When we named Matthew, it was easy. It was a slam dunk, actually. I had a list of names, Matthew was at the top of that list, and B had an old childhood friend named “Matt” who was truly his best friend. Sadly, Matt passed away when he and B were in college and that left a hole in B’s heart forever. When we discussed names early on while dating, I mentioned “Matthew,” he agreed to it whole-heartedly, and we were set. All we needed was a boy, and we got him! Matthew’s middle name is my younger sister’s nickname, so it truly was THAT EASY to name him.
BB2 – not so much.
We have gone round and round on what to name BB2. I have offered up this list of names:
- Bauer (I LOVE this!)
- Bennett (I love it but is gaining in popularity)
- Charlie
- Coleman
- Elliott
- Gatzby (the response I got was, “What?”
- Henry (I love this, but it is super popular right now)
- Hugo (LOVE!)
- Liam
- Luke
- Leo
- Lincoln
- Noah
- Peter
- Theo
- Tobin
- Simon
- William
- Winston
All vetoed, and rather quickly.
When we were at a restaurant on Super Bowl Sunday discussing names, I brought up “William” again. B was expressing why it wasn’t the name for BB2 and this guy at the table next to us chimed in and asked, “What about Wilson?” We looked at each other and you could just tell that we both liked it! I was excited! This meant I could still call him “Will” if I wanted. We agreed to “try the name out” for a bit.
BB2 is referred to in our house as, “Wilson,” and I’ve fallen in love with it. I’ve gotten very attached to it. If we decide to not go with “Wilson,” I will have a hard time letting go of that name. BB2 may always be “Wilson” in my mind, even if he has a different name once he’s born.
We went out for dinner on Saturday for a date night, and I think we discussed names for BB2 the entire time. B came to the table prepared with suggestions! Hallelujah! I didn’t necessarily latch on to any of them, but it was nice that he was suggesting things. The name he REALLY like is “Franklin,” which is a great name. BUT – people would call BB2 “Frank” and I can’t live with that. I’m not a fan of “Matt,” but if Matthew decides to go by that when he gets older, I can live with it. I cannot live with “Frank.” Therefore, “Franklin,” as nice as it is, is off the table.
We revisited my list and all of those names are still vetoed (sigh) and I suggested we look into the names of cities in Colorado (don’t laugh at me, Josey!) because we both love Colorado. Well, guess what names on MY list are names of cities in Colorado? Two of my favorites – “Hugo” and “Bennett.” Even with that going for me, those names are still on the veto list 😉
At the end of dinner, I did offer up a name that popped into my head earlier that day. I wasn’t sure how it would set with B.
“What about Cayman?”
B asked where I came up with that. I didn’t know. It had just been floating in my head all day. Turns out, when we were shopping earlier that day, we walked by a new Porsche and Brian wondered out loud if it was the new 911 or… the “Cayman.” That’s right, the name that is stuck in my head is the model of a Porsche. HA! My dad would be so proud (he is the very proud owner of a 911, which he thinks is the best.car.ever.built) 😉
Turns out that B likes “Cayman,” so we’re thinking about it. I think “Wilson” is still on the list. B thinks that “Franklin” is still on the list (it is not).
We’re still no closer to having a name for BB2 – and I have a goal of having him named by this Friday.
Wish me luck!
All the Sun For You 
February 18, 2013 at 2:25 pm
Naming is so hard. Babe and I discussed names for R when we were on a road trip months before we were pregnant with her. SHould we ever have a second child, I think the naming process will be much more challenging. I guess we’ll have to take some road trips to see what we can come up with. Good luck!
February 18, 2013 at 2:50 pm
Stop with the “if we ever” shit… you are PREGNANT!!!!!
GREAT excuse to take a road trip!
February 18, 2013 at 2:52 pm
Yes, but with my history, I’m not counting my chickens just yet…let’s get to the ultrasound & heartbeat first. Then we’ll take our road trip 😉
February 18, 2013 at 2:25 pm
I had to laugh at this because my list is almost completely vetoed too. Daily a name will pop into my head and I’ll text JJ or tell him if we are both home and he’ll either quickly say yes or no. I think you saw on Twitter the latest name suggestion he came up with (one of only a few HE has come up with). It was Jaxon and call the baby Jax for short. The dog he had with his ex is named Jacks. And the dog is still in the family, at his parents house. For that reason alone I couldn’t go along with that name, even though I think it’s pretty cute. So we are back at square one, and although we have one at the top of our list (that you know also) I just can’t totally commit like I could when we said Chloe and KNEW it was the one. Good luck having one picked out by Friday! I like both of your top names at this point!
February 18, 2013 at 2:54 pm
I was wondering what the dog name was that you were referring to on Twitter. HA!!! My friend’s nephew’s name is Jaxon and it causes issues at school for the teachers. I don’t know why, but it does. (Probably like Cayman would – ha!) Anyway, I still veto the idea of using a name with the ties you mentioned, for what it’s worth 😉
It’s hard to commit. I can’t commit yet on either name, but would on Wilson if B would.
February 18, 2013 at 2:57 pm
I’m with you, coming up with a name for B#2 is SO hard! We always loved the name “Aiden” so that’s what he was named. Agreeing on another name…super hard! I like both of the names you’ve picked out!
February 18, 2013 at 2:58 pm
Thanks! I bet we go with neither of them. HA!
February 18, 2013 at 4:00 pm
Names are one of my favorite parts of the baby thing, but it is SO hard trying to agree! Ryan completely has vetoed my favorite boy name, Thomas, over and over again. Sigh. Here’s a suggestion- when we were coming up with girl names for baby #2, Ryan wanted Macy, which was going to be Grayson’s name had he been a girl. But 3+ years after that being our “girl name”, I was tired of it. I wanted Charlotte, but he just wasn’t on board. So I pulled a drama queen moment with tears and everything. And well, you know what our girl’s name is- ha!
February 20, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Funny – I grew tired of our girl name too (Piper). Naming is supposed to be fun… and it is… but I’m ready to be D-O-N-E!
PS – GREAT choice on Charlotte. Bravo!
February 18, 2013 at 4:18 pm
I love that you’re sharing the names you’re considering/choosing, selfishly, since we’re not sharing ours. My favorites on your list are of course the most offbeat ones (Gatzby, Lincoln, Hugo and Theo – reminds me of the Cosby Show!). I also love Leo but that happens to be DH’s little bro’s name! Otherwise, would have been a contender for sure despite its growing popularity. I think Wilson is cute for a baby boy (I know of one) and different enough without being remotely weird. Cayman is very unique – never ever heard of it! Did you know it means alligator? (http://www.namecandy.com/celebrity-baby-names/blog/2011/06/06/cayman-a-name-with-a-little-bite) It’s the kind of name that takes some getting used to for me but I admire its uniqueness for sure (“Cayman is not in the top 1000 male names for any year of birth in the last 133 years.” -Social Security Index).
The name will come! I think you guys are circling it.
February 18, 2013 at 9:37 pm
I chose names that weren’t in the top 1000 for my girls 🙂 I’m weird like that! I think I told Courtney this already, but you might not know about it– nameberry.com is AWESOME for finding names.
February 20, 2013 at 3:38 pm
Just chiming in to say that Jules is a baby-naming CHAMPION!
February 20, 2013 at 3:22 pm
So THANK YOU for that link! I ate it up!
I LOVE why you’re not sharing Turtle’s name! I think that’s very sweet!
Your Cosby Show reference is precisely why B vetoed Theo. HA!
February 18, 2013 at 4:45 pm
Okay, I just about died laughing at your aside, “it’s not.” I SOOO thought that about a couple of Charlie’s favs. 🙂 Thank God we had a girl – I have a feeling the kid would have been “baby scov*” for a long time otherwise!
FYI – Liam/William are both gaining majorly in popularity right now. I have 2 friends with kids named that in the past 6 months too!
Lots of fun names on this list. Good luck deciding!!
February 20, 2013 at 3:23 pm
I know – you’re right. William and Liam are really popular. I wish they weren’t. HA!
February 18, 2013 at 4:52 pm
I like them all. Camden was our boy name. Boy names are harder than girls I think!!!!! Good luck!!!!
February 20, 2013 at 3:25 pm
Funny – Camden has been on my girl name list and I offered it up Saturday night for our boy, hoping he’d bite. He didn’t.
You have great taste in names!!! 😉
February 18, 2013 at 5:46 pm
Ah love a car name. Jensen is partly named afte a car. And it suits him to a T. I do like Wilson though.
February 20, 2013 at 3:26 pm
Yes – if it’s the right car name!
I totally love the name Jensen!
February 18, 2013 at 6:47 pm
I love so many of the names on your list. Our future son (if we ever have one)’s name is actually on there along with a few other favs of mine. Good taste! 😉 I also love the name Wilson and as I mentioned on Twitter, it is actually my Maiden name and now the name of our cat who is pretty darn awesome. So I think Wilson is a great choice! I really like Cayman as well! It sounds as if whatever name you choice, it will be a good one… okay other than maybe Frank.. I’m not a fan of Frank either… although I really like Frankie as a nickname instead. Picking a name is tough. We had Lids’ name (and future baby boy’s name) picked out long before we were even pregnant, but if the next one is a girl, we are stumped!! Good luck making your decision!!! 🙂
February 20, 2013 at 3:27 pm
Woman – please send me an email and tell me your boy name! You know I won’t use it – it’s on B’s veto list! I am so intrigued that we have such similar taste in names. As you know, Lydia is our #1 girl name and has been for years. How weird is THAT?
February 18, 2013 at 6:48 pm
I badgered and badgered DH about my favorite boy name until it grew on him! Which is what he did to me for Miss E 🙂
February 20, 2013 at 3:29 pm
I’m about to start badgering on Cayman and Wilson. We’re down to 1.5 days until decision time!
Miss E’s name is AWESOME! Nothing better out there. NOTHING!
February 18, 2013 at 6:54 pm
naming is SO hard. One of the reasons I’m thinking about finding out the gender should all progress well (we didn’t the first time and naming was twice as hard, obviously). we went to the hospital with 3 options for boys and 4 for girls. I hope you guys both agree on one soon and you both love it! It’s so hard to agree on one. I was going to suggest not going with Luke, just b/c you wouldn’t want people asking if you’re going to John and Mark too 🙂
February 20, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Your point about Matthew and Luke is a very good one, and one I take seriously. My cousin has 4 boys (oldest is 27) and they’re named Mark, John, Luke, and… Seth. When Seth was born, we all were expecting him to be a Matthew. I do love the name Luke though!
We could never come up with a list of 3 or 4 names. We can’t even come up with one. This is the MAIN reason we determined gender extra early!
February 18, 2013 at 8:40 pm
Names are so hard. I have a boy name tucked away, ready and waiting but I’m always on the lookout for another girl name (silly I know when we probably won’t have another kid but a girl can dream). I hope you find the perfect name for your perfect addition.
February 20, 2013 at 3:31 pm
You’ll have another kid – some way or another – you will!
February 18, 2013 at 9:34 pm
All this time I’d been assuming “Wilson” was a cute fetus nickname, like how we call Mellow’s baby “Stanley”! I secretly love Wilson but it’s just a no-go for us paired with our last name (not that I think Hubs would go for it anyways; it’s not his style). For the record, I’d name a baby Stanley, too 😉 but we already have our boy name picked out, now we just need the boy…
My favs from your vetoed list: Simon, Peter, Charlie, Elliot and HUGO! Hugo is awesome 😀
February 20, 2013 at 3:37 pm
(I like all of Mellow’s nicknames – notice that Leo was on the list.. and I do love Stanley too!)
Wilson has issues with our last name too – our last name ends in an -son. But I keep saying it out loud and it sounds OK. But.. I may be convincing myself of something that’s not really OK!
Hugo isn’t awesome – it’s EFFING awesome! Damn it, B! 😉
February 19, 2013 at 2:41 am
Ooooh: there are good names on your list. Everyone else has said it but: naming is HARD. Good luck!!
February 20, 2013 at 3:38 pm
Thank you! I think so too 😉 B does not. HA!
February 19, 2013 at 8:16 am
Great choices! We had an easy time with our son as it’s family tradition on hubs side to name them after Dad and Mom’s father- so he’s Paul Thomas. I don’t LOVE the name Paul, it wouldn’t have made my list otherwise but it suits him. If we’d had another boy I had dibs on picking- would have been Benjamin. Had a girl instead and our first choice (Audrey) was ruined when DH’s brother and his girlfriend had an Aubrie 2 months before we were due. Went into hospital with either Eliza or Cora and eventually decided on Eliza! Love all your choices- I think Wilson is a great way to be a little different but still can have a more traditional nickname if wanted later on…
February 20, 2013 at 3:55 pm
I so wish we had another family name to use. That would fix this whole dilemma. My grandfather’s name was Paul. I loved him and would totally use it for a middle name, but I have two cousins with that name and it’s too much of “Paul” for one family.
Eliza is one of my favorite names EVER!
February 19, 2013 at 11:40 am
Omg boy names are the WORST! I actually like Franklin — and I’m almost positive he’d be nicknamed Frankie, not Frank, which is way cuter. But I also like Wilson — it makes me think of Wilson Phillips and that classic song “Hold on”. 🙂 Cayman is also pretty cool; I foresee Cayman turning into a hot teenager who gets the nickname “Cay”… but it also makes me think of the Cayman Islands, which makes me think of rich people hiding their money from the tax man. But I guess that isn’t a bad thing, necessarily. GOOD LUCK!
February 20, 2013 at 3:56 pm
See, I’m all about limited taxation, so I like your Cayman Islands thought. HA!
February 20, 2013 at 3:40 am
Naming is HARD. Thinking about all the aspects of the names makes it even harder – do you like the nickname? Do you like the full name? Do they rhyme with something unfortunate, etc.? Noah is actually one of our favorite boy names and if we ever have a son it might very well be what we choose. One problem – say Noahnoahnoahnoah and in Spanish it sounds a bit like you’re saying anusanusanus. Yep. Kids can be cruel.
On top of that, you aren’t just naming a baby or a child, but also a MAN. Talk about pressure! Stan typically goes by his nickname (Bob for Robert, for example) but always introduces himself in professional situations as his full name, as he thinks it sounds more “adult.” Something else to consider!!
And, while we’re on the topic of names, and since this fits both you and me, my mom once told me that she read a study that showed people took women whose names end in “y” less seriously! Ha! What do you think?
February 20, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Interesting about the names ending in “y.” Both my sister and I have names ending in -y and the one sister without that – isn’t taken seriously at all. HA! But I don’t know that L and I are taken very seriously though either!
Yes – naming a MAN is hard.