Can I use Elizabeth if I already have an Isabella?

[BeattieBow]

I really wanted to call dd2 Elizabeth, but couldn't because my BIL called his dd Elizabeth (dh's brother so they have the same surname as us). so I ended up using Isabella instead.

In the end BIL and his wife got divorced, they live in a different country to us (and we NEVER see them) and they always call their daughter Libby. I still like Elizabeth (Eliza for short I think), but know that Isabella is the spanish form of Elizabeth. Would it be too much using the 2 names for 2 sisters? - there are 9 years in between the 2 of them if that's relevant.

You're not going to call them Lizzy and Izzy, are you?

They do have a fairly similar sound but, if you like them, I don't see why not.

Not a major problem, I wouldnt think. Not Lizzie and Izzy, though .

My friend has a Lizzie and an Izzy! (And also a Lily)

It would be a little odd to give them what is essentially the same name.

My concern with Elizabeth and Isabella is that while you (hopefully) wouldn't nickname one Lizzy and the other Izzy, their friends might and it could get a little confusing/cutesy. I say this as someone with a relative named Alexandra - which is what our family call her; her friends and nearly everyone else who meets her call her Alex, even if she introduces herself as Alexandra. It's hard to stop some nicknames like Izzy for Isabella and Lizzy for Elizabeth.

My Isabella is also known as Izzy so the family would avoid calling the new baby Lizzy. (although I love it!) - hence Eliza or actually using the full name.

My concern is just that they are the same name really and I wonder if it is a bit ridiculous for 2 sisters to have the same name.

They are not the same name. They are two versions of one name with their own history and culture. I think it's fine. If it bothers you now though, it will only get worse.

Elizabeth could be Ellie or Beth, or indeed Eliza, doesn't have to be Lizzy.

I wouldn't. They are too similar for me.

I doubt if many people would be aware that they are variations of the same name. I wasn't till you mentioned it. If you are worried about the Izzy and Lizzy thing, you could shorten the LO's name to Beth, Betty or Betsy.

lillibet? That's the queens nickname isn't it?

I think it's fine, though i personally feel Isabella is a much nicer name than elizabeth. Lizzy isn't the only nn, there is Lily, Beth, Eliza, Betty, Betsy. There are loads of names, if you really like the name than use it, you will regret it if you don't.

I didn't know they are the same, though thinking about it now, makes sense :o
I wouldn't see a problem, esp if you are thinking of Eliza for nn

They could also be Bella and Betsy, or Bella and Betty. But Izzy and Eliza work fine, I think.

I'm multilingual and Spanish is one of my languages, so I see them as being the same name, so it's a no for me.

For anyone wondering how Isabel was born from Elisabeth, they don't have a 'th' sound in Spanish, so the name became Elisabel, which in turn got streamlined to Isabel. Elisabel is still used but is very rare.

Anyway, that aside, I feel the same about John and Jack, as well as Hannah and Grace (Hannah is the Hebrew world for Grace). Should never be paired with each other or used for sibling sets IMHO.

I'm an Isobel and often get called Elizabeth when people mishear my name. That might happen less to an Isabella, but it just goes to show how similar the names actually are, even subconsciously, to people who don't actually realised they're the 'same'.

It's definitely a no from me. Plus you'll get tired of people saying, 'didn't you realise...'

I had a similar thing when naming my second child. THe names both have the same first syllable and are, essentially, a male and female version of the same name..though DS has 1 syllable and DD has 2.

In the end I went for it (well, we went for it but OH didn't see the problem so it was getting me on board) for the following reasons:

1. I liked the name and didn't like any other names as much
2. Someone pointed out they wouldn't be paired up all their lives - at most they'd be known as siblings P & P for their school days but generally speaking they are independent people, not a pair so it really doesn't matter how their names sound together
3. It meant something to us - the name was OH's brother's name who only lived for a month and our DS was born in the same months as OH's brother but 25 years later.

Plus, with the age gap between them, they are never going to be in the same school and won't often be doing the same things.

My two girls have similar names, but I don't care, I love both their names! They won't be at school together, and will live their own independent lives so I don't see the big deal (they also have 3 brothers so when saying all their names together not so bad). Mine are Lana (long aaah sound) and Zanna (like hannah). I asked advice before I named DD2 and people said no they are too similar but went with it anyway. Your names aren't as similar as mine, so I say go for it!!

IMO they are too similar. There is the option of calling her Beth etc, but then it seems a bit pointless if you really like the name Elizabeth (I do too) to call her that only to actually use a nn all the time. I would use it as a middle name and find another one. It's a shame about how it worked out with your relatives, but sometimes these things happen and you can't predict what will go on further down the line with people moving away. They might have become best friends!

I wouldn't because the names are too similar and because although your niece is not around she is still your PIL grandchild and two grandchildren with exactly the same name is daft.

I would be put off by them both being variations on the same name.

What' has similar sounds to Eliza, or is traditional like Elizabeth, that you could use instead? Louisa, Alyssa, Elodie, Annelisa, Emma, Charlotte, Abigail, Catherine?

They are the same name.

It would be like naming your sons James, Hamish and Diego.

Please don't, it's really silly.