Rylie and Emmaline’s names are mentioned often on the blog and today I would love to share with you how we picked their names.
Aaron and I have an intense process for naming our kids. It is not a decision we take lightly and there are many factors that go into the final decision.
- Do we both like it?
- What does it mean?
- Is it a name that can be made fun of?
- Do the initials stand for anything negative or bad?
- Will the name last them in every season (baby – adulthood)?
- Does it flow?
There may be a couple more I’m forgetting, but that is the gist.
Alright – here we go.
RYLIE ANNALISE
Aaron is actually the one who offered the name “Rylee” to me and I immediately said, “no!” because I liked Riley for a boy – not for a girl. But Aaron loved it and kept pushing it as a great name. I decided it could be cute for a girl, but I insisted I did not like the spelling with the “lee,” so we decided we’d spell it like the boy’s name – RILEY.
A few days after we announced the gender and that her name would be Riley Annalise, we were driving home from the lake when I saw a semi-truck with Rylie Co. on it and I instantly fell in love! I’ve always had a thing for “ie”s and this seemed more girly than our current choice. I ran it by Aaron and he agreed he liked it better.
On November 8th, 2016, Rylie Annalise Shaver was born.
Rylie Annalise: an extravagant existence devoted to God.
We have found that Rylie’s name and it’s meaning is so fitting to her personality.
EMMALINE VICTORIA
Emmaline’s name was more of a process than Rylie’s. I offered the name Emma, a name I’ve loved for years, but Aaron said it was more of a nickname to him. So I dropped it and figured it would go on the “list of names I like but will never get to use for my own kids.”
A couple of days later, Aaron was searching baby girl names online and came across Emmaline. “What do you think of it?” he asked me. I thought for a moment, then said, “can I call her Emma?” Aaron said sure so I agreed to it. Victoria was a name we liked and we fell in love with its meaning and decided Emmaline Victoria was a gorgeous name and combo.
On April 3rd, 2018 – Emmaline Victoria Shaver was born.
Emmaline Victoria: through God, I am hardworking and victorious.
This name choice has gotten more comments than I ever expected! “This is Emmaline.” Is almost always met with an “Emmaline,” head tilt, “I LIKE that! What a gorgeous name!” hahaha
So to sum it up – Aaron picked both of the girl’s names 😝 I merely agreed to them hahaha just kidding. But seriously – he is the one that offered both of them first and made the case why we should use these names.
But joking aside, we love our girl’s names and believe they embody who they are as individuals well.
What was it like naming your kiddo(s)? I would love to hear your stories. 🙂