Siblings with the same initials

[cattaxi]

Just that really. Is it weird?
We are about to have ds 2. Ds 1 has a set of 4 initials (2 middle names) - for example CFTP.
We were planning of using the same 2 middle names for ds 2, but now we’ve narrowed our list down and our favourite first name also begins with the same initial.
Is that weird?
Will it cause problems with the post? Will we even still be getting post in a few years?

Dh and I are going around in circles over this. Should we just use the names we love - or should we chose another first or middle name! Help?!

My DC have the same initials. My husband thought this would cause problems but it has not.

Not sure about the logistics of post but it is fine x

Does anyone really check the initials of babies/children?? I definitely don't! Also why give your 2nd son the same middle names??

So Charles Frederick Thomas Peters and Christopher Frederick Thomas Peters?

Wouldn’t do it myself but no one really knows about middle names.

I would use the first name you love and change at least the first middle. I have two DSs with the same first initial and mail hasn't been an issue - most mail comes addressed to firstname lastname. The only thing they get that is the same that is just addressed using initials is bank statements and they are distinguishable by middle initial. The bank only uses their first (of two) middle initials hence suggesting changing the first middle.

DS1 and myself have the same initials (we didn't think very hard about it) it's a pain in the neck with post - bank statements, debit cards etc. I voided his first card thinking it was mine. Recommend a second middle name or maybe swapping order?

I wouldn't chose to have 2 children with the same initials especially if both are having the same middle names. For dC2 we excluded all names beginning with DC1's first initial. Both middle names start with the same inital though. I think having 2 people with exactly the same initials can cause confusion even if we no longer receive much post in future. Things like finance checks .
My grandparents lived with us for a while, and there was confusion about letters address to Ms S Fan.

That’s good to know @Twolittlebears. How old are they? Dh thinks it’s something that would come up later down the line - for example when they have things like bank accounts.
For full disclosure, I should probably add that I also have the same initial and surname. So we could potentially have 3 lots of post and no idea who’s it is! He’s worried we are setting ourselves up for a nightmare. I think we’ll regret not using the names we love.

Thanks @Yellowandgold

Because we like them @jomaIone 🙂 They are both very important to us.

My Siblings and I had the same initials, it makes no difference in life, what post will they get? Siblings only live together in childhood which is short term in life. It will have no impact them.

We have twins with the same first initial and same second muddke name

Only time we have an issue is when speaking to doctors / hospital but that’s because they have the same DOB as we’ll as the same first initial so they will sometimes go into the first record rather than noticing there are two.

Everyone is kind of saying what we are thinking - that it has potential to cause headaches with things like bank statements, credit checks etc.

We love the names very much. I guess we need to think about the potential for confusion v’s the potential for regret! Anyone got a crystal ball and fancy telling me how it will all feel in 18 years time?!

FWIW so far all letters eg from hospital have their full name on the front, so do our bank statements. May be an issue sometimes though.

Why not use the same first name and have done with it?

Can you not reverse the two middle names? So one is ABCD and the other is ACBD?

Thanks @SinkGirl. These two will not have any similarities in birth dates - so one less thing I guess!

Excellent advice @greentulips, that’s what we’ll do 🙄

@Apileofballyhoo that’s an interesting idea. And one we’ve not thought of. Thanks!

This reminds me of Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfield. When the third child is named Posy (after Pauline and Petrova), the housekeeper's only comment is that it will make name tapes easy - all P. Fossil.

Can you not reverse the two middle names? So one is ABCD and the other is ACBD?

Don’t do that! You’ll constantly get it wrong! My kids have “interactive” birthdays (eg 23/4 and 24/3). I am a mathematician by trade and brilliant with dates. I still struggle.

I’ve totally had that thought when I was labelling this year’s school uniforms @anappleadaykeeps!

I think it would confuse me too much as well @mumoftwoyoungkids.

We have thought of a couple of alternatives. But how to decide?! We never had this with ds - we had his name chosen from about 30 weeks, loved it, agreed on it and it suits him perfectly. Maybe we’ll know when the baby is here? Dh thinks maybe we should let ds chose between the final 2. Can you trust a 4 year old that much?!

We didn’t like any names. We sat down one night when I was 34 weeks with the biggest list of boys names we could find and went through them and there were about 5 names that didn’t have a violent negative reaction so we wrote them down. Had the twins at 35+1, took a day for us to decide on names. It’s not uncommon to not have a perfect favoured name ahead of time.

It is only when they get older it will become an issue. My dh has a brother and his dd with same initial as himself and he got angry when his dd insisted on opening all post with his initial on when he lived at home.

My two boys are now adults, same first initial but different middle and it's never been an issue. They've had school, medical, bank, exam board, uni letters and all either have full first name or have both initials.

Labelling for school stuff that might be handed down is easy, ds1 gets (for example) J (space ) Smith, and when it is passed on, you fill the space so DS2 gets James Smith.

I think it is fine. I knew a family with Richard, Robert and Roger.

As for the mail issue my Mother in Law has the same initial as one of her sons which causes some problems when they don't put Mr/Ms but you can't win.

Two people at work had the same legal name (think John Smith) and when one wanted to change his address it took ages to work out which one. DOB was similar too but not the same thankfully.

My DB and DS have the same initials for first and middle name. This caused horrendous problems, when DS once opened a letter addressed to DB. Not forgotten over 50 years later. (exam results - he failed). To the extent the one thing I was absolutely clear about, that my DC would have names with different initials.
However, this was a long time ago, and as another poster said, few letters are sent these days, so maybe this would not be an issue.

Don’t give them the same initials. I have the same as one of my brothers and it had caused a lot of minor annoyances over the years, from opening each other’s private mail to one of us having our swimming lessons cancelled as the pool assumed it was a double booking. There are SO many names out there to choose from!