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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to use matching cousins name?

26 replies

PotatoRato · 14/08/2025 11:39

DBro has a DD with a name that rhymes with a name I love (and have always loved) for my DD.

DBro lives abroad and we aren’t very close. DM is very close to us both though. DD and DN would see each other rarely but would know each other, get birthday cards/gifts, and be on group calls.

Names are like Tara/Zara/Clara/Lara, Lily/Milly, Laura/Maura.

Is this too similar? I love this name and would be a bit sad about it :(

OP posts:
BrownieBlondie01 · 14/08/2025 11:41

I think it's fine, it's not the actual same name and they won't even see each other often.

Even if your bro & SIL eyeroll behind the scenes, ultimately it's not the same name, regardless of sound.

afaloren · 14/08/2025 11:42

I’d go for it. In my family we are all called similar things and have a joke that there are only four names and you must have a variation on one of them. Including new boyfriends/girlfriends for the younger ones!

Overthebow · 14/08/2025 11:42

It’s fine, the names aren’t the same.

SaulHudsonDavidJones · 14/08/2025 11:42

Absolutely fine. It’s not the same name and they’re not close. No problem at all other than it mum having rhyming grandchildren’s names…literally not an issue.

Scarydinosaurs · 14/08/2025 11:43

Absolutely fine!

DontbesorrybeGiles · 14/08/2025 11:46

I was literally just googling this as I worry about this sometimes. My sister’s child and mine have very similar names (they are actually two of the names you listed). I worry that one day my daughter will turn around and ask why we didn’t have more imagination than to name her pretty much exactly the same as her cousin. No one else seems bothered though! And my feelings coincide with when I’m feeling anxious in general - it’s something concrete to get hung up on.

x2boys · 14/08/2025 11:58

I think it's fine as cousins two of my cousins had similar names think Hannah and Anna ,
Siblings would be a bit much but not cousins.

irregularegular · 14/08/2025 12:03

I think it is fine too as long it is not exactly the same name.

My sister and our cousin have exactly the same first name. They were born within a few days of each other. This caused "issues" between my mother and her sister at the time, but it's not exactly been a major problem in practice. We all became very used to it after a while.

RuthW · 14/08/2025 12:06

if they share grandparent then I wouldn’t.

EmiliaRuusuvuori · 14/08/2025 12:09

I think it's fine.
My Nanny had four granddaughters with the same name born in the same year, two even had the same surname. She also had two grandsons with the same first name.

ComtesseDeSpair · 14/08/2025 12:12

They might sound similar but they’re still different names, I think it’s fine. I have cousins named Christopher and Christian and as kids they loved being “Chris and Chris” and pretending they were the other and saying things like “hello Chris, it’s Chris; oh hi Chris, I’m Chris” and laughing like drains about it. (And I think they still sometimes still do it now as men in their forties 😂)

Canicule · 14/08/2025 12:17

My sister and I are very close and both live within a 30min drive of our parents. She has a girl called Lillie and I have a boy called Billy, nobody batted an eyelid! Billy is older by 4 years.

Kim82 · 14/08/2025 12:20

Seems fine to me. I have a Charlotte and her little cousin is called Scarlett. They rhyme but they’re totally different names. I wouldn’t care if they had the same name tbh.

Thedoorisalwaysopen · 14/08/2025 12:51

If they were in the same class at school it might be weird. But the fact the will hardly ever meet it's fine.

irregularegular · 14/08/2025 13:54

RuthW · 14/08/2025 12:06

if they share grandparent then I wouldn’t.

Cousins always share a grandparent, no?

CaptainKirkMummy · 14/08/2025 14:18

I think you're fine, in my family we have a Freya and Myra, which my Granny (the girls' great granny used to get a bit tongue tied with) but then my mum started to refer to my nieces with their middle names; Freya Rose and Myra Leigh and it all seemed less matchy matchy and neither girl minds

Lickedthespoon · 14/08/2025 14:35

Go for it 🫶🏻

KawasakiBabe · 14/08/2025 14:38

I think that’s perfectly fine.

Manthide · 14/08/2025 21:09

I remember our ndn being very annoyed at her sil's name choices. Ndn had dc first so Holly and Oliver (Ollie) and sil had Molly and Olivia. It wouldn't be an issue for me though my sil called her dd Charis (she is Greek so sounds like Harris) and my ds (named after fil in Greek tradition) is also Harris which I thought was a bit odd. She says ' H Haris kai o Haris and thinks it's hilarious. My Harris has only met hers about 3 times in 20 plus years.

Manthide · 14/08/2025 21:13

Canicule · 14/08/2025 12:17

My sister and I are very close and both live within a 30min drive of our parents. She has a girl called Lillie and I have a boy called Billy, nobody batted an eyelid! Billy is older by 4 years.

Edited

Dd had a Billy in her class with a sister Tilly and their cousin Millie was also at the same school.

GreatTheCat · 14/08/2025 22:12

I've got the same first name as my cousin. I don't think my mum asked her sister if she minded her using it.
I don't mind it.

Radiowaawaa · 14/08/2025 22:16

I have a Polly and my sister has a Molly.

They are different names, they just rhyme.

RentRaft · 14/08/2025 22:22

I've got the same first name as a cousin and it's never been an issue (don't know if it was for the adults at the time - lost to the mists of history now. We've always just been referred to as "Sue's X or Julie's X" if clarification required.

My friend has a matchy matchy set of cousin names in her family and I always laugh it sounds like a baby clothing or toiletries brand like Florence & Fred when you call their names in the park or something but it's no big deal really. Bella & Stella, Chloe & Zoe, Molly & Polly.....they're all cute.

olympicsrock · 15/08/2025 12:38

I don’t see a problem at all

olympicsrock · 15/08/2025 12:40

In our family there are cousins who have exactly the same first name and surname. A year apart in age . Even that doesn’t cause a problem .