Name advise « Back to Group Discussions

[askew]

So about two years ago a friend in my moms group was pregnant. She is one of those who does not find out the sex beforehand and does not share the names they are thinking before the baby comes. 3 weeks before she has the baby a few of us go out for dinner and names come up as a topic of conversation. I say, if I ever have another girl I will name her Eloise. The other women list their favorite names too. Well 3 weeks later she has the baby and she names her Eloise. Hard for me to believe she was thinking of it all on her own- but who can be sure.

So now we are pregnant with a girl and I still really like the name Eloise, and furthermore DH and I can not agree on any other name at all. Is it weird if I use the same name? Our kids are all different ages, so they don't play. We don't go to the same school. We don't live in the same town even. But- we have a lot of the same friends. I am also sensitive to people thinking I am unoriginal and stole her name.

Edited by askew - 3/7/13 at 7:28am

[Edelweiss98]

If you like it, I'd go for it. You can't spend your whole life worrying about what people think and if anyone asks or comments you can say that you've loved the name for years.

[thecoffeebean]

I say go for it! If you don't name her something you truly love, you might always regret it.

[LeighPF]

Eloise is a lovely name. It peaked in popularity in the 20s, but in 2011 was #449 on the social security list so you will see them around. ( I love baby name wizard).

As long as it is not your sibling or close relative (who you like) go for it. My daughter shares the name with another girl in our small church and the next church baby will have the same name as my son. Its fine. Think of all the John babies in the 50s.

[carmen358]

I can understand your apprehension in using it. Have you thought about asking her what she thinks about using it? I wouldn't let that sway your decision but you might be surprised that she may be supportive and then you won't have to worry. 

[HeatherB]

After my DD was born (we also don't find out or share names), a friend saw her name on fb and sent me a pm. They had just found out they were having a girl and had also long-planned to use the same name. She wanted to let me know and make sure it was okay. I really appreciated the gesture and assured her I didn't mind a bit. They live more than an hour from us and we don't see them much, so while we've seen them more since the babies were born than in years past, it's not a big deal.

I would definitely suggest a similar approach - mention how much you love her DD's name because it's been your top pick for X years. Let her know you will be using it, too, and wanted to tell her first. Etc.

[Banana731]

The friend already knew you planned to use Eloise last time, right? I'm sure she remembers.

I say go for it. It doesn't matter. Your kids will not be around all the other kids they know in childhood forever. They will move away and have their own lives. If you like the name, that's what's important.

I used to be against sharing names too, but after reading so many name woes here, I think maybe if you have one you are definite on, you should let people know. "we ARE going to name the baby, so-and-so"

Stake your claim!

[askew]

Thanks ladies! 

[thecoffeebean]

Originally Posted by Banana731 

I used to be against sharing names too, but after reading so many name woes here, I think maybe if you have one you are definite on, you should let people know. "we ARE going to name the baby, so-and-so"

Stake your claim!

Yeah, with my DD, we didn't tell our name until she was born. This time, however, I am telling close friends since it seems like EVERYONE else is also pregnant! Hopefully it will stick in their heads that it's my name! :-)

[joanatron]

one of my girl names is the same as one of my sisters, but with 6 sisters and us wanting family names, we are bound to step on each other's toes a bit.  One of my names was Marigold (from magic for Marigold by LM Montgomery) and I have a lovely niece named that now, lol.  

I think we are going to find out the sex of the baby but not tell anyone.  Same with names.