Name Help: A Brother for Darwin, Auden and Espen

 

Beth is expecting her forth boy -- a brother for Darwin, Auden and Espen. 

Beth writes: "Our 3 boys have quite unusual names. They are Darwin, Auden (both English surnames and important figures in science and literacy) and Espen (we ran out of fuel on the boys surname and went for something Scandinavian/Dutch). I'm Welsh and my husband is Dutch and we met when we both lived in Scotland. We are at a complete loss and have absolutely nothing at all! We just know that a suitable name would be something a little less ordinary to fit. 

We have exhausted surnames so went through a stage with our 3rd looking at Byron, Edison, Ellison ect. 

 

Espen (our third son) started a scandi stage particularly fuelled by my husband who quite liked Sander, Anders and Thor- I'm not to sure on these- especially

Thor. Axel came up which I don't mind but grandparents do!

 

I quite like Welsh names to a certain extent, but more in the line of Macsen, Aneirun, Ossian but my husband isn't keen and doesn't seem keen on anything overtly Welsh (Bryn, Hywel ect), English (George, Harry, Charlie ect) or Scottish (Gregor, Hamish, Harris ect) 

 

We can't really use anything along the lines of Alistair, Hamish, Tobyn due to family constraints. 

 

We don't like anything to popular like Alfie, Archie, Arlo or anything beginning with a C/K like Caden, Caelan, Kayden etc. 

 

We are pretty open to any suggestions you have so please feel free to explore a wide range. My husband says he wants something "cool" I have no idea what his idea of cool is and neither does he."

 

※    ※    ※    ※

 

How to follow up an awesome trio? Naming one child is tough, but for you the situation is ten-fold, as you have had the same lists and conversations three times over already, and are now going over the same territory again. All the same restrictions and preferences, but now with an even smaller pool. 

The good news is that there are plenty of names that sit just outside of the box that are unusual without feeling too strange or unmanageable. 

 

'N' endings:

All three of your sons have two syllable names ending in -n. And while none of them feel the same, it is a nice link that ties them all together. If you wanted to continue the trend, here are some suggestions:

Tristan – A literary hero which has ancient Celtic roots and links to both Wales and Scotland. It is a handsome and heroic name that stands out from the crowd. 

Alban – Both an anglicised form of the Roman Albanus ("from Alba Longa") and a native ancient Celtic name meaning "white, upperworld." Alban is the name of the first ever native British saint (a soldier martyred in the 3rd century for whom St Albans is named), as well as being an alternate/poetic name for Scotland. 

Thorfinn – A Viking name made up of Thor and finn "a Finlander." It is rare in England, but not completely unheard of in Scotland currently. It is more commonly found as Torfinn in Scandinavia itself in modern times. Other Scandinavian names with the Thor element include Torben (Thor + bear) and Torsten (Thor + stone). 

Bastian – A cool twist on sophisticated yet popular Sebastian which is found in Spain, Germany and some parts of Scandinavia.

Galen – Count Galen as another name with links to Science -- in this case medicine. Galen of Pergamon was a 2nd-century Greco-Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher who was a pioneer in the understanding of anatomy. His name comes from the Greek Galenos meaning "calm."

Larkin – Once a medieval pet-form of Laurence, Larkin also has literary roots. 

Jovan / Jovian – Jovan is the Macedonian and Serbian form of John. Similar Jovian is the adjectival form of Jupiter (Jove): the king of the Roman gods -- giant planets are scientifically known as "jovian planets" after Jove/Jupiter. There was also a Roman emperor (363–364 AD) named Jovian.

Jowan – Similar in sound, Jowan (rhyming with Owen) is the Cornish form of perennial John with an edgy Celtic twist.

Lewin / Levin – Lewin is the medieval form (later surname) of the Anglo-Saxon Leofwine meaning "dear, beloved friend." Levin is the German form, derived from Leofwine's Germanic cognate Leobwin.

Luan – Sleek Luan has several origins around the world: an Albanian name meaning "lion;" a Portuguese name meaning "moon;" and a Vietnamese name meaning "justice; ethics."

Josten – A Swedish form of the Old Norse name Ióstæinn made up of the elements "horse" and "stone". The Norwegian Jostein is more common, though Josten works better in English.

Soren – The Angliced form of Søren or Sören, the Danish and Swedish form of Severinus -- a Roman name ultimately meaning "serious." Severinus itself was borne by saints, popes and philosophers, while Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a notable Danish philosopher. 

Stellan – Another slick Scandinavian name, made famous by actor Stellan Skarsgård. It has been used in Sweden since the 16th century, though its origins remain mysterious. 

 

Other Options:

Finlo – Derived from the same root as Finlay, Finlo is the distinctly Manx form. 

Beckett – A stylish English surname which was made famous by principled Archbishop Thomas Becket. 

Caius – In Roman times, Caius was one of the most common names. The John of the Roman world, if you will. Now, it is a recognisable yet stylish and uncommon choice. 

Wolfram – A Germanic name made up of the elements "wolf" and "raven." Wolf is stylish alone, nowadays, while Wolfram retains a dignified edge. Wolfric "wolf + power, ruler" is another variant worth considering.

 

For further ideas, take a look at this previous post: Name Help: A Brother for Auden.

 

I hope this has been of use. Best wishes for finding the perfect name.