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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Why on mumsnet do people think their children’s names have to “go” together ?

94 replies

Smallhorse · 24/09/2018 15:36

I’ve never come across this in real life. Eg “ suggestons for name for sister for Toby and Freddie? “ I really don’t get it.

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Notso · 24/09/2018 16:05

You’ll spend the rest of your life saying those names close together
You really, really won’t. The children are separate individuals, that is the whole point.

It's pretty common to get asked how many children you have and in my case anyway the reply is "4, John, Paul, George and Francisco" *not my kids real names Grin

IRL I know a family with Lee, Leanne, Leah and Jane, everyone who finds out asks why Jane.

Scatteredthoughtss · 24/09/2018 16:03

I always think that it is weird when people say this, because surely they aren't going to want to call their child Algernon if they already have a Wayne. I mean it is just not going to be on their radar.

TallulahBetty · 24/09/2018 15:59

Well because you wouldn't want Tarquin and Kayden-Lei, would you?

catkind · 24/09/2018 15:54

I didn't consult MN about names but how they go together was one of our considerations.

blueskiesandforests · 24/09/2018 15:53

Cain may have been Kane I guess - still sounded unfortunate out loud!

catkind · 24/09/2018 15:52

Iamagreyhound I generally feed both my kids at the same time. They're invited to family events at he same time. I call them in from playing outside at the same time. People ask me how are X and Y. We sign cards from A, B, X and Y. Maybe not their whole life but while they're living in our house their names are often mentioned together, and even as adult siblings for family things our names often occur together. They are individual but they're also a sibling group.

blueskiesandforests · 24/09/2018 15:51

I heard a woman calling out "Cain and Abel hurry up!" in a zoo once; I assume that they were friends not siblings!

treaclesoda · 24/09/2018 15:50

I think it borders on obsessive here. But having said that, I do find it odd in real life when I come across siblings with names at opposite ends of the spectrum, so I suppose on some subconscious level most people choose names that 'go together'.

blueskiesandforests · 24/09/2018 15:49

Iamagreyhound you won't spend your life calling their names out, no, but it does happen frequently during childhood in most families.

BumDisease · 24/09/2018 15:48

Ditto the threads asking for middle names. Why do they need a middle name?

blueskiesandforests · 24/09/2018 15:47

Also avoiding names which are too similar, might be shortened to the same thing, sound like two halves of the same name (Anna and Bella, Alfie and Freddie...), are the names of a famous or notorious couple or for any other reason would sound ridiculous said/ called out together etc etc

user1499173618 · 24/09/2018 15:46

It’s about having a coherent and meaningful family brand. Everyone knows that sibset Sophie, Thomas and George = trad (U)MC family, not rocking the boat, private school, good personal hygiene, detached older house with mature garden, no divorces in family.

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 24/09/2018 15:44

You’ll spend the rest of your life saying those names close together Confused. You really, really won’t. The children are separate individuals, that is the whole point.

Pigeonpost · 24/09/2018 15:43

I think there is some logic that the names will be harmonious. So Nigel and Persephone don't necessarily "go" but Poppy and Oscar do.

RiverTam · 24/09/2018 15:42

Because if you have one child called Jane and another something outlandish/yoonique then a) it sounds ridicolous every time you introduce them and b) one or other of them will spend a lifetime asking their parents why the fuck they were called and their sibling .

blueskiesandforests · 24/09/2018 15:42

Partly people are just giving their existing names to illustrate their taste. Toby and Freddie's sister gives people an idea that the poster likes a certain type of name and might me more likely to be enthusiastic about the suggestion of Alice or Clara than Madison or Trinity...

BackToTheFuschia7 · 24/09/2018 15:41

You’ll spend the rest of your life saying those names closely together, I can see why people want them to flow and not sound clunky.

stellabird · 24/09/2018 15:39

I don't get it either - I think it's silly. I named both my children because I liked the names and they meant something to me - the idea that the names should "go together" never entered my head. Some people have too much time on their hands I guess.

JohnnyKarate · 24/09/2018 15:38

It is critical for the Christmas cards to have a nice name flow.