Really like Henry but already have a Harry - help!

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Please can I have some opinions on this! Expecting my DC4 (DP's 1st) in a few weeks. It's a boy, and we are really stuck for names. I am a teacher and therefore most names remind me of some of the children I teach so I don't want them as they are already 'taken' IYSWIM. The only name we really, really like is Henry.

However, my first son is Harry. It's a name in it's own right, I didn't call him Henry and shorten it, so surely as they will both have different surnames, it would be ok to call DS2 Henry?? Some friends have called the idea into question, and now I've thought about it so much I can't think straight.

What would you think if a friend did it? Or should I say sod what everyone thinks and go for it anyway?

I do think of all the bizarre "you use the name if you love it, hun, your baby your choice" type threads, this one of the most bizarre.

Hugh and Hugo, anyone? Matilda and Tilly? Alison and Alice?

With all this talk of Henry viii, how has no-one mentioned Henry v ("God for Harry, England and St George") ? :)

I wouldn't do it unless it's an important family name from your ds's perspective. Agree that it's a good idea for a middle name though.

Also, Prince Harry is actually called Prince Henry, Harry is just his nickname. When he gets a little older and starts doing more 'official' work as a member of the royal family (normally coinsides with them getting married), you'll get more of him being at events as "Prince Henry" with the public calling him Harry, the fact that Harry is just a nickname for Henry will become more widely understood, and you will be the mum who gave each DS the same name...

I know this isn't relevant to the thread, but when Prince Harry "gets a little older"?????????

He's 27 or is it 28? Why do people persist in behaving as if he's 18?

Seeker - because they don't normally start doing "official" work as a Royal until they are early 30s, he's still in the grace period of being allowed to persue his military career only, but give 5 - 10 years, or when he gets married, he'll be expected to start doing more walking around hospitals/factories/rainy town centres smiling innanely at everyone and saying nothing of consequence. (Then being slagged off for never saying anything interesting, of course if he ever did say anything the slightest bit interesting, we'll all slag him off for interfering in politics) Prince William is getting it now, as he's about to have a baby, the assumption is he should give up doing something actually rather useful for the country like flying rescue helicopers his 'distracting' career and focus on wasting his life, walking around rainy town centres while people give his wife flowers 'public work'.

I agree with rhubarb and somerset....

I agree with rhubarb...

I think it would be v silly.

They're the same name!

Yes many people see Harry as now standalone but - they are the same name. Harry is the nickname for Henry. I know two Henrys who are known as Harry, and of course there's the Playboy Prince

Don't do it.

They'll be 14yrs apart., never at same school etc. I wouldn't worry about it.

My Dh has 3 siblings . Without actually giving their real names they are the equivalent of

Julia
Julian
Patricia
Patrick

its mental to be fair, but who cares

Harry is already starting to be called Henry officially. I remember my feed going mad with idiots going "Prince Henry? His name's Harry!" during Olympics ceremony (I think?)

I honestly would not name one of my sons Henry if I already had one called Harry, sorry. Wouldn't your son Harry feel a little annoyed with having to share his name with his little brother? Wouldn't it be nicer for both of them to have their OWN name?

I have a Henry and we call him Harry - I really wouldnt do what you are suggesting.

I wouldn't do this - it would be a bit different if ds1 was Henry, and happy not to use the nickname Harry -
but if you call ds2 Henry, then he cannot use the nickname Harry, even though many Henrys do use Harry as a less formal version of their name.

Root wise they are different - Harry from Harold and Henry from Henri - but they're seen as too closely related now to use both.

I wouldn't even use Hamish and James for brothers let alone Harry and Henry.

And my son Felix thinks it's a great idea to call his baby brother Fox because it's so similar to his own name. Um no. I'm the parent, I name the baby (even though I love Fox, it's too similar).

I personally don't give a fig about democratic naming practices - my son will name a baby when he has one himself. Just because it was his suggestion doesn't make it a good one.

Also, I don't think I would like to be the younger sibling and feel as though I had been named after a big brother. I would feel as though Iwas supposed to be living up to something.

As the OP and her family clearly view Henry and Harry as two seperate names, I don't think the younger DC will grow up feeling he has been named after his brother and feel pressure to 'live up' to him.

No.

In our family you wouldn't use John and Jack as my Grandpa's proper name was John but known as Jack as his less formal name...

My younger half sister was given a variation on my name. I was not and still am not impressed. Don't do it OP.

Was she called MintyMojito?

Noooooooooooooooo

Narked
Really? Everything I've seen says that Harry or Herry were the medieval pronunciations of Henry which is from Heimirich / Heinrich as is Henri/ Henricus