Hi Jennifer!

I have a little boy Noah Benjamin. I never thought when I was pregnant that Noah could be shortened but he has become Nono, No and Nose to pretty much everyone, including myself!

My real question is when I have my second boy what to name him? I love Zion and Shiloh, however I am not religious and feel silly picking yet ANOTHER biblical name?

My 3rd option is Kree. I love it and heard it from the programme Sister, Sister. I have never met or heard of a Kree here (we live in London). Is it an acceptable name? My partner also likes it but is worried that if Baby doesn’t he will not be able to have a nickname from Kree? But I believe nicknames come naturally (as in the case of our No!)

Thanks very much,
Erin

Dear Erin,

First, are you pregnant with your second boy? I’m not sure whether you are expecting or if this is hypothetical. Either way, I would choose Zion over Shiloh. For one, Shiloh is the name of Angelina Jolie’s daughter. But if having a unisex name doesn’t bother you, that is not an issue. In terms of nicknames, Shiloh could be called “Shi” or “Shy” and that has some negative connotations. If I had a Zion, on the other hand, I’d nickname him Z.

I do like the name Cree (original spelling), although there has been backlash from the Native American community regarding white people using tribe names for their children. It offends them. I hope you take that into consideration.

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.