# Ever know a family who named their kids via some cute theme or scheme? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 14, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661 "2026-07-14T16:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/81 "2026-07-15T13:31:04Z")
One of my university housemates was named Hope and her two sisters were Faith (oldest) and Charity (youngest). They did belong to some Christian denomination that apparently named children after virtues (Prudence, Patience, etc.). Don’t remember which denomination it was. So maybe not a cute theme. I did meet a family who seemed to have named their three sons after old timey professions. Cooper, Sawyer and Chandler. But when I mentioned how cute that was to the parents, they were confused. They had no idea what the names meant. They just “sounded good and sort of rhymed”. I met them at a living museum where two buildings were named Chandler and Cooper. They thought they were named after people, not because they had candle making and barrel making demonstrations in them. They were just thrilled to have exhibits with their names (boys were maybe 4, 6 and 8) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/82 "2026-07-15T13:34:58Z")
A friend is from a Chinese family with 4 girls. They all have the same “first” name with different middle names that they go by within the family. I’ve always used her first name which can be confusing when here sisters are around. They each have varying English spellings for their first name which seem to have evolved independently of each other. I’m not familiar with Chinese naming convention but it appears this is a somewhat common practice. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/83 "2026-07-15T13:52:59Z")
Knew a family whose five kids (a girl and four boys) all had the initials KJC. And one whose names were the Latin equivalents of “the Way”, “the Truth” and “the Life”. Worked with a girl whose brothers were named Woody and Stoney. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/84 "2026-07-15T13:55:23Z")
Yeah that’s what my brother did. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/85 "2026-07-15T14:23:20Z")
When I was very young I went to school with a kid named Noah. His brother was named Adam. Truly Nolen was an eccentric man who founded a very successful pest control company. Their company cars have mouse ears. Truly is his real name. Among his children (which include typical names like Scott and Michelle) are Really and Sincere Leigh. (The best name, though, is True Spyder Luke) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/86 "2026-07-15T14:33:37Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Worked with a girl whose brothers were named Woody and Stoney. And here I was expecting Woody & Buzz… ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/87 "2026-07-15T14:41:06Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Some old friends of mine were expecting a boy. They picked out the name Michael, decorated the nursery in typical boy stuff, bought boy clothes, etc. Then the baby was born and what the ultrasound tech thought was a weenie turned out to have been just a play of shadow. They actually had a girl. > > Michaela is going on 23 now. I worked with a woman who’s first name was Michael. I later leared that’s it’s not super rare. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/88 "2026-07-15T14:52:19Z")
My wife’s extended family each choose a letter and name their kids with that starting letter. One cousin chose ‘J,’ another ‘K.’ I thought it was a fun theme and was happy to participate. We chose ‘E’ ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/89 "2026-07-15T15:01:27Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I’m not familiar with Chinese naming convention but it appears this is a somewhat common practice. I can confirm that it’s not uncommon. My mom’s Chinese name is How Ping. Her sisters’ names all started with How, but had a different suffix (?). This isn’t a family story, but a friend’s mom works in a fairly popular Chinese restaurant where most of the wait staff are Chinese immigrants. Their name tags bear Americanized names they’ve chosen for themselves instead of their Chinese names, and as an inside joke, all of them picked names that end in the “-see” sound, so there’s Casey, Chelsea, Kelsey, Macie, et al. What makes it funny is that “see” in Toishanese means ‘shit’. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/90 "2026-07-15T15:30:17Z")
Come to think of it, I have run across Japanese names like Ichiro, Jiro, Saburo… ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/91 "2026-07-15T15:34:07Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Japanese names like Ichiro, Jiro, Saburo Japanese are big on numbering their kids. My grandfather’s given name translates to ‘first turtle’, or more accurately, ‘turtle one’. His younger brother? ‘Turtle two’, of course! ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/92 "2026-07-15T15:37:36Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > Japanese are big on numbering their kids. My grandfather’s given name translates to ‘first turtle’, or more accurately, ‘turtle one’. His younger brother? ‘Turtle two’, of course! Kameichi and Kameni? ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/93 "2026-07-15T15:40:12Z")
Pretty close! Kamejiro. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/94 "2026-07-15T15:43:29Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I have a set of sibling cousins named David, Michael, Steven and Sarah. (If you can’t see the theme, it is because our culture is swimming in it.) The theme is obviously kings. > **[David](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David)** > > (Italics indicate a disputedreign or non-royal title) David (/ˈdeɪ.vɪd/; Biblical Hebrew: דָּוִד‎, romanized: Dāwīḏ, "beloved one")\[a\] was, originally, leader of the Tribe of Judah who became the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. David's reign may have occurred around the 9th century BC, although the timeframe of his reign and geographical boundaries of his kingdom are disputed. Most of what is known of David comes from biblical lit... > **[Michael King - San Diego Padres Starting Pitcher - ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/40429/michael-king)** > > View the profile of San Diego Padres Starting Pitcher Michael King on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights. > **[Stephen King](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_King)** > > Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror fiction and has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery. He has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections. His debut, Carrie (1974), established him in horror, and Different Seasons (1982), a collection of four novellas, was his first major departure from the genre... > **[Sarah King, MD | University of Vermont Health](https://www.uvmhealth.org/providers/sarah-king-md)** ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/95 "2026-07-15T15:48:01Z")
It is common and traditional in China to have two character (two syllable) given names, the first of which is the same for all siblings or first cousins (I believe only children of brothers). The second character or syllable is the individual’s given name. Chinese names are in the order Family Name, Generation Name, Given Name. So the siblings or cousins would be: Hao Shu Min Hao Shu Ying Hao Shu Lin But their given names would really be Shu Min, Shu Ying and Shu Lin. When they are dealing with “western” folks they will have the names: Shu Min Hao Shu Ying Hao Shu Lin Hao And you might think that their first name is the same, but first name and second name is NOT the same thing as the First Name and Middle Name in western (Anglophone?) societies. The whole thing is the given name. And if you asked their mother what the kid’s names are she would say xiao Min, xiao Ying and xiao Lin, where xiao means “little”. The kids could be 50 years old, to their parents generation they are still ALWAYS called “little” Given Name. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/96 "2026-07-15T16:20:27Z")
Reminds me of the Brothers Wong, who at one point worked on the animation for the White Walkers in the _Game of Thrones_ TV series. Wong Xie He and Wong Xie Bao each produced several treatments for their vision of the creatures, but HBO rejected them all, and eventually went with a different animation studio. Because two Wongs don’t make a Wight. _Thank you. I’ll be here all week. Be sure to tip your server._ ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/97 "2026-07-15T16:31:23Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > My SIL is the third of 4 kids, and they were also named in alphabetical order. More, their names begin with A, B, C, D. That’s dumb. What will they do when they have their 27th child? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/98 "2026-07-15T16:33:45Z")
Name him Omega, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/99 "2026-07-15T16:35:38Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I worked with a woman who’s first name was Michael. I later leared that’s it’s not super rare. [Michael Learned](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Learned). I knew twin girls that were named Kelly and Kristen. I thought for the longest and for no good reason that Kristen was spelled with a C and was short for Christina (I was primarily friends with sister Kelly). When I learned otherwise, it was a moment of ‘oh, yeah- of course’. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661/100 "2026-07-15T16:42:56Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Some old friends of mine were expecting a boy. My ex worked with a woman named Doug – same story as your friends. > [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > (Prudence, Patience, etc.) I’ve often thought those would be good names for twin girls – not that either would ever live up to her name if they were my daughters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-know-a-family-who-named-their-kids-via-some-cute-theme-or-scheme/1031661.md?page=6)