Luna as a middle name - but can I use it?

[AwkwardPaws27]

Due DC2 very soon, DH & I are still debating a middle name. We like Juniper & keep going back to it, but don't love it. DH suggested Aurora, again, like it but not totally convinced.

Then DH suggested Luna, which is a name I love. So much that our aged cat is called Luna. Initially I vetoed it on that basis but...

• I love the name (hence choosing it a decade and a half ago)
• it flows well
• the cat in question is the first pet we got together, she's been with us through most of our relationship, big life events, and has been an absolute gem with DC1.
• I'm not paying tribute to the cat as such - she's still here and hopefully has a couple more good years
• DC2 is unlikely to be old enough to connect their middle name to the cat before cat is no longer with us

So, would it be really weird to "re-use" it as a middle name?

After knowing people call their pets Luna because they are (in their words) lunatics, that association has never ceased for me.

Honestly after you announce her name her middle name will be forgotten about till she gets married and then again.

so use whatever you like - it really doesn’t matter.

I really don't think this is a thing. It means the moon, it's a lovely name.

Loony Luna .. I wouldn’t. It’s a bit fanciful for my taste

It's a middle name. My kids all have two middle names and I don't think one single person (probably including their father) could tell you what they are, apart from their partners. If you love the name, use it.

I also like Juniper though.

Its funny, I used to work in a vets & didn't actually meet another Luna until our cat was about 5, at which point it became a very popular cat name. I actually first heard it as name of a girl at my school over 20 years ago (who I didn't really know, but I thought it was a nice name).

I wouldn't call my baby after the cat!

Funny you should say Athena - I suggested it to DH just after posting this! First name will begin with an A so wondered if the alliteration was a bit much (as with Aurora) but its a great strong name and definitely a contender.

I wouldn't be intentionally naming her after the cat, although I guess thats how some people might interpret it.
its more that I used a name I loved when I named the cat and didn't have the foresight to think I might want it for a DC's middle name 15 years later.

I think it's a gorgeous name and would use it for a first name, but clearly some people aren't keen!

Whether Luna is OK for a middle name depends largely on what the first name is. I am guessing you don't want to share that though?

I think the people saying about the link with lunatic and whatnot, are probably the same type of people who are scared of black cats/would never have a black cat, because of the connections with witchcraft and the occult, and 'bad luck.'

All nonsensical reasons to not like black cats, and the name Luna, IMO. But people are entitled to their views.

My eldest child has a first name that is suspiciously close to my childhood dog and I can’t say that it wasn’t a contributing factor in picking the name.

My mum and dad gave my sister the same name as a pet goat they had - it didn't put them off! My sister and the goat did coincide for a few years, but it was never an issue (the name in question is a classic popular one). If you ever need an ice breaker, saying I was named after a goat (or a cat, in your case) isn't a bad option 😁

I would use it. There was an interesting thread on here the other day about whether people consider name meanings when picking a name - I certainly don't, so would disregard any comments about a lunacy link. It's a top 50 name in England and Wales so clearly deemed acceptable by many people. Go for what you like and feels most natural to say.

Edit: I wrote my comment based on Luna being the first name. I wouldn't even give it a second thought using it as a middle name. I'm a fan of a middle name honouring someone you know - you've loved your cat for years and she sounds like an important part of your family, seems very fitting to me!

Luna is a great choice for a middle name.

I personally think that Luna is a beautiful name. It was on my list of names for our little girl,, combining as it did Roman mythology and Harry Potter, two things I am passionate about! My husband wasn't keen on any of my choices from Greek or Roman myth, which comprised most of my suggestions, so we settled on a Taylor Swift-inspired name, since we're both devoted Swifties, though you would have to be a pretty die-hard fan to make the connection when hearing our daughter's name as it is not too unusual! I genuinely think the fact your elderly cat has the same name does not matter at all, especially as it will your baby's middle name so no danger of name confusion at home.
Still love Luna though. Posters saying it is more of a pet's name than a person's must not have much contact with babies as there are a few Lunas in baby groups we attend and I always think it sounds so lovely. It is also one of those names that I think works equally well for a baby or an adult, whereas I always think that some names that sound cute for a child might irk them in later life.
As I always say on these threads, I know it very much undermines the purpose of this forum and also renders my comment pointless, but I genuinely wouldn't canvas strangers on the internet for their opinions on a name. Still less, in my opinion, should you ask family and friends for advice. All that is important is that you and your partner like it. Just present it as a fait acomplis when your beautiful baby has arrived, people are then usually too polite to do anything but smile and compliment the name. Ask them while you are undecided and everyone will want to stick their oar in.
Please remember that absolutely every name will carry negative connotations for somebody. This will usually be for some completely arbitrary and personal reason like they went to school with someone with that name and didn't like them, or, as exemplified on this thread, people making bizarre etymological or cultural associations which they will claim will be universal but which, are in fact, just specific to them. In short, if you love the name, please use it! Wishing you all the best for your wonderful new arrival!

That's a massive reach!

Much more likely just the sort who don't think lunatic or lunacy associations are flattering. Do you know what it means? Nothing to do with witchcraft...

Do it! I know some girls called Aurora, Luna and Nova!

Definitely fine to use that name regardless of the cat! My name is the name of my grans cat from before I was born, I wasn't named after it and I don't mind that it had the same name.

Also my son has the same name as a gerbil i had in my teens haha. I've always loved the name and originally wasn't going to use it but it got suggested by a family friend and my husband and I finally agreed on a name we both liked so glad we reconsidered it ❤️

I worked with a little boy who had the same name at the family dog. His mum really liked the name but hadn’t planned on having any more children so she gave it to the dog, then when surprise baby came along she just gave him the same name.

If you chart the etymology of lunatic and lunacy you will find that both originate from Luna, the Roman personification of the moon, coined due to an old-fashioned association between the moon and mental illness. The name Luna is connected to the moon, that is how I always think of it. It never occurs to me to think of later words derived from it, especially words like lunatic which are now considered by some to be outdated and even offensive descriptions of people with mental illness.

Are you genuinely suggesting that this medical procedure and its acronym are so well known that it would be the first thing that would spring to the mind of the average member of the public on hearing the name Luna? If so, I fear you are grossly over-estimating the general populations familiarity with specific procedures for reducing pelvic pain. Even if they had heard of the procedure, the likelihood of it being the first thing that popped into their minds seems extremely unlikely, unless maybe they are a surgeon who performs hundreds of these operations annually!
I imagine that almost every relatively short name would be an obscure acronym for something, if one looked for it. Seems like a very weird reason to object to Luna!

Our youngest child’s nickname is the same as a previous cat of ours! Only one friend remembers. Lots of dogs had/have the same name but that won’t be an issue is a decade (don’t mean that as harsh as it sounds). If you love it go for it.

I think it’s quite sweet as a tribute to your cat!

I wouldn’t bother middle names serve no purpose whatsoever

It’s a middle name. It’s absolutely fine! Also, I love cats so would fully support you honouring a cat this way 😂

Luna is very rare. I haven't of many. Pretty name.