Deciding on a name for your new baby can be an arduous task. There are a million names that must be narrowed down to one. Girls grow up with a list of our favorites to name their future sons and daughters but when the time finally arrives, the list usually goes out the door and a start from scratch begins. It’s hard enough for the mom, but she’s got to convince the dad as well. This can be especially difficult if he’s already got a name like, oh, I don’t know, Theodore in his head. A big “no thanks” there.
It’s been even more difficult this time around since we haven’t found out the sex of the baby. So that’s two names we’ve had to come up with. So far, this is what we have. I normally don’t ask for opinions on naming since I don’t really care what other people think. After all, I know I have good taste 🙂 but I am a little curious and I know all of you are, too.
For a girl:
Olivia Maria
Olivia Julie
Rob and I are in love with the name Olivia but it happens to be the #1 girls name in Utah!! Wha??? I have only known one Olivia in my entire life and Rob doesn’t know any. Do all of you know a lot of Olivia’s?? I’ve also considered Jocelyn and Caroline.
As far as the middle name goes, I’m big into using family names. Both of our kids so far have middle names from the Snow side of the family so I want to use one from the Raines side this time. But there aren’t that many to choose from. Maria is the one I really want to use and is after Grandma Maria, but does it sound good with Olivia even though they have the same “ia” at the end??
For a boy:
Caleb Brian
Caleb David
I’ve liked this name for a long time and I think it’s the one, but every once in a while I question. I’ve also considered Jameson and Spencer. As for the middle name, it’s after my brother, Brian David, who passed away a couple of years ago. But I can’t decide which middle name I like better.
I’m open to suggestions, but seeing as I’ve been working on this for months I’m guessing most other names have been considered and tossed, so I’m mostly wondering which middle names we should go with and if Olivia is too common.
Opinions?
Rob & Julie Snow Family Blog 
Sorry it's taken so long to get back with my opinion. Things are crazy with the new stake calling!
For the girl, I like either Olivia or Caroline for the first name. I like both for the middle, but lean toward Maria only because it would be nice for her to be alive to see this nice gesture.
For the boy, I think the flow is better with Caleb Brian. If you went with Spencer, then I like David for the middle name.
Names are so hard. I have 2 nieces with the name Olivia, and a nephew with the name Kade. I love them both. Doing birth certificates I see all kinds of names. Olivia is super popular, Caleb, not so much. I LOVE the name Livvy…it still has the Olivia…different. I vote David too. Good luck!
Julie, I would not use Maria. It is a Catholic name. I appreciate the thought. Baby would be Mormon. The reason I am
saying this is because every time I went into a hospital they automatically assume I am Catholic and offer to call a
priest. Olivia is a nice name but think of the nick name she would have, “Olive”. A kid has to live with that. Morgan changed her name from Evelyn Maria to Morgan several years ago. She had a problem with Eve that is what most people called her. She dropped that and also Maria. No middle name. Michelle is a good name. I am blank this
morning. I got up too early. I think about it. Love, Maria.
When I was working in preschool there was always an Olivia in one of the classes. I love the name Jameson, it was the number one pick on my list and Wyatt nixed it the second I said it. I asked him why and he said the first thing he though was Jenna Jameson. Boo!
I think that Olivia just recently became popular… With 5 kids in elementary, I can tell you it is a pretty popular little kid's name. However, I named my youngest (now 6) Isabella which couldn't be more popular for her age group and it hasn't bothered her at all. Also, I am having a boy this next week and we are naming him Daniel Alexander… The top two boy names… lol So I wouldn't let that part influence your decision. 🙂
ha ha! Caroline was one of my names as a little girl that I always named my dolls. I say Julie as a middle name just because I think its cool to give your daughter your name. As for the boy middle name, I like David. I think it flows a little better. Good luck! Whatever you choose will be great!
Julie! You do have good taste.:) I am not pregnant, but love the name Caleb and whenever I talk to Gene about names bring it up. I think you should definitely use it. Both middle names work great with it! Olivia is such a beautiful name. I like Julie with it better. Whatever you pick is perfect though. We love and miss you guys! Joseph is talking about Nathan and Maddie alot. We were at the store and he was pointing at pink things and saying Maddie, and all boy stuff was for Nathan. See you soon.
Names are always hard to agree on. I will say that Olivia is definitely making a come back. We have 3 in our Primary and I have 2 friends with girls named Olivia. If you like the name though, you should use it. I like Olivia Julie better just because Maria and Olivia both end in “ia”.
I think both boys' middle names are great. I love the name Caleb. Good luck!
I don't know any Olivia's, so I'd guess you're safe. I'd go with Olivia Maria. I don't think the same sound on the end is a problem at all. My sister's name is Maria, and I think it's a beautiful name.
As for the boy, I'd go with Caleb Brian. My brother's name is Caleb, and I love it too. Talk about how you have good taste in names! 🙂 I think Brian sounds the best with it. Those are my two cents worth, but I think that whatever you decide on will be great. Good luck!
Picking a name is so hard! It is such a permanent decision that they will have to live with for their whole life. I love Olivia too, but I agree with Kiersten that Marie flows better than Maria. I like Brian for a middle name if you go with Caleb also but I like Jameson too. Good luck!
I know an Alivia, but no Olivia's. I think if it were Marie it would flow better. For the boy, Caleb is a cute name and I vote for Brian as the middle name. Gotta love the name game. We really didn't get to play it with Karlee.