Our names all match. We use geographical and political features of Middle Earth (lakes, rivers, kingdoms, etc.) for first names and unusual but not unique names based on details of my life/DH's life/our life together (the name of the restaurant where DH proposed to me, the Latin translation of my first word, etc.) for middle names. We check initials (both in First Middle Last format and standard monogram First Last Middle arrangements) to make sure we aren't spelling anything bad by accident. We opt for names that are beautiful, have good meanings, and sound good with our last name. We also try to ensure that each child has a unique first initial (it makes writing notes and addressing gifts much easier) and that nobody has to share their suffix (only one -iador, one -enor, one -ast), but that's a lesser priority.
Since we're now expecting a new baby, things are kind of tense in the name department. We don't choose a name until the new baby is eight days old, so we are trying not to develop biases at this point (I'm due in April), but as I reflect on the list of 20-odd names we've culled from our Middle Earth atlas, I do have some favorites.
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