Is Elliot too close to Ellie?

[FireFly0129]

Hi, first time poster here. Just after some opinions, really.

We are due our first baby - a boy - next month and have had the name Elliot in our minds long before we became pregnant.

My dilemma is that a close family member is called Ellie. I say close as in we are closely related, but there's a big age gap and we only see/speak to each other a handful of times a year.

This is putting me off the name. For some reason, I didn't think of the closeness of names before we got pregnant, however my DH thinks this I a none issue. So just after peoples opinions.

Our second option is Ethan - which I wasn't as much a fan of, however when we had our 20 week scan and the sonographer said we were having a boy, my head instantly went 'oh its Ethan', which caught me off guard as it wasn't really in my head at the time.

Sorry for my ramblings. Writing this out has helped things feel a little clearer in itself, but I would still like your opinions, please.

Thanks

Elliot and Ethan are both lovely names.

Elliot doesn't make me think of the name Ellie. If it was a feminine name I might correlate the two, but as it's a masculine name it doesn't make me think of other names.

If its a family member that you only see occasionally then I would not let that influence your decision

I thought you were going to say Ellie & Elliot as siblings!!

Our son who is nearly 4 is called Elliot and I have an older first cousin called Ellie who we only see at family events. Never been an issue.

I wouldn't have two siblings with those names but anything else is fine.

I think it would be too close if they were siblings but the situation you are describing sounds like Elliot would be totally fine. Elliot and Ethan are both lovely names.

Too close for siblings. But as you can use the exact same name as a sibling or other close family member has you can use it.

No it's fine for cousins etc. Just not siblings.

Both great names!

No it’s fine, I don’t think I’d notice.
Maybe the family member be very flattered and think you’ve named the baby after them 😁

I'm an Ellie and my son is an Elliot... to make it worse, we both go by the nickname El.... but we make it work! Drives DH mad sometimes which is fun

Too similar for siblings but ok for other relatives

I think it’s perfectly fine as well, although if Ethan was your first thought during your scan maybe the baby has brought his own wee name. Either way, both Elliot and Ethan are beautiful names. Congratulations!

It’s fine, they just both start with El. Don’t worry about it.

I wouldn't worry about a family member you only see occasionally, your DS is probably going to see them even less that you do over their life.

I like Ethan too though.

I definitely wouldn't use Ellie and Elliot for siblings but I think it's fine for relatives who hardly see each other and are years apart in age. After all, there are no guarantees when it comes to repeated names in families. Anybody can marry in etc. My husband's uncle use to be married to someone with the same name as me, for example. It wasn't a major issue.

That said, if it bothers you Ethan is a lovely alternative.

It’s totally fine

Thanks everyone. Ethan arrived on the 16th August 🙂