Is it weird to choose a first name and middle name that have similar meanings?

[PlantMummy87]

Baby is due in November, we don't know if we are having a boy or girl, and haven't been able to find many names we agree on, especially for a boy.

We would like to have a first and middle name, and don't want to use a family member name as either first or middle names, so they will just be names we like rather than after someone.

We are going to wait and see to properly name them but as we've struggled to agree on boys names we have limited options and we've landed on a pair of boys names that we really like that work well together, only problem is both have pretty much have the same meaning.

Is it weird to have both the first and middle name meaning the same thing or do you think no one would even know anyway so it wouldn't matter? The first name we've chosen is pretty uncommon so not sure many people would know the meaning unless they were told it.

Also I think it is probably unlikely that they'd be using both their first and middle name much anyway so I'm not sure many would even know their middle name anyway.

I'm probably overthinking this all, and may not even be an issue as may have a girl anyway 😆

Overthinking. Very few people care much about name meanings outside of MN.

Definitely overthinking - I don’t know or care what most names mean!

Most people will never know your LOs middle name never mind analyse what his names mean.

I think in the vast majority of cases it’s absolutely fine as people don’t think about anyway. Unless it’s a case of names drawn from the same original name - like Beth Eliza or Peggy Margaret or something like that, I would find that a bit odd.
I mean my kids’ names mean Defender of Men and Lover of Horses, and Supplanter Gift From God, but I can’t say that’s something I took into consideration when naming them!

Don’t think about meanings I meant to say

Most names don't actually have any meaning in modern English although they may once have meant something. I suppose the exceptions would be names which are real English words, like River and Stream, or Summer and June, or possibly words that have a dictionary meaning even though the names aren't usually associated with that (like Harry meaning 'to attack persistently' or Frank meaning 'open and honest'). I don't think anyone will notice at all unless you call your son something like Ocean Sea.

Thanks everyone! We will just go with what we like ☺️

Thanks @TheSpiral, I hadn't thought of that, but luckily they aren't names from the same origin.

Just had to look up what my DCs names mean, maybe should have done that before

Well, it's just a good job that I didn't look up meanings before we named them as they both suit their names and now I can't image them being named anything else.

I wouldn’t worry at all, I only learnt what DD’s middle name meant a few months after she was born! Nobody will ever know.
Actually, come to think of it. Don’t know what the meaning of DS’ middle name is… just off to find out!

I think you have to take it on a case by case basis. It'd be a real pedant who objected to, say, Paloma Dove or Carwyn Fingal just because the two forenames have the same meaning in different languages. Use common sense. If the two names are too close in sound or origin it will likely be fairly obvious so please avoid.

Overthinking. I would avoid using names which are different versions of the same name (e.g. Jacob James, Charles Carlos, Isabel Elizabeth, Evan Sean) but name meaning is a total non issue.

No one really cares about the meaning. Absolutely go for it as long as the names aren’t same-y like : James Jamie …. John Ian… stuff like that.

Agree, you're overthinking, most people won't know the meanings.

As others have said, just avoid names derived from the same source like James Jacob, Henry Harry, Sian Jane, Isabel Elizabeth etc.

It depends on the names and the meanings, and if the meaning is correct - some name sites are unreliable.

Melissa Deborah would only raise an eyebrow if you know the meanings.
Jack John would almost certainly raise an eyebrow even though they do not have the same original meaning, whereas Jack James do.

I think in the vast majority of cases it’s absolutely fine as people don’t think about anyway. Unless it’s a case of names drawn from the same original name - like Beth Eliza or Peggy Margaret or something like that, I would find that a bit odd.

This. The only way I’d find it weird is if they came from the same name, so like Billy Liam for instance or Jack Johnny.

I don’t know why my DC’s names mean. I probably googled them at the time and then forgot. I’ve certainly never googled their middle names so for all I know, they have the same meanings for first and middle. I am not even motivated to google it now.
I don’t know what either of my names mean either.

It's not something I would personally do, but I have always been fascinated by names and their meanings and would be very aware of the connection. I don't think I would be to worried about it if somebody else did it and they were names from completely different languages/cultures (like Susannah Lily - I can't actually think of a boy equivalent!) I would find it a bit strange if they were more closely related, like some of the combinations others have mentioned like James Jamie etc. (I've actually met a little boy called Jacob-James, and I did find it kind of jarring.)

I wouldn't do it, but I'm a bit geeky like that

DS has 4 names including his surname. Three of them mean warrior/ chief/ leader/ king. The fourth means something totally different. It's fine.

I wouldn't have thought it mattered. My sons first name means war and his middle name peace but it was a totally coincidence as we went for the names we liked.