Dear Jennifer,

I find myself caught in a theme with trying to name our second child. Both of our names end with a y and our son’s name has a y in it (we picked it cause we loved the name and not for the y). For a girl we are considering Laney, not because of the y but because we like the name. My question is, when it comes to a boys name, are we obligated to think of names with y’s in them or is it ok to break the theme we find ourselves caught in? Also what is the common spelling for Laney or Lainey?

Thanks for your input,
Mom caught in an unplanned theme

Dear Themed Mom,

Here’s news for you: YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! You are in charge. That being said, I’m not a fan of female names ending in Y or IE. I feel they are too diminutive for a grown woman. Would you name a son Jimmy without the given name James? I hope not.

If you are considering Laney–my preferred spelling–use it as a nickname. Name your daughter Lane, Tamerlane, Brilane, Delane or another name she can grow with.

Sincerely,
Jennifer

Headshot of Jennifer Moss

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.