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Original poster

Siblings with names starting with the same sound/letter. Thoughts?

50 replies

fillyjonk · 16/09/2007 07:46

I am not sure what I am worrying about here but it just doesn't feel right.

But the ONLY boys name we can agree on starts with the same letter as ds's, plus the short form has the same second letter as his and the long form ends with the same letter as his

The initial sound is different IYKWIM, so it would be like having a john and a joe

(am sorry if this is confusing)

ds and db will be 4.5 years apart, and we also have a dd somewhere in the middle.

Thoughts?

(yes this is self obsessed and indulgent. That is why we come here, no?)

OP posts:

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belgo · 16/09/2007 07:50

my sister in laws have the same initials and it did cause problems appparently with post.

It's something that we've avoided.

whoops · 16/09/2007 07:51

My sister & I had the same initials and when we got into our teens I didn't like it as we couldn't always work out whose post was for who, but she was 6 years older than me

emkana · 16/09/2007 07:52

As long as the dd has a different letter for her name, it doesn't matter too much IMO

Bit difficult though to say without the actual names.

Original poster

fillyjonk · 16/09/2007 08:00

yes, the post.

Is this something we can get around with different middle initials though?

OP posts:

belgo · 16/09/2007 08:03

if you really like the name, and can't decide on any alternative, then go for that name.

Twiglett · 16/09/2007 08:04

I think if the 'sound' is different its fine

you'll have a problem with post though

I must say I'm not keen on having the same initials for children in general though and I also would think long and hard before doing it

did I know you were preggers? did I? congrats

Original poster

fillyjonk · 16/09/2007 08:09

lol twig

I did a namechanging panicked thread and EVERYTHING

yes it just seems...wrong...

I mean, I think dp should just agree to my choices but alas no.

OP posts:

LadyMacbeth · 16/09/2007 08:13

I share the same initial with both of my siblings. AFAIK it's not something that anyone's particularly noticed.

Twiglett · 16/09/2007 08:21

maybe its when it gets to numerous children all with same initial it sounds a little red-neck unusual

you know like "Jimmy, Johnny, Jo-beth, Julie, Jeremiah, Jim-Bob, Jehosophat and Jane.. Dinners Ready"

SimplySparkling · 16/09/2007 08:22

fillyjonk I read on another thread that you are going to learn Welsh (again) so "Llongyfarchiadau" and apologies for any mistakes in the spelling as I'm a learner, too! I know a family (very Welsh) who all have names starting with G. The self obsessed and indulgent bit of your post struck a chord with me. I thought for ages about ds and dd's names. Recently I thought that ds could have been called Huw and I wonder why I didn't think of it at the time! Llywelyn would have been good, too. Dd would have been Ieuan Osian if she had been a boy. So...my advice is to take your time and park it up when you start to bore yourself of the whole thing, then go back to it. When it comes to the crunch, use your shortlist and roll a dice or flip a coin and promise yourself you'll do whatever the result comes out as. If you don't like it, you know that you prefer the alternative name iyswim. Sorry, I realise this doesn't answer your op at all!

LadyMacbeth · 16/09/2007 08:27

LOL Twiglett. I knew a family of six siblings whose initials were the same - that was a bit odd - and very noticeable!

I think if there are two or three it's OK, as was the case with us it was coincidence, anymore and it does sound a bit twee. As if there is no other reason to choose a name than for it's initial it takes the resonance and meaning out of its choosing.

LadyMacbeth · 16/09/2007 08:28

Its not it's. Ad I know the last sentence doesn't make much sense.

Oenophile · 16/09/2007 08:30

I wouldn't worry at all since you both like the name.

I sortof know what you mean though, for I knew someone once who had a great many children (double figures!) all of whose names began with the same letter. That always seemed to me rather to purposefully detract from the indivduality of the children (but obviously the parents thought it was cute and lovely so perhaps the pros outweighed the cons.)

But on the other hand I don't think one should feel bound NOT to choose a name for one of your children just because it shares an initial with another's - that seems equally forced, doesn't it?

I don't think you're self-obsessed and indulgent at all! This naming thing is important!

LadyMacbeth · 16/09/2007 08:39

'That always seemed to me rather to purposefully detract from the indivduality of the children'

Beautifiully put Oenophile - what I was struggling to say in my typically clumsy way!

Oenophile · 16/09/2007 09:05

Thank you LadyM - though you put it well yourself - 'taking out the resonance and meaning' is exactly how it seems to me too with deliberate, as opposed to coincidental, initialisation - and I managed to split an infinitive in my post, oops

Miaou · 16/09/2007 09:26

Hmm, I understand your dilemma, filly! Dd1 and ds1 share a first initial, and dd2 and ds2 share a first initial too. When ds2 was about to be born dd1 pointed out that their names so far began C, E, C (and middle initials were H, L, L) and also that their names contained 7, 6 and 5 letters respectively (are you following me here??). So although it hadn't been deliberate we decided to continue the pattern. Ds2's name has the initials E H and his first name is 4 letters long. Now there is no way on earth we would have done that if we hadn't really liked the names we chose for him - tbh it was a happy coincidence that the names we liked most fitted the pattern! But we certainly weren't going to discard them simply because they followed the pattern.

I suppose what I am trying to say in a very clumsy and long-winded fashion is that if you like the name, then go for it. Your ds2 will spend a greater part of his life as a separate individual rather than as part of your nuclear family (lets face it, really only the first 18 years or so will be in your home) so any problems that come up as a result of sharing initials will be naturally short-lived!

The only thing I would avoid doing is giving them both the same first name and middle name initials. I have a friend with two boys who are both J S Brown - that seems a bit like asking for trouble to me!

Original poster

fillyjonk · 16/09/2007 19:50

Thanks all

I do think I am not really comfortable with it, and I think it is something I would regret

after intense discussion we do now have another name that we both quite like. The trouble is, we know about 5 kids with the name.

It is quite an unusual name really, but I think people we tend to like also tend to like this, we have this with our other kids names also.

so am still going

OP posts:

Peachy · 16/09/2007 19:55

2 of our 3 (4 on way) start with the same letter- not intentional, just was only name we could agree on

great for school name tags, no real problems though

tassisssss · 16/09/2007 19:55

Ds and dh have names that share the first 2 letter but are otherwise pretty different.

You have no idea how many people (including me!!) get their names muddled up.

(miaou - your "pattern" is lost on me!)

Original poster

fillyjonk · 16/09/2007 19:56

school name tags not a mahooosive problem chez filly

how is the HE life going in sunny cwmbran, btw?

OP posts:

Original poster

fillyjonk · 16/09/2007 19:57

yes here is the other thing

I know a woman with 4 boys, all 2 years apart, ALL starting with the same letter

people DO get them massively confused, there is no way round it. These kids actually remind people of what they are called.

OP posts:

ja9 · 16/09/2007 20:00

fj - i really like the idea of siblings sharing initial letter. ds neame starts with a j and i found myself really drawn to j names when preg with no2 (dh dismissed them all however). having said that, i'm a big illiteration fan as many of my past pupils will tell you!! along the same lines we chose a name for dd that has the same first letter as her surname. i think it really works but i know that many people think it is a big no-no...

funnypeculiar · 16/09/2007 20:00

Dd & Ds have the same first two letters - but pronounced differently - hasn't been a problem to date.
Me & my sister have the same first letter (although I hadn't really relasied it until I read this thread - so it obviously never caused us any issues. It's also actually my dad's first letter. So at one stage there were three of us with the same initial - I don't recall my sister ever opening any tedious uni-lecturer post, or him ever opening our valentines cards

I'd go with the name you like best.

funnypeculiar · 16/09/2007 20:01

Although, yes I know people with 5 all beining with H and you can tell they were scaping the barrel with the last two

Peachy · 16/09/2007 20:10

S'not bloody Cwmbran! We way posher than that (Caerleon)

HE going OK, though spent more time in unarmed combat with LEA than achieving anything much- did amke a very nice fish mobile on Friday though LOL (and I am finding that cooperation ensured as long as- and only as long as- all things are centreed around the night agrden )

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