Help Name the Baby, please!
Again, I have stopped working on my Bingley/Jane sequel to A Father’s Sins. I haven’t given up completely but…it’s going to have to wait. Why? Because I’m writing like crazy on the story I intended for later this year, “A Baby for Darcy”. Here’s the blurb:
Fitzwilliam Darcy is on the run…with a baby!
When an emergency summons Mr. Darcy back to London during the Netherfield ball, he discovers a newborn in his study along with a note. Now, he must guard a secret that could shatter his family and put the child in danger. But that isn’t his biggest challenge.
He must now find a wife—a woman he can trust with his charge and with his heart.
Elizabeth Bennet’s prospects for a marriage based on love are taken away from her when her father makes a deal with Mr. Darcy, a man she despises. When she learns the identity of the baby and the true identity of the man she married, will their marriage of convenience develop into a love for the ages?
Together they face slander, intrigue, family pressure, and murder. Will their marriage survive? Will the baby thrive? Or, will forces much larger than themselves destroy everything Darcy and Elizabeth hope for?
from “A Baby for Darcy”
I can see how the story will unfold in my mind, and I can see the baby. However, what I don’t see clearly is a name for the infant boy. Would you help me, please? What would you name a baby who is NOT Darcy’s son but will be raised as a Darcy? (No, he’s NOT Georgiana’s either)

61 Comments
integr67
Lf the baby isn’t his or Georgiana’s then I would assume it’s Richard’s or Anne’s. So, maybe name the baby Richard or Louis.
J "Joy" Dawn King
Great names. I’ll write them down.
Rose Drew
Here is a site with Old English names — several I liked very much.
https://www.thenamemeaning.com/baby-articles/top-20-old-english-boy-names/
My favorites:
Brayden Darcy — Old English word for Brave
Sterling Darcy — little Star
J "Joy" Dawn King
WOW! Thank you, Rose.
Rose Drew
Just one thing — is this baby destined to be Darcy’s heir? I hope he will be a Darcy ward and a D/E son to inherit.
J "Joy" Dawn King
I’d love to tell you, Rose. As the story progresses these details will be settled.
J. W. Garrett
OMG! What a fabulous baby and cover. OH, I want to stick my nose under his ear… the baby not Darcy. Well… maybe Darcy… and just one snuggle. Babies are so snugly and this guy looks like a happy baby. They are so sweet. But, you want baby names… of course I thought they would probably consider all the Biblical names and from that list… I chose Joseph because he came from tribulation [haven been given away] and came into a new life. Sounds right. But, you will have lots of options so whatever you choose will be fine. I am so anxious to read this one. Wow!! It sounds amazing. Blessings on listening to the plot bunny nibbling on the edges of your consciousness.
J "Joy" Dawn King
Thank you, Jeanne. Oh, the reasoning behind your choice is excellent. Oh, and baby sniffing is allowed.
Debbie
I agree with Joseph. It fits the little one. Being hidden and raised by loving parents to protect him from harm.
Debbie
Foster parents…forgot to add foster
J "Joy" Dawn King
No worries.
J "Joy" Dawn King
Joseph is a good solid name for a little guy. It’s definitely on my list with another check by it. Thank you, Debbie.
Pam Hunter
Perhaps a name from the Bible? James, Joshua, Luke, Matthew, David, John….
J "Joy" Dawn King
Excellent, Pam. You can’t go wrong with any of those. I’ll put them on my list. Thanks!
Carol hoyt
Your list is growing!! I’ll add my 2 cents in. My 2 favorite male names are James (my sons name) and Findlay. Both names belong to young men I admired greatly when I was a young adult.they are/were gracious, giving, and such gentlemen who were generous with giving their time.
Good luck joy!
J "Joy" Dawn King
Carol, thank you so much. They are wonderful names with a great background in the young men you knew.
Ginna
Does the baby come to Darcy with a name, or is he going to be naming it? Or, will he and Elizabeth determine a name after they are married?
J "Joy" Dawn King
Ginna, Darcy and Elizabeth need to name the baby.
Ginna
Hmmm, if they’re going to try to pass it as theirs, you could use the tried and true Bennet.
J "Joy" Dawn King
I sure could. Thank you for the suggestion.
Michelle H
I know I shouldn’t assume, but I have to think it might be the Colonel’s son since who would Darcy care so much for that he would protect and raise the child as his own. So, I chose warrior names.
Gerald: It’s German but lots of German influence in England. Rald for short.
Griffith: Which is Welsh, Griff for short.
Edmon: French, which I thought might be okay as (I know the baby isn’t a Darcy but will be raised as a Darcy, so with very old French D’Arcy it would be okay.
Harold: English, but I hesitate to call a baby something that would be later shortened into Harry Darcy. Hal would be okay though.
Cedric: Another Welsh
and lastly…
Henry.
Love the cover, love the premise, reeeeelly looking forward to this story!
Best of luck and everything!
J "Joy" Dawn King
Thank you, Michelle. Lovely suggestions.
Sheila L. Majczan
Thaddeus Josiah just popped into my head…no reason. May the muse attend you daily. Can’t wait to read this as just having a baby appear makes me all curious. Such a sweet picture. Best wishes.
J "Joy" Dawn King
Great name, Sheila. Thank you.
Eva Edmonds
I think that the baby’s name cannot be associated with a family member because then society would think it would be theirs. I think the name Thomas James Darcy sounds fitting. The story sounds wonderful!
J "Joy" Dawn King
Thank you very much for the suggestion, Eva.
caroleincanada
I will forgive you for stopping, again…I mean seriously this baby story cannot wait! I will give you a name that popped into my head:
Alistair (Defending men) Jonathan (God has given or \gift of God) Darcy (or switch it around)
I always felt Alistair to be such a very English name and if it is Richard’s, then ‘defending men’ would be a good way to honor him.
Good luck in choosing the names that work best for your story! You certainly have some wonderful choices!
J "Joy" Dawn King
Great ideas for a great reason, Carole. Thanks for understanding my muse.
Audrey Reed
Who was King in the period you are writing? That was pretty common…
J "Joy" Dawn King
Good question, Audrey. It was King George III. I’ll add George to the growing list.
Glynis
I’ve said before what a gorgeous baby this is.
I love it when Darcy and Elizabeth marry early whatever the reason so I’m really looking forward to this one.
As for names? I would suggest Samuel or James. (If he was their baby I would like Alexander) I don’t have any logical reasons for my choices (unlike other commenters) my excuse being that it’s the middle of the night and I just happened to wake and check my phone
J "Joy" Dawn King
Thank you for waking enough to comment, Glynis. Your suggestions are wonderful. Sweet dreams!
Sue Barr
Nigel
William (too close for comfort???)
Frederick
Edmund/Edward
Earnest (the importance of being Earnest – another Firth reference)
Phillip
J "Joy" Dawn King
Wow! Thanks, Sue. Great names!
DarcyBennett
I would name the baby Hugh or Alexander.
J "Joy" Dawn King
I can’t use Hugh because that’s the first name of my Lord Matlock. Alexander seems very popular. I’ll make sure to add another mark on my list after the name.
Sara
Samuel – the gift of a son
http://www.crivoice.org/1sam1.html
J "Joy" Dawn King
I’ve always liked Samuel. And the meaning is perfect. Thank you, Sara.
Shelley Hoisington
Love the cover. Matthew, Liam, or Edward.
J "Joy" Dawn King
Great recommendations, Shelley. Thank you.
Buturot
Such a cute baby. love the cover.
I was loking at common English names then looked at cryptic names. Hard to find a fitting name for this cute baby.
One that struck me was Frederick Darnell Darcy
I am not sure who the baby is but if it is a close family/friend who has ties to nobility “Frederick” means peaceful ruler and Darnell means “hidden nook”(I was looking for a name that means hidden).
The other name (out of the blue as it is a common name) is James Henry Darcy .
good luck in your selection. Loking forward to the books release. I am intrigued now who this baby is. Richard or Anne’s perhaps? 😉
J "Joy" Dawn King
Buturot, thank you for taking the time to really think about the name. I appreciate it. They are both fitting.
Bambi
Benjamin Laurence – dignified,but with easy diminutives and no obvious associations to other characters or ancestors. The premise is intriguing!
J "Joy" Dawn King
I think you are my first Laurence, Bambi. Thank you for your suggestion.
Lois Stacey
Hi there glad to see men of Derbyshire is being continued. Hope this detour is not because once again you are bored with the idea. How about making the ball occur later, in December rather than November, and calling the baby Nicholas in if it’s a Male or Holly if it’s a boy in honour of the Christmas season. Or how about twins. Lois
J "Joy" Dawn King
Lois, if it were twins I’d need another baby on the cover. But wouldn’t twins be exactly what Darcy and Lizzy needs to take their focus off of themselves. That would make it a very short story, I think. No, I am not bored with my Bingley/Jane story. In fact, I like it very much. It’s just this story is all I can think about when I sit down to type. The muse is odd and powerful.
Patricia Edmisson
I was thinking Jonathan Andrew Darcy.
J "Joy" Dawn King
Great suggestion, Patricia. One of my favorite people in my lifetime is named Andrew, called Drew. It’s terrific when a name makes you smile, isn’t it?
Kathy E
How about Benedict Nathaniel? Benedict meaning blessed and Nathaniel is Gift of God. I especially like Benedict since Bennet is a variation of that name.
J "Joy" Dawn King
What a distinguished sounding name, Kathy. Thank you. You are the first to recommend these names.
Kristin Mitchell
If Darcy is naming the baby, Alexander George
J "Joy" Dawn King
Unless something changes in the next chapter I write, Darcy will be naming the baby. Your recommendation has a lovely ring to it, doesn’t it? Thank you, Kristin.
Ginna
Edmund Fitzgerald!
J "Joy" Dawn King
I’m smiling, Ginna. Now I will have the Gordon Lightfoot song on my mind all day. Thanks!
Ginna
Good song to have as an earworm. (Sooooooo many bad ones to have!)
J "Joy" Dawn King
HaHa! Absolutely true.
Mrs_SP
Aiden – origin: Irish, meaning: Fiery one
Alexander – origin: Greek, meaning: Defender of the people
Andrew – origin: Greek, meaning: Manly, brave
Barrett – origin: German, English, meaning: Mighty as a bear
Caleb – origin: Celtic, meaning: Bold, faithful, loyal
Ethan – origin: Hebrew, meaning: Strong, firm
Here’s some I thought of. Can’t wait to find out which name you choose.
J "Joy" Dawn King
These are wonderful. Some have been suggested before but others are original. Thank you very much.
Katzanne
Sounds like another wonderful story. How about Maximillian? Darcy hates it when Lizzy calls him Max and she does it just to tease him
Jan Cobb
I think Richard, for his best friend. And Fitzwilliam….for himself (unknown to anyone else, for Richard, his best friend)
See how that works?
I am loving this story. Will we be notified when you post more of it? You have so much on your website here, that it’s going to take days to get through. 🙂
I don’t even know if you are looking for more suggestions for the baby’s name but I wanted to throw my thoughts out to you.
J "Joy" Dawn King
Thank you, Jan, for doing so. You will read the next chapter which is posted where I reveal his name.
I was distracted last week by a short story idea that the muse would not let me set aside. It’s a new Christie Capps tale called “One Bride & Two Grooms”. I am finishing the final revisions right now so it will go off to the editor in about 30 minutes. Once it’s gone I will continue writing “A Baby for Mr. Darcy.”