.
Yeah, I only know non-humans named Milo, sorry. It has an association for me of a boy who never hits puberty—I just can't picture a teenaged Milo, an adult Milo. Milo Lastname, senior White House correspondent reporting live... Milo Lastname, winner of the Nobel price in Physics... No, I just can't go there in my brain.
But ultimately, write them all down and take the list with you. A week overdue is a terrible time to switch baby names (been there, done that, got the t-shirt) and you will feel more settled on your pick when you meet the new squishy. Best of luck!
Thank you. Our little boy was born yesterday (12 days late!) and this is the exact problem my husband is having. He loves the name milo for a little boy, but doesn't think it fits for a grown man. Miles is not an option. Hopefully we'll be able to agree on something today. Now I am starting to stress a bit!
Congratulations! I have been thinking about you and hoping that all went well with your delivery. It seems like while you love Milo there is concerns both that it won't grow up and that it's a dog name -- I guess the two are related since we typically give our pets youthful names. Perhaps you need to let Milo go and move to the other names on your list. I was playing around with MatchMaker to find some more options but honestly I didnt' see anything that I liked better or worked better than Silas.
Congratulations!!! Hope you are resting comfortably and basking in the new baby sweetness.
If it helps any, I don't see Milo as particularly a dog name (at least, not any more than Max, Sam, Toby, Jake, Charlie, Lucy, Ruby, Zoe, Chloe, Bella, Mia, etc.--that is to say, lots of the very popular, sweet, vintage names are used frequently on both kids and pets these days). And I have no problem whatsoever imagining a Milo LN, nobel prize winner in physics, any more than I would have trouble with Otto, Felix, Frits, or Arno, all of whom actually have been nobel laureates in physics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates_in_Physics). I get a more continental vibe from it, and it is a name with lots of usage over centuries of history. So if that is the name you love, I would not hesitate! But I will also say that I think most of your options on the table are just great--the only one that I don't love is Phinn, because I feel like I hear so many of the Finn variants on young kids lately. Silas is a personal favorite, as is Jonah, but I think Ezra and Eli are both great and would work well with your older kids.
Lots of lovely options here--hope you are able to come to a decision without too much stress! Good luck!
I second all of this. Congratulations, enjoy your little one, and I do hope you'll report back with your decision. You do have plenty of great options, and I'm sure he'll grow into whatever you pick.
Congratulations!!
Milo is not a dog name to me either. If you are worried about the youthfulness of Milo, I can definitely see it on a teenager and adult.
If you are still keen on it go with it.
I just wanted to update everyone and let you know that we ended up choosing Milo James for the first and middle names of our sweet, manly, and not at all pet-like son. I really appreciate all the input on this thread. Thanks so much!
Congratulations!!
Milo James is a handsome name for your newest family member!
Congrats! I love it! Best wishes! Have fun getting to know your little guy.
Yay, congratulations!! I think it's a brilliant name, and I'm so glad you didn't let some rude comments sway you from a name you love. Very handsome, and very sweet!
Congrats, lovely name!
I agree that Milo James is lovely. I hada a thought of Parker till I got to the end of the thread and realized he was here. Maybe you can tuck that away for if you have another. Best wishes and enjoy your new little one.
Nice job. Milo James is a great name. Congrats!