As the NCAA tournament approaches, I find myself, like many casual fans, filling out my bracket, throwing in my ten bucks, and watching my name inevitably sink to the bottom of the leaderboard. Perhaps my consistent failures can be attributed to my unconventional methods—picking winning teams based on jersey colors, mascot strength, or whether I’ve visited the city. One year, my performance was so poor that I even received my entry fee back as a consolation prize.
So, why did I turn to the chaos of NCAA brackets, despite my lack of success, to help name my triplets? Quite simply, I was out of ideas!
The Great Name Challenge
Before our first child, my partner and I had navigated the naming process, each bringing our own preferences to the table. After much deliberation, we settled on what I consider a winning name: Fletcher. It struck the perfect balance for us—distinctive but not bizarre, a nod to pop culture without being overly trendy. We paired it with a cherished family middle name, James, resulting in Fletcher James Coblentz.
You may wonder why we needed such a complex process for naming a second child. Well, aside from needing three names this time around, we felt we had given it our all with Fletcher. I even tried to will our second baby to be a girl, as we already had a name picked out. When we discovered we were actually having three more boys, we knew we needed a new strategy.
The Naming Tournament Begins
We started brainstorming, tossing around all kinds of ideas. I poured over baby name books and websites, while my partner probably scoured the rosters of his favorite sports teams—though he’d never admit it. With such a daunting task and far fewer than sixty-five names, we treated each suggestion like an at-large bid and kicked off our very own Round of 32. As the one carrying our trio, I took charge of seeding the names. Unsurprisingly, many of my favorites faced off against my partner’s less favorable choices.
In the world of naming, distinctiveness can’t be measured by points, but rather through subtler comparisons. We began with names we both liked, which automatically advanced over those with only partial approval. Next, we said the names aloud, trying to make the ones we disliked sound silly. Then we combined each name with our last name, leading to some eliminations. For instance, we both adored the name Cole, but when paired with our last name, it turned into a stuttering mess: C…C…C…Co…Cole Coblentz. We also considered potential nicknames and how future children might playfully tease our kids, aiming for names that would flow naturally among friends.
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In summary, naming my triplets was a challenging yet rewarding process inspired by the chaos of March Madness. By combining our preferences, using creative strategies, and employing a little basketball-themed competition, we navigated this journey successfully.
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