A friend used our name!!!! HELP

[Sparkle880]

Okay I really need help with this, my husband and I are due DC2 (although we don’t yet know gender I have an inclining it could be a girl). We have been set on the name Penelope for years and both LOVE it. However one of my friends (not a close friend) has just announced the birth of her daughter and has used that name! While we have few friends in common we live locally and it’s likely we would both send our kids to the same school, one of the reasons I loved the name is because of how original I feel it is. I need advise please and names similar to Penelope as other options (so far I quite like Summer, Enya and Alyssia). Thanks

And what happens if you have a boy?..

If its not a close friend I would use the same name...

I love the name
Elsie
Alice is pretty

Jemima is pretty too and not popular

I wouldn't use it. It would seem odd to me if two mutual friends used the same name so closely together. Could you use Penelope as a middle name?

It might not even suit her when she's born anyway. I vetoed my top 5 names for my dd once she was born as none of them suited her once I actually saw her. Maybe wait and see how you feel after she's born?

Penelope is definitely on the rise, I agree with PP about Pollyanna. It has a similar vibe but feels fresh and less likely there will be another one.
Also I don't think this friend will think you've stolen it as you appear to close for that as it would be too obvious with the children being in the same year/class at school, I would just assume you had already picked the name and were set on it

Someone i work with called his daughter Primrose which i thought was quite sweet. But if youre not close to that couple, just use it anyway.

Penelope is a commonly used name now, I know of 3 born in the last year. I think it doesn’t help that a Kardashian has a Penelope it’s on the rise. I’d just use the name I loved. I really wouldn’t care about others opinions if I was set on something.

No-one owns a name, and most names are not original. If you like Penelope, go with it. It's not as if your daughter is going to live near your friend for her whole life.

I don’t think Penelope and Pollyanna have the same vibe at all. The first is a significant Ancient Greek character, with cultural references down the ages. And the other is a character from a children book. I don’t dislike it, but it’s very different.

@Sparkle880 I would still use. Those who matter won’t mind and those who mind won’t matter. Have the conversation if you want to make it known it’s always been your top choice, but I’d do it regardless of the outcome of the conversation. Have the name you love ❤️

Ah I feel for you. I was so worried someone would use the name we had chosen 1st time around.
I’d say still go for the name. It has a few options for NN Penny, Nell, Nellie (love!!)
Super cute name xx

Honestly, if it's the only name you whole heartedly both like I'd still use it.

My DD is Penelope. When we named her we had so many comments ‘ah haven’t heard that name for a while’ or ‘that’s an unusual name’. Fast forward 4 years and there are Penelope’s popping up everywhere I obviously love the name so I would just go with it if that’s what you love. A lot of older people refer to her as Penny and she hates it though, she calls herself Penelope or PP

Penelope is pretty but sounds like you would need to be v prepared for there to be another one in the class. I also like

Caroline/ Carrie or Carly
Christina/ Christie
Philippa/ Pippa
Deborah/ Debbie
Jennifer/ Jenny

Not keen on your other choices, I would still use Penelope, you say she's not a close friend.

Sylvia
Stephanie
Verity

Just use the name.

Use it. So many people move before school it's not worth worrying about. It's a lovely name.

I think I am feeling more confident about using it now after all the responses, thank you everyone, still a little apprehensive and have added Delilah firmly to the list so I think it will come down to what suits baby etc, however would you maybe message the friend to let her know beforehand x

Ariadne

Elspeth is lovely. As is Miranda. I'd definitely stick with Penelope though. Or, Perdita.

My ten year old DD says that Penelope is the name she wishes we had called her. Maybe it's in the zeitgeist?

Another one saying "just use it."

I did - a work friend of mine gave birth about 2 months before me and used "my name". I just thought "what the hell" and said "that's a lovely name - it's the name we've chosen." She was fine about it.

It is in fact a name where you're guaranteed to get several of them in any given year of school, but I don't care because I loved it and it has family connections. And weirdly, since I had DS, the closest mum friend I've made (sufficiently close that we go on hols together) has a DS with the same name! A year from now, it just won't matter.

How about Philomena

Thank you @CaraDune that’s really good to know x