Hi Duana,
We currently have a toddler named Claire and are expecting twin boys. Would very much appreciate some name help please. Our first names are John and Kelly. Our last name is very German, sounds like ThisBig. I'm of Irish roots so like the idea of finding at least one boy name of Irish origin. So far we both like Eamon a lot. I'm a little concerned people may not know how to pronounce it or think it's too out there - what are your thoughts? Do you think it goes okay with Claire? Also, we have zero ideas for a second boy name other than maybe Edward. It's John's middle name and his grandpa's name but I don't know if I can get over how it got Twilighted. Any ideas for names that go with Claire and Eamon (provided you approve of Eamon)? We like names that are classic but not super popular/trendy (although we’re realizing belatedly Claire is definitely rising in popularity). If it helps, here are some names we like but can’t use: Cora and Clodaugh (before we knew the twins were both boys), Ryan, Jack and Patrick (just know too many of each), and Owen and Hannah were alternatives for our Claire but Owen is definitely too popular for us now. We will likely be using grandparent and parent names for middle names - Claire's middle name is June after our mothers Jane and Judy. Thank you so much in advance for your help!
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Hmm. Eamonn and Edward. Cora and Clodaugh. Jack and Patrick. I don’t know if you know that you’re doing a thing, but you’re kind of doing a thing. You don’t need your twins to match, do you? You know that they will come as a set no matter whether they start with the same initial or sound or syllable. You do, right? I know you do.
So keeping that in mind, there are all kinds of things you can do. Yes I love Eamonn (which I would encourage you to spell with the original extra ‘n’), and no I don’t think people will have problems with it pronunciation wise. However – beware the interloper spelling. I’m seeing Aemon, or even Aymen, and I Do Not Like it at all. Stick with the classics.
But you don’t have to go with Edward, even though I think the ‘Twilight effect’ is already forgotten. Honestly. Most of the girls who were Twi-Hards are embarrassedly in their second jobs after school now and sort of shrug about it all ‘well, it was university, so…’ I think you’re fine. If you want something that is Edward but isn’t, what about Simon or Elias or Conrad?
If you want something a little further afield, either to go with Eamonn or to mix & match, Victor seems like it would be right up your alley. Claire and Victor and Eamonn. If you feel like you’re straddling too many cultures, how about Gerard or Gerald? I know I laughed about Jerry last weekend, and I meant it, but Gerard seems to me to be ready for new life and it’s eminently Irish-adaptable.
Or if what you want is another easily understood, clean and crisp name, how about Gregor? So much more stylish and sexy than Gregory, and yet it erases the thought that I just ascribed the word ‘sexy’ to a potential baby name. See? Look at it again. Clean and upstanding. That’s the power of that name.
Darius? Eamonn and Darius? Seth? Seth and Eamonn and their big sister Claire? Those are pretty clean and stylish. Of a type.
Are you finding any here? As a last thrust – can I offer you the subtle, ever growing charms of Wesley? Yeah, I thought that might hit the sweet spot.
Hit me back, let me know!
