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Baby names

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Original poster

Using daughters middle name as next borns middle name??

40 replies

Mummyof34onway · 18/06/2025 09:43

Sorry TYPO! Using daughters middle name as next borns first name!!
We had twins 1 boy 1 girl. The girls middle name is Gwen after my late granny (full name Gwendoline) my husband didn’t like Gwendoline as a first or middle name at the time so compromised but shortening to Gwen.
after fertility issues and having treatment to have our twins we thought we were done well our next little surprise came. We don’t know gender and need a few name choices.
well my husband has decided he actually really likes Gwendoline (Gwen for nickname) and wants it in the list for this baby
what our peoples thoughts? All my kids have names to do with my granny or grandad and want to keep that going but running out of ways to do it as they do not have middle names just Gwendoline and Donald!

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Busted2006 · 22/06/2025 06:49

I used a variation of older DD middle name for younger DD name.

literally no one has ever batted an eyelid. I agree with an earlier poster

NO-ONE CARE BUT YOU

Go for it OP.

viques · 21/06/2025 19:16

What are all the other grannies and great grannies names? Maybe one of them will fit the bill, and it would be slightly less of a slap in the face to all of them that you used someone’s name twice!

New York , New York ……..

tarheelbaby · 21/06/2025 19:09

I know a lady who had several daughters in different circumstances but she gave them all the same middle name deliberately to give them a sweet connection between themselves.
My DDs have middle names starting with E. It was more to do with our favourite choices but I also like that part.

ClaredeBear · 20/06/2025 21:28

It’s fine and it’s a nice story.

WalkingaroundJardine · 20/06/2025 21:25

I know one family with all girls with variations of the same name - like Susan, Susie, Sukie, Sula etc.

luckylavender · 20/06/2025 21:17

Catherine & William did it

PractisingMyTelekenipsis · 20/06/2025 21:16

Friends I grew up with had this. DC1 was called Emily Katherine. DC2 was Katherine (not real names.l
I'd known them 20+ years before I realised.

Mischance · 20/06/2025 21:13

Why not? Can't see a problem.

HonoriaBulstrode · 20/06/2025 21:10

William and Kate did it.

So did my grandparents. My father's second name was given to his younger brother as his first name. Like Louis, it was a family name, and I suppose gp wanted to use it in case they didn't have another boy - then they did. Which I suppose is what happened with W&C.

orangewasp · 20/06/2025 21:04

I did this. Literally no one has ever commented on it and it has never been a problem.

Longdarkcloud · 20/06/2025 21:02

I am intrigued by Sagely. I’ve never heard of that as a name before, and I rather like the sound of it. I hope she grows into her name and becomes a wise woman 🌹

Andoutcomethewolves · 20/06/2025 20:56

GherkinsOnToast · 20/06/2025 20:32

I am <<first Name>> Elizabeth Ann and my younger sister is Ann Elizabeth. My brothers are Arthur Henry and Henry Arthur James. Clearly, no imagination when it came to names!

That is quite funny! I do find it odd that my parents clearly had the imagination to come up with my name, my frankly terrible middle name and my sister's even worse first name which are all really unusual (though they are real names!) but couldn't think of a new first name for me... But as I say it doesn't bother either of us whatsoever

Andoutcomethewolves · 20/06/2025 20:50

My parents did this (I'm the younger one with older sister's middle name as my first name). It's an unusual name too - only come across maybe four in my life and one of those was an elderly upper class man - Sir (my name) 🤣.

Honestly unless I see posts like this I completely forget - middle names just aren't used day to day. And my sister loved that her little sister was named 'after her' (I'm not, my parents just liked the name and regretted not using it as a first name with my sister!).

Tintackedsea · 20/06/2025 20:48

It’s really common I think. I know several people who have done this because of wee surprise babies!

MumChp · 20/06/2025 20:47

Dd2 has Dd1 first name as her middle name. Dd1 is the godmother of Dd2. It's not sn issue. They are known first names anyway and they are quite different.

Pinty · 20/06/2025 20:39

I think Gwendoline wouldn't be perfectly fine for your new babies first name. I don't see the issue at all. It's a nice name
.

GherkinsOnToast · 20/06/2025 20:32

I am <<first Name>> Elizabeth Ann and my younger sister is Ann Elizabeth. My brothers are Arthur Henry and Henry Arthur James. Clearly, no imagination when it came to names!

LeedsZebra90 · 20/06/2025 20:09

It's a middle name, it's totally fine. As it's a family name the strange ownership thing some people talk about on mumsnet isn't an issue - they both got it from their great granny, that's a lovely link for them.

Original poster
Mummyof34onway · 20/06/2025 20:03

Just to clarify my daughters middle name is Gwen after my granny (Gwendoline) we don’t know gender of this baby and both like Gwendoline as a first name husband wasn’t keen first time around but as it goes so nicely with our sons first name think it fits nicely if this baby was a girl.
those that commented that it’s not special I get where you are coming from if we were using Gwen instead of Gwendoline.
together with my husband we have 5 kids this is number 6 he has already used his grandads name as his first sons middle name and has had no contact with his other grandparents so using one of their names isn’t an option for us as they aren’t the type of people he wishes to honour.
his son Charlie Robin (after his grandad)
his daughter Phoebe May (the month my husband is born)
my daughter Darcey Rose (my granny and Grandads favourite flower)
our Twins Sagely Gwen (after my granny) & Shepherd Oakes (my grandads favourite tree)

for reusing names within family my sons middle name is Oakes 2 months later my sister had a little boy and named him Oakley that was his name from around 20 weeks in to her pregnancy and I wouldn’t drama of asking her to have changed his name or have any sort of issue with it (we both kept names a secret and we did originally have Oakley picked for my sons name thankfully we changed it 2 weeks before I had him and his twin sister)
thank you for all your comments think myself and my husband will think of it but feel it is still a contender because it has so much meaning plus how many Gwendoline’s do you know!

OP posts:
Autumn38 · 19/06/2025 14:46

I wouldn’t. Have another little think

honeylulu · 19/06/2025 14:39

It was good enough for Prince Louis!

To be honest middle names are really not used in everyday life and most people wont know what they are.

It's logical that you give your children the names you like best as first and middle names. My view was that I might not have another child the same sex so I might as well use up the favourite names. My second child was the other sex so it never cropped up if I might reuse a middle name.

Lots of people in my extended family have the same middle names and a few have the same first name.

villamariavintrapp · 19/06/2025 14:20

I wouldn't, it makes it really obvious that it's your second choice name. Pick one that's special just for this baby, rather than one that you didn't quite like enough last time, but will do now.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 19/06/2025 14:16

As a middle name?

It's fine.

My daughter shares my middle name. If I had another daughter I would also give her the same middle name because I wouldn't want her to be the only one without it.

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 19/06/2025 14:14

It’s fine imo. Might be a bit unimaginative but they will be independent adults and move in circles where people won’t know their sister’s middle name.

but how would you explain this to your DDs? Would you have a good explanation?

As for your DGP not having had middle names: how about your DP? Or his DGP?

Longdarkcloud · 19/06/2025 14:03

I knew a family with 5 or 6 children and each child after the first had the previous child’s name as a second name. The children seemed to love the idea and it acted a a bond in what was a very close family. T