I hope you all had a wonderful Feast of the Assumption! My story (not) about the name Assumpta continues to be one of my favorites. đ Enjoy this consultation by our new baby name consultant, Theresa Zoe Williams, and offer your ideas for this family!
Mary writes in asking for help naming green bean baby #6! Baby will join older siblings:
Anthony Raphael
Kathryn Rose, who goes by Katie Rose
Daniel Louis
Martha Claire Therese
Christopher Karl Benedict
Agnes (in heaven)
Joseph Martin (in heaven)
She writes that they have some names on their shortlist, too, but just donât feel like âthe oneâ:
- Sarah
- Felicity
- Alice
- Nathan
- Benjamin
- Peter
- Isaac
Names one of them likes but the other doesnât or they canât use for various reasons include:
- Samwise
- Mary Magdalen
- Arthur
- Amy
- Mercy
- Gwenfair/Mairwen
- Gregory
- Patrick
First, a few thoughts on their shortlist.
Sarah– Great name! So classic, you canât go wrong. Itâs also a style match for literally every one of their other childrenâs names, including their babies in heaven. Being honest, I think theyâve found The One.
Felicity– I love the femininity of this name and that it means âhappyâ.
Alice– That they love this was a little unexpected to me! Itâs such a great nameââ short, snappy, down to earth.
I love the combo Sarah Felicity Alice! It has such a great flow on its own and with their last name.
Nathan– I donât agree that heâd get called Nathaniel (something Mary was worried about with her other kidsâ names) but I guess anything is possible. This is a great name with their other kids.
Benjamin– If theyâre only worried about him being nicknamed, have no fear. I know several Benjamins who are not Ben or Benny or Benji or anything else. Plus, theyâve kept all their other boys from having nicknames, especially Christopher! So I donât think theyâd have anything to fear here. Also, Benjamin Joseph is such a strong name and then could be nicknamed, if this tickles their fancy or funny bone, Banjo, like a slur of Ben Joe. Always good to have a laugh!
Peter– Great name that I actually donât hear get nicknamed to Pete very often. My Peter is just Peter, if thatâs helpful. With their other kids, I donât think they could go wrong with this name.
Isaac– Another one that surprised me in the best of ways! Isaac is such a happy name, to me, and I think heâs so sweet with their other childrenâs names.
A note on double middles. Mary wrote wondering if three kids in a row with double middle names would be too much. To that I say, love them! I and all of my children have them. If they gave this child two middle names, half of their children would have double middles and half would have single middles.
On to new suggestions! Iâll start with the girls first.
(1) Veronica
This reminded me of one of the other names on their list, Victoria. Itâs got the punchy V and more feminine feel. Itâs frilly but still down to earth, which I thought might bridge Maryâs and her husbandâs styles. Itâs also a style match for Anthony, Kathryn, and Daniel. It means âtrue imageâ which is such a great reminder to be an image of Christ in the world! There is, of course, the St. Veronica who wiped Jesusâs face, but thereâs also Sts. Veronica Giuliani, Veronica of Binasco, and so many more.
(2) Anna
Anna, rather than Ann(e) is a little frillier but still, short, spunky, and down to earth. I love that for these guys. Thereâs also tons of saints to take a patronage from and means âgraceâ. Itâs a style match for Martha, Christopher, and Agnes and also Sarah, so itâs right in their wheelhouse.
(3) Helena
I thought of this name almost immediately for them. Maryâs love of the name Mercy made me think of this as itâs St. Faustinaâs birth name and that ties it into the Divine Mercy. It also means âtorchâ or âmoonâ giving it lots of different faith tie-ins. Itâs a style match for Martha, Christopher, and Agnes, too.
(4) Flora
This is a style match for Martha, Christopher, and Agnes and means âflowerâ giving it the tie-in to St. Therese. I like that this is a little more unexpected, like Martha, and is short but still feminine. I had no idea until I looked it up but there are several saints with this name! Sts. Flora of Cordoba and Flora of Rome, Bl. Flora of Beaulieu, and Ven. Flora Bracaval.
(5) Marina
This is maybe my most unusual girl name suggestion. I was thinking of Maria for them but then this name came up as a match for Anthony, Kathryn, and Daniel and it struck me as a good name for them. It has the down to earth, classic feeling of Sarah with the longer femininity of Felicity. It means âof the seaâ so it can be a reference to Mary as star of the sea. In the Eastern Church, St. Margaret of Antioch is known as Marina and there are several other saints Marina, too.
On to boys!
(1) Henry
A good strong name with very few natural nicknaming possibilities. This name is a style match for Martha, Christopher, and Agnes and thought it brought Maryâs more classic tastes and her husbandâs strong tastes together really well. There are a couple saints to go with the name, too, if they need that.
(2) Rufus
Initially, I didnât think this name was a great fit for them, but as I continued researching, it grew on me. Itâs a style match for Martha, Christopher, and Agnes and there are several saints, including a companion of St. Paul to go along with it. That surprised me, too! Thereâs not too much info on any of them, but St. Polycarp called one of them a âvery happy manâ, which I thought would be sweet for a son.
(3) Paul
Speaking of Paul, what about his name? Itâs a match for most of their childrenâs names and is a good, strong name with no nickname potential. I was thinking that if they love Peter but are worried about nicknames, maybe theyâd like Paul instead.
(4) John
It doesnât get anymore classic and strong with little nickname potential than John! Itâs a style match for all of their other childrenâs names, too. Their love of the name Sarah actually made me think of John and then he matched all of their kids. They cannot go wrong with this name. The only drawback might be that itâs still pretty common.
(5) Samuel
I know theyâd worry about him getting called Sam or Sammy, but theyâve done such a great job with making sure their other boys donât get called by nicknames that I think they could handle this one, too. Samuel is a style match for all of their other childrenâs names and Sarah and it means âGod has heardâ. I couldnât not include this name as I really think itâs a home run for them!
So those are my thoughts. What do you think?
Email Theresa at TheresaZoeWrites@gmail.com to set up your own consultation! (Payment methods remain the same.)
During my hiatus, please donât forget about my book! Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links) â perfect for the expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady in your life!
For boy names Thomas, Timothy, Mark and David came to mind. As well as the slightly different feeling Francis, Philip and Vincent
They really can’t go wrong with any from their list or Theresa’s.
*Benjamin Timothy Walter
For girl names how about Naomi, Ruth, Ruby, Elizabeth, Edith, Frances or Louise
Sarah and Helena are my favorites from their and Theresa’s lists with this set.
*Louise Helena Frances
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Girl: Elizabeth, Cecilia, Susanna, Lucy or Edith.
From Theresa’s list, I think Veronica is a perfect fit.
Boy: Matthew, Zachary or Thomas.
From the parents’ list, I love Benjamin to get the B initial (since they already have A, D and C).
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Edith or Judith? They have the “th” sound find in both Kathryn & Martha, while being a similar style or feel to Agnes.
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