Combining 2 Names & Choosing a Middle Name

Recently on our page we discussed name-combining for two parents. In fact, it was the subject of one of our last posts. Commenter April came and asked for some input:

Can you have any combination of my name APRIL and my hubby HERCULANO Jr…. I can’t think of any combination from it ☹

I responded:

Culari, Capri, Culil, Lanori, Aprilano, Aprilana, Hera, Prilano, Rilano, Rilan, Ilano, Priler

April said:

I like hera for a girls name … Thank you …

And then she asked:

I want to ask if you can help with a middle name that goes with ISHAAN its an Indian name … Any names that goes with it for a baby boy … Or ISIAH …
I have thought of Yves for it but I want another option …
Also a middle name for the name HERA for a baby girl
Thank you I know I can find some good names in here … 😊 I’m due on July

And then this:

I have a list of names for a baby girl … Can you tell me which of them sounds good or can you suggest a middle name for HERA I’m stick with that name….
This is my list:

HERA LANORI
HERA ASHLEY/ ASHLEY HERA
HERA KELLY
HERA YASMIN

The last name would be KINLEY

THANK YOU

I’m really glad some of my suggestions on the page (Hera, Lanori) appealed to April. It can be quite fun to try to mash two names together to “invent” “new” names (or discover which old ones work). I tend not to simply mix up the letters (that’s too easy and anyone can do that to make virtually any anagram name) but to try splicing the names 50/50 or to take obvious pieces and mix them with other obvious pieces. Sometimes this is loose (Hera is Herculano plus the “A” in April), and sometimes it is hard to see where it comes from right away (Lanori is “Lano” in Herculano + “ri” in April). It all depends on the names themselves and how easy they are to work with. April + Herculano can be kind of tricky to do in a straightforward way, so it causes us to get more innovative to find possibilities.

Anyhoo, to answer April’s questions!

“Names that Go With….”
We did a recent post on this too. See my philosophy on that here. As far as the names themselves, Ishaan is alright. Isiah I have issues with because I can never be sure if people mean Isaiah (eye ZAY uh, this spelling!) or actually Isiah (appears it should be pronounced iz EYE uh with this spelling, is often an unintentional misspelling of Isaiah). If you just want to know if I think something sounds good, then no, I don’t think Yves really goes well with either name, simply because there are too many repeated sounds amongst them. Unless you are repeating sounds on purpose, I find it more pleasing to the ear to diversify the names’ sounds more. Here are some middle name choices which would be more pleasing to my ear (at least), for Ishaan.

Ishaan Johannes Kinley
Ishaan Jedidiah Kinley
Ishaan Lennox Kinley
Ishaan Eyoel Kinley
Ishaan Ares Kinley
Ishaan Xzavier Kinley

Middle Names For Hera

Yes, I know I recommended Hera to you, but I firstly want to let you know that you might want to research the Greek goddess Hera (her personality, her life, her actions, etc.) before you solidify this choice as your name pick. If you are not deterred and are still satisfied after learning all you can about her… here are a few ideas! A lot are ambiguous or unisex so could be used on a boy as well. “Hera Kinley” in itself is already a very feminine name, so it works out well.

Hera Pritchard Kinley
Hera Signe Kinley
Hera Hyde Kinley
Hera Teal Kinley
Hera Klive Kinley

Comments for Hera Combos

My favorite pair you listed is Hera Lanori Kinley, and not just because I suggested both of those names. 🙂

I dislike Hera Ashley because I don’t think there is a good sound flow. The vowel “ah” ending in Hera goes awkwardly into the vowel “A” beginning in Ashley, so I’m not a fan. Speaking of fans, a fan of our page saw your question and pointed out that Ashley with Kinley was too much. I wholeheartedly agree. Two 2-syllable ends-with-LEY names is overkill. Besides, Ashley is kind of done, anyway. It was super trendy in the ’80s and ’90s and needs a good long break before it’ll be usable again (sorry to the Ashleys out there).

Hera Kelly Kinley is almost exactly the same as above. Too many “lee” sounding endings; Kelly was once really en vogue and now it really is dated; “Hera Kelly” sounds a lot to me like either Hercules (which would be a really clever tribute to Herculano, I admit!) or singer R. Kelly. Nope.

Hera Yasmin Kinley is not bad! One thing I would point out, just in case it would bother you (as it would, me) is that her initials will be HYK. I see that and see “hick”. Others might see “hike”, so I don’t know. Just be aware because there is often a teasing factor with initials to be noticed.

Good luck in your search and please let us know what you decide!

Readers: Please feel free to answer April’s questions for yourself here in comments and make your own recommendations.

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