What will go with middle name Alan or Nicola???

[Rachellow]

Hello, baby no1 is coming in a few months and we’ve pretty much decided the middle name will be Alan or Nicola after family members. What first names could go with these please?

Hudson Alan
Vaughn Alan
Wyatt Alan
Jesse Alan
Joseph Alan
Vincent Alan
John Alan
Thorus Alan
Blaise Alan
Cash Alan
Xander Alan

Skye Nicola
Robyn Nicola
Riley Nicola
Darcy Nicola

Is Nicola for a boy (e.g. honouring an Italian relative) or is Alan for a boy and Nicola for a girl?

I think Alan goes pretty well with most traditional boys names, e.g. James, Edward, Philip, Richard, Thomas, Michael, Joseph.

Thomas Alan
James Alan
Joseph Alan
George Alan

Lucy Nicola
Emily Nicola
Jasmine Nicola

I love honouring relatives with middle names but it's hard to know what would flow best without knowing your surname too.

I'd generally guess most popular boys names, probably not ending in - N or -A would sound good with Alan (I suggest popular only because Alan is more a mid-century name so you might want a classic sounding or currently trendier first name to balance that) so for example:

Henry Alan
Jacob Alan
Lucas Alan
Charles (Charlie) Alan
Leo Alan
Edward Alan
William Alan
Isaac Alan

Equally because Nicola was most popular in the 70's/80's, I'd suggest using classics or currently popular names, again probably not ending in -N or -A for best flow, so;

Esme Nicola
Sophie Nicola
Alice Nicola
Charlotte Nicola
Florence Nicola
Isabel Nicola
Beatrice Nicola

Rosie Nicola
Ruby Nicola
Zoe Nicola
Daisy Nicola
Evie Nicola
Iris Nicola

Toby Alan
Alfie Alan
Louis Alan
Zachary Alan

We have picked Alan for a middle name for our boy due in May after my grandad the first names on our list were

Stanley
Toby
Dexter
George
Eric
Robert

For girls we liked

Belle
Ivy
Violet
Robyn

Hope this helps - good luck

Thanks for all your lovely suggestions. To clarify Nicola (my MIL name) will be the middle name if baby is a girl! I think we will have to go very classic or quite modern. They’re both names that have really gone out of fashion but not come back yet in the vintage style of Stanley etc. I wonder maybe when these 60s and 70s babies become grannies will we see lots of baby Michelle, Garry, Sharon etc? The surname is actually yet to be decided in full as we’re unsure about the order of our surnames being double barrelled

Thomas Alan
Joshua Alan
William Alan
Peter Alan
Archie Alan
Alfie Alan
Robert Alan
David Alan
Nathaniel Alan
Philip Alan

Charlotte Nicola
Penelope Nicola
Elizabeth Nicola
Wildcard - Nicolette as a first name.

Scott Alan
Mason Alan
Lee Alan

Mandy Nicola
Tracy Nicola
Margaret Nicola

Could you use Nicole as a middle name?
Anne Nicole

Quentin Alan
Edward Alan

Florence Nicola
Isabelle Nicola

I’ve never actually thought about Florence but so many have suggested it and I’m kind of loving it! Nicole is not an option as my MIL (the original Nicola) hates it neither is Alanna.

You can put any first names with those. Middle names are rarely used so it really doesn’t matter how they ‘flow’ unless they sound actually comedic. Choose first names you like rather than trying to match them to your middles.

Dd has a very dated name for her middle name, in honour of my dm. She loves the association. I don’t think anyone actually knows it apart from immediate family though, and perhaps teachers.