Name too close to a family members name

[justwondering22]

We love the name

Noa if our Baby is a a DD

However we have recently found out that DH has a great Nephew called Noah who has just turned 1.

As we have just found out you can see that we are not close at all. However his one brother is close so he would have a Niece called Noa and a Great Nephew called Noah.

Also DH Mother and Father would have a great grandson called Noah and a Granddaughter called Noa.

We really love this name or wouldn't even be contemplating using it.

DH's family is very very big so loads of names we couldn't use as we are close to them.

What's your honest opinions please?

Noa would spend her entire life explaining she is not Noah and is a girl.

Don't do that to her.

I wouldn’t have a problem using the name.

I think it will be fine.

My grandparents have 2 grandsons with the same name and their step grandson also shared the name, it was never a problem.

I'd do it.
They are different generations.

Op you can’t seriously be thinking about not naming your child this name you and your partner love because of your BIL and in laws and making life marginally, teeny tiny bit harder for them?

Exactly.

Do wish people would think this through more. It makes children so apprehensive and defensive and becomes a part of their personality

I think it's fine because when talking about the children the context will say which they mean.
Especially as they will be opposite sex. "We had Noa to visit today, she's starting to crawl" vs "we met Noah in the park today he had a great time in the playground ".
I have a large family with plenty of the exact same name across and in generations and if they are not nicknamed then the surname or parents name is used when talking about then. So Mary Smith or Mary Jones or John's Mary to mean John's daughter Mary instead of Mark's daughter Mary.
It's fine, I have a common name for my age group and get full named by people who already have a friend or family member with my name it doesn't bother me at all.

Absolutely fine if yoy truly love the name. I would keep looking but if your heart is set on it then that's what you must do.

Also DH Mother and Father would have a great grandson called Noah and a Granddaughter called Noa.

boo hoo 😂

I think the more pertinent question Op is whether you really do want to name your daughter… Noa

If you've been completely unaware of baby Noah's very existence for the best part of a year then it doesn't sound like you're close with that branch of the family so I wouldn't amend my baby name choices on their part. I'd also ignore ignorant comments on Noa as girls name from Mumsnet users. Noa is an established Hebrew girl's name and is moderately popular in England and Wales (ranked 264th at last data collection). People might hear Noa and assume it's a boys name, but that can happen for many other unisex names (Alex, Robin, Charlie, Sam, River, Rowan etc.) and it's just a simple correction.

Think of another name. There are thousands of good names.

Noelle
Zoe
Zoa
Moana
Joanna
Bridget
Jane

I would use it

What about Nova as a similar alternative

Op didn't ask if people liked the name Noa - she asked if you would use a name given the family history ffs 🤦🏽‍♀️

I would use it OP

That’s the beauty of a chat forum.

An OP can ask a question and posters can answer / discuss / question - to the OP and amongst themselves

Don’t give your daughter a misspelled boy’s name. She’ll have a lifetime of explaining to do. That’s cruel.

Nia is a lovely Welsh name

It’s taken nearly a year to learn of Noah’s name, the duplication isn’t an issue for that reason. Will they both have the same surname? That would be more of an issue for me.

A great nephew isn’t that close a connection.

The similarity is no issue. You don’t even know the child called Noah. However, she would have to spend all her time explaining that she isn’t a boy called Noah and spelling her name. So I’d avoid it for that reason.

Noa is not a misspelled boy’s name. It’s an Old Testament female name and, fwiw, has been one of the most popular girls' names in Israel over the last decade. The certainty with which some posters parade their ignorance on here never fails to surprise.

Exactly. People don't do most basic research before spouting off their unsolicited in this case and uninformed opinions. Noa was a biblical character and charts as girls name in many countries (Behind the Name link) which the most basic google search would reveal. Even just looking at data from England and Wales would show that it's moderately well used (same amount of Noas as Dianas in 2021), but let's not allow the facts to get in the way of quick, small-minded criticism.

I know a teenage Noa who is from Hong Kong. She's at secondary school in the UK and has no issues at school. There is such a variety of names these days. I highly doubt that Noa will be the most unusual one

Noa is spelt Noah and is a boys name. Don't do it to her