Why would you “honour” someone and give their name to a child?

[Elisemum]

Just a general topic for discussion as I’m curious of people’s opinions :) read so many threads here and often seeing people naming their children after a member in their family. Sometimes it ends up in a name they don’t even like for the sake of honouring someone. I have a few amazing people in my family, my grandparents were my world and my everything, i miss them dearly every day and I think about them all the time… however why on earth would I want to give their names to my children? Children deserve to have their own names, they are their own human being with their own life and personality. I can honour my grandparents/parents/FIL/MIl by having their pictures, thinking about them/ talking about them with kids etc but why on earth do people think it’s ok to use their names? Just looking for opinions on this topic:)

Really interesting to hear PPs who’ve used family names as first names that on the whole that the new bearer likes the connection. Bar the PP who had the same name as an aunt which led to confusion, which initially understand. Great to hear all the perspectives.

All of my children have names that are the same as/similar to family. I happen to love their names and think its a nice connection.

My dd has a (deceased) family member’s name as her middle name and a name which is new in the family but has a sort of connection to another important family member as her first name. I did want her to have her ‘own’ first name and the connection is quite a loose one but I know its significance and so does DH and so will DD in time.

I have a bit of an unusual/ unique family background and having DD definitely felt for me like starting my own little family but I definitely wanted to ‘honour’ two women who I (and DD) wouldn’t be here without and who had a huge influence on the kind of family I want to build and the kind of parent I want to be. It makes me sad they will never meet DD and I like to feel that the names are a small way of them being with her somehow. And when DD knows the story I hope she’ll come to recognise the strength and love that her names symbolise, whilst still being absolutely her own names. Plus they’re very good names in their own right.

So that’s why for me.