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I personally love it. I think one syllable mn are great (unless paired with a one-syllable fn). I dislike Nolan, unless it's a madien name in the family or something along those lines.

I like Noel and have an irrational hatred of Nolan, so I definitely say stick with Noel. I think it's very charming.

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As to whether or not using Nolan defeats the purpose of honoring, I usually say honoring, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. If you intend Nolan to honor Noel, then it does. The bigger question for me, though, is whether or not you honored your family with the other four kids' middle names by using the exact names or if you've ever before substituted a similar or related name instead.

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If you've always stuck with a carbon copy of the honored family member's name, then I think you should be consistent with Noel.

I love Noel for a boy and dislike Nolan so I may not be the best person to ask.

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Trying to be objective, I've suggested names to people in the past that are similar to family members. So to be consistant I have to admit that using Nolan would be OK. I just really, really prefer Noel. Apart from everything else, I think it will age better than trendy Nolan.

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I don't have children myself, but there was a time when we might have had kids. I know my dh would have wanted to use some of his family names as mns and I would have gone along with that. Just thinking of the family members' reaction when we tell them was enough to melt my heart. I tried to associate that warm-and-fuzzy feeling with the name, not my previous dislike. It worked. I actually talked myself into liking a couple of the names. For me at least, honoring loved ones can make an otherwise unattractive name beautiful.

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This message was edited 9/12/2011, 12:51 PM

I think Noel is a very good choice as a middle name. It goes with anything! I think that if it's in the middle name slot, it makes it easier to use if you don't totally love it.

I love Noel and would be super excited to ever meet one! Nolan is nice, but it's much more common, at least where I live. The only problem I can see with Noel are people trying to pronounce it like No-el... or are you saying you want to use it as a mn? No issue then for a mn, and I say if Noel is who you're honoring, you use Noel and nothing else.

I love it. I also live in a French Canadian area, so it is forever Christmassy to me, but that is regional / cultural.

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I love Noah. Is that an option?

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Noel Paul Stookey, of Peter, Paul & Mary lives in our community, and here goes by the name Noel. I think it's quite beautiful. I agree with the pp's that Nolan is a whole other kettle of fish. But I also know from this and other name blogs that when honoring, many do not feel at all bound to stick any given name as long as one syllable or even one letter, coincides. I think the only thing that really makes a name "honoring" is declaring it so, and, if necessary, explaining the derivation you've arrived at when it seems far-fetched. Truly a modern pastime--pastiche honoring.

This message was edited 9/12/2011, 7:13 AM

It's a nice enough name... Not stunning, but pleasant enough. I like that it's not over-used and trendy. Yeah... Nolan's a totally different name and image than Noel is.

I far prefer Noel to Nolan! Nolan seems bland and dated, but Noel is comparatively timeless. If it's a mn specifically not for use but as a fmily memory, I really think tweaking it would defeat the purpose.