Hi Duana,

Please help!  My due date is 10 days away and we're totally stuck on a name for boy #2.  My last name rhymes with that of our popular Canadian coffee chain.  Our first son is Owen (which we chose despite its ranking on the popular list).  We'd like the names to sound good together, but have no rules about initials or ending with an "n".  We're more concerned with how the name we choose will grow with him and impact his life.

Typically, I like strong, masculine names; and I care about the meaning.  A couple of names we've been tossing around are Eric, Cameron, and Leon, but we just moved in beside an Eric and wonder if the "on" in Cameron and Leon is too rhymey with our last name.  I'm also into Irish names, without the odd spelling (for example we went Owen instead of Eionn).  I like Liam, and Connor, but again the popularity problem.  My husband suggested Brent, Derek and Tyler, but I'm really not feeling it.  And we're probably leaning towards Michael as a middle name (tribute), but haven't settled on that yet either.

Please help!  I can't look at baby name books anymore and I need some fresh ideas!

Thank you,
Nadine 

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Okay, so for the uninitiated, the coffee chain, Tim Horton’s, is pronounced pretty close to “HOAR-tawns”,  which doesn’t necessarily rhyme with Owen, which in most pronunciations comes off as OWE-in. Subtle, but different. Okay, I get it.

Having said that, Owen and Cameron and Leon Horton is a lot of Ns. And the non-Irish spellings – I’ve already pointed out how I’m about to be excommunicated because I think saving the names is more important than saving the spellings. So I’m into that, even though there are a lot of Ns to contend with. How about Rory? How about Callum? Owen and Callum are a great pair. How about Cormac? Or do you want to go another way altogether? I’ve said it before – if you want to get on board with maximum comprehension but not maximum saturation now is the time for Niall.

As for your husband’s suggestions – they sound like boys who were my classmates in 1985. You know, very much regular boys from the neighbourhood. If this is the goal, then how about Bennett or Caleb or Ivan? I know, I know, they don’t sound like the class lists used to, but things are different now, you know?   

Overall – breathe, don’t panic,  and don’t choose any of the names you’ve heard in Owen’s swimming classes or daycare, because you’ll hear them soon enough.  

Oh, and re: middle – Michael is so perennial, but at the same time, so out of vogue these days, that it will go with anything. You’re golden in that regard.

10 days or less! Squee!