To be upset at my SIL choice of name

[bungalowgirl]

She named her son(age 2) a very similar sounding name to my son(age 10). There is only one sound different. To protect their identity as both name are relatively unusual it is akin to Alexander/Alexandra or Edie/Evie.
2 years on I am getting increasingly irritated by the funny looks people give me when I look after him (about every 2 months for the weekend) and the fact my son has asked to change his name! I know I don't have a monopoly on sound but AIBU to be so pissed off?

My husband and I chose our dd's name on our honeymoon - three years before she was born. Near her birth we came up with alternative names as my best friend's dd (aged 11) had the same name. Once dd was born we could only see her being called the original name - it just suited her.

I really hope my best friend is not offended as I chose the name before I met her. I think she was flattered. People shouldn't have to avoid names because of family members. SIL may have had the name in mind years ago - it is such a personal thing. Get over it. Your son would not mind if he hadn't picked up on your opinion!

My sister used to look after one of her DDs friends on a regular basis. The other wee girl had a similar name to her DD.

She felt a bit daft shouting after them 'Stella! Bella!', but mainly she found it funny.

Why wouldn't it just be funny?

My DS2 has the same name as my cousins DD's middle name (DS was born 6 mths prior to their DD).

What I hadn't realised upon naming my DS was that their name was a family name to my cousins wife.

Ooops. Nothing I could do, would have been much weirder had both DC's been boys.

YABU
A close family member called her dd the same name as mine. I was totally delighted someone else loved the name

The same name would be less of an issue I think for me. Similar is just silly when you shout them both out in the playground. I think I read that she wouldn't let you give him a nn(but the post was deleted) That is unreasonable on her part. If you have 2 cousins called James for eg you have to accept that one might be jamie or jimmy or something like that.

I think YABU.

If it was just a name they liked I'd think it was a bit , but if it's a name one of them has always wanted then, well, it's just tough isn't it.

You really need to stop passing this precious attitude on to your son though.

Not to mention the fact, that if you were going to say something - 2 years ago would have been the time, they now have a 2 year old child - what the hell would you have them do about it?

If you want a NN, get your DS to chose one for himself.

Just had another thought...

Do you also determine who your son can be friends with based on their names??

No Jake, Jack can't come to play at the park, I am not calling Jake, Jack time to go' ???

My aunties both have sons called Alex. One is an Alex and the other is an Alexander. It wasn't an issue.

On my dad's side I have about 30 cousins aged 27-60. Quite a few of the cousins names are doubled up but as the family was so huge you didn't really get too muddled.
If it is just a smallish family of 3 kids then it would be a little confusing but surely not worth stropping out over

You are being totally unreasonable. My brother, father, uncle, and cousin are all named Robert. I would have liked to name my son after my brother/father but I figured we had exhausted the Rob/Bob/Robert/Robbie variations. So my son has Robert as a middle name. It;s a amily name. No one owns it. It's nice. Same goes for Elizabeths in my family.

It would really pee me off too. So, yes YABU but I totally understand how you must feel

YABU. Very common to have cousins with same name where I come from, as named after family members (or each other). My Dad had 2 BROTHERS with the same name as they were named after different people, and that wasn't unusual...

My uncles ex wife called her DD the same name as me and i probably wouldnt have minded except she kept her married surname post divorce so we had the same surname - i was quite upset at the time but in my defence i was 10 and a bit precious! but in my old age i have managed to get over the trauma!!!

My cousins though are both called Catherine/Kathyrn (different surnames) and it hasnt really been a problem

I know sisters called Mary, Marie, and Mairead. Their dad named them and was stunningly lacking in imagination.