To call my DS the same as my neighbours?

[runninginheelsisnotfun]

We very recently moved house into a new build Estate and I am due DS2 any day now and have settled on a name.

The name isn't common and it took us ages to choose it. I have just met my next door neighbour who's DS1 is 8 weeks old and is called the same name!!!

I didn't know how to react as we were not telling anyone our name until he is here but now I'm worried they will think we copied them because it's quite rare. Not only that but this is a small village and the boys will be in the same class all through school. The whole point of us choosing an uncommon name was so our little guy would be relatively unique.

WIBU to go ahead with the name regardless? We have nothing else in reserve but I feel the wind has just been knocked out my sails.

Bet it's albert

If the only reason that you are using the name is because it is unique, or different, then I would choose something else. If it is, say, a family name then go ahead with that name.
What is the name? MN may be able to give you a view as to how many children with that name are actually around - it may be more popular than you think!

My friend did this- called her son Arthur as she thought it unusual and met several at baby clubs she joined when he was a couple of months old, including one who even has the same surname! It's not Arthur by any chance is it? I've heard of loads more since too!

You absolutely can use any name you want, but clearly you won't forever be known as Noah m who lives next to Noah s or whatever, your child will. Do you have different initial surnames even?? (I was in a nursery the other day with 4 Arthurs, 2 known by first and surname as same initial).

Ha, pp got there first!

I think it will be a little odd for your baby to have the same name TBH .Seems whatever name you choose, someone else will have the same one!.Lots of alternative names to choose from .Sometimes when they are born you may think they dont "suit " that name anyway!

Like PP said it could be that the name isn’t as unusual as you think. If you don’t want to share it here the Baby Names board is pretty good to help gauge popularity. Although of course you could choose a name used twice in a year and happen to live next door to the other one!

I’m on the fence tbh. If the neighbours end up moving in six months you’ll forever regret not using the name. On the other hand you could be neighbours for the next 20 years! And I feel like if it was the other way around, you would hate them using the same name.

If I was your neighbour, I'd be a bit weirded out if you chose the same name. Especially as they are likely to be together for at least the whole of primary.

If it is Albert I know 3 babies with that name.

Is that how things are done now?
How about just choosing a name you love , one that means something to you both. Not just a unique name. Does having a unique name somehow considered special and not common perhaps?

I chose my sons name because I always loved it and what it meant . He said if he has a son he will call him that too. !

I despair at the ridiculous things people waste time thinking about. Which this is.

Can't see what difference it makes if somebody has the same name - unless you are going to make a name up from scratch, you are going to find others with the same name.

You will remove the “unique” value of the name, by naming him the same as the baby next door.

Since uniqueness is your target - your are effectively creating “an own goal” situation.

If I was your neighbour I'd be really pissed off

Gary is a fairly safe bet. Stephen and Paul probably are as well.

You need to choose another name if the whole reason you have picked it is because it's unique. I have a baby and have met so many babies with the same little old man names. I would guess your choice is not as unique as you think.

Please tell us the name, OP!

When we named dd, I actually checked not just current rankings, but trends and similar spellings. We came up with a name that has remained unique overall.

However after dd was born we moved. We gave have had 3 neighbors in the house next door. Each family has had a daughter with my dd’s Name.

I had my heart set on a certain name for when I had a DD.

By the time I had my DD this name the year before suddenly went from being really obscure to really popular (due to a celebrity calling his DD this name) so annoying.

So obvs I chose a different name which I now much prefer so I'm happy.

If my neighbour chose my DS's name I'd be really

Be weird when Dave, Pete, John and Mike become popular again like Arthur and Albert which are names of 90 year old men and toddlers.

I think that's really unfortunate but if I were you I'd go back to the drawing board. You'll seem like complete weirdos and might have to live beside them for another 40 years.

If you really wanted unique I read recently that there's no babies being registered as Gary or Gareth anymore. You could be really cool and unique with baby Gary

I don't think it would've been weird to call your ds the same name if you'd mentioned it at the time she mentioned baby's name but as you didn't I would be a bit weirded out if I were your neighbour

I would choose something else. I’m guessing Ernest!