We’ve speculated for years at a potential name for an Affleck boy. Their daughters’ names, Violet Anne and Seraphina Rose Elizabeth, have garnered (pun intended) much acclaim from name nerds and civilians alike. Violet spawned many a namesake, and we suspect Seraphina is not far behind. So what, pray tell, would this celebrity couple of onomastic feats choose to call a boy?
I thought they might go with something terribly classic. Both from traditional families, Jen’s father answers to Bill (William John), Ben’s to Timothy. People are often much more risk-taking with their daughters’ names, at times to their detriment. James just felt right for them. Timothy would have been darling.
To some, it’s a bit of a letdown. To me, it’s pleasant if unremarkable.
Welcome Samuel Garner Affleck.
Sam has a similar vibe as the up-and-coming Max, as the affable Charlie. As a name that works well in many languages and cultures, it’s more evenly spread throughout the population. As such, your school is less likely to cater to four Sams than it is to five Maxes or six Henrys.
I’m a fan. I have a baby cousin named Sam. He’d be in his mid to late twenties by now. I’ve always thought it terribly friendly, and despite its high rank (#24!) on the national Social Security scale, I know very few.
How great is it that they preserved Garner? Did you know that the Ben and his brother Casey were actually born “Affleck-Boldt”, after their mom? I’m kind of glad they resisted the urge to use Boldt as a first name. It’s better on a superhero white puppy.
What do you think? Do you know many Samuels? Did you anticipate a classic name, or something more exciting? If you had daughters called Violet and Seraphina, what would you name your son?
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Well said.
I was expecting them to pick something classic but more old fashioned / unheard of. Kind of like how Violet was when they chose the name. Timothy would be been a little ‘more exciting’ than Samuel. Sam is a very friendly name – just like Ben.
Thinking about it, I don’t know any Sams locally – babies, preschoolers or kids in my daughter’s 1st grade. I grew up with a couple in my grade, which would make them 31 (and British). There was also a Samantha who went by Sam. British neighbours of ours had a Sam too – he must be about 13 or so now. I have met other preschool Henrys and Georges locally though – so you’re right about the population spread.
I have a soon-to-be two-year old Sam. He’s in a play group with a three-year-old Sam. I hear the name quite often. As a matter of fact, my Ethan meets Ethan’s his age much less often than we meet Sams. An odd phenomenon, considering Ethan is in the top 5 names…
*Ethans, not Ethan’s. Stupid cell phone autocorrect.
I adore the name! I’ve thought of using Samuel for a future boy, if I were to have another. It’s a very handsome name and fits in nicely with his sister’s more unusual monikers.
My Sam is almost 3.5 years old and he is the only one in his day care so far. I was positive that we would come across way more Sams, but really I think it’s only happened a couple of times. I’m happy with the Afflecks choice, because you really can’t go wrong with Samuel. It really is such a friendly name. Of course, I’m glad I chose it before they did.
I have a five year old Violet and a 8 month old Samuel. I can’t speak for any other mom’s of Violet but the fact that it was used by a celebrity played no part in my choosing it. Actually if anything, it made me hesitate a little. I have an older daughter who was born in 1998 and Violet Estella was my top choice for her. Everyone who I mentioned it to gave me a horrified look and one friend actually said “she would be teased her entire life”. I was a little older by the time I was pregnant with Violet and a litle more sure of my own taste. We just went with a name we had always loved. Nothing to do with celebrities. Samuel is a IV so the name was pretty set in stone for a first boy. Sam and Ben just go together. The whole early America/classic Hebrew thing. Seraphina seems the odd one out in the set to me, pretty but so much more fanciful than the others.
I agree about Seraphina. Her having 2 middles really only adds to that.
Imagine Violet Anne, Rose Elizabeth and Samuel Garner! Lettie, Rosie and Sam. Adorable.
Oh yes! Great sibset. I’d looooooooove to have a Violet and a Rose. Sadly, neither works with our surname. Sigh.
I think Sam is one of those names that immediately sounds sweet, open and friendly. It’s rare to meet a Sam of any age that I don’t like. And so in that way, I think it really suits their family. They’ve always seemed genuine and down-to-earth, and Sam fits the bill. Just like Ben and Jennifer. And definite kudos to keeping Garner in there.
A thumbs up from me.
I love it. My friends just named their 5th boy Sam (they also have a Henry and a Jack). We also just named our 3rd boy with my maiden name as a middle. I love it.
I know too many Samuels, at least 15 under the age of 5. But for them, it has the classic almost biblical feel of their other children’s names, so I think it works. To each his own! (They are so cute any name would do.)
Well, I was hoping for something a bit more inspirational – this is a bit boring. Having said that, the name is nice, and what’s not to like about Sam? A friendly classic, me thinks. Violet and Seraphina were a bit more interesting though. If I’d been predicting, I think I’d have gone for a strong classic middle name like James or William, with a slightly more original (but still elegant) first name. Maybe Otto? Roman? Reid? Leif? Leopold? Cassius? No, none of them are right really. I’m not very good at this! That’s why I was hoping that THEY would be, LOL!
Oh well, congrats to the lovely Jennifer
I was the same way – imagining more off-beat but old-fashioned names for their son. I would have liked to see Adrian or Roscoe. But I don’t have a problem with Sam, and in some way, their choice, while more popular, is more unexpected than my choices were.
In a perfect world I would have named their kids, Violet, Silvia, and Adrian. But you know, they didn’t ask for my opinion! I’m just a name fanatic who loves making up perfect sibsets for people I don’t really know.
I love it. My Sam(uel) will be 5 this summer, and the name suits him down to the ground.
I also feel that Seraphina is the odd name out. It’s a beautiful name, but I think that either of her middles “go” better with Violet and Sam.
I also think it’s a bit odd that two of them have the same initial, but I think it just sounds different to my ear; there’s certainly nothing wrong with it. It just seems like people either name all their children the same initial, match up pairs (I know a family with an Andy and Alex, and then an Ethan and Emma) , or have all different initials.
My Sam will be 8 in a few weeks, and we do know quite a few of them. Both Sam and Ben (my 5 year old) are common names in this area, and common names for brothers. It’s a great name and I applaud them for choosing a name they loved rather than one which will impress people with their creative naming skills, which I think all too many celebrities try to do.
You’re right about Seraphina being the odd one out and the fact that she has two middle names when Violet and Samuel only have one seems to compounds that. It’s not that I don’t like Seraphina but she just sounds a bit too frilly to be paired with the simpler, understated beauty of Violet and the softness of Samuel. One of her middle names would have been a better fit with her siblings or a name like Lucy, Clara, Evelyn, Charlotte, Lydia or even Cecilia.
Timothy or William or a lesser know classical-sounding name might have been nice but overall, I’d give the Affleck’s naming style a big thumbs up. They seem to be amongst the best celebrity namers (No Brooklyn, Blue or Buddy Bear here, thank you very much!)
Doesn’t Seraphina go by “Sera”? Violet wanted a sister named Sarah, so they basically took her suggestion and altered it slightly. I do think they mostly call her Sera, so it’s Violet, Sera, and Sam (I’m guessing) on a regular basis.
Interesting that they followed Violet’s wish to have a sister named Sarah. It reminds me of SJP’s son wanting a sister named Marion, and he insisted on it being the real first name, so they named one twin Marion Loretta Elwell, and the other Tabitha Hodge. But in everyday life, they call the girls Loretta and Tabitha. I can’t help but wonder if a similar thing has gone on in the Affleck family? Maybe they don’t actually use the name Seraphina at all – perhaps she is Rose to them?! Violet, Rose and Sam make much more sense to me, and would explain the extra middle name. Hmmmmm now if only we knew the Afflecks personally and could ask them
I have a small cousin named Samuel (they call him Sammy), and a friend with a 3-year old named Samuel (Sam). I also have a friend whose first son will be called Samuel, when he and his wife have children.
I totally thought it was going to be Theodore. Oh, well– Samuel’s a perfectly fine name; I’m just bored by it because I literally know dozens under the age of 18.
Nathanael, Walter, Arthur, Francis…
I have to say, Samuel was a bit of an anticlimax for me. Not that it’s an unpleasant name- it’s perfectly lovely! It’s just that after Seraphina I thought they could’ve been heading in quite an exciting direction for Baby #3. Also (and this is just an annoying personal thing), for some reason I’m not a fan of doubling up on initials for siblings, but that might just be me. But Samuel IS a nice name, and it’s sweet that they managed to slot Garner in there. I just thought this boy would have a name that was a touch more out-there.
Oh, and as for popularity, yeah I know a few Samuels/Sams, and I tend to think of it as an extremely ordinary and common name. Not in a bad way. There are just a lot around where I live (Victoria, Australia).
I like it. Sam is actually really growing on me. It’s one of the few classic names where I like the common nickname better than the full name. (the other is the aforementioned Ben)
My sister is called Samantha, she’s 6, and I have a cousin called Samuel who’s eleven. They go by Sammy and Sam respectively, and since one lives in Britain and the other lives in the USA there’s no confusion at all. My sister also has a Samuel in her class, and I know a few of various ages that live around here. I think it’s cute though, and I like it with Violet and Seraphina.
I always wanted a son named Samuel! Sam is such a genuine, classic name. I loved it! Then I got married and my own last name became Samuel…so it is pretty much out of the question for a first name at this point!