Middle name and surname = someone else's name

[CaipirinhasAllRound]

What are your thoughts on picking a middle name to remind you of a relative but when that relative has the same surname?
For example if my father in law was called James Smith and my surname is also Smith, would it be odd to have James as a middle name for my son as he'd then be John James Smith?
None are real names just interested on whether it sounds weird to have someone else's proper name in there
Thanks

No, I think that's fine

I have the whole of my aunts names as middle names (two middle names). Not quite the same. I think loads of kids have someone's full name as so many are named after relatives.

I think you are over thinking it. Most people use family names as middle names. In reality the full name is rarely used. There name is their first and surname.

Also your FIL is likely to be James Arthur Smith if you are using full names.

I think that's totally fine. My DH's name goes first name, dad's first name, surname. I think it's quite nice.

It's totally fine. You're way over thinking this.

My youngest son's middle name is his paternal grandfather's first name.

I've done this deliberately - my DCs' middle names are all that of a grandparent (obviously not all the surnames coincide). So Joe Bloggs has a grandchild called Elvis Joe Bloggs. I think it's nice.

My son as his grandad and uncle as his middle names and I don't think anything is wrong with it.in fact I think they are both proud to have him named after them

My dds middle name is her aunties first name. They have the same surname. It's fine, but a word of warning that they print middle names on kids medicine bottles. Tired me thinks 'why the fuck have we got sis in laws medicine, when I'm looking for dds?' Used to do that a bit when I was badly sleep deprived.
Sis in law has her own middle name my dd doesn't have.

It's all good OP.

It's fine. I imagine it happens quite a lot.

We are having my FIL's first name as my son's middle name, so he will be first name FIL name surname (which is same as FIL)

I personally don't like it as it feels odd to me to use the name of a living relative, especially as they will both share the same surname as well. It feels like I'm not giving my son enough of his own identity. I know his first name will be his, middle names are rarely used and I'm probably over thinking it, but that's how I feel!

I will still be using his name though as it means a lot to my husband that his dad's name is included, and I know my FIL will be proud too when he finds out.

It's quite common, isn't it? My brother's middle name is my dad's first name (deliberately). And my other brother's first name is my dad's middle name.

It's pretty common to give a child their mum or dad's first name as a middle name as kind of a traditional passing down thing without having to call them Junior. A friend of mine has done the same thing last year. His son's middle name is his name.

I think it is very nice.

I don't think that's odd at all :)!

In DH's extended family there's a grandad and grandson who have exactly the same first and last names, though different middle names as far as I know and they go by different short forms that are typical of their generations. So if you can do that I think you can definitely make the older person's first name the younger one's middle name. The important thing is having some way of distinguishing them by what you actually call them!