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Baby names

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Original poster

cousins with the same name??

107 replies

tidybooks · 21/09/2012 14:50

we have 2 sons and ever since the first one we have always have our favourite girls name "in reserve" for a dd if one came along. Though we haven't actually discussed this with anyone.

Now we are expecting again with a month to go. Last week dbro wife gave birth to a little girl.. and gave her our name!!

Not sure what to do, think up a name from scratch.. or go with a variation of the same name, like Helen/Helena, or Diane/Diana. We love the variation so it would still be our first choice name iyswim.

Please give me your views, tia :)

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Lifeisontheup · 21/09/2012 15:17

My DS and his cousin (my sisters son) have the same name. It's never caused a problem and Grandparents coped without any problems. My Nephew was very proud of his little cousin (7 years between them) and we've always seen alot of each other. Strangely enough they are the most similar of all the cousins and are very close.

HolyAutumnGoldBatman · 21/09/2012 15:17

I think Amelia and Amelie are ok tbh. If it was exactly the same or Amelie and Emily then no, but Amelia and Amelie are different enough.

YouMayLogOut · 21/09/2012 15:25

I don't see any problem with this - go for it :)

AM-el-ie and Am-EE-lia have emphasis on different syllables so sound quite different when spoken.

I know of cousins with exactly the same name and it's not a problem. The context clarifies which of them is being discussed.

squoosh · 21/09/2012 15:26

If you decided to go ahead with the name would you inform the other parents first?

Original poster
tidybooks · 21/09/2012 15:31

I was thinking we'd just let them know after the birth by text (what they did)

OP posts:
squoosh · 21/09/2012 15:39

Hmmm, if you're planning to give your child the same name, and is the same name, you need to let them know beforehand. To do anything else would be strange and rude.

As you said yourself they didn't even know that you liked this name when they named their baby. How would you have reacted if the show was on the other foot?

squoosh · 21/09/2012 15:39

shoe

mrsbugsywugsy · 21/09/2012 15:42

i have cousins with v similar names - male and female versions of the same name.

they both use the same shortened version and it did get a bit confusing tbh. but as far as i am aware there was never any bad feeling about it.

if you decide to go for it you should definitely ask your dbro first, rather than just announcing it.

HoratiaWinwood · 21/09/2012 15:49

My second cousin has the same name as me. If anything, it made us feel special.

Part of the family refers to me by my middle name (equivalent to calling me Horatia Mary and her Horatia Louise) but that's it.

George Foreman's sons are all called George Foreman (GF II, GF III, etc).

JambalayaCodfishPie · 21/09/2012 15:52

My daughter is called Abby. My cousin then named her daughter Abbie.

It's not ok. Angry

PicklesThePottyMouthedParrot · 21/09/2012 15:55

You need to at least give them a heads up. They did not know it was your favourite name to be fair to them!

Telling them by text is a bit rude. I'd say we've loved name a for years I can't choose another sorry.

They might be ok with it.

CornishKK · 21/09/2012 15:58

My sister gave her DS2 the same middle name as my DS, there is only 14 months between them and it really pissed me off. She didn't even discuss it with me, just announced it on Facebook Angry She then claimed she'd forgotten my DS already had this as a middle name! Nearly two years later it still gets on my tits - that was just a middle name.

Don't do it. She will hate you forever. Choose a new lovely name.

GoldandOrangeAnnunziata · 21/09/2012 16:01

A few of my nephews have the same name as DS1- but it's really popular plus it's a family name.

I do think you'd need to run it past them first if you really love it.

TheOneAndOnlyMaryZed · 21/09/2012 16:04

Just as a matter of interest, how would you feel if they had had a boy and used one of your sons' names.

Would you have minded.

I think the main problem isn't even the name, it's the fact that they will be so close together in age. If their dd was, say, ten, you could call a baby after her, but two babies, with the same name, only a month apart in age is confusing.

Of course, they don't own it, and you can use it, and they might be fine with it. But it's a risk.

My family and the cousins (between 1st and 2nd) all share names, loads of 'em. But I mean loads - we have about 50 first and second cousins, so have two or three with the same name isn't a big deal.

Baaartimaeus · 21/09/2012 16:19

I think if you do use it you'll have to put up with everyone calling her the wrong version.

Did you want Amelie or Amelia?
Amelia --> Amy (v similar sounding)
Amelie --> Emily (again similar sounding)

Or just look up baby names on here Smile

HolyAutumnGoldBatman · 21/09/2012 17:12

Could you combine the first name and middle name for your DD to make it different e.g. if their DD is Amelia and your DD is Amelie-Rose then they sound and look different. You can just shorten in to Amelie for day to day use.

Arithmeticulous · 21/09/2012 17:35

Doris: was that you I saw with your granddaughters in the park the other day?
Gladys: yes, they both came out with us
Doris: Remind me what their names are?
Gladys: Isabel
Doris: Isabel?
Gladys: Isabel Blush
Doris: and the younger one?
Gladys: Isobelle
Doris: Confused

I've been in the park with a grandmother and her two nieces, Leah and Laya - cousins, it was just daft.

confused247 · 21/09/2012 17:41

I have a cousin with the same first name as me & it has never bothered me....I think my mum was a bit Hmm when my auntie anounced she was using it, but I always liked the fact we had the same name (our last names are different though as she's a cousin on my mum's side...might be wierder if she was a cousin on my dad's side so same first name and last name).

Also my husband is not English and in his culture the done thing is to name your first son after the grandfather, so he has about 7 cousins all with the same first name.....it gets very confusing at family events

I guess as others have said it all depends on how often your kids will see each other, and how pee'd off you think your sister would be if you used the name.

MrsJohnDeere · 21/09/2012 17:43

Dh and his cousin have the same name. I don't think it bothers either of them.

Ds2's first name is his cousin's middle name.

Badgerina · 21/09/2012 17:45

Amelia and Amelie are too similar for cousins in my opinion.

It encroaches too much on your in-laws' choice and is not unique enough for the two cousins.

I would be royally pissed off if my siblings chose such a similar name to my recently named daughter.

Choose a different name.

Nermalkins · 21/09/2012 17:52

I had the same first name and surname as a first cousin. I'm younger than her. I really loved it as a child. So I would say go for it. We were known as big xxx and little xxx.

LittleBairn · 21/09/2012 18:22

tidybooks if you've always referred to your future DD by this name and they were aware it then I would call your DC it. They were the ones who copied you regardless if the named first, if they find it awkward tough they can change the name. I'd let them know ASAP you'll be sticking with the name.

BikeRunSki · 21/09/2012 18:26

My family has three sets of cousins where two of the siblings have the same names ie: three sets of cousins called Peter and Paul. It's very confusing anfms rather dull (my sibling set don't have these names ).

Montsti · 21/09/2012 18:42

I had a very similar situation as both my sister and my sister-in-law used the only girl's names I loved (I had a son first and had loads of "spare" boys names)..to be fair sister-in-law didn't know...sister did - long story! We decided that we wouldn't use the same names as either of my nieces even though sis/sis-in-law actually didn't care.. There was only one other girl's name that we would consider and tbh I refused to find another name that I didn't like as much so we went for this name, having checked with close family as it's my sister's name!! We figured that there would be less confusion as a different generation and also they live on another continent! Am so pleased we went with it as it is by far my favourite girl's name. To avoid confusion my immediate family use a nickname (which we also love) when referring to her but in this country and with everyone else she is known by her full name...

Is there another name you like that you felt previously was off limits like I did with my sister's name?

If you do decide to go with the same name I would definitely run it past them. I would be royally p*ssed off if it happened to me as they didn't know it was your favourite name when they chose it! My niece is Amelia but has only ever been called Millie since about 2 months old. Most people don't even know her "real" name. If they do the same with their Amelia then I don't see a problem unless you want the same nickname!!

Virgil · 21/09/2012 18:46

DSIL really threw a strop when we announced the arrival of DS2. She had apparently wanted that name if she ever had a son. At the time she was single and didn't even have a boyfriend but expected us to change DS2s name so that she could use it if she ever had a baby. Hmm

Don't use the same /similar name.

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