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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to choose the same baby name as my sister?

291 replies

jane2019 · 29/06/2018 16:07

DH and I first discussed baby names about 12 years ago when kids were still a long way off for us and we decided on a boys name we liked then and we decided a girls name about 6 years ago. These obviously weren't set in stone and we never told anyone else what the names were.
2 years ago my sister had her 2nd son and named him Benjamin but he is always referred to as/ called Benji. Benjamin was going to be our name for a boy. My sister didn't know this and I didn't tell her this after she had him either but I did mention it to my mum when she told me he'd been born and the chosen name.
I am now pregnant and it's a boy and there is literally not one other name I can find that I like for boys, nevermind one that my DH would also like. DH has one other name he likes but I don't like it. It's quite unusual and I tend to prefer old-fashioned, traditional names. I have read websites full of lists of names and still there is nothing I can find!
Since Benji is Benji how unreasonable do you think it is to call my son Benjamin?
I see my sister and her family about 5 times a year but we are quite close and keep in touch regularly via social media along with our other sister and brother.
I don't think she'd be thrilled about me choosing the same name as her but I don't know if it would bother her that much especially if we call him Benjamin and never Benji.
It is not a particularly unusual or unpopular name, always in the top 50, so I wouldn't be bothered if a friend also used it but with it being my sister's child's name I do feel a bit like I am overstepping the line.

OP posts:
Confusedbeetle · 30/06/2018 17:44

Absolutely no. You will upset your sister. Not worth it. Whatever name you choose will be his
moniker

purplebunny2012 · 30/06/2018 17:45

You'd be extremely unreasonable.

Theluckynumberthree · 30/06/2018 17:48

I wouldn’t do it either...

Sequencedress · 30/06/2018 17:52

On the upside OP, we had a name picked out for our daughter and when she was born it wasn’t right for her, so we named her something completely different from all the names we’d discussed - he might not be a Benjamin after all that! Grin

GoJohnnyGoGoGoGo · 30/06/2018 17:52

We had a similar situation, except I was a few months behind with my pregnancy. They picked 'our' name as their son's middle name. We still used the name as a first name when DS arrived a few months later. I know my SIL is still pissed about it (DS is 6 now). She refuses to call him by his long name. Let's say his name is Samuel, and they only call him Sam as Samuel is their sons middle name in their eyes.
The difference is DH and his brother do not get on. We are forced together at family occasions a few times a year but they never speak and actively avoid each other. He's never acknowledged or spoken to me in 19 years so frankly I don't give a shit if they're a bit pissed off.

yikesanotherbooboo · 30/06/2018 17:53

The OP has a hilariously different attitude to most of the babyname folk with their fear of popular names .

jessicalake · 30/06/2018 17:57

I wouldn't. If I was your sister I don't think I'd be very happy.
Confusing for grandparents, and yourselves! As well as other people as they grow up!
Could you use Benjamin as a middle name instead and another similar name for the first?

mrsdaz · 30/06/2018 18:02

We have 4 boys in my family called Tommy. It is a favoured name and 3 of them are all similar ages but don’t really socialise with each other.

I wouldn’t have the same name as my sister’s child personally but we are close.

Bikkigirl · 30/06/2018 18:49

With DS2 we could not think of a single name we liked other than my brothers name (which was also my grandads name) we felt it would be too weird even though we didn’t see my brother and his family that often. We couldn’t think of anything else and were toying with a name. My DH then cane to visit me in hospital when DS2 was a few days old and told me he’d told DS1 one of the names as he’d kept asking so I then felt we couldn’t change it even though I was not at all sure about it. I love his name now, it suits him perfectly and I can’t imagine having called him anything else! Sadly my brother died a couple of years later so perhaps using the name would have been ok but it might have been a bit hard on my poor Mum and Dad

cherish123 · 30/06/2018 19:17

No no no!

HairyToity · 30/06/2018 19:19

I don't see the issue. Although eventually they will both be Ben.

pandamodium · 30/06/2018 19:26

It's weird sorry.

My sister copied my (late but still weird) sons name both of them.

Never mentioned it and in fact actively covered up his middle name.

Me and the rest of our family find it upsetting my youngest daughter gets confused with her dead brother and cousin and it's just a shit show basically.

DeadDoorpost · 30/06/2018 19:27

I've got a good friend whose cousin also has the same name.

Funnily enough they're also called Benjamin.

HairyToity · 30/06/2018 19:34

I used to go to school with a Benn. It wasn't Benjamin just Benn (with two ns). Would this work as an alternative?

peachdribble · 30/06/2018 19:43

Ha if you were born into a Greek family like I was you’d have the same name as three other cousins as we’re all named after the same grandmother! It’s not really that confusing- especially if one’s Benji and the other Benjamin. Call your child what you like! You can describe your dilemma to your sister and see what she says - but your family aren’t going to love either of them any less, just because their names are similar!

lily2403 · 30/06/2018 19:45

Absolutely not, that’s a horrible thing to do to your sister
There are a lot more boys names out there

eastmidswarwicknightnanny · 30/06/2018 19:47

Could you go with Benedict instead of Benjamin and still shorten to Ben if wanted

yikesanotherbooboo · 30/06/2018 19:59

I am still amazed by the very idea that you might consider this.
If you are struggling with it ( hormones doing funny things with your sense) think for a moment about how your sister might feel or even better how you would feel in the same situation.

lily2403 · 30/06/2018 20:06

@littlemissdynamite

Hardly a special little snowflake, it’s her sister
A girl I used to work with called her son the same as mine I didn’t bat an eyelid but if my sister did it I would be upset and vice versus

emss55 · 30/06/2018 20:08

Seen this happen in the job im in. It causes problems. Personally I would not do this. The naming of a baby is a very special personal thing but to call baby same as your nephew.... too close to home.

thatmustbenigelwiththebrie · 30/06/2018 20:19

If you were my sister I might be a bit puzzled that you couldn't find any other names you liked but I genuinely wouldn't mind.

HorribleSinger · 30/06/2018 20:36

In a similar vein - my DH's brother married a woman with the same first name as me so we actually now have the same first and last name.

It's beyond weird but should I have insisted she keep her maiden name or use a different surname to stop us being called the same... of course not. 🙄

Call your kids whatever you want!

kateandme · 30/06/2018 20:51

could you go to your sister with this and talk to her.i think it would be a lot more reasonable if you did so.it doesn't seem underhand or sneaky then.at least then you can gauge how to go from there.there at least some discussion between the two of you.
if It was my sister I don't think id be over the moon but after that initial"oh" I don't think it would be a problem at all.
we have the same situation in the family and its cute.the two love it and are closer because of it.

Darkstarrheart · 30/06/2018 20:54

How about Benjen (GOT fan ) .. no? Ok Wink

MrsSnootyPants2018 · 30/06/2018 21:13

How ridiculously petty of you.

You liked the name yes but they had a child first and that's what they chose.

The two children will be closely related and it's unfair. How would you like it if yourself and your cousin had the same name?

Move on and pick something else and grow up.

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