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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Similar names for cousins

58 replies

BrushtheHeat · 28/12/2015 01:40

Sil and bil (dh's sister and her husband) are having their third dc. We were discussing names and they said they wanted Meredith for a girl. I think it's a beautiful name. I'm also upset because our DD (5yrs) is named Edith and they are far too similar for my liking. Dh says he's unhappy with their choice too.
Wwbu if we told them how we feel about them being too similar? I feel strongly enough about it to not be too worried about the fall out of such a conversation, but from an outsiders view, awbu to feel annoyed at the similarity between the names? We're a close family and socialise a fair bit. If they weren't close I could shrug it off. But we are and it will grate everytime I hear the name.

OP posts:
Becles · 28/12/2015 01:49

YABU They are not particularly similar.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 28/12/2015 01:50

I don't think they're anything a like, apart from the ith ending

Original poster
BrushtheHeat · 28/12/2015 01:51

Really?! merEDITH and Edith not alike? They sound very similar when spoken too.

OP posts:
howtorebuild · 28/12/2015 01:51

I wouldn't be impressed, I would just let it go and get on with life.

Hi5Hello · 28/12/2015 01:53

If your DH feels strongly let him get on with conversation.

Pollyputhtekettleon · 28/12/2015 01:55

YABU. They are totally different names!

SwedishEdith · 28/12/2015 01:58

Has never crossed my mind that they're similar names.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 28/12/2015 01:58

Think when they're older.
Meredith could opt to go by Meri, and
Edith by Edie. Two entirely different names

Original poster
BrushtheHeat · 28/12/2015 02:00

Ok. Seems so far ibu. I'm quite surprised actually, when I say them they are almost identical and I don't place the stress on the 'Mer' so the most prominent part of the name is the Edith bit.
I genuinely wonder how people don't see it. And they aren't entirely different names as far as I know, Edith is a diminutive form of Meredith.

OP posts:
Original poster
BrushtheHeat · 28/12/2015 02:01

I see that ilive but what if neither does?

OP posts:
howtorebuild · 28/12/2015 02:01

I see it, it just doesn't work me up.

Out2pasture · 28/12/2015 02:04

the second e in Meredith is pronounced differently than the e in Edith. they only look similar on paper.

Original poster
BrushtheHeat · 28/12/2015 02:05

Well no, I'm sure it doesn't work you up if it's not personal to you!

OP posts:
Original poster
BrushtheHeat · 28/12/2015 02:06

Fair do's everyone. Thanks for the opinions. I've got a few months to get used to it! Grin

OP posts:
SwedishEdith · 28/12/2015 02:07

Meredith is a Welsh name (originally a male name) and Edith is Anglo-Saxon they're not the same name. And I've heard Meredith pronounced Meh-red-ith.

honeyroar · 28/12/2015 02:08

The ending of Meredith is spelt like Edith but pronounced differently. Edith has a strong E, Meredith is more Mer- ED - ith. I wouldn't worry. I doubt grannies etc are going to shorten it to Edith anyway, when there is already one in the family. And it isn't even a girl yet.

SenecaFalls · 28/12/2015 02:18

Meredith is a Welsh name and is often a surname. Edith has a different origin so it is not a diminutive of Meredith. They don't sound alike in my American accent at all, but I suppose they could sound more alike in other accents. But they really are two separate names. Both lovely names, by the way.

Leelu6 · 28/12/2015 02:27

I feel strongly enough about it to not be too worried about the fall out of such a conversation

Slightly chilling, but you seem to be open to the idea of BU.

MadFestiveGnome · 28/12/2015 02:40

Yeah... YABU I'm afraid. Just not your place to say something even if it makes you cross, their child, their name choice.

GreatFuckability · 28/12/2015 02:44

I'm welsh so to me Meredith is a boys name with the stress on the second syllable Muh-RED-ith, but even with the pronunciation of MEH-ruh-dith, it doesn't sound like EE-dith.
My cousin gave her baby my sons name. I'm still bitter about it 7 years later. Lol

Original poster
BrushtheHeat · 28/12/2015 02:50

Ok, I accept iabu. It's good to see that they are in fact different names and also are perceived as entirely different name so I don't need to worry that they are too similar.
Wasn't meant to be chilling Lee , just succinct! Grin I don't tend to say anything if someone ir something has bothered me, tend to just let it go. But I did feel quite worried that my dd would 'lose' her name so what I meant was I wouldn't worry too much about the repercussions as I felt so strongly. And I wouldn't have ever told them not to name their dd that name, just explained that I didn't like the similarity between the two. But it's not.an issue now, I can see I was bu.

OP posts:
Original poster
BrushtheHeat · 28/12/2015 02:52

Now that really is annoying great !

OP posts:
CaoNiMao · 28/12/2015 04:09

They're so different it would never have crossed my mind that they could be considered similar.

It's like if your daughter was named Santa and they wanted to name theirs Susan. The mutual syllable doesn't even sound the same.

Crazy talk.

TowerRavenSeven · 28/12/2015 04:11

It would never enter my mind that they are remotely similar. YABVU.

TowerRavenSeven · 28/12/2015 04:14

Sorry x post

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