Naming child after dead father

[Conundrum12345]

My dad died 10 years ago. My partner never met him but suggested his name for our son. My dad was know as Ed but his legal name was Edward so we have the option of our son been know as any of those names or Eddie.

Is it too much pressure for our child to have the same name? It took us a long time to get to this point and while I'm not religious I spoke to my dad a lot about our struggles.

It's a nice gesture and a nice name. Your son will have his own personality. Go for it.

I think it’s a really nice thing to do. With Edward there are a ton of nicknames and Edward itself is just nice on its own. I know a Ned and a Woody who are actually Edwards. I don’t think it’s pressure, just a nice gesture.

My husband initially wanted to name our son after his dad who died when he was a child. I wasn't keen because it does feel a lot of pressure to be named after someone and to live up to the name. I wanted my son to be his own person rather than named after someone else. I also asked my husband to consider how his other family (especially mum) would feel saying the name regularly. We agreed in the end to use the name as a middle name.

We used late grandparents' names as middle names.

If your DH's father was known as Ed but you call your son Eddie, then I think it takes a bit of the similarity away. You also have the option of Ted or Teddy.

Personally I’m not a fan of using names of family members in the first name spot. I think it’s nicer for the child to have their own identity without always being ‘little Ed’, and some other family members might find hearing the name in use on a new person painful. I’d use the name in the middle spot.

My dd has my DMs name as a middle name. She died a couple of years before dd was born. I love it personally. I personally wouldn't want it as a first name.

It's fine. Tons of people name their kids after family members. It's not like everyone gets a unique name, so lots of other people will have had that name throughout history too.

In the Jewish religion children are always named after deceased relatives. GD1 is named after her maternal grandmother and paternal great grandfather; GS is named for paternal great grandfather and great great grandfather.

DD’s mother-in-law died the year before DD’s daughter was born; they weren’t keen on her name as a first name, so they used it as a middle name. It’s a nice tribute.

I went for middle name as a tribute with mine. although all my maternal cousins who are the first born are named for my grandfather, female variation for me.

My Dad died a year before my youngest DS was born. I named my son Dad's name for middle name and dead favourite Uncles name as a second middle name. Son is nothing like the two relatives he was named for but I wanted a link to my Dad for my youngest son as my older two children loved my Dad very much and as they were older they still remembers him.

I'm named after my dad's niece who died the year before I was born. I've always considered it an honour to carry the name on and even though I never met her I consider it a nice link with somebody that I wish I had known. Go for it says I.

Only do it if you love the name anyway.

I called DS William after my dad (still alive) and grandad (passed away). They all go/went by a different nickname, so it’s a nice connection but not the exact same name. I think Edward is similar with the options for Ed, Eddie, Ned, Teddy, Ted etc.

However I’ve always loved the name William and wanted to use it since I was a teenager. If dad and Grandad had been called something like Neville or Barry, I wouldn’t have even considered it!

Use it for a middle name, much less baggage. I middle named DD Henrietta after my dad who was (obvs,) Henry.

My son is named after his dead grandfather, DH's Dad.

My son loves it and thinks it gives him a connection to the grandfather he never knew.

That's so touching for him to suggest that! It's a name that means so much to you and continuing it is a lovely idea, I would! X

My son is named after DH's father, who had died before I met him. We didn't use the exact same actual name but a name I liked better, which had the same nickname/abbreviation which his father used. No-one in his family seemed to disapprove.

My DF died while I was pregnant, I now regret not calling my son after him.

My Dad died while I was pregnant with DS2 and we used his first name as a middle name. My mum specifically asked us not to use it as a first name, although to be honest we never considered that anyway.

It’s fine. Loads of people do it.
I personally refused point blank to consider any family names for my kids. Because I didn’t want any arguments about my child’s name, or extra comparisons with any particular person.

Alternatively you could consider using your df's middle name as ds first name.

OP, is your mum alive and if so have you mentioned it to her?

I have a friend who named her son after her dad who had died many years before but under quite tragic circumstances.

When they announced to her mum the baby's name, the mum nearly fainted. She was terribly upset, associated the name with a huge trauma, and they had a row and now rarely speak.

In and of itself I think it's a nice thing but do check with your mum and perhaps siblings before you 100% make up your mind, to avoid any future upset.

I’m not personally a fan of naming children after deceased relatives. I think children should have their own names.

Edward is a great name though. Teddy is a nickname option, if you do go with Edward as a first name.

My grandad was always known as Harry, but his name was Henry James. He died while I was pregnant with DS, (I didn't find out sex), he was so excited to meet the baby, and the funeral was so hard.
When DS was born and we seen that he was a he, Henry James was the only name that would do. He really suits it, and people only ever knew grandad as Harry, so it still feels unique to DS.
Edward is lovely, and you can still make it original for your DS.

Just before exs DGM died we promised her that if we had a daughter, we'd name her after her. We did about a year later. Very luckily it was an unusual name I'd had on my list for years. Ex didn't last longer as father than DD's 1st birthday. Still glad I stuck with the name on my own terms. Did use a different nickname though.