Ava to Zeke,
I have a son named Leo and I am pregnant with another boy. I’d like to try to avoid the super popular names. I definitely like names that age well. I like Eli, though I like how it sounds better than the way it looks, because I feel like it could be read as ell-lee. Names we like but can’t use are Kai and Myles. In theory, I like names with nature connotations, but then when I look at those options for boys, I don’t ;). Any suggestions for Leo’s little brother’s name? (The last name starts with Mc- has three syllables).
-Reader
Reader,
Thanks for your question, and congrats!
I’ll start by saying that I like Eli for you. Leo and Eli are a nicely matched sibling set, both names with three letters and the long E sound. I also think that Eli is a recognized enough name that people will mostly get it right. Sure, he may have the occasional teacher who calls him Ellie on the first day of school, but if that happens, Eli will correct it and all will be right in the world. Elis out there, correct me if I’m wrong!
To get to some names that you may like, we’ll start with popularity and eliminate any names in the top 10. But keep in mind that popularity isn’t what it once was: Just one percent of babies were given the most popular male name (Liam) last year. When we look at the Social Security Administration’s data, we see that Leo has steadily increased in popularity since 2000 and is now the 50th most popular name in the US.
So we’ll keep some top-50 names on our list, but we’ll mark them with an asterisk (*) to indicate that they’re currently more popular than Leo.
Now let’s move on to sound. You say you like the way Eli sounds, so here are some other “long E” choices:
- Dean
- Ethan*
- Felix
- Rhys/Reese
Dean is so handsome, and why isn’t Rhys used more?? We’d add Levi, Leon, and Theo to this list, if they weren’t so similar to Leo.
Now for the other sound in Eli, that long I:
- Bryce
- Isaac*
- Ivan
- Lyle
- Ryder
- Silas
- Ty
- Wyatt*
Eli and Isaac always strike me as similar. Ivan and Lyle are both just uncommon enough to be interesting, though not sure how you’d feel about having a Lyle and a Leo. And I just love the flexibility of Ty. He could be Tyson?
Now the O in Leo:
- Jonah
- Jonas
- Nolan
- Otis
- Owen*
- Roman
I like them all. Roman is a personal favorite, and Otis Redding brings so much cool to the name. Using a name that starts with O gives you the same sound as Leo without the rhyme. Or, if you don’t mind ending with an O, Enzo or Arlo would work.
You mention liking the name Kai while also eliminating it as a choice. Here are some names that capture Kai’s beachy spirit, with some of these having the nature connection that you like.
- Beau
- Bodhi
- Callum
- Dax
- Laird
- Rafe
- Reife
Then there are the names that we think match the length, feel, and/or style of Leo:
- Ari
- Asa
- Asher*
- Chase
- Dylan*
- Finn
- Graham
- Grant
- Jack*
- Jude
- Luca
- Max
- Oscar
The name that pleasantly surprises me here? Ari! I’m kind of feeling it. It mirrors the three letters in Leo, it’s not popular, it’s timeless, and it means “lion of God”— SUCH a cute tie-in to Leo!
Finally, we don’t think that sibling names need to match, as long as they go. Here’s our list of names that complement the length, feel, and/or style of Leo:
- Abram
- Adrian
- Ansel
- Bennett
- Calvin
- Ellis
- Elliott
- Everett
- Ezra
- Garrett
- Harris
- Julian*
- Malcolm
- Nathan*
- Niall
- Penn
- Sebastian*
- Shay
- Vincent
We like the way these names balance out Leo with their softer sounds. Vincent could be Vince, Everett could be Rhett, Sebastian could be Seb. All great with Leo.
And those are our suggestions for Leo’s little brother! Congrats again on your baby boy.
-Ava to Zeke
Readers, what are your favorites? What names would you add?
If you want baby name advice or have baby-naming stories to share, we’re here to listen. Send us an email or DM us on Instagram, or check out our Consultation page.