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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

When parents adapt their own names when naming their children-eg, Nigella

25 replies

Hammy02 · 05/04/2011 11:21

AIBU in thinking this is so arrogant and self-obsessed?
Nigel Lawson's daughter 'Nigella'
Will Smith's son 'Willow'
Jada Smith's daughter 'Jaden'
and so on...

OP posts:

squeakytoy · 05/04/2011 11:24

It has always been common for people to keep names in the family and pass them down. I think if the name itself doesnt sound too ridiculous, it is a nice way to keep the pattern, but give a person their own individuality.

dontcallmepeanut · 05/04/2011 11:54

erm, willow is will smith's DAUGHTER... Jaden is their SON...

MorticiaAddams · 05/04/2011 12:08

I don't see that it's any different than giving them the same name as their parent.

RatherBeACyborg · 05/04/2011 12:14

Nigella is a name in it's own right as well. It's a plant.(I think).

RatherBeACyborg · 05/04/2011 12:15

that should be its own right, sorry!

maras2 · 05/04/2011 12:18

A bloke called Robin that I used to work with called his daughter Robina poor sod.

cookielove · 05/04/2011 12:19

I think it is fine, if the name is not silly sounding, however the names you have listed above are all names in there own right.

Would it not be a mix of Will or Jade that would apply, to the point you are making Wilade, or Jadell. Now they sound odd.

lovelybertha · 05/04/2011 12:26

I met a couple in hospital when I had dd who had called their daughter Shawnetta. Guess what the Dad's name was...

lovelybertha · 05/04/2011 12:29

And check out this wiki entry for the kid from Outnumbered - has the same name as both his parents!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyger_Drew-Honey

nagynolonger · 05/04/2011 12:31

I would never choose the female version of a boys name. My BF at school was called Paula because her mum wanted a boy and his name would have been Paul. I also knew a Davida who was named after her father. The one I dislike is Sydney for a girl. Even if she was born during the opening of the Sydney olympic games.

Pterosaur · 05/04/2011 12:31

Shawnetta is a bit Harry Enfield.

Nigella is Love-in-a-mist (now there's a name).

We thought about Stephanie as a name for DD1, but neither I nor DH particularly wanted her to have a variation of his name. Each to their own though.

JemimaMop · 05/04/2011 12:34

I am that Jake from Outnumbered is the son of a porn director and the editor of Penthouse! Never mind his strange name...

Lavitabellissima · 05/04/2011 12:35

Do you remember the actress Malandra Burrows? used to be in Emmerdale.

Her mum was called Sandra, her dad, Malcolm.

I agree it's a bit much, Junior is the worst name though!

Asteria · 05/04/2011 12:36

It beats the hell out of the American habit of just giving them exactly the same name but with a II or III on the end! We Brits have been doing it for thousands of years too - this is just a more modern version. I think that it is really lovely to keep some form of identity with previous generations - makes tracing the family tree a helluva lot easier!

My predecessor and I both changed our son's names after we left their father (she was long gone before I tipped up but we changed them at the same time after I had left!) and we decided that as they would have no identity with their father (somplete shit - story from another thread) that we would give them both their paternal grandmother's maiden name as a middle name. They love the fact that they have the same middle name as it links them to eachother.

I had a South African friend at boarding school and if she hadn't had our family name as her middle name then I might never have found out that she was my 2nd cousin!

turdass · 05/04/2011 12:38

Asteria -you have left me intrigued about your story of your son (and half brother?).

lovelybertha · 05/04/2011 12:39

'My predecessor'

maras2 · 05/04/2011 12:40

O.M.G. His parents are pornstars.We used to play that game of working out what your porno name would be by using the name of your first pet and your mum's maiden name.I didn't know that some people did this to name their kids.Imagine having a tiger for a pet.Perhaps it was jut a stripey cat.

Daisypod · 05/04/2011 12:43

I used to know a brother and sister called David and Davina. Now that shows a lack of imagination on the parents behalf!

sprinklingsparkles · 05/04/2011 12:48

My aunty named her daughter with a mix of her mum and mother in law, evelyn and velma and so she was called veleve.

Just as well she chose it that way round as it could have been evevel (say it and you'll see )

anyway i think it worked really well.

Asteria · 05/04/2011 12:51

Sorry for the ambush OP....
In a nutshell: Our Ex has heavy hands and a liking for whisky and is on his third wife! The second and I are great mates - we met when I was preggers with DS and she was trying to conduct a civilised visit with her DS to see their father (he was a monumental shit to all of us that day) - she helped me escape! Her son and my son don't see their father (he doens't want to see them till he is "old enough to realise what a bitch his mother is" - delusional, much?!) so they see eachother instead for their paternal identity! And they have a really cool middle name - Sutherland!

darleneconnor · 05/04/2011 12:52

All the Mc/Mac names are 'son of' so it's nothing new.

My DP's name is my 3rd favourite boy's name so it may well get re-used. Why should I not use it just because he has it?

I agree though that Paula and Shaunetta are unfortunate.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 05/04/2011 12:53

I am named after my dad, grandad, great gd, gggd, ggggd etc. It doesn't bother me and rather my name than Wilehelmina like my dad wanted.

Asteria · 05/04/2011 13:00

my personal name hate is hyphenated first names - when I was at school there were a couple of Anne-Maries and Emma-Janes, which were just about bearable - but nowadays you get these dreadful concoctions like Bianca-Chardonnay, bleurgh! If it is a family name, ok, or if you are Euro Aristocracy (Spanish and French are especially into it) - otherwise it is incredibly poncey and try hard!

LDNmummy · 05/04/2011 13:40

I know someone who is called ben and called his daughter benita. Always thought it awful. Children in my family carry on names from the generation before so I don't mind it, I actually think it is worse when you alter it to sound new as sometimes it can sound naff.

Ealingkate · 05/04/2011 13:46

My friend had a girl in her class called Kered - the dad's name backwards, it would make sense if it spelled a nice girl's name

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