Should we stick to four-letter names for baby #3?

[hangonwhilstioverthinkthis]

We're a family of 4 who all have names which either have or shorten to 4 letters. Expecting baby #3, gender unknown. Do we continue the trend?

Currently the front runner is Alexander/ra (Alex), but it's more common than my other two (Rudy and Leonora aka Nora) so am still overthinking

For boys I quite like Peter (Pete), Drew and Jacob (Jake) (however we're a half German family so J names are often vetoed pretty quickly).

The only 4-letter girls name on the list currently is Cleo, and I don't love it. I quite like Dorothy (Dot), Connie and Lottie. Though we already have 3 names ending in an 'ee' sound so also totally overthinking whether to avoid continuing adding anymore names which share that sound.

When reading What Katy Did with DD recently I was reminded how much I loved the name Clover, but idk if I'd go so far as to use it.

Any all suggestions welcome!

What about Clea instead of Cleo?

I also love Clover.
other ideas
Dorothea nn Thea or Dora
Lucia nn Lucy
Felicity nn Feli
Frederica nn Rica
Seraphina nn Sena or Sera or Sephy

Nora is nice, I wouldn’t go for leonora personally but Nora on its own is nice, as is Nina.

Anya is a good girls name. Not too fussy but nice. Guess what my daughters name is!!

Your child is going to have this name for life. I would focus on a name you love and not limit yourself to fitting in with the family 4-letter thing. After all, they will be an independent adult for longer than they will be known in relation to their parents and siblings.

@SpringHasSprungTheGrassIsRiz I agree!! That's pretty much what I say when people have chats about whether x names 'goes with' the sibling name. But there have been a few comments that if we went off kilter now then we'd be running the risk of making #3 feel left out. However I don't think it ever occurred to me to look for trends or anything with my siblings names so how likely is that really?!

Sadly the comments planted the seed of doubt and now I'm thinking about it. Alot.

I mean you might get a few odd looks if your family are Pete and Alex and their children Rudy, Nora and Ozymandias.... but if it isn't too out there I doubt anyone will comment!

Oh Dora is cute! I think DH would veteo it though. He's already said Cora is too similar to Nora so would be the same thing. I also like Sephy <3 We have a Thea in the close family already, and a Lucy. You've definitely got the vibe!

😂😂😂 I mean it would shorten to Ozzy, so continuing the trend!

I’d keep the theme if you can find something!

rudy, Nora and

zach
loki
ludo
otto
eric
wilf
hugo
fred
ivor
leon

juno
thea
mila
lena
alba
romy
rosa
etta
enid
alma
lila
iris
joni

In a similar situation here in that our current 2 have names beginning with the same letter (not a deliberate theme, just names we liked) and I was wondering whether to do it again for the third or something different.

I had a google and the majority of answers across a range of internet forums said 1 apart from 2 in a group of 3 is fine, any more than that and it starts to feel like exclusion - so if you had 4 children all with 4 letter names and then you gave number 5 a 3 letter name, that would make them feel bad. But otherwise for 3 siblings, in general the matchingness element only seems to matter to the parents and the kids don't care.

I always think of the Rooneys who have Kit, Klay, Kai and Cass. Why Cass with a C?? Either Kass or literally any other letter available would have been better than this mess.

Anyway some suggestions
Rudy, Nora and: Finn, Conor, Fraser, Jago, Dexter, Corey, Leif, Ezra, Enzo
Rudy, Nora and: Cassidy, Genevieve, Serena, Delilah, Lyra, Coco, Tabitha, Freya, Fern/Fearne

Lara

Kindly OP, I think your hormones are affecting your thinking with the 4 letter theme! Do you really think in 5, 10, 20yrs people will say 'oh look, they all have names which can have a 4 letter nickname???' No. Also, you are assuming the child will want to go by a nickname and not their actual name, or something different, such as a nn picked up at school.

-Nora reminds me of Noro, short for norovirus, so that would be a no from me
-Rudy- I think of it as a male name and reminds me of the word rude
-Connie and Lottie sound like nn's for Constance and Charlotte
-Dorothy is nice, but could also be Dottie and not just Dot as a nn
-Your male names are all lovely IMO

Some others, which aren't necessarily 4 letters:
Fleur
Fern/Fearne
Skye/Skylar
Brooke
Elizabeth- Beth, Liz, Bethany, Betty
Bettina- Bette, Bet, Tina
Lina
Clara
Willa
Corralie- Coral

Thanks for your post. Rudy and Nora are my existing children. I saw a few posts where people ask what the children who are already there are called so thought I'd include that in the OP to save time.

Apologies OP. When you said ..... the front runner is Alexander/ra (Alex) but it's more common than my other two..... .
I thought you meant more common than the other 2 names front running names you were considering. Sorry 😬

We have 4 letter names to 🤣 not sure we planned it !!!

but some other options
kian
Cole
Jace
enez
ayda
Lucy
faye
iris
esme
Thea

I would pick a name you love, rather than worry about the number of letters.
Will it be your last baby? If you already struggle to choose and then go onto a 4th, you'll have to stick with it then and it will be even harder. 2 the same and 1 different isn't really that bad or anything.
My husbands family actually had the same thing where everyone had the same number of letters, myself and SIL husband coincidentally had the same number as well, and when I was expecting my first, my MIL expected us to follow it too- which we didn't, and lucky because we went on to have 4 children so glad we didn't get stuck trying to fit her silly rule!

I like Dorothy but with Dory as nn
Vera goes well

I know of a baby girl called October, known as Tobi. Or could go Tobias/Toby for a boy.

TBH this is entirely for you and dh. Nobody else including the children is likely to notice.

This four letter thing is a red herring. I never count the number of letters in people’s names.

I honestly wouldn't stop to count! ( or care, far less criticise).

But PLEASE go for Ozymandias! Unbelievably cool (though he might get sick of people thinking they are being frightfully erudite and quoting the poem constantly).

Firstly, love Leonora nn Nora. I agree no need to be tied to 4 letters (Clover is sweet!) but there is something to be said for a short and sweet name.

Seth
Toby
Jago

I get it OP! My first three had six letter names, so number four we had to follow the trend. Middle names are also five or seven letters.

@7238SM don't give it a second thought :) we don't all have to like the same names. Though Nora/Noro was a new association for us 😂 she said she might have to try and make it a halloween costume :P

Ooo I like those. Especially Seth, didn't have that on any lists yet <3 thank you!