Is it ok to use 2 names that are already in the family???

[MimiBee]

Hi there,
It's so hard choosing baby names as it is, but me and my husband have fell in love with a name that yet again is already in the family ... but since I was little I fell in love with a girls name and always vowed I would name my little girl this name, but when I was in my teens my older cousin named his daughter this name! So when I got pregnant it was very hard for me to let go of the name and so we chose the same name for our daughter just spelt differently. I have 2 other children too with completely different names to anyone in the family, but if we were to have another boy we now love a boys name that has already been used by my cousin (my other cousins sister) who we don't get on with due to a family rift starting many years ago.. it's a case of we only see them when we have to (weddings, funerals) but I know that something will be said if I do decide to go with this name, as my dad still bumps into them at my nans house, (me and my husband rarely ever see them)
even if I hyphenated it so it wouldn't be exactly the same, they can be quite mean so I know something would be said. Especially by my nan who seems to favour my cousins. I have been through all this before when I named my daughter. My husband comes from a large family and a lot of the names we like have already been taken. This name we like is a common name not something unique my cousin came up with, and they wouldn't have the same surname either. I'm torn but I can't bare the thought of just picking a name for the sake of it even though I don't love it for my child. Opinions please what would you do if you were in my situation??

Imo its absolutely fine to use the same name in families. Usually it's quite traditional

I had a great uncle, his son, my uncle and his son all had/have the same name. We would differentiate by saying uncle Tom, great uncle tom, cousin tom (who was my second cousin) and wee tom who was my younger cousin

In my in laws I have a nice called ella and my husbands cousins daughter is also ella

So absolutely fine in my experience.

Oh also I have named my daughter Sarah and my grandads aunt was Sarah

(Names changed for identity purposes but everything else the same!)

Also...all the Tom's had the same surname. And then the daughter of great uncle Tom (whose brother was also Tom...) married a Tom!!! So her dad uncle and husband all had the same name haha

Totally normal in my family. We have a James Junior and James Senior, Big Alice and Little Alice (Big Alice doesn't mind the name, even now Little Alice is 14 and taller than her), and I have three cousin Eds. No one's fussed.

I think it depends on the closeness of the relationship. A sibling you see/speak to daily then it's probably be a bit odd. But second cousins twice removed who you only see st the odd family occasion every few years then I see no issue with it.

I always wanted to call my DD Eve but then my sister in law called my niece it and I knew then couldn't use it as we see her weekly. But if my cousins in a different country used it I would have done.