Presidential Siblings

I saw this one on a baby name board and thought it was fun (paraphrased):

I have two sons, Jackson and Lincoln, and just found out I'm expecting another boy! We didn't set out to have a presidential theme for our kids' names, but since it happened, we sort of like it. We'd like to give boy #3 a name that goes with his brothers', but without being too conspicuous. We'd also like a name with a good nickname (the boys usually go by Jack and Linc).

Fun! I love a history challenge! Let's evaluate all the presidents' names for viable options:

• Washington: Wash! It might be a little over-the-top paired with Lincoln, but I like it.
• Adams: The -s is a little tricky — it's almost Adam, but not quite.
• Jefferson: Jeff! This is a real possibility.
• Madison: has gone over to the girls
• Monroe: probably too girly (due to Marilyn Monroe) — Mariah Carey's daughter is named Monroe
• Quincy Adams: I don't really like Quincy — a little too precious, like Chauncey
• Jackson: already got one
• van Buren: no
• Harrison: Harry! Another possibility.
• Tyler: too boring. If you really want to fly under the radar, Tyler would be a good choice, but it's no fun.
• Polk: too ripe for teasing
• Taylor: see Tyler
• Fillmore: see Polk
• Pierce: slightly more daring than Tyler/Taylor, but would make the theme less obvious than Washington or Jefferson
• Buchanan: I sort of like this one, w/ nn Buck. It might be a little tricky to spell, and Buck might be too close to Jack, but it would keep all the kids' nicknames ending in -k.
• Lincoln: covered
• Johnson: not good with Jackson. Also teasing.
• Grant: Great! No nn, but you won't really need one.
• Hayes: More daring than Harrison — again, no nn.
• Garfield: is a cat
• Arthur: Of all the names that would preserve the theme, but make it slightly less obvious, Arthur is my favorite.
• Cleveland: Family Guy may have made this less of an option. Also, Cleveland/Cleve doesn't sound particularly modern to me.
• Harrison: I still like it.
• Cleveland again
• McKinley: going to the girls
• Roosevelt: If you want subtlety, this is not a good choice. Not a terrible name, but definitely bold.
• Taft: If you go the one-syllable route, go with Grant.
• Wilson: Will! Sounds good to me, and not too overt.
• Harding: no, no, no
• Coolidge: The obvious nickname, Cool, seems to be trying too hard.
• Hoover: see Harding
• Roosevelt: Roosevelt is probably out, but what about Franklin? Great name, though people might assume that you think that Benjamin Franklin was a president.
• Truman: I passed over this one at first, but it's growing on me a bit. I don't like it as much as Wilson, but it's a legit name.
• Eisenhower: not subtle
• Kennedy: has become a girl's name
• Johnson: see previous Johnson
• Nixon: I feel like it's too soon, unless you really are a Nixon fan. I mean, Jackson is still a controversial figure in some circles, but the general public is fairly indifferent. Nixon is still divisive, so I wouldn't use it unless I were really a fan.
• Ford: Possible, but not doing much for me.
• Carter: A very popular name, would preserve the theme, but not be too obvious.
• Reagan: girl
• Bush: no
• Clinton: Clint? Probably too soon.
• Bush: no
• Obama: not subtle

My favorites are Washington, Jefferson, and Harrison.

Also viable: Pierce, Buchanan, Grant, Hayes, Arthur, Wilson, Truman, Carter

For examples of babies named after every one of the presidents, see this series.