Hi Jennifer,

I’m carrying boy/girl twins. I really like the names Kepler and Ada. Folks seem to hate Kepler, though, as it’s unusual. Is it really that unusual? I don’t want a name that is too trendy, but I also don’t want to saddle my kid with a name that is more bizarre than I’m giving it credit for.

My back-up is Quentin. Except I’d feel weird telling Ada she has math genius Ada Lovelace as a namesake while for Quentin I just liked the name (Kepler has Johannes Kepler). So I’m thinking my double-back-up could be Quentin and Lydia (no namesakes for either – I just like the names).

I’m just torn. What are your thoughts?

Thanks so much,
Amy

Hi Amy,

I think Kepler is a fine name. It fits our recommendations: easy to spell, easy to pronounce. It is not obviously teaseable, either. So stop listening to what other people say and do what you and your partner want.

I also love that you want to honor Ada Lovelace–a pioneer in computer programming! As a female programmer, myself, there is a special place in my heart for ol’ Ada. 🙂

Sincerely,
Jennifer

Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.

Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.