Two sons same name

[Bloopbleep]

I'm not going to give too much detail but a neighbour has just told me both his sons are called (I'm name changing them) Bob Smith. He was married twice so first Bob is son to first wife and he's ten years older than second Bob son to the second wife. Both are alive and in contact.

Is this not a bit strange and unfair to the kids (now grown men)? I can't imagine growing up as Bob1 and feeling replaced completely by Bob2

They'll either use middle names or nicknames in day to day

I knew of a family where the father was called James. They named their sons James, Jamie, Jim, Jimmy and Jame

😂

Ginmakesitallok - I came on here to ask if the mum was called Mrs McCave

Mary Ann Cotton named a lot of her children the same name, or essentially the same name with just slight variants or switched order.

It's weird to me.

Me and my sister are both female versions of John. I think my parents realised and thought matching names was cute.

I know a woman who had a son, named him John (not real name), he died when he was a young boy then they tried for another baby a few years later, a boy was born and they named him John. I'm sorry, I know they were probably just grieving the son they lost but how does that make 'living' John feel? Like he was only created as a replacement probably!

I know brothers with different Mothers but the same Father, they have the same name too.

A friend of mine sent her husband to register the birth of their DS2, when he came back with the birth certificate he had named him exactly the same as their DS1. When challenged by his wife he said "oh, that's why it was familiar".

It is bizarre and confusing to give two sons the same name. I know of twins named Cecilia and Cecile who have spent their lives in the same small town being confused for each other. Think of the problems with credit ratings, for example.
Robert F. Kennedy named two of his daughters Mary, but they had different middle names.

DH did a family tree. One couple had about 7 children and about 4 of them died in childhood. One boy was called Joseph and he died aged 2. A few years later they had another boy called Joseph. He also died around 2 years old. They had another Joseph and he lived to be in his 70s.

I find it strange reusing a name twice especially as it was a bit of an "unlucky" name for the family.

I taught a pair of siblings with ever so similar names, think Glen and Glenna for example.

On a separate note - I never made the William / Liam connection and I have one , and decided against a name for DD because of the fact that it was an anglicised version of my name and thought it'd be a bit weird and big headed

Liam would be considered the Irish for William. For instance if you were called William & attending a Gaelic speaking school, the teacher would address you as Liam. Like John would be Sean or Mary would be Maire.

I know sisters called Katie and Kathy which I always thought odd. but then i met sisters called Catherine and Katy which is even odder!

My niece has the same name twice. The welsh version as her first name, and the English version for her middle name. I've never told my sister

My dad and his brother both ended up being named John! My dad was older and christened John Percy, and when his brother was born their parents wanted him christened Jack, but the vicar priest refused on the grounds it wasn't a "real" name (bear in mind this was about 70 years ago)! So they went for John again....in the end neither of them ended up using John, they were Percy and Jack.... still freaks me out a bit if anyone official refers to my dad as John

Should read vicar/priest, not sure which!

I once worked with a woman who named her son Ian Sean John.

My mother's brother's name was Thomas as was her father's, his father's and his father's before him. She married my dad who had the surname Thomas. In turn I married a man named Thomas. He was named after his grandfather as were one of his uncles and several cousins.

He wanted to call our son Thomas, but I put my foot down as I felt it would be too confusing. We'd been through every permutation of Thomas, Tommy, Tom, Tommo, Big Thomas, Little Thomas etc.

SweatyBetty

Harriet isn't the feminine of Henry, it's the feminine of Harold. Confusing because they can all have Harrie/Harry as a nickname, but you'll have to trust me, my name is Harriet.

This thread is excellent.

I was at school with some brothers who were called Ian, Sean and John, which all the adults (mums of classmates, and teachers) found bemusing in the extreme, but which went completely over my head.

I have DTs and their middle names are John and Jack - so the same name basically. They were actually named after different people in the family, but it's amusing telling them they have the same middle name. They just don't get how Jack is the same name as John!

I know identical twins called Alec and Alex

Local paper a few years back, twins called Leroy and Elroy

I've met 3 adult brothers; Edmundo, Eduardo, and Edwino who all went by Ed :(

I was adopted as a baby. My original first name became my middle name. I was gracies down by my bio sibling. Her first name is the same as my original first name - which is my now middle name.

She was very generous and said she was thrilled to be called after me ... But I have very mixed feelings about this and imagine she does too.

sparechange - I am sorry that my feelings upset you, but yes, I do find it disturbing despite your sad story. And still will.
What I find concerning about it is the child's feelings, knowing that they're named exactly the same as a dead sibling - my BIL wasn't that happy about it when he found out, although it hasn't bothered him much since as far as I know, but he's an alcoholic dropout with a massive chip on his shoulder so I don't speak to him. I'm NOT saying that him being the way he is is a direct result of him being named for his dead brother, don't think that, just pointing out why I couldn't ask him now for his feelings about it.

However, since you don't know me, it's not going to matter a bar of soap if you call another baby boy the same as your stillborn son - and I too hope you get the opportunity to do so