Happy Monday everyone! Here’s another consultation by our new baby name consultant, Theresa Zoe Williams!

Mama Allison writes in asking for help with names for the little green bean (gender unknown) they are expecting. Baby joins big siblings:

William Michael (in heaven)

Emilia Grace (in heaven)

Autumn Kateri

First, what great names!

Allison writes:

“Christopher [husband] prefers very unique names (think – things found in Star Wars or your favorite video game), and I tend towards different saints – Felicity, Philomena, etc.

I have a strong devotion to St. John the Apostle, but Christopher doesn’t love the name John.”

Pop culture references are my jam! I love unique names that tie together both secular interests and the faith.

Names they won’t use:

• Tristan
• Renee
• Nicole
• Erin

Names on their shortlist:

• Zoe
• Isla
• Aubrey
• Jade
• Estelle
• Judah
• Daire
• Griffin
• Ze’ev
• Beo

First, I wanted to give some thoughts on their shortlist. They have some awesome names on there!

Zoe: I love this name and yes, I’m a little biased. You can’t beat its short and snappiness and its meaning, “life.” But this isn’t just the biological life but the spiritual life! It’s like asking to be filled with God’s life. There are also two fantastic saints, Zoe of Rome and Zoe of Pamphylia (my patroness). I just love this name and don’t think you could go wrong with it.

Isla: This struck me as so you guys. I love this as a sister for Autumn, too. I like that, with this name, all your girls would have names that begin with vowels. I think that’s cool!

Aubrey: Again, such a lovely name that struck me as so you two. The only drawback with this one is that she and her sister would have names that start with the same sound and letters Au-. It might feel like starting a pattern and I’m not sure you’d want to set that precedent with child number 2. Maybe for a child down the line.

Jade: I love that they like this name! You don’t see it very often and I think that’s a shame. I love that Jade and Autumn both have rich, warm feelings.

Estelle: I was truly surprised by this one! To me it still says “grandma” but that usually means that it’s time for a renewal! I love the thought of a little Estelle. It’s meaning, “star”, can also point to Our Lady to give her a bit of a faith tie-in.

Judah: Such a great name and a great way to honor Jesus.

Daire: I’d never heard this name before, so I had to look it up. What a cool name! I love its meaning of “oak tree.” You want your son to be good, strong, and faithful and this name would convey that.

Griffin: I love that they love slightly more unusual boys’ names. There’s such a wealth out there that many people don’t dig into. Again, this is a great, strong name. You couldn’t go wrong with this one at all.

Ze’ev: Another name I had to look up. This one strikes me as super cool, especially with its meaning of “wolf,” but it would definitely set a precedent for future children. Maybe in the middle spot? It’s short and snappy and has the zippy Z that’s totally in right now. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that I’d be sad if they didn’t find some way to tie this name in. I love cool, unusual names! I wish more people were as adventurous as this couple!

Beo: Another one I had to look up! I’m loving all that I’m learning from this couple! So this Irish name bears a similar meaning to Zoe, which is cool. I’d never come across a male name that did this before. It’s short and snappy, which seems to be a theme for them. This does make me think of Beowulf, which maybe isn’t something anyone else would think of or even anything that would bother them.

Okay, so on to new suggestions! We’ll start with girls

Girls

(1) Lydia

Lydia is a match for Autumn and reminds me of it, too. Both Autumn and Lydia are names that remind me of the 1990s and popular culture of that time. There’s the saint Lydia Purpuraria, patron saint of the color purple, to go with this name, and she’s super cool! She helped St. Paul a lot. There are also characters named Lydia in the video games Skyrim, Dishonored, and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and in lots of television shows and movies. If you want a good faith and pop culture crossover, Lydia is their girl!

(2) Anastasia nn Stella

Anastasia means “Resurrection” which is a fantastic meaning for a child you want to be able to grow with the changes life will throw at her. Anastasia is also a saint named in the canon at mass, which would be super cool for a child to hear! I like that she would share a first initial with her big sister. If that bothers them, though, there are nicknames besides Ana or Anya to go with this name. There’s the classic Stasia or Stacey and then there’s Stella. Stella is an Old Slavic nickname for Anastasia. I can’t find any reason why, but it is! This would also nicely tie in their love of Estelle.

(3) Luna

This name meaning “moon” really struck me as their style. It’s short, snappy, a little unusual, but totally cool. There’s no saint to go with it but it can be a nod to Mary as she is described as the moon. Also, fun fact, the lunette or luna is the part of the monstrance that actually holds the Eucharist. What a cool connection for a girl! There are so many Lunas in pop culture: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, Marvel comics, and plenty of video games, including Final Fantasy XV and Super Mario Bros.

(4) Ivy

This is another name that really struck me as their style. I love that with this one, the sisters would both have vowel names. This can also be a nod to Mary under the title Our Lady of Sorrows as the ivy plant is sometimes called Mary’s tears. There is an Ivy in the Batman comics and in video games Pokemon and Soul Caliber.

(5) Felicity

They had mentioned this name in their email as the type of name she tend towards but that her husband doesn’t. It fits them so well that I couldn’t leave it off. It is also a match for Autumn, Emilia, and William! It means “good luck” or “happiness” and I just love that for a younger child. There are tons of saints Felicity and also a character in the Green Arrow comics named Felicity. The actress who starred as Jyn in Rogue One is named Felicity, too. I really feel like this is a can’t miss name for them.

Okay, on to boys!

Boys

(1) Hugo

This was one of the first names that came to mind for them. It’s short, a little off-beat, but still familiar. It means “heart, mind, spirit” which, wow! Could you get anymore all-encompassing? There are all kinds of saints named Hugo or Hugh (its English form) including St. Hugh of Novara, Bl. Hugh of Canefro, Bl. Hugh of Sassoferato, and Bl. Hugo of Haarlem. There are also characters named Hugo in Batman, Harry Potter, Lost, and the Skylander video game.

(2) Dimitri

This one struck me as just off-beat enough for them. Its meaning is meh but there are several saints Demetrius (maybe they’d like that form of the name, too?) that tie it into the faith and there are characters named Dimitri in the Castlevania video games and the movie Anastasia.

(3) Jude

This was inspired by their love of Judah, so maybe they’ve considered this name before. It is fairly popular in Catholic circles, so maybe that’s a turn off for them. This is actually a form of the name Judah, which made me think that they’d like it. There are obviously tons of pop culture references to Jude and the saint of impossible causes. Come to think of it, a saint like that might be great for a little boy 😉

(4) Cassian

There are several saints named Cassian and Cassian is one of the main characters in Rogue One. Honestly, I think this name might be a hit for them because it’s unusual but not weird, can carry the nickname Cash to make it more digestible, and has ties to all the things they love.

(5) Lando/Landon

Believe it or not, there are several popes names Lando! I thought that was so cool to learn while I was researching. Of course, Lando is also the name of beloved Star Wars character Lando Calrissian. That name is actually a form of Lance, meaning “spear.” If Lando is a little too much on its own, I thought Landon was a great longer form. They’re not technically related, but who cares. Landon means “long hill”. I really love the sound of Autumn and Landon together and Landon is a style match for Autumn and William.

So those are my thoughts. What do you think?

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