Is it weird to name a child after a dead pet??

[ElisaMay]

My DH wants to name our DD after his childhood dog Billie!! I said that that was crazy but the more I think about it it becomes less strange. My sister was named after our Great Grandmother and my Dad after his father. Is it weird??

Yes.

But I don't think children should be named after deceased family.

Give them their own name.

It is a nice name but how would the child feel if she ever found out?

Don't do it

It's weird

I personally wouldn't, although it's more important whether you like the name or not. Do you like Billie as a name?

Our DS has the same middle name as our most horrible (long deceased) dog. He (dog) was a right nasty bastard, but we did love him, and we liked the name too, so... DS knows and is fine with it.

I know someone who did this. It's kind of weird.

Yes, it’s weird.

But this is MN so you’ll get plenty of people saying that it’s totally normal.

If it's as a tribute to the dog, it's weird.

If it's because he just really likes the name, it's fine.

It depends a lot on the name. Someone I know had a cat called Sluggy...

Billie could be a name from anywhere so if you like the name, I am not sure the inspiration matters. But if you are not comfortable with it, you need to explain that to your husband.

I named my business after my old family pet but drew the line at using it for one of my dc!!

I thought you were going to say ‘Spot’.

Of course it’s fine. Sounds rather sweet, I think. My DS has a name that some people use for their pets.

It’s got to be more interesting than Charlotte or any other common name.

I know someone who named a dog after their deceased child! But it comforts them, so why not?

I know someone who named their child after a dead horse. It's weird.
Shame on this instance cos Billie's a great name.

In memory of the dog it's weird. If it's because the name is liked by both parents and it just so happens that it was the name of a previous pet I think it's fine.

Only if you actually both like the name otherwise my initial reaction was yes that's weird.

My DS has the same name as a pet I used to have. We had a different named picked out but it didn’t suit him, chose his name when he was a couple of day old and then it occurred to me later that day it was the name of a lovely childhood pet I had.

I will admit it’s a bit odd but it suits DS perfectly (as it did the pet!).

My friend named her ds middle name after their pet who is really old. As a dog lover, I think it is a lovely thing to do. As some people view their pets like their babies and it is an ode/nod to the pet whose name they obviously liked in the first place as they chose it. Obviously if it was a very strong dog name like Lassie etc. Then that would be odd.

A friend of mine was named after a boat. Each to their own!!

I really love Oliver but it was my OH’s cat name when he was really young.

Yes.

I would be devastated if I thought I had been named after a pet. Children are not pets. Children are more important than pets and they need to know that.

My friend named her daughter after her cat. Cassie the cat, Cassie the daughter. Kinda odd.

No, it's not weird. But it would sound better if you say it's because you're a jazz fan, rather than the kid being named after a dead dog.

Why not. If you like the name and he loved the dog then everyone wins.

Yes, it's weird.