How I Named My Babies: Rhodes Upton, Banks Hazard & Ziggy Lake
Allo Piller, owner of NEAT Method Denver, and Drew Piller live in Highland Ranch, Colorado with their four children: Poppy Sawyer, Rhodes Upton, Banks Hazard, and Ziggy Lake.
Their “triplets” are two sets of twins born three months apart. Rhodes and Rigsby Lake, who passed away, were born on May 28, 2021, and Banks and Ziggy were born on August 27, 2021.
Here, we talk to Allo about how she and Drew named their babies.
How did you name your babies?
I got pregnant with girl-boy twins at the exact same time our surrogate got pregnant. We were due a week apart. I had Rhodes and Rigsby at 24 weeks gestation, and Rhodes is the surviving twin.
When I found out I was going to deliver the twins early, it felt like we needed two strong names. We loved Rhodes and Rigsby — they sound really good together, I thought they were different enough and easy to say. They went hand-in-hand. We like the Rhodes Scholar association with Rhodes. And we thought Rigsby was cute with Poppy.
At that point, we didn’t know about the other twin names — we just went with the two names we had and knew we’d figure it out from there.
What did you think about when naming Ziggy and Banks?
We love how Poppy is a two-syllable name that ends in a Y. It’s a cheery name, and we wanted another for our next daughter. I really liked Goldie, but Drew wouldn’t go for it. He loved Ziggy, and I did too. We know a couple of dogs named Ziggy, but you don’t often hear it on babies. We thought it would be super cute and go well with Poppy.
For boys, we really love one syllable names. They feel so strong to me. We thought Banks and Rhodes sounded great together just like the girls’ names, Poppy and Ziggy.
How did you decide on their middle names?
Banks’ middle name is Hazard, which is also my dad’s middle name. I always thought it was a funny, crazy, cool middle name. We didn’t want to use it for Rhodes because that’d be too close to “road hazard.” We really liked Upton and thought about that as a first name but decided to make it Rhodes’ middle name.
Ziggy’s middle name is Lake, which was also Rigsby’s middle name.
What were some of the other names on your list?
I always knew I wanted my kids to have unique names and I looked forward to naming children when I was younger. When we found out we were having four at once, I was excited because it meant the chance to use a lot of my names!
Goldie was a frontrunner for me. I thought the combo Goldie Drew would have been super cute. Poppy is a super girly name and her middle name, Sawyer, is a tomboy name, which I like as a combo. For girls, I liked Oakley, Derby, Sutton, and Sunny. Our dog is named Sailor and if we hadn’t used it for a dog, I thought it’d be cute for a girl.
The other boy names on my list were Cash, Otto, Oakes, and Briggs. I like different names, if you can’t tell!
Tell me more about your name!
My real name is Allison, but I’ve gone by Allo my whole life. My parents started calling me Allo when I was a child. They said, “You weren’t really an Allison, and there were two other Allisons on the soccer team!” So I was Allo and it stuck!
My name is different and unique, and people remember me from my name. I wanted to give my kids that advantage as well.
What are the trendy names in your social circle?
I know a bunch of little Charlottes — I bet I could name 12! There are a lot of boys named Wells, Hudson, Harrison, and Rowan. Poppy has a couple of girls named Avery in her class.
Do you have any fears related to baby names?
I didn’t want people to say, “Why would you name your kid that?” Someone said that to us about Poppy! We didn’t have any hesitations about Banks or Rhodes, but I worried people would think Ziggy is weird. The only Ziggy people mention is Ziggy Marley.
Poppy really liked the name Ziggy from the beginning. And she loves calling Rhodes “Rhodesy Modesy”.
What advice would you give someone who’s just starting the baby name process?
People always ask if I gave the kids family names, and I say, “Well now they’re family names!” Ziggy could name her kid Ziggy and it’d be a family name. You can create your own family names.
Don’t be afraid to steal a name! I heard the name Banks from a friend of a friend, and as soon as she announced she’d had her son, I told her I was probably going to use that name. I had to have Banks!
I wouldn’t take a name from someone close, but if you live in a different city or run in different circles, it doesn’t really matter if you know someone else whose kid has the same name.
I don’t think you can claim a name either. I have a hard time when people try to do that before a baby is born.
How would you describe your style beyond baby names?
We’re preppy! I’m into clean-cut, tailored styles. Rhodes and Banks really fit with that.
How did you decorate the babies’ nursery?
I went pretty neutral — they have all-white cribs with acrylic bars. They can all see each other.
We got cute embroidered animal fabric that we put around the drum shade in their room, and we framed two panels of it for the wall. It’s very neutral and light. I wanted it to be simple and a space they can grow into.
What are the cool things to do with kids in your city?
We’re near the mountains so we try to do little family hikes. It can be hard with three little kids!
There’s a great play street museum near us — an adorable wooden kids museum that the babies love.
We’re big on getting outside — all the kids love going to the park and playing on the swings.
What were your favorite gifts you received for the babies?
My in-laws have a ranch with a lake that was called Rainbow Lake. They legally changed the name of the lake to Rigsby Lake to honor Rigsby.
We got amazing blankets that have each of the babies’ names on them — first, middle, and last. They’re super nice and the perfect size for strollers. Those were some of my favorite gifts.
Allo's (and Rhodes', Banks', and Ziggy's) Favorite Things
Baby Brezza
"We calculated it the other day — it’s made over 8000 bottles for us."
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry & the Big Hungry Bear
4Moms High Chairs
Noodle & Boo Laundry Detergent
Lake Pajamas
Smocked Auctions Clothing
Click here to see the entire How I Named My Baby Shopping Guide or check out the Nameberry Amazon Store to see all products recommended in How I Named My Baby.
Thank you so much, Allo!
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