Let Us Name Your Baby: Can We Solve Your Baby Name Paradox?
Welcome back to our weekly advice column, Let Us Name Your Baby. Today we're answering three quick-fire questions from parents looking for a dark academia name with a friendly nickname, a girl name that blends tomboy style with feminine demure, and a romantic maximalist name to match Raphael Florian.
Do Nameberry's experts have the perfect names up their sleeves?
Chelsea writes:
We are due with our second child and can't land on a boy name we like. The problem is that our first son is named Osric but he goes by Ozzie 99% of the time. Few people even know his real name is Osric but we loved having a unique, old-school name with nerd connections (Hamlet, D&D, A Song of Ice and Fire).
So now when we're trying to choose a sibling name, we can find things that stylistically match Ozzie (like Rhys or Kit) but not things that fit Ozzie AND Osric.
The closest we're finding are: Peregrine with nickname Pippin, Cassius with nickname Cash, or maybe Ambrose with nickname Rose (too weird for a boy?)
Any advice or suggestions?
Nameberry CEO Pamela Redmond says:
Medieval dark academia name with an adorable nickname? That's an irresistible puzzle. Here are some ideas we like:
Auberon — Bron
Bardolph — Bard or Bardo
Baudoin — Bo
Beowulf — Wolf
Cyril or Cyprian — Cy
Erwin — Win
Ignatius — Iggy
Melchior — Mel
Morris or Morton — Mo
Nicodemus — Nico
Percival — Percy
Romulus — Romy
Sigmund — Ziggy
Sylvester — Sly
Rachel writes:
I'm four months pregnant and my husband and I have totally opposite naming styles when it comes to girls.
I like more spunky/tomboy names, like Scout, Jessie, and Romee and my husband likes more feminine/pretty names like Lilly, Eloise, and Tess.
We both like Roslyn, Juliet, and Grace, but feel like they aren't "the one". He says Roslyn feels too harsh, I think Juliet is a bit much (as in fancy) but I do really like Jules for a nickname, and Grace we like but not love.
Nameberry Editor Madison Dresler says:
You and your husband are trying to find the perfect balance between your two styles — where spunky meets demure.
Since you mentioned liking Juliet but feeling that it’s a bit fancy, maybe another feminine name with a spunky, boyish nickname could be the sweet spot? Think Frances "Frankie," Rosemary "Romee" (a fun nod to your style!), Louisa "Lou," Clementine “Clem,” Georgia "Georgie," Josephine "Jo" or "Joey," and Maxine "Max." These give you that mix of elegance and edge.
If that’s not quite it, then maybe a feminine name that feels lively and offbeat like Poppy, Ramona, Wren, Edie, Juno, Winter, Cleo, Astrid, or Iris — all feel fresh and energetic, but still feminine and sweet.
Emma and Dean write:
We are a Canadian couple looking for a name for our second baby due in March... sex unknown.
Big brother’s name is Raphael Florian born in 2022. In hindsight, we regret giving our firstborn son the middle name Florian because we would have used it for our second baby’s name if he were a boy.
We are looking for boy and girl names that fit with Raphael. We want to avoid trending and popular names, and definitely not Leonardo (🐢🤪).
Nameberry Editor Brynn McKeon says:
Raphael Florian is whimsical but grounded — what a stunning name! I have so many ideas that could perfectly capture that romantic and maximalist charm, but I narrowed it down to a few of my favorites.
For a girl, I can see Acacia, Cordelia, Cosima, Delphine, Imogen, or Linnea as a sister to Raphael Florian.
For a boy, you may like Alistair, Aurelian, Isidore, Lazarus, Lysander, or Stellan.
Does Raphael go by a nickname? If your Raphael is a Rafe, Rafa, Raph, etc. in everyday life, I love the ideas of Antonella “Nellie”, Theodosia “Thea”, Augustine “Gus”, or Cassius “Cas”.
Best of luck, and I am confident baby number two will have a breathtaking name!
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