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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Is this a common theme for middle names?

38 replies

Writerwannabe83 · 20/03/2014 09:09

Me and DH are having our first baby tomorrow (via CS) and still haven't fully decided on a name

We were discussing middle names though and asked him what he thought about one of the middle names (we have decided on one of them) as being the same as DH's first name.

Is this still commonly done?

DH was a bit unsure but I thought it was a really popular choice for middle names of boys, to give them their dad's name?

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Seminyak · 20/03/2014 09:11

I think it's a nice idea :) not sure if it's common or not, but I don't think it matters?

Good luck for tomorrow and congratulations!!!

nocheeseplease · 20/03/2014 09:11

My ds has his dad's name as his middle name. My ex insisted on it, I thought it was a bit weird but couldn't think of a better alternative. My nephew has his dad's name as his middle name too.

Wishfulmakeupping · 20/03/2014 09:12

I'm not sure but when we thought dd might turn out a ds my oh was desperate for us us to have a Mr wishful jr- this was not going to happen but I did say we could use it as a middle name, not that we needed to as we have our beautiful dd and her a name picked out :)

Technical · 20/03/2014 09:12

We did it for DS2 and DS1 has my father's first name as a middle name, which happens to be the same as DH's middle name, which was his grandfather's same. Are you following....? TBH it we only really did it due to a spectacular lack of imagination and no other ideas.

Wishfulmakeupping · 20/03/2014 09:13

Oh yes and good luck for Tomo.
Can we ask what names you've picked

Original poster

Writerwannabe83 · 20/03/2014 09:18

We like Arran for his first name We are going to see what he looks like though before making the official commitment

Baby's first middle name will be John, which is my DH's dad's name (i.e paternal granddad). I really wasn't keen on this at first but my DH was adamant it is a family tradition and it was important to him so I backed down

Because DH knew I was iffy about John he said that I had free reign to choose the second middle name. I was originally going to have Michael, as that is my own dad's middle name, but now I'm wavering and wondering whether to use my DH's first name instead.

OP posts:

UriGeller · 20/03/2014 09:18

Well my middle name is the one chosen for 'first daughters of first daughters' going back a couple of hundred years. ....Then my little sister goes and picks that name for her dd, but that's another story!)

So, yes its still done. Nice idea, if a bit boring unless the name is amazing, What's his name?

ShadowFall · 20/03/2014 09:18

We used names of family member's for our DS's middle names, and I have a number of friends & family who've done the same with their DC's.

(Although not always the father / mother's name, sometimes it's the name of a grandparent or aunt / uncle instead)

Original poster

Writerwannabe83 · 20/03/2014 09:20

DH is called Ben - but officially Benjamin, as would be the middle name

So Arran John Benjamin or Arran John Michael..... (surname is one syllable)

OP posts:

PenguinsEatSpinach · 20/03/2014 09:27

I think using family names is lovely, but personally if one name is from your DH's side of the family, I would either just use a name you like or a name from your family for the other middle name. To have two from one side, especially if the baby has your DH's surname (whether or not it is yours too) seems a bit, well, lopsided.

So that's a long way of saying I vote Michael!

Original poster

Writerwannabe83 · 20/03/2014 09:37

I agree to some extent penguins and that's why initially I was going with Michael, so it didn't seem like the baby was seen as 'belonging' to DH's side of the family with no connection to mine. I definitely didn't want my dad's first name, hence why I thought I'd use his middle name. However, my dad's middle name is of no real relevance, it isn't like he uses it or it is a common name throughout his family tree etc - it's just a name as opposed to Benjamin actually meaning something to us.

Why are name decisions so hard??

OP posts:

pigsinmud · 20/03/2014 09:41

We gave dc1 my surname as his middle name. It is clearly a surname, not a name which could be used as a first name! Apart from that we have not gone in for family names for any of our dc - seems to cause upset somewhere as UriGeller illustrates!

PenguinsEatSpinach · 20/03/2014 09:44

Yes, it is really hard. If there isn't a family name with significance to you - and obviously it doesn't have to come from your dad, it could be another relative, or a maiden name from your family tree or something- I would go with a name you like and/or has other significance to you. Literary? Historical?

It is very personal and of course go with Benjamin if you want to. It's just that, for me personally, two names from DH's side when I've already taken his surname as the family surname would feel too skewed. It's a lovely name though

Original poster

Writerwannabe83 · 20/03/2014 09:48

I think Michael is probably more unusual/less common than Benjamin which is one of the reasons I'm leaning towards that...

I'm leaning towards both for different reasons

At one point I was worried about the middles names being John and Michael though in case everyone thought I was obsessed with Peter Pan

OP posts:

Nocomet · 20/03/2014 09:54

DD1 is my fav great aunt, my name
DD2 is weather girl DH fancied, DMLs name

To be fair Me, DH and my family all agreed we liked DD2s first name and unfortunately my wonderful eccentric DMIL died while I was PG.

I don't have a DS, but he would have been DH second name (which also has family connections my side)

BirdintheWings · 20/03/2014 09:57

I'd hold fire on at least one of them for the moment. That way, if you have another son at any point (yes, yes, probably not your first thought the day before delivering this one!), he too can have a family element to his name.

Original poster

Writerwannabe83 · 20/03/2014 10:01

This is VERY likely to be our only baby - I've got various health problems which could potentially affect a baby, my pregnancy has been full of problems (my health has deteriorated and have been signed off sick since I was 10 weeks gone) and me and DH always said that if we got through one pregnancy and had a healthy baby at the end of it and my health remained stable then we'd just count our blessings and be happy with one and not risk having another. Whether we'll still feel like that in a few years though, who knows

OP posts:

Wishfulmakeupping · 20/03/2014 10:04

I'd use all four in that case then there's no rules and I think it would be nice to include a name from your families side -Aaron John Micheal Benjamin

Original poster

Writerwannabe83 · 20/03/2014 10:07

Is 5 names not a lot though???
I'm not sure I could do it to him

OP posts:

BirdintheWings · 20/03/2014 10:09

Ah, in that case go with either:
one from each side of the family
or:
DH's dad's name (and surname?), plus one you just really, really like.

AmberLeaf · 20/03/2014 10:24

I gave my 3 boys a middle name that was either the first or middle name of my Grandad, and their Dads Grandad. All of the names were also middle names or first names of my Dad and various uncles on my side and their Dads side, it is very much a tradition in my and their Dads family.

I liked the idea and my Dad and my uncle were very touched by it. Now they are older, my boys also like that they have traditional family names and a 'link' to their deceased family members, even the one that has the more 'out there' of the names [very old fashioned and not very common name from his Jamaican side of the family]

Good luck for tomorrow OP

alita7 · 20/03/2014 10:30

I would go for Michael as it comes from your family. I'm assuming he'll have your dps surname so it would be very him orientated otherwise!

Original poster

Writerwannabe83 · 20/03/2014 10:32

I think I probably will go for Michael - my DH wasn't particularly bothered about his own name being included in the baby's name whereas my dad would probably be quite touched

OP posts:

BirdintheWings · 20/03/2014 10:38

Another thought would be a name from your mum's side of the family? Wish we'd done that now.

hunreeeal · 20/03/2014 10:39

Arran John Michael sounds great.

Arran John Benjamin has to many n's.

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