I truly think the best names end up coming about by pure happenstance or luck. My given name – Sonia Alyn Lazere – is amazingly rhythmic and lyrical, but I don’t think my parents were guided by anything more than how the name sounded when they chose it. However, knowing a little bit more about how rhythms are formed may help you recognize when you’re working on a positive pattern, or why the names you’re considering just don’t sound right together. You create rhythm in a name by coming up with a combination of names that contain elements that form a pattern. One of the first steps to creating a rhythmic name is by paying attention to the syllable patterns of the words you’re considering. There are certain combinations that work better than others; if you want to give your baby a name with good rhythm, you’ll want to keep the following syllable patterns in mind:
1-2-1, such as Ann Marie Smith 2-1-2, such as Thomas Kent Olson 1-2-3, such as James Kevin O’Connor
Of course, there are other combinations you can explore as well; some of them are decidedly better than others, but you might find an uncommon combination that sounds exactly right to you. Although most naming experts advise against selecting names with the same number of syllables across the board, there are times when this can be very effective; for example, a 1-1 combination (no middle name) can be very powerful because it’s so short and to the point. A name that comes to mind with this combination is Matt Helm, the private investigator that Dean Martin played in the movie of the same name. John Wayne is another 1-1 combination that exudes power, especially when you consider what an improvement it was over the Duke’s given name (Marion Morrison). A cowboy named Marion? Forget about it! If there is a pleasing interplay of specific sounds between each name, a 2-2-2 combination, such as Karen Marie Olson or Dylan Tanner Roberts can be pretty rhythmic sounding as well.
