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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Does anyone have experience?

26 replies

icantgetnosleep5 · 29/10/2016 21:32

Anyone named a child after a parent? Or were themselves named after one?

Would like to do this, but am interested to know if others have done it and then found it a confusing pain in the ass?!

We'd call baby a nickname of the original name.. think sammy instead of samuel

OP posts:

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Manumission · 29/10/2016 21:33

We have three cases in the family. They are all known as 'Big Robert' and 'Little Robert' and so on.

Peach04 · 29/10/2016 21:34

I used my Dads name as my DS's middle name. Could you do this?

My Dad was called the same name as his father AND grandfather. They got round it by having Thomas Snr, Thomas Jnr and then my Dad used to get called by his middle name in the end because it got too confusing.

Original poster

icantgetnosleep5 · 29/10/2016 21:39

it's a name ive always loved, long before i met my OH.
He uses the short version of the name, whereas I like it in it's entirety.
Also, he's a wonderful man, so i like the idea of his son having his name

OP posts:

littleostrich · 29/10/2016 21:40

My brother has the same name as our grandfather. It hasn't ever been confusing - family always shorten my grandfather's name but usually call my brother by the full version (think along the lines of Tom / Thomas). But even if we do shorten my brother's name it's still always obvious who we're talking to / about due to context - no issues at all.

DramaAlpaca · 29/10/2016 21:45

This is very common here in Ireland, I can't tell you the number of boys I know who have the same first name as their dad. They are usually known by a different version of the name so it doesn't get too confusing.

Sophronia · 29/10/2016 21:47

My brother has the same first name as our dad and grandad

HerSpookyFattyness · 29/10/2016 21:55

My brother has the same name as my dad, who has the same name as his dad, who has the same name as his dad etc etc.
And I have 2 cousins on my mums side who have the same name as their dad's.

I thought it was pretty common to name the first son after the dad. (Common as in it happens a lot) never been confused at all.

And I named my DD after my mum. My mum goes by a shortened version, but DD goes by the full name.

AtSea1979 · 29/10/2016 21:57

That would really wind me up. I just don't get why you would name your kid the same as it's parent so when mail arrives etc it's confusing. Also I would think your DH had such an ego to name his son after himself.

BuntyFigglesworthSpiffington · 29/10/2016 23:59

Give your child their own name.

BackforGood · 30/10/2016 00:13

I definitely think everyone deserves to have their own name.
It's SO confusing with 2 people of the same name living in the house - they aren't going to be a tiny baby for long you know. It gets annoyingly confusing that my brother and his Uncle (that we didn't even see very often) have the same name - I can't understand why anyone would choose to do that to a child.

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 30/10/2016 07:11

Yes, and it has never been a problem. 😀

Beebeeeight · 30/10/2016 07:48

Are you going to name your daughter after you?

NotYoda · 30/10/2016 08:12

I have the same name as my mother, grandmother, great grandmothers and great-great grandmother

It's quite nice to have a tradition that follows the female line, but no I wouldn't do it myself - glad I never had to break that one to my mum though!

It's not a problem. People seem to think we'll all get mixed up, but that has happened only in trivial ways, so you just clarify which one you're talking about

yesterdaysunshine · 30/10/2016 08:14

Honestly, I wouldn't.

It's a bit - not sure really - I think children need and deserve their own names.

UnicornPee · 30/10/2016 11:07

I know a few.

My 30 year old female friend has same name as her mum and hates the fact

My 4 year old godson has same name as his dad so gets called James Jnr all the time

My 12 year old sons friend has same name as his dad, he now only is m known as 'junior'

I personally think it's silly and you should have a completely new name but perhaps use the name for the middle name

HeCantBeSerious · 30/10/2016 11:12

Mine's an anagram of my mum's but a different name.

RaeSkywalker · 30/10/2016 11:20

I know that it's still relatively common (I know of a family where the first born son is always Robert), but I don't like it personally. To me, it feels like the child isn't seen as an individual. But then this is a sore point for me at the moment because I'm 37 weeks pregnant and DH's family have a similarly tradition.

It's your baby and your choice. People will always have an opinion on these things, it's probably best to ignore.

RaeSkywalker · 30/10/2016 11:21

^ similar, not similarly 🙄

mypropertea · 30/10/2016 11:24

I know a Jon and a "little Jon". Little jon is now 6"4 but the name has stuck.

FlyingGaribaldi · 30/10/2016 11:25

I grew up in Ireland, where this was common (my little brother had the same name as our father, his grandfather father and his great-uncle, all of whom lived with us under the same roof) but I don't much like it - it's unimaginative and makes the baby seem like a generic member of a gendered set, rather than a unique person in his or her own right.

mypropertea · 30/10/2016 11:25

Also little jon's grandad was also a jon but had passed away before I met the family so I don't know what they called him... old man jon?!

FlyingGaribaldi · 30/10/2016 11:25

Incidentally, I thought from the title that you were planning to call your baby 'Experience' and asking whether anyone else had a little Experience.

bigfriendlygiant · 30/10/2016 11:29

My grandad was from a family of Johns who were are known by different NNs: john, Johnny, Jack, Jacky, etc

I always thought it was nice to have a family name.

BackforGood · 30/10/2016 15:11

but you have a 'family name' - it's your surname. That's the name that applies to all of your family, and then you differentiate by giving them different first names.

CthulhuInDisguise · 30/10/2016 15:14

My SIL has the same name as MIL. It never caused a problem for them growing up apparently - DH tells me they used to refer to SIL as "pudding" or her first and middle names together. Our DS is named after our granddads - first and middle names.

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